Reining in an Email Discussion

Reining in an Email Discussion

Email has obvious advantages and inherent disadvantages. Because it’s concise and impersonal, we can misconstrue the meaning behind the words. And if a handful of people are part of an email deliberation, decision-making can become unwieldy. Knowing when to rein in an email discussion is an important leadership skill. Recently,…

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The Voice Choice

The Voice Choice

There are two primary voices vying for a leader’s attention. Knowing how to distinguish and deal with them is a critical leadership skill. As I sat down to pray about this week’s blog, I knew I was in trouble. I positioned myself near our puppy’s pen so she could see me. Maybe that will keep her from barking, I thought.…

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God’s Will: The Thrill of Discovering it with Others

God’s Will: The Thrill of Discovering it with Others

You hole up with God. He reveals His vision for your ministry’s future. You share it with others. They embrace it. Does it get any better than that? I’m here to say that it does. My adventure-seeking husband has been to places near and far—on business trips and snowmobile ventures. When he gets home, he invariably says,…

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The Beauty of Agreement

The Beauty of Agreement

There is profound beauty when a man and woman say “I do.” It becomes even more profound when they reach agreement after their first major conflict. There’s something spectacular about two deeply different individuals honoring, listening, and submitting to one another to come to a place of harmony. In the context of…

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Whose One-Man Show?

Whose One-Man Show?

As leaders, especially in our early days, we can fall for the notion that it’s up to us to keep everything going. Here’s a visual metaphor of what it looks like. Initially, it’s pretty impressive to watch how talented that guy is, and to see the huge variety of instruments he’s able to play. But if you convert…

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Go with Your Gut?

Go with Your Gut?

It happens all the time in leadership. You have to make a critical decision in the next hour or the next day. Either way, there’s pressure to decide quickly. So how do you do that? It’s tempting to go with your gut—to do what feels right in the core of your being. We’ve all done it. But is the core of our being always…

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