It’s easy to agree with that principle until someone does something differently than we would.

Then we want to step in. Make an adjustment. Take back the decision. After all, we’re responsible for the results.

But when every decision requires my approval, I limit the team to my availability. When every idea has to originate with me, I limit the team to my creativity. When everything must be done my way, I limit what others might teach me.

Eventually, the organization can only grow as far as I can personally carry it.

That’s a problem. Especially if I’ve surrounded myself with capable people.

One of the myths I address in The Mythical Leader is that leaders accomplish by controlling others. We may get compliance that way, but we miss much of what people could contribute.

People stop offering ideas when they know we’ll replace them with ours. They stop making decisions when we continually overrule them. They learn to wait for instructions.

Then we wonder why no one takes initiative.

Of course, releasing control requires leadership. We still establish direction, clarify expectations, provide resources, and hold people accountable.

But we also give people room to accomplish the goal differently than we would.

They may make a mistake. We’ll need to coach them.

They may also discover a better way. We’ll need the humility to recognize it.

Here’s a question I try to ask myself:

Am I protecting something that matters – or simply protecting my preference?

The answer may reveal where I need to let go.

I want to lead a team whose potential exceeds my own. That means giving people opportunities to lead beyond what I can personally direct.

If I insist on controlling everything, I shouldn’t be surprised when I become the limit.

The post You Limit What You Control appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

That’s human nature.

As a leader, you may see a better future for the organization. You’ve identified problems, considered solutions, and developed a plan to move things forward.

You’re excited about the possibilities.

But the people you’re leading may not share your enthusiasm.

They’re often more concerned about what the change means for them.

• Will I lose something I enjoy?
• What if the new way isn’t as good as the old way?
• Will I have to learn something new?
• Will my role or influence change?
• Why can’t we just keep doing what we’re doing?

And here’s something I’ve learned after years of leading change.

People don’t always resist the change itself. Sometimes they’re resisting the discomfort the change creates.

Every change evokes an emotion. Even good changes can bring a sense of loss.

Something familiar is going away. A routine is being interrupted. An expectation is being challenged. And what seems like an obvious improvement to the leader may feel like an unnecessary disruption to someone else.

That’s why understanding the emotional side of change is crucial to leading it effectively.

You can’t simply communicate the vision and expect everyone to immediately embrace it.

You have to give people time to process what you’re proposing.

Listen to their concerns. Explain the why. Acknowledge what they’re losing. Help them see what could be gained.

And remember, you’ve probably had much longer to get comfortable with the change than they have.

But there’s another reality.

You can’t allow everyone’s desire for comfort to determine the future of the organization.

If you do, you’ll seldom change anything.

Leadership requires moving people toward something better, even when the journey is uncomfortable.

The goal isn’t to eliminate every negative emotion. That’s impossible.

The goal is to understand those emotions well enough to lead people through them.

I’ve made the mistake of moving too quickly and expecting people to catch up. I’ve also made the mistake of moving too slowly because I didn’t want to make people uncomfortable.

Neither serves the organization well.

Effective change leadership requires caring about people without becoming controlled by their discomfort.

Be patient with people. Be persistent with the mission.

And learn to recognize the difference between someone who needs more time to process change and someone who simply doesn’t want anything to change.

That distinction can make all the difference in your leadership.

The post People Care More About Their Comfort Than Your Change appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Some people might think that’s strange. After all, why would I want to help someone leave our team – especially if they’re a valued team member (which in these cases – they usually are).

Well, that’s easy. I want what’s best for the people I lead. Even when what’s best for them may not be what’s most convenient for me.

Several times in my career, someone helped me get to my next assignment. They opened a door, made a phone call, offered advice, or simply encouraged me to take a step of faith.

I’ve always wanted to do the same for others.

I want people to grow while they’re on our team. Plus, I want to help them discover their gifts, develop their leadership, and find the place where they can make their greatest contribution. I’ve told countless people – sitting in my office – When you look back at your career twenty years from now, I want this office to be a positive part of your story. That’s my legacy.

Sometimes that place will be right where they are. But sometimes it will be somewhere else.

And I’m okay with that.

In fact, I’d much rather someone include me in the process of figuring out their next opportunity than feel they have to hide it from me. That helps me and our team as much as it helps them.

