Summer 2013
The theme for Summer 2013 is “Equipping Leaders.”
Valuing outcomes, performance, transparency and accountability
Outcomes matter. In past decades, many organizations were more focused on organizational culture and inputs rather than outcomes. These days, however, more and more organizations are focusing on outcomes, performance, transparency and accountability.
To provide an introductory overview, inputs are resources we add to our organizations. The most common resource inputs are human and financial. Th...
Dennis Bakke is a revolutionary innovator, successful entrepreneur, and dedicated Christian leader. Outcomes editor W. Scott Brown interviewed Bakke on his newest book The Decision Maker: Unlock the potential of everyone in your organization one decision at a time (Pear Press, 2013). This book offers a fictional account of what it looks like when one applies the people empowering principles that Bakke outlined in his bestseller Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to...
Recently, I joined several colleagues for lunch at Chipotle. While waiting in line, I noticed we were the oldest people there. After sitting down, I commented about this observation and someone in our group quickly responded, “The 20-somethings are taking over!”
My intention is to respond to several tensions pulling at various generational perspectives, as highlighted by that comment. As a boomer myself, I invite you to wrestle with my opinions as we improve our inte...
How the best Christian workplaces engage emerging leaders
For the past 10 years, Al Lopus, as president and cofounder of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), has been conducting the Best Christian Workplaces Survey. This 58-question, broad-based human resources survey compiles data on people practices and the way they’re experienced in Christian workplaces. Lopus and his organization have surveyed over 500 different Christian o...
CLA president and CEO Tami Heim recently interviewed John Hull, president and CEO of EQUIP, on this global initiative to train leaders and promote worldwide collaboration.
EQUIP is a nonprofit organization that develops effective international Christian leaders. Founded by Dr. John C. Maxwell in 1996, today, EQUIP is the world’s largest and most comprehensive grass-roots leadership/personal growth and development organization. Active in more than 160 nations, EQUIP is...
Joni and Friends’ Billy Burnett on creating a lifelong learning culture
CLA President and CEO Tami Heim recently interviewed Billy Burnett, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Joni and Friends.
Burnett has contributed significantly to both the financial success and workplace environment of Joni and Friends. His leadership helped to result in Joni and Friends being ranked as the number one “Best Christian Workplace” in organization...
A step-by-step guide to getting there
As ministry leaders we strive each day to inspire our teams to catch a compelling vision, engage deeply, and drive the results necessary for success. We pray in earnest that we are able to deliver the impact God intended. But to achieve truly breakthrough results, we must embrace a culture that settles for nothing less than “extraordinary leadership.”
By definition, extraordinary leaders are remarkable...
Build a healthy ministry leadership culture
In our rapidly changing world the days of the heroic, lone-ranger CEO are over. Today, teamwork is the byword in executive leadership. It’s a necessity for any ministry serious about advancing the kingdom.
A few years ago, we at Strengthening Leaders, spoke with the board vice chairman of a well-known international ministry as he was revisiting the organization’s headquarters. He, and every staff...
Lessons I've learned along the way
Several weeks ago, I watched our young staff at Growing Leaders — the nonprofit organization I help lead — host a large event for educators. It was rewarding to see them embody our core values, serving with excellence. I smiled inside as I reflected on learning to lead them and modeling the way. It’s been one of my great joys to invest in the college interns and twenty-somethings on our team. It has also been one of my mos...
Living faithfully in a new digitally-rich world
Our team at Barna continues to explore today’s generation of younger Christians, the vitality of churches and nonprofits, and the tsunami of cultural change happening around us. I am convinced that we are facing an era of ministry that might be described as digital Babylon: an immersive, reality-redefining experience driven by ubiquitous access to interconnected screens and unprecedented volume of content.