Leaders who don’t have control of their calendars will constantly feel out of control. Life will seem frantic and harried, yet it will be difficult to pinpoint what they are actually getting done. You will watch this person bounce around from one thing to another, always busy, yet often late and missing really important priorities. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about generosity recently. Maybe it’s because I’m so aware of the impact generous leaders have had in my own life. I’m not talking only about those who are generous with their money. Or even only about those generous with their time. I’m talking about a person who has a generous spirit. A non-selfish spirit may be another way to say it.

There is only one reason after working at Vanderbloemen for six years that I still recommend others to use their service—they are the best thought-leaders I know of around staffing issues in organizations. I recently had a chance to interview William Vanderbloemen, the founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, and the author of the new book Be The Unicorn: 12 Data Driven Habits That Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest.

I love a good book, especially the rare book that captures my attention all the way to the end. In this article, I've curated a list of my favorite leadership books that have profoundly impacted my professional journey. 

After 31 years of parenting, we are finally empty-nesters. It's hard to believe, but we no longer have any "children" living in our home. As we transition into this new phase, a mix of emotions accompanies us – excitement for the newfound freedom, nostalgia for the vibrant, noisy household days, and even a bit of relief that we've made it this far.

I’ve worked with hundreds of church leaders around north America. I’ve met with leaders of churches in decline, and leaders of churches that have grown into the thousands in just a few short years. One thing I’ve noticed—the best leaders continually decide to give up stuff they love in order to release the church for growth. It’s not a “once and for all” decision. You have to decide this again and again, week after week, year after year.

You've all met the fool. They may be fun to work with at times, but ultimately they suck the life out of the team because of the way they respond to feedback. When a fool runs an organization, people just stop trying to offer feedback, as they know it's futile. 

What follows is a letter I wrote in June 2012 to some close friends. We were vacationing with my parents, brother, sister and their families in northern Michigan. I haven't shared this with anyone else until now. I'm posting it here to help during ALS Awareness Month. For context, my brother-in-law, Patrick McGoldrick, had been diagnosed with ALS about 8-months previous to this family vacation. My prayers are with anyone facing this horrible disease in their family.

If you are a in the middle of leading through a crisis, I am so sorry. You didn't ask for it. You didn't cause it. You didn't sign up for this part of leadership. You have some tough days ahead of you. It's going to be harder and last longer than you can imagine. The damage is going to be worse than you think and the sleepless nights are going to be numerous.

Teachers are amazing. They work long hours for low pay (one in five have second jobs to make ends meet) and little recognition in a room of humans that often mistreat and verbally abuse them. They may not see a pay-off for their work with some kids until many years later, if ever, yet they keep coming back to work day after day.

Throughout my career for the past (nearly) four decades, I have worked on many teams. Some as small as two (right now!) and some as large as 500. Whatever size the team, whether a church staff or business environment, I believe there are several characteristics that help you stand out and get noticed by the leadership.

I’m convinced that it is better to have a leadership culture than a leadership development strategy. I’m not saying a strategy or training plan or process is bad. I just think a leadership culture is better.

Finding a new team member to join your ranks can be an exciting time for any organization. Yet, it's a process fraught with potential pitfalls that, if overlooked, can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes. I've hired hundreds of people and have learned these lessons from my own successes and failures when expanding my team.

In our work lives, many times we blame a human for something that needs a system. We run into the same frustration again and again, and we think it is a "who" problem rather something that could be solved with a system. 

As guys, there are things we do that makes it difficult for women to lead. It makes it difficult for them to breakthrough barriers to have more influence. By the things we say, the ways we act, or the policies we create, we relegate the women to the kids table. Or worse, to the kitchen. Most of us don't literally or intentionally do that--but sometimes our actions have this effect.

Having a well-defined set of staff values is an irreplaceable connector across your organization. These values shape your team's culture, help preserve what's working, and revise what is not. They promote unity and diversity, encourage consistent behavior and communication, and define the criteria for measuring performance

There are bloggers who exist (seemingly) to see churches fail. They love to headline scandals, and they sensationize their stories to support their bias that churches (especially big churches) are inherently evil. They will never write about restoration or healing or reconciliation -- all of which is happening at Willow. 

When someone walks in with a resignation letter, it didn’t start that day. It started months ago. Anytime someone leaves, first their heart (passion) leaves, then their mind (thoughts and dreams), and the last thing to walk out the door is their body.

Have you ever been in a role in an organization where you used to have influence with those at the top, but for some reason, your influence has decreased? Perhaps someone new was hired whose voice now carries more weight than yours. Or maybe you are the new one, and although you have a higher position than others, you haven't been around long enough to gain influence. Sometimes it is more nefarious--someone planted the idea in your boss's head that you shouldn't be trusted.

Leaving a church is hard! Someone resigns…the pastors and leaders get their feelings hurt that he is leaving. It feels like, “John doesn’t want to play on our team any more. He took his ball and his bat, and now he’s going to play on a different team.” It feels very personal. Emotions run very high. Words get said. Insinuations are made. People are reactive…