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CNLP 387: Harris III on How to Recover from Cynicism, Recapturing Wonder as a Leader and the Power of Story

Sean Cronin — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 10:00:00 +0000

By Carey Nieuwhof: Harris III traveled the world as a teenage illusionist, making a million dollars by age 21 and losing it all at age 22. His growing cynicism almost took him down, but around age 30, he learned to recapture wonder.

He explains how wonder can not only recapture your personal hope (and faith), but how it’s an essential ingredient to leadership and crafting a story that rallies people.

Welcome to Episode 387 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.

Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about how you can cultivate creativity.

Guest Links

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Episode Links

Dwell App

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Listening Plans — Start a daily habit of engaging with God through one of Dwell’s many Bible listening plans.
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Ministry Boost

My friends at Ministry Boost know you want your staff to be effective leaders, especially in leading their volunteers. The problem is, so much has changed, which makes staff feel stuck and discouraged.

Ministry Boost believes that church leaders should rethink our approach to leading volunteers in light of new opportunities online, volunteers who aren’t ready to serve, and the different needs for what ministry looks like currently.

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Volunteer Reboot is free for listeners of this podcast, and you can get access at ministryboost.org/carey.

CONVERSATION LINKS

The Wonder Switch by Harris III

Story Gatherings

Istoria

Didn’t See It Coming by Carey Nieuwhof

5 Simple Changes That Can Make You a Better Thinker in the Next 7 Days by Carey Nieuwhof

Win Carey’s Leadership Bundle Giveaway!

Text CAREY to 33777 to join more than 78,000 subscribers to our leadership content

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

INSIGHTS FROM HARRIS

1. The rules of persuasion and illusion are universal

So, what actually is magic and illusion? And, what makes it work? According to Harris, there are a set of tactics and strategies that magicians use to persuade their audiences into amazement. Those same tactics can also be used by speakers, salespeople, marketers and pastors.

2. The more you know, the more you see, the more cynical you become

Many illusionists (and leaders in general) can become cynical because they “see how the magic is made,” and lose the ability to wonder or imagine for themselves. Knowledge and cynicism usually come hand-in-hand, and as a leader you need to protect yourself from it.

3. When telling stories, focus on connection not conversion

So many leaders (especially pastors) are looking to communicate a point, or get a conversion, when they tell a story to an audience. Harris has learned that a story is much more effective when you aim for connection with a story rather than conversion.

Quotes from Episode 387

A story’s greatest power is not in its ability to convert, it’s in its ability to connect. @HarrisIII

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Leadership is simply inviting someone into a story. @HarrisIII

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We came into the world with the wonder switch turned on, so wonder is our natural state of being. @HarrisIII

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Science links creativity and innovation to curiosity. @HarrisIII

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Worry and anxiety is a misuse of imagination. @HarrisIII

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Wonder is connected to innovation because wonder gives you permission to believe in that new story. @HarrisIII

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Those of us who are in leadership are in the power of persuasion. @cnieuwhof

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Magic tricks work so easily because human beings think that the truth is equal to what our senses perceive. @HarrisIII

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Facts that are absent of vulnerability, absent of illustration, absent of empathy, lessen the impact of all those facts. @HarrisIII

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The secret to being a great magician is the same thing that makes you a great communicator on stage; your ability to tell a story. @HarrisIII

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Smart phones have psychologically reconditioned an entire generation now to feel really uncomfortable with mystery, to the point where wonder feels disruptive. @HarrisIII

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To stimulate creativity, limit meetings and email. @cnieuwhof

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To stimulate creativity, schedule thinking and creative time. @cnieuwhof

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Better thinking leads to better leadership. @cnieuwhof

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Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 387

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 YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.

Want To Get Ahead In 2021? 5 Skills You’ll Need.

What if 2021 could be a year of unprecedented growth for you and your church?

I know, that sounds crazy, but like most things, it’s crazy until it’s not.

2021 can be a great year for you and your team, and I’d love to help you make it happen.

That’s why I created the 2021 Church Leader Toolkit.

Inside, I cover:

How To Produce Content That Actually Gets Read & Watched
5 Keys To Better Digital Preaching
How To Keep You And Your Team Out Of Burnout
7 Strategies To Deepen Digital Engagement
3 Key Pivots For Every Organization In 2021

I’ll be releasing 5 parts of the toolkit throughout December. And it’s free.

You can get access and share these skills with your team here!

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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: Alli Worthington

Alli Worthington coached business leaders and ministry leaders through the crisis of 2020. She shares the mindset and actions the leaders who made progress in 2020 adopted and the mindset and action those who floundered embraced. She also talks about why you can have too many cheerleaders around you, and how to overcome negative thinking.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 388.

