This is a special edition of Church Leader Insider, less than 600 words. 2-minute read.
For those that read my other publication, there is a new feature in this one, so don’t skip over it.
Here are my three links, two quotes and 1 (maybe 2) freebies for June 2023 for my Senior Pastor Friends.
Three Links
Number 1
At 61, I do not consider myself old. My parents in their late 80s are. But we should give this some thought. From Sahil Bloom’s Friday Five.
“What would your 80-year-old self think about the decisions you're making today?
I find mental time travel to be a very useful trick.
When you travel into the future, you can reflect on the present with a new lens and perspective.
Your 80-year-old self probably wouldn't care much about the little stresses that are throwing you off course, but they would care a lot about the decisions you're making that are going to compound (positively or negatively) into the future.
Your 80-year-old self would remind you to always make that investment in yourself. Your 80-year-old self would remind you to get enough sleep, exercise a bit more, and eat well.
Most importantly, your 80-year-old self would remind you to spend ample time with those you love, and laugh a whole lot along the way.”
Here’s a photo of my Dad and Brother Memorial Day weekend when we got to do some trout fishing.
Number 2
“When you lead your real job is to create more leaders not more followers.”
From Kevin Kelly’s new book Excellent Advice for Living.
There are a lot of people that call themselves leaders and they have followers. But real leaders create leaders.
This is related to my piece a few years ago, The Doer-Developer Dilemma.
I have a white paper on that one that is expanded that is used by clients in thinking about staff searches. Email me if you want a copy.
To see some more of Kevin’s sayings and my commentary see these posts. April 5, March 29, and April 19.
Number 3
How to say NO.
A critical skill for any leader is being able to prioritize their time and energy by saying “no” in a kind way to many things.
From Sari Azout’s startupy newsletter. Advice for saying no – his collection in a google doc.
Some good examples there. Don’t use them on me, though, please.
2 Quotes worth consideration
ONE> “Consistency of performance is essential. You don't have to be exceptional every week but as a minimum you need to be at a level that even on a bad day you get points on the board. — Sean Dyche” [Dyche is an English Premier Soccer League Coach]
My note: In my observation, large churches are not exceptional every week, but they are rarely “bad.” They continually hit singles and doubles and make continuous small improvements.
TWO> I am a sucker for formulas like this one Arnold Kling pointed out to me from Paul Dobransky:
“Friendship = Consistency + Mutuality + Sharing + Positive Emotion
If you were to solve the “friendship crisis” at least for yourself, you’d work on these four in yourself and look to find all four in others.”
The full post is here, but it is long and involved.
My ONE Free resource for you:
Sam Chand on Absorbing Leadership Pain – July 12, 4 ET.
Our weekly FREE Senior Pastor Happy Hour call will have special guest Sam Chand next month. Sam always has great things to contribute to the conversation.
This skill – absorbing leadership pain – is a crucible skill for senior pastors and in my work with development plans for those in preparation for that role, one of the most missed.
Join us for the conversation. Send a request to Linda.Stanley@generis.com to get added to the list for that day.
Mark your calendars now.