Dr Paul Allen

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) As believers, we recognize the value of imitating Jesus and His leadership style. But if we really think about it, it’s strange that we try to emulate a leader who never developed an organization , regularly encouraged people to stop following Him, and ultimately saw His death as the pinnacle of His accomplishments. What kind of perspective must a leader have to place high value on these kinds of strategies? Jesus was not a manager. His primary role was to function as a spiritual leader . Not all leaders in Christian organizations are spiritual leaders. This is not a criticism as much as a distinction. Distinguishing spiritual leadership from other forms of leadership can free people from unrealistic expectations of some leaders. At the same time, making this distinction can help identify who the spiritual leaders in your organization are. Here are six characteristics that identify most spiritual leaders: They lead others into their own ...

Performance and Efficiency Evaluation and ... efficiency of an experimental Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) rotary combustion engine (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Author: Tony Morgan. One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is this: “Do you have any sample performance evaluation forms you can send me?” To be honest, I  do  have samples, but I never send them. Why don’t I send them? Well let me ask you. Have you ever seen a traditional performance evaluation system that actually improves performance? Probably not. To my knowledge, no such form exists. You don’t need a sample form. Instead, you need to lead well. There’s a perpetuating myth in leadership circles that every good leader does annual performance reviews. That’s not true. You can be a great leader without going through the agony of filling out your annual HR evaluation forms. From my previous conversations, it seems performance evaluations are started because leaders know there are one or t...

Image via Wikipedia With the passing of 2011, many of us wave goodbye to a season marked by persistent questions about public institutions and a general belief that, surely, things can only get better.   But what challenges can we expect to face as a society in 2012? Here are my predictive picks for the 12 biggest social shifts we might expect to see in 2012.  Hyper-Tech & Refuseniks : We will see a growing role for professional ethicists in corporate and government strategic planning, as new developments in medicine, bio-tech , genetics and other sectors stretch traditional ethics paradigms to the limit. Well organised groups of 'technology refuseniks' will emerge, calling for slowing of change in technological research and development...  De-Gadgetisation & the Neo-Frugals : 2012 will see a drive to recalibrate our reliance on digital communications . New psychological terms will be introduced to describe fresh symptoms of psychological or social disorder deriv...

Image via Wikipedia When churches stall, you’d be surprised how many churches end up arguing about the peripheral issues that many times develop around tactics and personal preferences.  Instead, churches need to address foundational challenges that are preventing them from gaining traction and making a real impact in people’s lives. Over the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to study and work with churches across the country. What follows is a list of those foundational issues that result in churches being stuck. 8 Reasons Your Church is Stuck You lack a leadership empowerment plan.  We have failed as leaders in the church if we do not embrace the unique gift-mix that God designed. And we won’t fully know the power and impact of the local church until people are empowered to be the people God wired them up to be. You are unclear about your vision and mission.  There are lots of churches with vision statements, but I don’t think there are very many church...

Image via Wikipedia By Scott Stephens ABC. They just don't make atheists like they used to. The form of divine disbelief popularized today as the " New Atheism " is a far cry from the more robust and morally serious tradition that runs from Xenophanes and Qoheleth - and perhaps even the writer of the Book of Job - reaching its apogee with Marx, Nietzsche and Freud, but still retaining vestiges of its original vitality in the work of Alain Badiou , Slavoj Zizek and, somewhat differently, Francois Laruelle . What made the atheist tradition proper so potent was its devotion to the tasks of flushing out the myriad idols, often unperceived, that clutter human society, and dismantling all the malign political, economic and sexual uses which those gods were made to serve. But there was another aspect of this tradition - frequently overlooked and now almost forgotten - that immunized it against the excesses and indiscretions which will almost certainly consign the "New A...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife Loyalty is a virtue that is linked to the biblical concept of faith. We tend to restrict or limit our understanding of faith to an act of believing, a kind of intellectual assent to the truth of a proposition. We know, however, that saving faith includes more than assent; it includes personal trust. When we probe the depths of this trust, we discover that it is multifaceted. It is within the nature of trust that we see the link between faith and loyalty. Together, faith and loyalty yield fidelity . In our language, loyalty and fidelity serve as virtual synonyms. I read the book of a leading coach who said he valued the most in his players was “Loyalty!” On the surface, this may have been interpreted as the desire of a leader to be surrounded by “yes men” or a band of sycophants. But “yes men” are not really loyal. They are driven more by self-preservation than fidelity. A faithful friend does not exhibit a blind loyalty that refuses to recognize the...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife Loyalty is a virtue that is linked to the biblical concept of faith. We tend to restrict or limit our understanding of faith to an act of believing, a kind of intellectual assent to the truth of a proposition. We know, however, that saving faith includes more than assent; it includes personal trust. When we probe the depths of this trust, we discover that it is multifaceted. It is within the nature of trust that we see the link between faith and loyalty. Together, faith and loyalty yield fidelity . In our language, loyalty and fidelity serve as virtual synonyms. I read the book of a leading coach who said he valued the most in his players was “Loyalty!” On the surface, this may have been interpreted as the desire of a leader to be surrounded by “yes men” or a band of sycophants. But “yes men” are not really loyal. They are driven more by self-preservation than fidelity. A faithful friend does not exhibit a blind loyalty that refuses to recognize the...

The word “movement” is often used to describe a kind of vital, dynamic human organization , in order to distinguish it from what are called “institutions.” Both of these words can have broader meanings, but for the sake of this discussion let us define them in the following ways. A movement is marked by an attractive, clear, unifying vision for the future together with a strong set of values or beliefs. The content of the vision must be compelling and clear so that others can grasp it readily. It must not be so esoteric or difficult that only a handful of people can articulate it. Instead, it must be something that all members of the movement can understand and pass along to others. By contrast, “institutionalized” organizations are held together by rules, regulations, and procedures, not by a shared vision. This unifying vision is so compelling that it takes pride of place. First, the vision leads to sacrificial commitment. Individuals put the vision ahead of their own interests and c...