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Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
5 Things I Wish I Had Learned Sooner as a Leader
By: Jock Ficken
Here are 5 Things I Wish I Had Learned Sooner as a Congregational Leader: “Leadership Essentials is the first place in my entire life I saw a healthy way to deal with conflict.” – Leader in New England “What you celebrate you accelerate.” Here are Three Questions… Which of the 5 did you learn quicker … Continue reading
5 Facts about Congregational Leaders
By: Jock Ficken
Five facts about congregational leaders. Most leaders overestimate what can be accomplished in 3 months and underestimate what can be accomplished in 3 years. Most leaders avoid the single, large, “this we must do” challenge and distract themselves with familiar, sometimes unproductive work. Most leaders could better connect with unchurched people by inviting them into … Continue reading
This We Must Do! 3 Simple Questions to Answer
By: Jock Ficken
Most congregational leaders and leadership groups lack FOCUS. The urgent constantly distracts from the important. Clear, singular focus: “This we must do!” See the note to the right about the church in one region of Tanzania has focused on seeing the witchdoctors converted to Jesus. “This we must do!” So, here’s a simple tool: Do … Continue reading
3 Do I Have What It Takes? Part 3
By: Jock Ficken
When you do the hard work of self leadership you end up doing more of… the stuff that stirs your soul. the stuff that you want to spend the rest of your life doing. the stuff you’re flat out uniquely good at doing. You beat back the natural, creeping, “Do I Have What It Takes?” … Continue reading
Do I Have What it Takes? Part 2
By: Jock Ficken
When someone starts a small business, the organizational chart looks a bit like this. Many church leaders function the same way! The vast majority of congregational leaders have similar org charts and “me” in boxes where they don’t fit. Too many times we’re “filling slots” because “somebody needs to do it.” And no one has … Continue reading
3 Reasons Leaders Question their Ability
By: Jock Ficken
Do I have what it takes to lead? It can hit leaders at most any age, most any season. It has hit me… In my early years…when harsh realities met naive overconfidence. Through conflict, obstacles, and major milestone moments. In the pit of self doubt where I lacked confidence and felt alone and isolated. … Continue reading
Dealing with Disappointment
By: Jock Ficken
Every congregational leader I know deals with disappointment. Most of us have endured seasons where disappointment has been heaped upon crushing disappointment and where a resiliency of faith in the face of disappointment is difficult to sustain. Here’s a disappointment short list: People you thought you could “count on” suddenly count themselves unreliable. The system… … Continue reading
3 Benefits of Pride and Arrogance
By: Jock Ficken
Hmmm! 3 Benefits? In seasons when it’s really hard, OR I’m not well, OR our church is not well, OR the tick, tick, tick of postponing actions or hard decisions is waiting to detonate…pride and arrogance gets crushed in me…needs to get crushed in me! But it doesn’t seem to go anywhere if I don’t have … Continue reading
The Conspiracy of Silence… The Leader’s Biggest Mistake
By: Jock Ficken
Leaders across the church…not all leaders but plenty of leaders, women and men, denominational officials, pastors, God-fearing leaders…they don’t speak up and define: Here’s our reality. Here’s what this means. Here’s the big challenge in front of us. Maybe because they… “When you put a name on your reality you now have the capacity to … Continue reading
Will the Next 10 Years be the most Fruitful?
By: Jock Ficken
What does it take for the next 10 years to be the most fruitful 10 years of your leadership life? Like last week, it will include… Necessary Endings New beginnings A “not so easy” journey through the Muddled Middle or Neutral Zone Do these well in your church? Change gets easier. Do these well personally … Continue reading
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