Have you ever had one of those people on your team who just drives you crazy because they just don’t seem to be very good? How did you work to resolve it? It’s an incredible challenge to motivate someone or empower someone to lead who just doesnt seem to care or be capable of leading well.I came across this article which I think is very insightful. The cool thing about it is that it doesn’t focus on the employee’s issues as much as it focuses on the leader’s responsibility to lead well.As I read each of these points, one word just kept coming to my mind – the word “relationship.” On each point, if the leader has an intentional and authentic relationship with the employee, these things can and will happen much more effectively.At Southland, I am thankful that our leadership culture is highly relational which …

I read this in the latest copy of Neue Magazine. You should subscribe to this magazine if you don’t want to be a loser. Kidding, it’s really good though and you should check it out. www.neueresources.com….Financially Fail as a Church in 4 Easy Steps by Casey Graham1. Lack ClarityThe lack of financial education among pastors is scary. Few churces plan more than a few months in advance. Develop four financial goals for the year – connect a date and an amount to each one. When it’s clear, it works!2. Live on Faith More than WisdomMany pastors believe God will just “provide” and there’s no need to plan ahead. But the Bible praises people who are diligent and wise with their money. Base your budget on past real trends of income and expense, don’t just hope you’ll take in more this year.3. OverhireOne of …

If you are anything like me, you may not have the ability to read all of the books that you would like to that would spark your spiritual development. I find if I’m spending more time reading books than I am the Bible, I begin to grow stale. So, I make time in the Word my highest priority. From there, I focus on my favorite authors like Eugene Peterson, Rob Bell and Donald Miller. Then, I will bounce around and read portions of books that are either popular or have been referenced by folks that I have a great deal of respect for. It’s really challenging to stay up on all of what I’d like to read.I have also found a great publication that contains writings in a shorter format that are great to stay up with, without having to read a ton of books. …

Great example of taking care of people on Southland’s Culture Director, Jeff Presley’s blog, Culture and Connection. (www.cultureandconnection.blogspot.com/)Contrast his experience with ours.Sharon and I were dining with the Walls recently when the waitress spilled a plate of food on Karen. The waitress was embarassed and we were over the top nice about it. Karen’s top was stained, but she was so gracious in the way she handled it.The waitress never mentioned it again, no one else came to check on us and when the bill came, there was no adjustment whatsoever. That’s contrasting customer service.The sad thing is that if we had made a big scene and complained, the entire meal would have been free and Karen’s clothes would have been cleaned by the restaurant. But, we were nice and so, nothing.I wonder in our culture of a church if we bend over backwards to please those who complain the …

Great example of taking care of people at the blog, Culture and Connection. Sharon and I were dining with the Walls recently when the waitress spilled a plate of food on Karen. The waitress was embarassed and we were over the top nice about it. Karen’s top was stained, but she was so gracious in the way she handled it.The waitress never mentioned it again, no one else came to check on us and when the bill came, there was no adjustment whatsoever. That’s contrasting customer service.The sad thing is that if we had made a big scene and complained, the entire meal would have been free and Karen’s clothes would have been cleaned by the restaurant. But, we were nice and so, nothing.I wonder in our culture of a church if we bend over backwards to please those who complain the most and neglect those who don’t? I …