Your Webinar Hosts

Sean Cronin
Training Lead

Patrick Bradley
Director of Operations

The post Residency Webinars appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Residency Isn’t a Classroom. It’s a Calling in Action.

…

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 3:00pm Eastern

What’s a church planting resident actually do? It’s not about busywork—it’s about formation. This webinar breaks down the key components of a healthy residency, and how you as a resident, or you as a church-planting church, can reap all the benefits of a church planting residency without having to create one from scratch.

You’ll learn:

• The cost of launching church planters without training
• Why now is a uniquely ripe moment for multiplication
• A proven framework you can adopt today

Bring your church planter questions for Q&A.

Date: Tuesday, July 22
Time: 3:00pm Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes (with live Q&A)
Cost: Free

Sean Cronin
Training Lead

Patrick Bradley
Director of Operations

The post Info Meeting: What Do Church Planting Residents Actually Do? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Residency Isn’t Optional Anymore. It’s Essential.

Explore why churches that act now will shape the next decade of church planting.

Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 2:00pm Eastern

Residency isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the most effective, biblical, and sustainable way to prepare future planters. This 60-minute webinar will help you see why the window for multiplication is now—and how you can build a healthy sending culture without burning out your team.

You’ll learn:

• The cost of launching church planters without training
• Why now is a uniquely ripe moment for multiplication
• A proven framework you can adopt today

Bring your church planter questions for Q&A.

Date: Thursday, July 10
Time: 2:00pm Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes (with live Q&A)
Cost: Free

Sean Cronin
Training Lead

Patrick Bradley
Director of Operations

The post Info Meeting: Why Residency? Why Now? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Discover how your church or network can equip a church planter without building a residency from scratch.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 1:00pm Eastern

Most churches never send out a planter—not for lack of vision, but because they don’t have a scalable system. In this 60-minute live webinar, we’ll show you how distance residency removes barriers, empowers planters, and keeps your church focused on what matters most.

You’ll learn:

• What planters really need (and what they don’t)
• How distance-based training works, even for small churches
• A plug-and-play solution to get started now

Bring your church planter questions for Q&A.

Date: Wednesday, June 25
Time: 1:00pm Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes (with live Q&A)
Cost: Free

Sean Cronin
Training Lead

The post Info Meeting: Why Distance Residency is the Future of Church Planting appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: What Are Your Motivations for Church Planting?

The post What Are Your Motivations for Church Planting? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: New Churches

In Episode 504 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss if feeling like the community is in need of a biblically-based church necessitates a call to plant a church.

“My name is Justin and I am wondering if a need necessitates a call. My wife and I , and our four children, moved to an agricultural area and we cannot find a biblically-balanced church for ourselves to call home. The nearest church that would fit us and align with our beliefs is about 40 minutes away and out of the community. So, I am wondering if we should start one here. I have a ministry background, theological degree, I used to travel and speak. We did that for about 10 years, but over the last 5 years I’ve been in business and have done some work for others. I’m wondering if now, since we cannot find a church, if we should be the ones to start a church. Does the need necessitate a call?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

If sensing a need in the community is the same as feeling a call to plant a church
Why you should start by making disciples

 Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“The need is one component, but it cannot be the driving force to plant a church, because there are needs everywhere.” – @danielsangi
“There will always be more needs than there is time to be able to meet them, especially for one church.” – @danielsangi
“It’s not just a mathematical decision, you really do need to commit this to God and experience that sense of call.” – @danielsangi
“There is no reason for you to at least not start a Bible study.” – @toddadkins
“It is poor stewardship of your life if you are not pouring into some biblical community in some way.” – @toddadkins
“Take a church planter assessment, see your gifting, commit it to prayer, but beyond all that start discipling.” – @danielsangi
“If you are used to preaching and leading, sometimes you have to submit yourself to say this is not perfect and I am not in charge, but I need to handle myself in such a way that I lead my family well in being part of a biblical community.” – @toddadkins

Recommended Resources:

Read Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im
Take the New Churches Church Planter Candidate Assessment

Help us Multiply the Mission:

Please subscribe
Leave a rating and review on iTunes
Ask a question by clicking Send Voicemail on the right hand side of NewChurches.com
If you’re on a phone or a tablet, then go to www.speakpipe.com/newchurches to download the app and record your message
When you’re recording, introduce yourself and your context in about 15 seconds and then record your question for 30 seconds

The post Episode 504: Does a Need Necessitate a Call? appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 504: Does a Need Necessitate a Call?

