Spring 2013
The theme for Spring 2013 is “Authentic Leadership.”
Authentic leaders get out of the way.
For Steve Richardson, authenticity is nothing new. He spoke with Outcomes about the meaning of authenticity in leadership — whether it’s on the mission field or in the boardroom — and what it means to live that out. Richardson, who has served as president of Orlando-based Pioneers-USA since 1999, was raised as a missionary kid in the Sawi tribe of Papua, Indonesia. In his time with Pioneers, the U....
CLA President and CEO Tami Heim recently interviewed Dr. Wess Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International.
Stafford, an internationally recognized advocate for children in poverty, is author of Too Small to Ignore and Just a Minute. He has announced his upcoming retirement after 35 years of service at Compassion, including the past 19 as president. He joined the staff of Compassion in 1977 and has served as president since 1993. At the time of this ...
Three truths for authentic living
When I was passing through business school, I repeatedly questioned some people who made a big deal about leading an authentic life. Successful people near my age seemed to be “doing just fine” without putting a high value on authenticity. For them (and me) authenticity was an optional spice to sprinkle into the recipe of one’s life. It might add flavor to one’s leadership, but it certainly wasn’t a...
A CEO's life lessons on leading authentically
After more than 30 years in the CEO role, people are starting to ask me two questions: First, when am I going to retire? Second, have I learned anything in all that time? To the first question, it’s up to the Lord and my board. As for learning, here are some highlights from a guy with more than a few miles on his Nikes.
• Forget the learning curve. It’s more like ...
How moments of engagement can be vital for leaders
In the world of globalized business transactions, stalwart leadership is still demonstrated in the most diminutive of ways: small talk. Culturally, of course, appropriate rules for how small talk is displayed differ tremendously (and could be another essay altogether). But this column is a brief overview to address the key points of connection between leadership and small talk.
Awareness
Outcomes magazine asked Christian leaders for perspectives on “authentic leadership.” Here are some of their responses:
The authentic Christian leader is a trustworthy and credible influencer who shapes followers — a compelling catalyst who models the humility of Christ and stirs up the giftedness of others.
Chad Carter
Partner, Human Resources,
The Gideons International
How can you become a more effective leader this year?
God created all of us to lead. Deep within our spiritual DNA is a leadership gene. The mysterious dialogue within the Godhead recorded in Genesis 1:26-27 concludes, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule. ...” We are designed to express the image of God as we rule, direct, and lead the areas he entrusts to us. God made each of us to lead but in ways that are uniquely our...
CLA’s prayer for you and your ministry in 2013
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.
We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in...
Modeling and measuring leadership authenticity
Several years ago I was surprised and a little intrigued when our pastor introduced a new sermon series entitled, “The Three Kings.” It was not a Christmas or Epiphany series, but was in fact a deeper understanding of the character of leaders today, paralleled with the leadership style and behavior of three of the most famous kings in scripture: Saul, David, and Solomon.
As an organizational l...
Without it, nothing else matters
“You won’t believe what happened today,” a leadership conference attendee said at the dinner gathering.
“What?” I asked.
“After your talk today, about trust being built through connecting with another person’s reality, I had a breakthrough,” he said.
“Really? What happened?” I asked.
“Well, for the last year I have been s...