Once they feel safe enough to have that conversation, I can actually help them. I can be a sounding board, help them process opportunities, make connections, or serve as a reference.

But I also recognize there are some realities to leading this way.

1. It will be awkward at times.

Once someone tells you they’re considering leaving, things change a little.

They’ve essentially admitted they have one foot out the door.

You still have a job to do together. They’re still part of the team. You still need them fully engaged in their current responsibilities.

And you may not know whether they’ll be there six months from now. (It’s taken a year or more at times.)

That creates some tension. I’ve learned to live with it.

2. There will be emotions involved.

Especially when the person loves the team and the team loves them.

They may be excited about a new opportunity and sad about leaving at the same time. (BTW, I usually hold this information in confidence between me and the other person.)

As a leader, I may be excited for them and disappointed about losing them.

Both can be true.

I’ve found it’s better to acknowledge those emotions than pretend they don’t exist.

3. They may go back and forth.

I’ve seen this happen numerous times.

Someone feels confident it’s time to move on. Then an opportunity doesn’t materialize. They have a great week at work or begin thinking about what they’ll miss.

Suddenly they’re not so sure.

And that’s understandable. Career decisions are rarely as simple as they appear.

But I’ve also found that once someone has mentally committed to leaving, it can be difficult to return to normal. Sometimes I’ve even had to remind people of what they told me they wanted.

Not to push them out the door, but to help them remember why they started considering a change in the first place.

4. Occasionally, it will get difficult.

Most of these experiences have been positive. A few haven’t.

Sometimes expectations change. The process often takes longer than either of us anticipated. Occasionally, someone mentally checks out before they actually leave.

And when that happens, I still have a responsibility to the rest of the team and the organization.

Helping someone find their next opportunity doesn’t mean ignoring their current responsibilities. There still have to be healthy expectations and honest conversations.

But those few difficult experiences haven’t changed my philosophy.

I’d rather lead with an open hand than try to hold on to people who are ready for something else.

I don’t own the people I lead. I’ve simply been given the privilege of investing in them for a season.

Of course, I want great people to stay. We work hard to create an environment where they can thrive, grow, and want to remain for a long time. But I also know that not every season lasts forever.

And if I can help someone take their next step, even when it means losing a valuable team member, I consider that part of my responsibility as a leader.

The greatest compliment someone can give me isn’t necessarily that they stayed on my team for years. Sometimes it’s that their time on our team helped prepare them for what came next.

I want to be the kind of leader people can trust with their future, even when their future doesn’t include me.

The post Helping Team Members Find Their Next Opportunity appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I’ve spent my entire adult life in leadership – leading in the business world, government, nonprofits, and the church. Gratefully, I’ve also coached leaders in all of those environments.

I’ve learned good leadership principles work in almost every environment.

People need clarity. Teams need direction. Organizations need vision. Leaders have to make hard decisions.

But there are some unique challenges to leadership in vocational ministry even the best marketplace leaders may not fully understand.

I’m not suggesting ministry is harder than leadership in other fields. Every profession has its challenges. I’m certainly not complaining. I love what I get to do – most days.

But there are some differences worth understanding.

Here are five I’ve experienced.

1. Letting someone go from employment is often more complicated.

I’ve had to make difficult personnel decisions in both business and ministry.

Neither is easy. You’re dealing with someone’s livelihood, their family, and often their sense of identity.

But in the church, you’re also dealing with unique – even spiritual – relationships. In the church, every paid staff member has their own “tribe” of people who depend on them for spiritual guidance or direction.

The person you’re letting go may be someone they have prayed with, worshiped with, and walked alongside through some of life’s hardest moments.

Their spouse may serve in the church. Some or all of their children have often grown up in the student ministry. Their closest friends may be members of the congregation.

That’s a different dynamic. But people often don’t see what happens outside of Sunday morning. They only know what they know. And they seldom know the whole story.

Yet, because of those personal attachments, people may want explanations you simply don’t have the freedom to give. Sometimes the hardest part of making the right leadership decision is knowing you can’t explain everything behind it.

And yet, the decision still has to be made.

2. Holidays don’t always work like they do for others.

I get asked this question all the time around Christmas – “Are you going to see your kids for Christmas?”

I appreciate the question. People genuinely care about our family.

But Christmas is one of the busiest seasons of the year for a church. Easter, which often falls during spring break, is another.