The post Episode 504: Does a Need Necessitate a Call? appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Let’s ask an awkward, difficult, and at times piercing question:

What motivates your ambition?

That’s an important question to ask. Why? Because if you don’t ask it, I promise everyone else around you will.

Mostly I don’t like that question because I don’t like the answer to that question.

Sometimes my motivation is selfish.

I recently interviewed Gordon MacDonald on my leadership podcast (if you missed it, it was one of the best episodes we’ve done to date, listen here).

Gordon observed that most leaders in their thirties are driven by ambition.

Gordon is a little more accurate than I want to admit.

I know I’ve struggled with this over the years. I spent a lot of my thirties in leadership wanting to be that guy who spoke at conferences and was well respected as a leader in ministry.

It’s hard to talk about that kind of thing out loud, and of course, few of us would admit to it publicly, but still, that was very real.

It doesn’t matter what court you play on, the game’s the same: most of us long to be better known and recognized in whatever field we’re in.

You want more. More growth, more people, more sales, more followers, more influence. Just more.

Great leaders aren’t driven by personal ambition, they’re driven by the mission. They know that ambition is a terrible substitute for mission.

What’s mission? Whatever your organization has set out to do. That’s the most important thing.

It’s been a long process, but I’ve come to enjoy watching the slow death of selfish ambition in my life. It’s not complete, (the surrender is regular and in some seasons, daily) but it’s in progress.

So how do you know what’s driving your mission?

Here are ten signs I’ve learned to identify in my own leadership that will tell you you’re driven by selfish ambition.

Great leaders aren’t driven by personal ambition, they’re driven by the mission. Ambition is a terrible substitute for mission.Click To Tweet

1. You’re Way Too Tied to Results

Look, I will take progress over a lack of progress any day. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But when you’re driven by selfish ambition, your self-esteem rises and falls with the latest results. Have a good quarter, and you can do no wrong.

Have a bad one, and you want to quit completely.

2. Failure Seems Terrifying

As a young leader, failure terrified me.

We humans have a deep need for self-preservation, and if selfishness is driving you, you’ll do almost anything to avoid failure.

And yet failure is a necessary ingredient in success. Failure is usually not the end of the road, it’s often the beginning of a new road. But if your personal ambition blinds your vision, that’s really hard to see.

Failure is usually not the end of the road, it’s often the beginning of a new road.Click To Tweet

3. You’re Far More Focused on Breadth Than Depth

I had an interesting conversation last month as I onboarded a new staff member. We were going over my social media numbers and email list and she asked me point blank: Have you ever bought any followers or email addresses?

The question surprised me, because I rarely think about that kind of thing. It was a relief to be able to answer with a clear and quick “No, actually, I haven’t.”

But buying lists of people to follow you, using cheap growth hacks to quick attract people or money…all of that can be a sign of selfish ambition.

And looking back on a younger me, growth was way too much of a focus.

The ironic thing is once I focused more on quality even than quantity, more people showed up than ever before.

Selfish ambition obsesses over quantity.

Focus on quantity, and you often miss quantity and quality. Growth is just a flash in the pan. Focus on quality, and you often get quantity as a by-product.

Focus on quantity, and you often miss quantity and quality. Growth is just a flash in the pan. Focus on quality, and you often get quantity as a by-product. Click To Tweet

4. You Use People

This one’s ugly, but it’s true.

Personal ambition will cause you to use people to get you where you want to go.

Selfish leaders are easy to spot from a distance because usually there are bodies everywhere. People were useful, until they weren’t.

Obviously, not everyone who joins your team will stay on the team long term, but if you have an abnormally high turnover rate and you find yourself constantly complaining about how little you get out of people, pay attention.

As others have said, great leadership isn’t getting work done through people. Ultimately, it’s growing people through work.

Great leadership isn’t getting work done through people. Ultimately, it’s growing people through work.Click To Tweet

5. You Love to Take Credit

If you find yourself taking all the credit, it’s probably a sign your ego (or insecurity) is a big factor in your ambition.

Selfless leaders celebrate their team, are quick to give credit to others and accept full responsibility for anything that goes wrong.

If you drill down a little deeper, you may discover jealousy and insecurity are driving your desire to hog the credit.

The best way to beat envy is the celebrate the gifts you see in other, and leverage the gifts God has given you. Publicly praising others not only builds strong teams, it breaks the power of envy.

