I will be second: Insights from an ancient friendship…
It’s an often overlooked statement that is strangely counter-cultural. You find it in 1 Samuel 23:17 when Jonathan says to his great friend David: “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.” Now that wouldn’t be too startling a sentiment if it wasn’t that everyone expected Jonathan to be king. After all, he was the oldest son of King Saul, and that’s how these things work in royal circles. The oldest son is heir to the throne – easy, straightforward, not controversial at all. So what is Jonathan doing promising the throne to David and suggesting he would be his...
Read MoreLeaders as weight carriers…
I’ve been thinking about leadership lately – perhaps not too surprising as on the 14 June I have a book coming out on the topic, Stirrers and Saints lest you are interested, but much more about that in future blogs. There are so many possible answers to the question, “What do leaders do?” but the one I have been pondering is “leaders carry weight on behalf of others.” Let me elaborate. A few months back I was chatting to a school principal who was a little ruffled because a staff member had exploded at him for making a one off change to the school program. It...
Read MoreMaking Success a Pattern, not a Moment: 8 Qualities to Cultivate
You’ve probably had those moments when you breath a sigh of both relief and satisfaction. It’s come off. Something you wanted has worked out, and you are really pleased. Perhaps your response is, “Well, that was lucky. Hope it happens again.” Now once in a while success is like winning the lottery, and things come through against all the odds, but it’s dangerous to build our lives on that model. For the majority of successful people, achievement is a pattern, not a moment. What do I mean by that? Simply that there are reliable predictors of long term success,...
Read MoreFrom Platforms to Altars: Rediscovering Servant Leadership
You know as well as I do that the list of fallen Christian leaders is growing at an alarming rate. Many have been high fliers, leaders who were widely lauded and greatly respected until – well until it all came out. It has been more than a little depressing. I heard one pastor call it “deeply disillusioning” – that’s a fair summary. Something is amiss. A recent podcast I listened to warned leaders that it is possible to grow your platform more quickly than your character, and that leadership compromise is almost inevitable when your fame is larger than your...
Read MoreWhy leadership matters…
Leadership guru Peter Drucker once said that only three things come naturally to all organisations: friction, confusion and under performance. Everything else requires leadership. It’s worth thinking about. My observation is that those in church circles have an uneasy relationship with leadership. They are conscious of how easily it can be abused, and of how some leaders embark on toxic quests for power and control, using the nobility of the mission of Jesus to mask their naked ambition. Consequently they are quick to point out that genuine Christian leadership is different, and they are...
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