While many families are traveling to see relatives, pastors and ministry staff are preparing to serve the people who will be coming to church.

Our children are grown, live plane rides away,  and have families of their own. One is now and both have been in vocational ministry themselves. They have their own schedules, responsibilities, and holiday traditions.

And sometimes those schedules don’t align with ours.

We may celebrate Christmas on another day. We may travel after the holiday. Sometimes we simply have to miss being together – especially around the holidays.

I’m not asking for sympathy. Plenty of people work holidays – medical professionals, first responders, retail workers, and others.

But I do think it’s something church members don’t always consider.

Some of the most meaningful days of ministry for the congregation require personal sacrifices by the families of those serving.

And those sacrifices aren’t only made by pastors. They’re made by spouses, children, and extended families, too.

3. Your work and your personal life are often closely connected.

In most marketplace environments, people can leave work and find an entirely different community of relationships outside their employment.

That’s harder in vocational ministry.

The people you lead are often the people you worship with. They’re your friends, your neighbors, and the people with whom you share much of life.

You might see someone at dinner who was frustrated with your leadership decision that morning. They might attend a small group with you after you’ve dismissed one of their favorite staff members (see point number two).

Again, this isn’t necessarily bad. Some of my deepest friendships have come through the churches I’ve served.

But it does create a unique challenge.

You have to learn to care deeply for people – walk with the closely – while accepting that you can’t personally meet every need – and that there will be times they don’t understand your “work” role.

That’s a tension I’ve had to work through repeatedly. And it’s one reason healthy boundaries are so important in ministry.

4. Every decision has a spiritual component.

When I was leading in business, people certainly cared about decisions. They had opinions about strategy, budgets, staffing, and change.

But in the church, those same decisions can carry spiritual significance for people.

A change in worship services isn’t simply a scheduling decision. It may affect something a family has treasured for decades.

A staffing change isn’t just an organizational decision. People may see it as a reflection of the church’s spiritual direction.

And sometimes people sincerely believe God is leading them to one conclusion while others believe God is leading them in another direction.

That’s not always easy to navigate.

As a pastor, I have to take those convictions seriously while also recognizing that not every preference is a biblical principle.

Spiritual leadership requires biblical conviction, organizational wisdom, and a great deal of patience with people.

I’ve learned you need all three.

5. You’re often carrying burdens other people don’t know about.

This may be one of the least understood parts of pastoral leadership.

On any given Sunday, a pastor may be celebrating a baptism, praying with someone facing a serious diagnosis, counseling a struggling marriage, and dealing with a difficult organizational issue.

And then it’s time to preach.

People come to church carrying their own burdens. The pastor has the privilege of helping carry some of them. But many – maybe most – of those burdens are confidential.

You can’t always explain why you’re distracted or share what’s weighing on your heart. And you certainly shouldn’t use someone else’s pain to explain your own.

That’s part of the calling.

I remember learning early in ministry that some of the most exhausting days weren’t necessarily the days I worked the longest. They were the days I carried the most emotionally.

Ministry leadership involves a unique combination of managing an organization while shepherding people through real life.

Those two responsibilities aren’t always easy to separate.

A final thought

I have tremendous respect for leaders in the marketplace. Many of them deal with pressures I’ll never fully understand – and many that I do.

I believe churches would benefit from learning more from good marketplace leaders. I’ve spent years encouraging that kind of partnership and incorporating it into my own leadership.

At the same time, I think marketplace leaders who serve on church leadership teams need to understand some of these unique dynamics.

The same is true for church members who love and support their pastors.

We don’t need special treatment or people to feel sorry for us. And we certainly shouldn’t use the uniqueness of ministry as an excuse for poor leadership.

We simply need to recognize that some leadership environments require different considerations.

Good leaders learn to understand the environment they’re leading in. And good churches learn to understand the people God has called to lead them.

What would you add? If you’ve served in both the marketplace and vocational ministry, what differences have you noticed?

The post 5 Leadership Challenges in Ministry Marketplace Leaders May Not Understand appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Good organizations need both. I understand that. But policies tend to tell people exactly what they can and cannot do. Principles help people understand why we do what we do.

And I think that distinction matters.

Policies often create boundaries. Principles create freedom within boundaries.

As a leader, I want people to understand the guiding principles behind our decisions. I want them to know what we value, what we’re trying to accomplish, and what matters most.