Publicly praising others not only builds strong teams, it breaks the power of envy. Click To Tweet

6. You Have a Hard Time Admitting Fault

And speaking of things going wrong, when you blow it, be the first to own it.

Two of the most powerful words a leader can utter are I apologize.

Two of the most powerful words a leader can utter are I apologize. Click To Tweet

7. It’s Really Hard to Say No

If you’re trying to build a personal kingdom, it’s hard to say no. FOMO can drive you so badly you lose the mission in the process.

I still struggle with saying no (podcast listeners will know I often ask my podcasts guests how they have mastered the art of saying no), but I’m getting better at it.

When I really drill down, I see that what I’m most worried about is what I might be missing out on. And you know what? That’s not the most important thing.

The mission matters most. Use that as the filter for what the say yes to, and things change.

If you’re trying to build a personal kingdom, it’s hard to say no. FOMO can drive you so badly you lose the mission in the process.Click To Tweet

8. You Feel Entitled to Success

Selfish leaders feel entitled to success, whether they’re actually successful or not.

Gratitude makes a great replacement for entitlement. If you spend a lot of time being grateful for anything that comes your way, entitlement fades.

Besides, almost any successful person with a modicum of humility will tell you there is so much grace fused into the success.

Ironically, the larger my platform has grown (it’s way beyond anything I ever imagined, even though there are other platforms much bigger), the less entitled I feel.

Here’s another thing I’m learning. Leaders who feel entitled to more rarely get entrusted with more.

Leaders who feel entitle to more rarely get entrusted with more. Click To Tweet

9. Winning Is More Important Than Loving

I have really struggled with loving well in my leadership. In my early days, I thought that success made up for anything and everything else.

I was completely wrong.

Love is the most important thing, period. Not only does love sit at the heart of my faith (the absence of love signals the absence of God), but it also turns out to be the best way to motivate a team, lead an organization and live.

Loving people brings out the best in people.

If you’re looking to build a team, remember this: people gravitate to where they’re valued most. If you want great people, value them.

But, you ask, what do you do with difficult or toxic people? Here are some ideas.

People gravitate to where they’re valued most. If you want great people, value them. Click To Tweet

10. You’re Always Insecure

Not every selfish leader is driven by ego. Many (I would argue most) are driven by insecurity.

An insecure leader is always an ineffective leader.

My personal battle with insecurity has taken years, but a few things have helped immensely.

For starters, try celebrating other people’s success. Envy and jealousy drive an insecure leader’s emotions whenever there’s a win on the team, and that’s never good for anyone.

Second, push other more talented people into the spotlight. Invite the better speaker to speak on your stage. Invite the smarter leader into the meeting and let her speak.

For you to win, someone else does not have to lose.  Life is not a zero-sum game.

For you to win, someone else does not have to lose.Click To Tweet

DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO GET HEALTHIER? I’LL HELP YOU.

Exhausted thinking about how much work is ahead of you?

You probably feel like you just don’t have the time for that.

Good news.

I’d love to help you do just that. And you do have the time. I’ll show you exactly how to find it.

I’ve helped over 3000 leaders free up hundreds of hours each year and often 3 hours a day to do what they feel they never have time for and get healthier in the process.

My High Impact Leader course, is my online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favour.

It’s perfect for leaders who feel like they never have enough time in the day to get the really important things done.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland, Clayton County, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell,  Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game-changer.” Pam Perkins,  Colorado Springs, Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reflect, rest and reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

What Are You Learning?

What are you learning about selfish ambition?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 10 Signs Your Leadership Is Driven By Selfish Ambition appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 10 Signs Your Leadership Is Driven By Selfish Ambition

The post 10 Signs Your Leadership Is Driven By Selfish Ambition appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, talks about how he knew he didn’t have another ten years of senior leadership in him, why his passion has shifted, what causes happiness, and how to be happier.

Plus, Max shares some thoughts on the best and worst decisions he’s made over his decades in leadership.

Welcome to Episode 290 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Max Lucado |  Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | How Happiness Happens

Episode Links

Need help with your church’s website and digital outreach? Check out Pro WebFire, and get a FREE custom website build for the plan you choose by using the discount code Carey2019. Act now before the offer expires at the end of this month.

Carey will be speaking at the Future Forward Conference this October 1st and 2nd. If you’re a church leader or member who is committed fully to engaging the next generation in a rapidly changing world, join us by signing up here today.

