On Leading Well

Year: 2015

  • My Holiday Reading List

    Whew! The past few months have flown by. On December 8, our global digital strategies, operations, products and services teams marked the 100th day since significantly restructuring. To everyone’s credit, we’ve seen a surge of early wins in product release speed, quality of our digital offerings, analytics dashboards, and most importantly, a much richer stakeholder engagement process. We still have a long way to go.

    It’s been an exciting and demanding time. In spite of the pace, I don’t find myself tired or fatigued. Rather, my soul is hungry for richer fare than articles on best practices in digital maturity. This week I am beginning to taper my schedule to allow for a season of reflection.

    Over the next few weeks here’s what I’ll be reading (or re-reading):

    1. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Tim Keller
    2. Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Leadership Service by Walter C. Wright
    3. Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner
    4. The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer
    5. The Contemplative Pastor and Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity by Eugene Peterson
    6. Leadership by James MacGregor Burns

    How do you pull away and reflect? What’s on your reading list?

  • It’s Still About Character

    change_aheadWe’re in the middle of the most rapid and wide-ranging organizational change process I’ve ever been a part of. One month ago we merged several different technology and digital teams into a single Global Digital Strategies entity. If the early wins are any indication, we’re in for a great future together.

    Many find this exciting. Outsiders and friends in the industry have said to me, “Finally. You should have done this months ago.” Some are feeling displaced and angry. Others quietly express concerns.


    A colleague listened to me recount some of the challenges and criticism my team and I have endured. Then he posed these unexpected questions:
    • Can my character handle the extent and scope of the ministry God wants to give me?
    • How do I deal with personal attacks?
    • What about attacks on the team?
    • How do I handle criticism from the casually uninformed?
    • What about resisters who are convinced we have made a terrible mistake and must return to Egypt?
    • Will others find me defensive, proud, and pugnacious? Or will they encounter love, patience, grace, and authentic spiritual leadership?
    Often Christian leaders fail because they have been too successful, it has gone to their head, then seeped down into their heart. Each conversation is part of the journey God wants me to experience. Some people may not get this for a year, or two years, or ever. How I respond to others is the key. I can’t control the outcomes, but with the Spirit’s power I can control my responses.

    Leadership is still about character.

  • A Leader’s Lament in Organizational Change

    Lord, I hurt for those who are hurting in our transition.
    My own heart aches.
    My mind races, anticipating – rightly or wrongly or incompletely – the losses of the sweet culture grown up on our tiny little team.

    One of many teams in a huge organization.

    You are leading us; we cannot go back.

    As we lament, Lord,
         hear our prayers,
         heal our hearts,
         comfort your people.
         Open our eyes
              to fresh possibilities.
         Steady our feet to stand on You, our Rock.
         Guard our hearts from pity and pride,
              and from fear of the unknown.
         Fill our minds with wise ideas.
         Tune our ears to listen to your Spirit,
              and to one another.
         Strengthen our hands

              for the good work You have for us.

    Protect us, protect me, from Rehoboam’s Folly.
    Give us the bold humility of Jesus.
    Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
        but to you be the glory.