Lead Well

Sometimes you plan something awesome, and you have unintended negative consequences. This happened to me on Sunday. We had a dance off in both elementary services and the winning group got to sit in the "VIP" section and get a free soda and candy. A little more than I usually give, but it helped illustrate the sermon for the day. Also, because it was promotion Sunday, we gave a coupon away to all the Kindergarteners and First Graders. A one time thing, but the kids love it. Two awesome plans. One big mistake. When we held the dance off in first service, the K-2 boys won. In second service, the First Graders won.  Do you see what happened? I didn't until a mom pointed it out to me. I gave 3(!) 20oz sodas and 2(!) bags of skittles to first grade boys in the span of 3 hours. Bad call, children's pastor, bad call. I'm told one first grade boy was still wired at 7pm that night. I've apologized to several affected moms and explained t...

As leaders we all make mistakes, but if we learn from others we can go much further, faster. Here are three mistakes every young leader (and sometimes old ones too) make. Thinking more negatively than positively. When I first came to Evangel, I was so excited for the new ministry, new responsibilities, and new environments. However, after a couple of months, I caught myself telling some parents and volunteers all the bad things that were happening. I would lament about my presentation style, how volunteers weren’t doing what I wanted them to do, and how kids just wouldn’t behave. After a while, God convicted me, and I began to change. Many leaders do the same thing. They look at all the bad things and forget to see the good. As you lead your team look for the positives and not just the negatives. Talk about the good things that are happening. If something is going wrong, write it down, talk it over with trusted people, and come up with a solution. People want to follow...

In life and leadership, mistakes are bound to happen. There’s pretty much nothing we can do about it. How we handle those mistakes, however, determines the difference between a great leader or just a good one. So here are 7 things to do when we mess up. Don’t bury it. When we make mistakes, our natural inclination is to cover it up. We don’t tell people about it. We try to control the outcome. Inevitably this fails, and causes far more harm than if we had just confessed at the beginning. Don’t blame others. This one is really easy to fall for. Even if it’s not your fault, if you are leading others throwing them under the bus won’t help you in the long run. The person who made the mistake still needs to be confronted, but that interaction will go much better if accept the responsibility as the leader. Don’t beat yourself up . I’m so guilty of this one. I hate to fail and can feel bad for days after a mistake. Hold onto the truth that you’re human and mistakes are bou...