CNLP 221: Max Lucado On How He’s Written Over 120 Books, Why He Never Uses Ghostwriters, How to Stay Fresh in Leadership, And His Favorite Book

Vanderbloemen Resource Center

Ten Signs of a Leadership Crash by Stephen Mansfield

Research on the pursuit of happiness

Unshakable Hope by Max Lucado

3 Insights from Max

1.Your interests and callings might come only for a season

Many leaders hold onto their leadership positions for too long. Max and Carey both have come to the place where they needed to pass on their lead pastor role to the next generation of leaders. How did they know it was time to move on? Max described it as “when he dipped his ladle into his leadership bucket, all he heard was a scraping sound.” He just didn’t have anything left for it.

Max would also want to encourage you that just because you are called to something in one season, doesn’t mean you are called to that thing in all seasons of your life. How much of a tragedy would it be if you received all of your callings and giftings on the day of your conversion? It would make the rest of your life pretty boring. Your calling is for life but your assignment might change.

2. Advantages of staying in the same ministry for 31 years 

Max has been in a place of leadership at his church for 31 years, and he has been able to see a few advantages to staying in the same place for a long time. One of the biggest advantages is that preaching to the same people for so long has caused him to preach on many of the passages and topics that pastors never preach on. This has added value to him and his congregation.

Max also loves the fact that he has a very long-standing and well-respected legacy within his community that is not only paying off for him but is paying off for his wife and kids now, too. His church has invited two of his three daughters to speak, and the community of people in their church are quick to support him and his family.

3. Happiness happens in unexpected ways

The world seems to be getting less and less happy. While researching his next book, Max learned that only one in three people today report that they are happy. So where has our happiness gone? And more importantly, how do we get it back?

One thing Max realized while researching for his book was that we become happy, ourselves, when we are making other people happy. So, when we give away something that brings joy to someone else, we too are becoming more joyful. Another unexpected way that we can become more happy is by listening. If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he was very intentional about listening to those who were hurting.

Quotes from Episode 290

I knew it was time to pass on my role when what used to energize me about our church started to drain me. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

It might actually be disobedient or wrong to hang on in a position to which you’re not called anymore. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

Happiness happens when we give it away. @MaxLucadoClick To Tweet

Everywhere I look, somebody’s trying to make me unhappy so that I’ll buy their product. @MaxLucadoClick To Tweet

Saying no to speaking or to travel is really a good yes to my wife. @MaxLucadoClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 290

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Help Your Church Grow Without Compromising Biblical Integrity

Ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out? Then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons, and strategies to communicating better.

The Art of Better Preaching Course is a 12 session video training with a comprehensive, interactive workbook that will help you create, write, and deliver better sermons. The course contains the lessons Mark Clark (lead pastor of  Village Church, a growing mega-church in post-Christian Vancouver) and I have learned, taught, and used over decades of being professional communicators.

This is the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including:

7 preaching myths it’s time to bust forever
The 5 keys to preaching sermons to unchurched people (that will keep them coming back)
How to discover the power in the text (and use it to drive your sermon)
The specific characteristics of sermons that reach people in today’s world
Why you need to ditch your sermon notes (and how to do it far more easily than you think.)
How to keep your heart and mind fresh over the long run

And far more! Plus you get an interactive workbook and some bonus resources that will help you write amazing messages week after week.

In the Art of Better Preaching, Mark and I share everything we’ve learned about communicating in a way that will help your church grow without compromising biblical integrity. We cover detailed training on everything from interacting with the biblical text to delivering a talk without using notes, to writing killer bottom lines that people will remember for years.

Check it out today and gain instant access.

Subscribed Yet? 

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

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Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: David Platt

There are so many deconversion stories away from Christianity these days. David Platt has seen some of the greatest suffering on earth and has again, recently, asked some of the toughest questions: In a universe governed by a good God, is hell really a place? Will so many people born into an earthly hell really end up in eternal hell? David shares how seeing profound suffering and asking those questions hasn’t led him away from faith but deeper into his faith. And, he shares what needs to change in Christianity is really going to impact the world.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 291.

The post CNLP 290: Max Lucado on What Causes Happiness, How to Be Happier, and How to Know When It’s Time to Leave Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 290: Max Lucado on What Causes Happiness, How to Be Happier, and How to Know When It’s Time to Leave Leadership

The post CNLP 290: Max Lucado on What Causes Happiness, How to Be Happier, and How to Know When It’s Time to Leave Leadership appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Are you losing your edge as a leader?

