On Frustration
Nothing gets under my skin more than when a leader says “I’m frustrated.” Quite frankly, it really frustrates me. I’m being cheeky here, but it does seem that some of us love to get frustrated. It is a go-to emotion we absent-mindedly employ. When we get emotional, engaging any emotion, our limbic system takes charge […]
Make a Worry List
Worry isn’t an emotion I struggle with much anymore. I used to, but God led me to a few principles that have helped me find success in this area. That being said, as a Christian leader and entrepreneur, there are times when I have so many things coming at me that I do feel worry, […]
Don’t Deal With Frustration While You’re Frustrated
The problem with being frustrated is not the source of our frustration, rather it is the fact that we are frustrated. I know this sounds circular, but stay with me here. What used to frustrate me 10 years ago does not frustrate me today. Why? Because I matured. If you were to ask me to […]
Intellectual Humility: What Does That Mean to Leaders?
The Bible says of humility in Proverbs 22:4, “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” Let’s examine intellectual humility and what it means to us as leaders. Intellectual humility acknowledges that there are limitations to our knowledge. Humility says, “I could be wrong.” When we function with […]
What to Do When You Are Criticized
When you are criticized, guard your heart from defensiveness, frustration, and dismissiveness. This is how these feelings may sound inside our minds: Defensive: No, I did not do that, and if I did, I had a good reason. I am a good person, doing my best. Don’t you see all the amazing things I do? […]
What If You’ve Been Hurt by the Church?
This is the second article in a three-part series about the church. The first one is entitled, “What Is Your Role in the Church?” I play the piano with the worship team at our church. I sometimes lead worship. I am currently the chairman of the deacons. I am highly involved in our church ministry, […]
Being Reactive Does Not Indicate You Are Passionate
One of the hardest lessons of leadership is to learn not to be reactive. Dare I say, never to be reactive. Anytime I see a leader react, allowing their emotions to take control, even momentarily, and even if they apologize and change course, they appear less trustworthy and capable. Why do I say this is […]
Do You Make People Feel Something?
Julia Whelan, a successful audiobook narrator, was recently interviewed by Brian Bartes on his podcast. We usually take for granted that audiobooks are right at our fingertips, a click away, without thinking about everything that goes into creating one. I learned from this podcast that there is a whole world of narration and narrators. One […]
The Best Approach to Monitoring Emotions
Part of my time during every new-staff orientation at our organization is to give a talk about emotions. I encourage our staff members to consider routinely sharing their emotions with someone in their life that they are close to, such as a spouse or trusted confidant. When people understand the emotions a loved one wrestles […]
How to Avoid Frustration with Others
As leaders, if we are not careful, we end up spending so much emotional energy on managing, explaining, and dealing with frustrations related to why people do or don’t do what we think they should. The source of our frustration is expecting people to do something they are not doing and believing it is because […]