"You did such a great job. I have big shoes to fill!"

My words, meant to compliment, betrayed how intimidated I felt. My predecessor was as good a leader as her reputation boasted. As she slid the mantle of leadership from her shoulders to mine, I simply knew I could never lead as well as she did.

Too often as leaders, we spend our effort trying to fit into ...

The most efficient way to lead, if you want to be completely pragmatic about it, is via dictatorship. A system in which one person makes all the autonomous decisions is, at least for a while, the most efficient, the least messy.

But power corrupts, and ultimately, while decisions get made and orders are carried out, those decisions are often bad ones. Great execution ...

No matter how far up the ladder of ministry you climb, you will always find those eager to analyze and judge your work. So how do you respond?

Maybe whenever you see one of your critics coming, your palms begin sweating. The hairs on the back of your neck may stand straight in a salute. Your eyes focus on every object in the room and rest on the chemical storage closest—perfect! ...

As I duck out of sight of the gathering congregation, the church's AV guy hands me a clip-on microphone. Patting myself around the waist and hip region, what I already know will be the case is confirmed: my lady clothes (ironically worn just for pulpit occasions like this one) have no belt, waistband, or pocket on which to latch or in which to drop the microphone's ...

I used to think Alcoholics Anonymous was all stale prayers and smoky church basements. I considered myself a distant admirer of the program, but even as a counselor, I didn't want to get too close. AA was a good idea for some people, but surely it wasn't relevant to my busy life of "making a difference" in women's ministry.

Last summer my stereotypes ...

I know it's a little late to be serving up a 2011 retrospective. The new year? That was so three weeks ago.

Well, I would have done this earlier, but we've been making a big transition here at Gifted for Leadership, and quite honestly, it's taken me a few weeks to figure out where everything is. Now that I have found my way to the computer, I'm actually ...

Image: Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

My New Year's resolution this year is unusual, really more of an anti-resolution. My hope is to become less intentional.

Less intentional, you ask? Why on earth would a person want that? I'll explain.

I'm a strategist by nature. I process things rationally, assessing situations, coming up with recommendations, tinkering mentally with life issues and circumstances. ...

I'm in the midst of leading a project I don't feel particularly passionate about. It didn't start out this way. I launched into it with great enthusiasm. I was confident I was following God's will by pursuing the project, but as time has passed and I've grown less enamored with it, I'm wondering whether I misread the signs.

Truth be told, the project ...

"Must be my hormones again."

"Oh, it's just estrogen."

"I'm just a chick with a bad thyroid."

These are the kinds of things I hear women in high-profile positions say about themselves—and by extension, about all women.

Recently, a writer submitted an article for our staff to consider for publication. In it the author bitterly ...

Christian leaders love to talk about strengths. Want proof? Just ask your pastor to list her spiritual gifts, talk about his areas of passion, or tell you her Myers-Briggs profile (any other ENTJ's out there?). You're sure to get an enthusiastic response. But ask that same leader to tell you about her areas of weakness, and she might be slightly less excited to engage with ...