And if you are, how would you even know?

I’ve asked myself these questions more than once, and I think if you stick around in leadership for long, you have to ask.

I’ve got a theory that everyone needs to renew their leadership every 7-10 years or you grow stagnant (you can read about the theory here).  If you don’t renew yourself, you stagnate. And if you stagnate, you’re really not leading.

Far too many hold the title of leader long after they’ve truly stopped leading. And that’s not good for anyone, including the leader.

So how do you know if you’re starting to stagnate? If you’re losing your edge?

Here are 5 signs I’ve watched for in myself and seen in other leaders.

Far too many hold the title of leader long after they’ve truly stopped leading.Click To Tweet

1. You have the same conversations over and over again

I get that leadership is complex and that some decisions take time.

But too many times I’ve journeyed with a leader who was talking about hiring more staff in March, and they’re still talking about it in October.

Pick your issue: whether it’s launching a new location, starting a podcast, letting someone go, or taking a break…if you’re talking about it for months on end and doing nothing about it, nobody wins.

Ineffective leaders use talk as a substitute for action. Talking about it is no substitute for doing it.

And if you’re waiting for certainty, you’ll wait forever.

Ineffective leaders use talk as a substitute for action. Talking about it is no substitute for doing it. Click To Tweet

Want to break the cycle?

Easy. Do something. Even if all you do today is cross something off your list.

You have enough information to clear far more off your list than you think.

Stop talking. Start doing.

You have enough information to clear far more off your list than you think. Stop talking. Start doing.Click To Tweet

2. It takes you a long time to make a decision

I understand that some things should take time before you act.

But just because some things should take time and consideration doesn’t mean everything should take a long time to get done.

One sure sign that you and your organization are on a path toward stagnation or decline is that nothing gets done quickly. The timeline just keeps getting longer, and longer, and longer.

Think back to when you started in leadership and measure the distance between idea and execution. Compare that to your present pace.

I’m always amazed at how quickly things get done when my team and I have energy. If you’re measuring action in months or years, it’s a sign you’re losing your edge.

You can use size or complexity as an excuse, but that’s still an excuse. And just because some decisions take a long time doesn’t mean every decision should take a long time.

I recently had a staff member leave. It was a tough position to fill. We filled the position with an eminently qualified person in three weeks.

We’re currently developing a new online course that will go from idea to launch in 16 weeks. (idea, creation, filming, and launch).

Sure, not every project is that fast or should be that fast, but if you can’t move that fast or won’t move that fast, pay attention.

What other information do you need?

Why are you delaying?

How will things be different if you wait another week or month?

If you can’t come up with really compelling answers to those questions, then act.

Leaders at the top of their game are agile, nimble and can make quick decisions.

Diminished agility is diminished ability.

Diminished agility is diminished ability. Click To Tweet

3. You’re running out of ideas

It’s a leader’s job to forge into the future, and to do that, you need a steady stream of fresh ideas and pespectices.

New thinking leads to new possibilities and new tomorrows.

Usually when you’re starting out in leadership or in a good season in your leadership, you have more ideas than you know what to do with.

One sign you’re losing your edge is that those ideas are running dry.

There are usually three reasons you’re running out of ideas.

Sometimes your lack of ideas happens because you’re so busy working in your business that you don’t have time to work on your business. There’s just no margin. You can’t breathe, and as a result, you’re not really thinking.

A second reason you might your idea well is running low is because you’ve stopped reading books, listening to podcasts or attending conferences. Essentially, you’ve become all output with almost no input.

A final reason your ideas are in short supply is that you’ve entered an echo chamber, surrounding yourselves with like-minded leaders who believe what you believe, think the way you think and who never challenge your ideas.

So…if you want to turn this around, create a little more margin (here’s how), listen and learn again, and jump out of your echo chamber to listen to some fresh voices.

Leaders who learn better are leaders who lead better.

Leaders who learn better are leaders who lead better. Click To Tweet

4. You’re not asking enough questions

There’s a constant temptation in leadership to feel like you need to know all the answers.

That’s never true. In fact, the best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask. The longer you’re in leadership, the more curious you should become.

The best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask. The longer you’re in leadership, the more curious you should become. Click To Tweet

One tell-tale sign of a leader who has lost their edge is a leader who asks almost no questions. Sometimes that’s because you think you know all the answers (cue buzzer here). Other times, it’s because you’ve lost interest. You’re just not curious.

