Joshua: Applying Wisdom in Strategic Decisions
Issue # 401, June 25, 2025 Joshua led Israel through a series of military campaigns to claim the land God had promised to them. But he didn’t rely on military tactics of his experience—he applied wisdom in his decisions, guided by surrender, obedience and adaptability. Though most serving leaders do not lead armies, they can […]
Joshua: Utilizing Wisdom to Uphold Standards
Issue #400, June 11, 2025 After a great victory over the city of Jericho, Joshua sent a few of his troops to the small city of Ai, expecting an easy victory. Instead, his army was routed. Joshua rightly asked God what went wrong and God responded. 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What […]
Joshua: Gaining Wisdom through Failure
Issue #399, May 28, 2025 Joshua received a spirit of wisdom from Moses—but that didn’t mean his path would be free of failure. In fact, one of his early leadership mistakes with the Gibeonites became a powerful lesson in gaining wisdom through failure. This happened in his interaction with the Gibeonites, a nearby group of […]
Joshua: Finding Wisdom for Leadership
Issue #398, May 14, 2025 Leadership challenges quickly show us how much we need wisdom—more than knowledge alone, we need the ability to act correctly in difficult moments. This is the essence of wisdom: applying what we know and experience to make sound judgments and decisions. Knowledge relates to what we know; wisdom relates to […]
Paul: Upend the Pyramid™
Issue #397, April 30, 2025 Effective leaders grow the people around them and continually delegate more and more responsibility to their teams. This builds leadership depth and prepares the organization for the time that they will no longer be the leader. Faith leaders take a long-term perspective to their work believing that God’s design is […]
Paul: Build on Strength™
Issue #396, April 16, 2025 Great leaders build teams around them to help accomplish the vision. They understand that there is no such thing as a well-rounded leader, but there are well-rounded teams. Build on Strength™ is the fourth action in the Serving Leader Model® (*see note). It means leveraging the strengths of each individual […]
Paul: Blaze the Trail™
Issue #395, April 2, 2025 Successful leaders maintain a laser focus on the organization’s success and ensure everyone is aligned with accomplishing the mission. This is the third action of the Serving Leader Model®, Blaze the Trail™ (*see note). This action reflects what organizations do—their mission. Faith leaders, like Paul, see their organization as a […]
Paul: Raise the Bar™
Issue #394, March 19, 2025 Effective leadership begins with a compelling purpose. But the vision will not be accomplished unless teams are built around shared values that align peoples’ actions with the vision. Values guide the actions of everyone on the team and shape the culture. Values are expressed when someone says, “That’s how we […]
Paul: Run to Great Purpose™
Issue #393, March 5, 2025 The apostle Paul is a model leader in so many ways. In this series, we’ll examine how Paul’s leadership is an example of the Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ (*see note). The first of the five actions is Run to Great Purpose™ which calls every organization to pursue a great […]
#392 Serving Leaders Follow Those Under Them
#392, February 19, 2025 All leaders expect those under them to follow, but there is also a sense in which serving leaders follow those under them! Paul’s exhortation lays the foundation for our reflections. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV). Paul was the leader, actively seeking to […]