Category: Leadership Qualities

The Bible’s Advice for Change Leaders

Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've always done it this way.' I try to fight that. That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise. - Grace Hopper
“Why do you cut off the ends of a roast before cooking it?” a husband asked his wife. “Because my mother did it that way,” she responded with a smile.

Curious, the husband called the wife’s mother and asked her the same question. When she gave an identical answer, he called his wife’s grandmother. The moment the elderly grandmother heard the question, she laughed and said, “I don’t know why they cut off the ends of the roast, but I did it that way because a full roast wouldn’t fit into my pan.”

Most organization practices start with good reason. But some continue because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” What does the Bible say about change and innovation?

Let’s see what we can learn from Week 33 of the NIV Leadership Bible. Click here to continue.

Can You Turn Conflict into Creativity?

Conflict Pin

“Our present challenge is to change the culture of conflict itself, within our workplaces, our communities, and our world. We must create a culture where even the most serious disputes are handled not on the basis of coercion or force, but from mutual respect and coexistence. Far from eliminating differences, our challenge is to make the world safe for differences.” – William Ury, author of Getting to Yes

From my last Blog Post (“To Conflict or Not to Conflict: Is that the Question?”), we noted the importance of conflict management skills to today’s leader. In fact, unresolved conflicts permeate our lives, our workplaces, our politics, and our community. I started this blog last October when I was sitting at home—one of the thousands of federal government employees on furlough. One of my first blog posts (“Building Coalitions” – 10/2/2013) focused on the leadership skill of “commons creating”—another way to resolve conflict.

Recently, I read an article from The Ken Blanchard Companies entitled “Challenging Conversations—Strategies for Turning Conflict into Creativity” that provided some good tips. To learn more, click here.