Both are deadly to leadership.

So…next time you’re in a conversation or meeting, speak more sentences that end with a question mark than you do sentences that end with a period.

The best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask.Click To Tweet

5. You’re growing defensive

The best leader is an open leader. And the opposite of open is defensive.

Defensive leaders almost never lead well.

Being defensive means you close yourself off to new ideas, fend off all attempts to help you get better, and dimiss new ideas and directions.

You know how you know that you’re being defensive?

You have a reason why every new idea won’t work. And you have a reason you are the way you are.

A regular stream of defensiveness not only shuts down the people around you (they’ll eventually stop talking to you), it shuts down the future.

A regular stream of defensiveness not only shuts down the people around you (they’ll eventually stop talking to you), it shuts down the future.Click To Tweet

How do you combat defensiveness?

Simple: next time someone shares an idea with you or feedback with you that you’re tempted to deflect or dimiss, don’t. Instead, utter two words: thank you.

Then go away and reflect on it, pray about it and even cry about it if you have to. Go see a therapist. Whatever you need to do to stop shutting down the people around you, do it.

Open leaders usually have a bright future. Defensive leaders don’t.

Open leaders usually have a bright future. Defensive leaders don’t. Click To Tweet

Ready to Open Up Your Future? 

So maybe you’re one of the leaders who’s so busy working in your business that you don’t have time to work on your business. There’s just no margin. You can’t breathe, and as a result, you’re not really thinking.

Ready to change that?

I can help. I’ve helped over 3000 leaders free up hundreds of hours each year and often 3 hours a day to do what they feel they never have time for.

My High Impact Leader course, is my online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favour.

It’s perfect for leaders who feel like they never have enough time in the day to get it all done.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland, Clayton County, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell,  Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game-changer.” Pam Perkins,  Colorado Springs, Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reflect, rest and reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

Any Signs You See?

When you see others losing their edge, or you see it in yourself, what are the signs you notice?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 5 Signs You May Be Losing Your Edge As A Leader appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 5 Signs You May Be Losing Your Edge As A Leader

The post 5 Signs You May Be Losing Your Edge As A Leader appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: College-aged people and young leaders in their twenties and early thirties have a bit of a bad rap.

If you listen to many Baby Boomer and Gen-X leaders talk about younger leaders, the complaints come quickly.

They

Don’t work hard enough.

Seem to want it all, now (like a month’s vacation for starters).

Have a hard time distinguishing between work and play.

Need constant affirmation.

Have no idea how to spell.

I’ve worked with a few young leaders that fit that description for sure, but far more who don’t.  So many of the leaders I’ve worked with over the last decade-plus are under 30, and I have to disagree with the assessment of the emerging generations.

Sure, there are slackers out there. But I know some 50-year-olds who should get it together at some point. And besides, you can train people to spell. Quickly.

Some young leaders are slackers. But I know 50-year-olds who need to get it together at some point too. Click To Tweet

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges comes when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make.

And when I say young, I mean young.

As in starting at 18 or 19, in college or right out of college.

If you don’t have young leaders on your team, both you and your organization lose.

Here’s are eight things young leaders get right, and eight things you miss out on if you stick to older leaders.

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges come when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make. Click To Tweet

1. Enthusiasm and optimism abound

Remember how optimistic you were when you were young?

Optimism is something every workplace needs, and it can be harder to find in leaders over 40. As a Gen Xer myself, I have worked hard to reclaim and fuel my optimism (it is a skill), but most young leaders have a natural optimism that is frankly refreshing.

Parents told the next generation they could change the world. Not only do they believe it, they’re also doing it.

The kind of enthusiasm you have when you’re young really helps make up for the lack of wisdom you might not yet have. Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy.

Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy. Click To Tweet

2. They get their generation

I try to stay current, for a guy my age, I think I do all right. But I’m not 22.

Younger leaders see things differently because they grew up in a culture older leaders didn’t. There’s a difference between what you think a generation is about and what that generation thinks they’re about.

Having the voice of young leaders around the table gives me a much better sense of what resonates and what doesn’t.

If you want to connect with the emerging generation, having the emerging generation around your table is irreplaceable.

If you want to connect with the next generation, put them around your leadership table.Click To Tweet

3. They’ll challenge all assumptions

Because they are trying to figure out how the world works, they ask great questions and challenge assumptions—assumptions that so often you’re blind to because you’ve lived with them so long.

