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6 Characteristics of Spiritual Leaders

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Bob Hamp, the Executive Pastor of Pastoral Care at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. You can find his blog or follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

As believers, we recognize the value of imitating Jesus and His leadership style. But if we really think about it, it’s strange that we try to emulate a leader who never developed an organization, regularly encouraged people to stop following Him, and ultimately saw His death as the pinnacle of His accomplishments.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/AurelianGogonea

What kind of perspective must a leader have to place high value on these kinds of strategies? Jesus was not a manager. His primary role was to function as a spiritual leader.

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3 Important Habits for Building Influence that Matters

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Jeff Goins, who is an author, speaker, and blogger that lives in Nashville. You can read his blog, follow him on Twitter, and check out his eBook on getting published. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Last year was crazy. In six months, I received a publishing contract, started speaking for live audiences, and launched a writing career—all without having to quit my day job. How did it happen? I built a platform. But what does that mean?

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If you want to find and lead your “tribe,” you are going to have to be intentional about the process. The first place to start is with building relationships. I’ve cultivated three important habits that have helped me do this.

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The Most Important Hour of the Day

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Kimanzi Constable. He blogs about finding your passion in your work and practical helps for everyday work issues. You can follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar. You hear the alarm clock go off in the morning. You just need a couple more minutes of sleep, so you hit the snooze button.

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Ten minutes later, the alarm clock goes off, but you’re already sound asleep. Thirty minutes later, you wake up in a panic. You just overslept and are going to be late.

You rush out of bed, throw on whatever you can find and head to the bathroom. You look at your toothbrush and tell yourself there’s no time. You gargle, grab whatever is in the fridge for lunch and you’re off.

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The Awesome Power of Showing Appreciation

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Tracy Letzerich, a stay-at-home mom and former strategy-consultant-turned-algebra-teacher. She blogs at Time With Tracy. You can also follow her on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

It doesn’t matter whether your office is a boardroom, classroom, or laundry room. There are people who do things for you every day. Employees, colleagues, and family are expected to do their part. Do they know that you appreciate them?

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/aiseeit

It was a typical Monday, and I was about to churn out a business-like email to my husband. Have you heard back from the tax guy? Don’t forget the teacher-parent conference on Thursday. Oh, and the neighbors are irritated because you put the recycle bin out on the wrong day.

In the middle of composing this gem of gentle reminders, a terrible realization came over me: I send a similar email to my husband every Monday. Imagine his excitement when my name appears in his inbox! I began to wonder. Does he know how much I appreciate him?

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Why You Should Be Living for the Future Now

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Mary DeMuth. She is an author, speaker and book mentor. You can read Mary’s blog or visit her on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I love it when I get to spend time with my friend Randy Ingermanson who runs AdvancedFictionWriting.com. I always come away from our conversations challenged and changed.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/kryczka

Our recent conversation happened in a hotel lobby in Dallas where he shared about something he learned about goal setting.

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5 Ways for Leaders to Listen Harder

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Craig Jarrow. He is an author, speaker, and blogger on time management and technology. You can read his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

At a recent conference I attended, I heard someone say that the higher leaders advance in an organization, the less truth they receive.

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In the conversation that ensued, it was discussed how executives receive less feedback from their teams and organizations. This was attributed to positional authority, employee job security fears, and other organizational factors.

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When Leadership Fails

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Jeremy Statton, an orthopedic surgeon and writer. You can follow his blog, connect with him on Twitter, or download a free copy of his book Grace Is. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Rainy days. Flat tires. The worst case scenario. As the saying goes, it happens. And so does poor leadership.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/blend_images

Leadership failures are often the result of:

  • Poor planning
  • Inexperience
  • Stubbornness
  • Lack of vision
  • Pride

It happens more often than we would like to admit, especially when it is our fault.

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Top Posts and Commenters for February 2012

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In case you missed them, here are my top ten posts for February 2012, along with my top ten commenters. I am sending each of the top commenters a free copy of A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home by Steve Pemberton.

Wordle Graphic for February 2012

Graphic courtesy of Wordle.net

Here are my top ten posts:

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The Importance of Crossing Daily Finish Lines

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I am mostly offline, attending a business conference. I have asked several bloggers to post in my absence. This is a guest post by Tom Basson, the spiritual growth pastor at Grace Family Church in Durban, South Africa. You can connect with him on his blog or follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

One of the most memorable moments of my life was crossing the finish line of the Comrades Ultra-Marathon.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Willowpix

After eighty-nine kilometers (fifty-six miles), and a grueling eleven hours and thirty-four minutes on the road, hand-in-hand with my mom, I crossed the finish line. We gave each other a hug and each shed a tear. It was a powerful moment I will never forget.

And it got me thinking about finishing lines—about how we don’t need them just at the end of a long hard race, but at the end of long hard day, too.

I will be giving the keynote and doing a workshop at this event. The full conference runs from September 20-23, 2012.

Date: September 20, 2012
Time: 04:00-05:00 p.m.
Event: American Christian Fiction Writers Conference
Topic: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
Sponsor: American Christian Fiction Writers
Venue: Dallas-Hyatt Regency
Location: Dallas, TX
Public: Public
Registration: Click here to register.
More Info: Click here for more information.

Click here for more information about having me speak at your event.

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I will be giving the keynote and doing a workshop at this event. The full conference runs from September 20-23, 2012.

Date: September 21, 2012
Time: 04:15-05:15 p.m.
Event: American Christian Fiction Writers Conference
Topic: My Bestseller Launch Formula
Sponsor: American Christian Fiction Writers
Venue: Dallas-Hyatt Regency
Location: Dallas, TX
Public: Public
Registration: Click here to register.
More Info: Click here for more information.

Click here for more information about having me speak at your event.

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