Then I want to give them freedom to figure out how to get there.

Not everyone will approach a problem the same way I would. In fact, some will find a better way than I ever imagined.

That’s one of the advantages of having good people on your team.

Of course, there are times when policies are necessary. Some things need clear, nonnegotiable standards. And principles without accountability can create confusion.

But I’ve also seen organizations develop so many policies that people become afraid to make decisions without permission.

They stop thinking for themselves – waiting to be told what to do.

And eventually, the organization becomes limited by the number of decisions a few leaders can make. That’s not the kind of organization I want to lead.

I’d rather spend my time helping people understand the principles than enforcing another policy.

Because when people understand the why, they can usually figure out the how.

And when they have the freedom to do that, they often surprise you with what they can accomplish.

The post I’d Rather Lead by Principles Than Policies appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I love leadership – dreaming about what could be, challenging the status quo, and helping organizations move forward.

There’s a difference between leadership and management. I’ve written on it before.

Leaders lead change. Managers guide systems.

But here’s something I’ve learned through the years.

Good leadership without good management can take us somewhere wonderful, only to discover we don’t know how to stay there very long.

A leader can cast a compelling vision, rally people around it, and move an organization to new heights.

But someone has to build the systems, manage the details, and create the structure to sustain what’s been accomplished.

And frankly, that’s not always the leader’s greatest strength.

I’ve seen organizations grow beyond their ability to sustain the growth. Sometimes because the leadership vision outpaced the management systems.

Leadership helps us get there. Management helps us stay there.

We need both.

So here’s a shoutout to the great managers who often work behind the scenes, making sure the vision actually works.

You may not get the applause for the big idea or the bold new direction.

But without you, many of our greatest leadership accomplishments would be short-lived.

Leaders, don’t just appreciate good managers. Empower them. Listen to them. And give them room to do what they do best.

Your next great leadership success may depend on it.

The post A Shoutout from a Leader to a Manager appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

One of the hardest tensions in leadership is knowing how hard to push change and how patient to be with people.

I’ve been leading change in organizations for a long time. And I’m still learning how to balance these two.

Change leadership requires both patience and drive.

You have to be patient with people.

Every change evokes an emotion. Even good change can hurt.

• Something familiar is being replaced.
• Someone may feel they’re losing influence or control.
• People may have invested years in something you’re now asking them to do differently.
• Others simply need more time to understand what you already see.

Remember, as a leader, you’ve probably been thinking about the change much longer than everyone else.

You’ve processed the problems, considered the alternatives, and imagined what could be.

Now you’re ready to move.

But everyone else may just now be hearing about it. You can’t expect people to embrace in a moment what it took you months to process.

Good leaders understand this. They listen, communicate the why, give people time to adjust. And they recognize that resistance isn’t always rebellion. Sometimes it’s simply grief over what is being lost.

But there’s another side to this tension.

You also have to drive the change forward.

If the change is necessary and worthy of the mission, you can’t simply stop every time someone is uncomfortable.

Some people will resist any change. Others may never fully embrace the direction you’re leading.

And sometimes the greatest resistance comes just before you begin making meaningful progress.

Leadership requires courage.

You have to make decisions. Push through obstacles. Keep reminding people where you’re going and why it matters.

You have to help write a better story for the organization, even when moving forward is difficult.

You can have change without leadership, but I’m not sure you can have leadership without change.

If you wait until everyone is comfortable with change, you may never change anything.

And that’s where the tension gets difficult.

Push too hard and you can damage trust, exhaust good people, and create resistance that didn’t have to exist.

Move too slowly and you can lose momentum, frustrate those ready to move, and miss opportunities that may not come again.

I’ve made mistakes on both sides.

There have been times when I moved faster than people could reasonably follow. Looking back, a few more conversations or a little more patience would have made the change healthier.

And there have been times when I waited too long. I allowed the desire to keep everyone comfortable to slow down something I knew needed to happen.

Neither extreme is healthy.

If you don’t have both patience and drive, you’ll either burn yourself out trying to get everyone to move, or you’ll burn others out trying to make them move too quickly.

So how do you manage the tension?

I think a few things are important.

Keep the mission clear. People can endure more discomfort when they understand why the change matters. Never assume you’ve communicated the why enough.

Seek to understand the difference between resistance and legitimate concern. Sometimes people are resisting because they don’t like change. Other times they’re seeing something you’ve missed. Wise leaders know the difference, and they’re willing to listen.