When you’re in your teens, twenties and even early thirties, you haven’t made peace with the status quo because you haven’t created the status quo (in contrast to older leaders, who by this point, did).

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less.

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less. Click To Tweet

4. Quick studies

A 21-year-old can go from good to great in a few years.

And many are motivated to do it.

And don’t underestimate what a young leader can do. You can look at a bevy of 20-something founders/CEOs who are leading organizations or companies that have changed their industries, created new industries and in other ways changed the world.

So many older leaders look down on young leaders and think they don’t have much to offer.

Be careful who you ignore.

Thomas Edison was paid $40,000 for his first invention at age 22, Mozart was composing at age 5 and died at age 35, and Braille type for the blind was invented by 15-year-old Louis Braille.

5. They’re digital natives

My friends think I’m tech-savvy, even a bit a tech-obsessed.

But put me around an 18-year-old or 25-year-old and I feel like the person who can’t figure out why their microwave keeps blinking 12:00.

Having young leaders who are both digital natives and cultural natives on your team is a distinct advantage if you’re trying to impact the next generation.

At least it beats a lot of fifty-year-olds trying to figure out what the next generation needs.

6. They are your succession plan

If you are not stacking your team with leaders 10, 20 and in some cases 30 years younger than you, you are not positioning your organization for future relevance or success.

Succession is a crisis in the corporate world and in the church.

Ultimately, though, there’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.

There’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.Click To Tweet

7. It’s all about the mission

As you’ve heard more than a few times, Gen Z and Millennials don’t want their job to just be a job. They want meaning and purpose in their work.

For organizations in maintenance mode, that will challenge you to shake off your cobwebs.

For organizations that are driven by the bottom line, you’ll have to find a bigger mission that just a sharper P&L.

But if mission drives you (as it does me), then you’ll find an amazing aligment with young leaders. Chances are your young leaders will own your mission, vision and values deeply and push it forward. It can be a win win.

They want to make a difference in the world, and they are passionate promoters of causes they believe in.

Many will choose mission over money, which doesn’t mean you should be cheap (smart employers pay a living wage), but it does tell you this matters more than it did to Boomers and many Gen X.

8. Culture has become non-negotiationable

Let’s face it, most work place cultures (including churches and non-profits) leave a ton to be desired. Way too many are toxic.

Because young leaders see themselves as free agents, they’ll demand a healthy culture, and if they don’t find it with you, they won’t hesitate to move on.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.

Getting rid of toxic culture (not just abuse and harrassment, but boredeom, bureaucracy and dysfunction) is something that should have happened years ago.

But as you add more and more young leaders to your team, you’ll be able to accelerate the improvement of your culture more quickly.

It’s about time.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.Click To Tweet

Too Overwhelmed to Know What To Do With This? I Get It.

Sometimes you read article like this and all you can think is “I know our culture is bad. We don’t have nearly enough young leaders, but I barely have time to breathe, let alone fix problems like this.”

I get it.

I spent my thirties pedaling harder than a fish on a bicycle, and while we were growing fast, I could never find enough time to fix the major issues I know we needed to address or I wanted to tackle.

Then I burned out.

Since then, I found a new normal that radically boosted my productivity and helped me beat overwhelm and get my life and leadership back.

I’ve published four books (and written my fifth), started blogging, podcasting and speaking around the world, all while leading a growing company, and I did it through years of experimenting with how to get time, energy and priorities working in my favour.

And in the last few years, I’ve helped thousands of leaders do the same thing.

I’ve put all my learnings so far into my High Impact Leader course.

The High Impact Leader is an online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favor.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland,  Clayton County, North Carolina

“Carey’s course was the perfect way for our team to prepare for the new year. Our team, both collectively and individually, took a fresh look at maximizing our time and leadership gifts for the year ahead. I highly recommend this leadership development resource for you and your team.” Jeff Henderson, Atlanta Georgia

“A lot of books and programs make big promises and cannot deliver but this is not one of them. I have read so many books and watched videos on productivity but the way you approach it and teach is helpful and has changed my work week in ministry in amazing ways.” Chris Sloan, Kingston, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell, Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game changer.” Pam Perkins, Colorado Springs,  Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

What are you seeing?

That’s what I see in the young leaders I work with. And how have you made young leaders an essential part of your organization?

Leave a comment!

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on Passion for Planting.