The post CNLP 387: Harris III on How to Recover from Cynicism, Recapturing Wonder as a Leader and the Power of Story appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 387: Harris III on How to Recover from Cynicism, Recapturing Wonder as a Leader and the Power of Story

The post CNLP 387: Harris III on How to Recover from Cynicism, Recapturing Wonder as a Leader and the Power of Story appeared first on Passion for Planting.

When You Have to Fire Someone You Don’t Want to Fire

Sean Cronin — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 09:00:57 +0000

Home > Blog > When You Have to Fire Someone You Don’t Want to Fire

When You Have to Fire Someone You Don’t Want to Fire

By New Churches Team

When you think about our COVID-19 context, everything began shutting down in March. There were government programs put in place to help employers. Those programs were intended to try and prevent layoffs from happening, but, in some cases, it just delayed the inevitable. When it relates to the church context, if giving decreases or as ministry changes, you may be forced to fire staff members that you don’t want to fire.

The Three Ms

When you are looking at your personnel budget, often it feels like family, especially in a smaller church. If you aren’t careful during this time, your personnel budget can greatly exceed your ministry budget. Before COVID, your budget may have been 40% personnel, but during this time you’ve cut many things to save jobs and now your budget is 60% personnel.

To remain solvent as we move into the final phase of this year, you need to decide what ministry has stopped and isn’t coming back, what ministry has shifted and will come back, and how you shift dollars around to cover that. You have to consider mission, methods, and men. The mission doesn’t change, but the methods and men might. Be loyal as much as you can be, but as a steward, you have to make wise decisions.

Making the Decision

Look at the ministry and the people they are developing. It’s easy to replace someone who just does stuff. It is not easy to replace people that develop people and develop ministry. The first positions to look at are the ones that just do stuff. Some would consider first cutting contractor jobs, but there are reasons to have contractors. If people are just doing tasks or are particularly gifted to do just one thing, it is better as a contracted position. There may be jobs on your staff that are better suited as contractor or part-time roles. Create a plan and a contingency plan in the event that the effects your church is experiencing last longer than anticipated.

Time for Creativity

Talent is what is most important about your ministry. If you have an equipper or a person who is a developer, that helps you. You want people on your team who are the multipliers of ministry. If you are considering letting someone go that you do not want to let go, be honest with that person and be creative with them about ways to save the job. Consider together what you can do if you make changes to the previous methods. More often than not, you can find a creative solution.

A percentage cut for all staff may be something to consider if you just can’t lose positions. The second thing to consider may be a challenge to cut salary or cut hours, but then help them find a side job to make up the lost dollars. In the short term, what can you all do that you can see as an evangelistic opportunity.

Adapted from the New Churches Q&A Podcast Episode514: Firing Someone You Don’t Want to Fire. Click here to listen to more to church planting, multisite, and multiplication tips.

Source: When You Have to Fire Someone You Don’t Want to Fire

The post When You Have to Fire Someone You Don’t Want to Fire appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Cost-Effective Advertising Strategies for Churches

Sean Cronin — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 09:00:05 +0000

Home > Blog > Cost-Effective Advertising Strategies for Churches

Cost-Effective Advertising Strategies for Churches

By New Churches Team

Launching a church plant is expensive, but there are always ways to cut costs. One way to do that is with advertising. There are several low-cost or no-cost ways to advertise your church to your community. Here are three examples to consider.

1. Personal Ask

The number one way to invite people to your church is with the personal ask. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and it is the most cost-effective. Encourage your congregation and staff to talk to others in the community about the church. They can invite non-believers to see what church is really about in a safe way. They can talk to other parents about the phenomenal kids programming you offer. They can encourage friends who need support to come and join a small group. The key is knowing people personally and helping them connect to the church in a personal way.

2. Get Creative

Creativity is the mother of innovation. Unlimited resources do not make you more creative. Having to consider how to expand your reach on little funds will make you more creative in how you spend the money you do have. If you are in a city with lots of metro stops, pass out cards to every single person that walks by. If you pass out 10,000 cards, and 100 people show up to visit your church, that is a success! If you are in a more rural area, look at the traffic patterns. Find a congested area and have someone stand on the corner with a sign advertising your church. There are many low cost ways to reach a lot of people in a small amount of time no matter where you are located.

3. Smart Social Media

You can make a big impact on social media inexpensively. Spend time researching videos and articles on making Facebook and other social media channels effective. Look for someone in your church that has some social media knowledge, and ask them to come alongside you and help you in this area. A few ads or pixels can go a long way (and if you don’t know anything about those two things, research them). Use social media as a supplement to the personal ask.

There are many other ways to advertise in your community. Get creative and meet your community where they are.

Adapted from the New Churches Q&A Podcast Episode 390: What Are Some Cost-Effective Advertising Practices?Click hereto listen to more to church planting, multisite, and multiplication tips.

Source: Cost-Effective Advertising Strategies for Churches

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