Be flexible with the pace without compromising the destination. Not every part of the change has to happen today. Sometimes slowing down one part allows the overall change to move forward more successfully.

Celebrate progress and allow people to catch their breath. An organization can only absorb so much change at one time. Constant change without opportunities to celebrate, adjust, and regain energy will eventually wear people down.

Keep moving. Patience shouldn’t become an excuse for avoiding difficult decisions. If you’ve done the work, listened well, and believe the change is right, there comes a time to move forward.

Perhaps one of the greatest skills a change leader can develop is learning when to press the accelerator and when to ease off a little. And realizing you may have to do both in the same week.

Here’s something I’ve learned after years of leading change.

You have to care enough about the mission to keep moving forward and enough about the people to be careful how you get there.

That’s the delicate tension of change leadership.

And getting it right is never a one-time decision. It’s something you have to keep managing.

Ultimately, leadership isn’t simply about getting an organization somewhere new. It’s about bringing people with you.

The post The Delicate Tension of Leading Change – Patience and Drive appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Whenever a team member isn’t functioning as well as they could, I want to understand why.

Over the years, I’ve found the problem usually falls into one of four categories –

Ignorance. Arrogance. Indifference. Or Inability.

And knowing which one you’re dealing with matters, because each requires a different response from the leader.

Ignorance

Sometimes people simply don’t know.

They don’t know what is expected of them. Training – or onboarding hasn’t been adequate. Or perhaps they don’t realize how they are coming across to others.

This is often the easiest problem to address.

Teach them. Coach them. Clarify expectations. Give honest feedback.

You shouldn’t punish someone for something they were never taught. (Or where your systems let them down.) 

Arrogance

This is different.

Arrogance says, I know, but I think my way is better.

They may believe the rules don’t apply to them. Some resist feedback because they assume they already have the answers. Sometimes success has convinced them they are more valuable to the organization than they really are.

Arrogance requires confrontation.

Still not harshness (we are to remain people of grace), but with truth.

Healthy teams can’t allow one person’s ego to become more important than the mission.

Indifference

Indifference says, I know what needs to be done and I’m capable of doing it. But I just don’t care enough anymore.

Sometimes the person has mentally checked out long before they physically leave.

You can usually see it in their attitude, effort, responsiveness, or willingness to go the extra mile.

This requires a conversation about engagement.

Is something happening personally? Have they lost confidence in the organization? Are they burned out? Or have they simply decided they no longer want to be part of what the team is trying to accomplish?

You need to know.

Inability

This one is sometimes the hardest for leaders to admit.

The person may care deeply. They may have a wonderful attitude and may understand exactly what is expected.

They just can’t consistently do what the role requires.

Maybe the organization has grown beyond their capacity. Perhaps the position has changed. Maybe we put a good person in the wrong seat.

More training might help, but sometimes it won’t.

Inability requires leaders to evaluate fit.

And keeping someone in a role where they cannot succeed isn’t kindness – to them or to the team.

Diagnose Before You Respond

One of the mistakes leaders make is treating every performance problem the same.

But you don’t solve ignorance with confrontation.

Arrogance isn’t solved with more training.

You don’t solve indifference by lowering expectations.

And you don’t solve inability simply by telling someone to try harder.

Before deciding what to do about an underperforming team member, determine what you’re actually dealing with.

• Ignorance needs instruction.
• Arrogance needs correction.
• Indifference needs engagement.
• Inability needs evaluation.

Good leadership starts with the right diagnosis.

The post Ignorance, Arrogance, Indifference – or Inability? appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

That’s not necessarily a sign you’re on the wrong team. Teams can be frustrating because teams are made up of people.

And people are different.

• Teams are made up of different personalities.
• Everyone process information differently.
• We work at different speeds.
• Our priorities, pressures, strengths, and weaknesses all show up with us.
• We don’t always communicate as clearly as we think we do.

Put enough people together – even really good people who love Jesus and share the same mission – and eventually someone will frustrate someone.

The goal isn’t to eliminate every frustration. That’s impossible.

The goal is to learn how to handle frustration without allowing it to damage the team.

Here are five things that might help –

1. Recognize and Respect Differences

Not everyone thinks, processes, or works like you – and that’s a good thing.

• Some are big-picture dreamers; others are detail guardians. Both are needed.
• Everyone feels misunderstood sometimes. That’s normal.
• We each tend to see our area as most urgent or important. That’s part of caring deeply about what we do.
• Sometimes what frustrates you about someone is the very strength the team needs from them.

Unity doesn’t mean sameness; it means shared purpose.

2. Keep Small Things Small

Don’t turn a 2 into a 10.

• The world – and the church – will never be perfect.
• You’ll never have every tool, answer, resource, or person you want exactly when you want it.
• Not every inconvenience deserves a meeting.
• Not every irritation needs to become an issue.
• Choose which frustrations are worthy of your emotional energy.

Some things need to be addressed. Others simply need to be released.

Peace often comes from lowering unrealistic expectations.

3. Check Your Heart and Motives

Before reacting, ask yourself –

• Am I frustrated because I want to be right – or because I want what’s best?
• Could I be misunderstanding or missing part of the picture?
• Am I making assumptions about someone’s motives?
• Would I respond differently if I knew everything they were carrying right now?

Frustration has a way of convincing us that our perspective is the complete perspective.

Usually it isn’t.

Humility invites perspective; pride multiplies frustration.

4. Practice Humility and Move On

Ephesians 4:2-3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

That’s good theology. It’s also good teamwork.

• Don’t let small annoyances harden into resentment.
• Be willing to apologize quickly.
• Extend grace generously.
• Don’t keep a running scorecard of offenses.
• Remember, we’re on the same team – and Jesus is the head.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do for a team is address something, forgive it, and then refuse to keep bringing it back up.

You can be right and still be wrong in your tone, timing, or attitude.

5. Use Your Voice Wisely

You have a voice. And it’s a needed voice or you wouldn’t be on the team. Use it kindly, honestly, and responsibly.

• Don’t add to the frustration.
• Finish. Do your job. Follow through.
• Say what you mean in love. Don’t say yes when you mean no.
• Don’t complain to five people about something you’ve never discussed with the one person who could actually address it.
• Clarity is kindness; confusion creates tension.
• Speak truth, seasoned with grace.

Healthy teams aren’t teams where nobody disagrees.

They are teams where people have learned how to disagree without becoming disagreeable.

Healthy teams communicate early, clearly, and respectfully.

One Last Thing – Keep the Big Picture in View

This may be the most important one. Remember why we do what we do.

For those of us serving in the church, our purpose is bigger than our department, our preference, our idea, or whether everything happened the way we wanted it to happen.

We are here to reflect Christ and advance the Gospel.

Frustration grows quickly when we make the mission about ourselves.

Sometimes I need to remind myself – This isn’t about me.

• Not my preference.
• Or my recognition.
• Not getting my way.

We are part of something much bigger.

The body of Christ is made up of different parts—with different gifts, personalities, responsibilities, and perspectives—but we share one purpose.

And perhaps one of the greatest witnesses a Christian team can offer is not that we never frustrate one another.

It’s that, even when we do, we choose grace, humility, forgiveness, and unity – and keep moving forward together.

The post 5 Ways to Avoid Frustration (and Stay Unified as a Team) appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I’ve never really believed in work-life balance.

At least not if balance means every important area of life gets equal time and attention every day.

Leadership simply doesn’t work that way.

There are seasons when the demands of leadership are intense. There are days when you have to work longer than you planned. Problems don’t always arrive conveniently inside office hours.

That’s life, but that’s even more so in leadership. And my family has had to learn this as much as I have.

You may never achieve perfect balance. But you can discipline the rhythms of your life.

That means when there is margin – take it.

• When you have a chance to decompress – decompress.
• When you can rest – rest.

And sometimes, when you’ve stared at the same project for two hours and nothing productive is happening, give yourself permission to shut it down.

Go for a walk. Exercise. Spend time with people you love. Do something completely unrelated to work.

I’ve learned that forcing productivity rarely produces my best work.

Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is stop.

Of course, disciplined rhythms require discipline. If you never stop, eventually your body or your mind will stop for you. If you constantly fill every open space on the calendar, you shouldn’t be surprised when you have nothing left to give.

Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint.

There will be seasons when you run hard. There should also be seasons — and moments within those seasons – when you recover.

You may never perfectly balance everything in your life.

But you can develop rhythms that allow you to keep leading well for the long haul.

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