By John Bryson
In Stephen Pressfield’s classic War of Art, he mentions that the high performers—the creatives, those who produce, those who are effective—eventually have to learn to “be miserable”.
Pressfield explains: “The artist must be like that marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any soldier… because this is war, baby. And war is hell.”
I believe this is a powerful idea and one every man, every leader. and every change agent must learn in order to perform and push through tough seasons of life and leadership.
Navy Seals teach this. Two-a-day football practices teach this. Medical School Residency teaches this. That was my greatest lesson when I ...
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By John Bryson
The bad news about leading a church is that you will most likely always feel (and often be) under-resourced. I am not sure I have ever met a church planter or church leader who feels like they have too many resources and are unsure who to do with all that they have.
The good news is that what your people and your church most need from you have nothing to do with finances, assets or budgets. Last time I checked, hope, vision, clarity, purpose, and modeling were free.
The great news is that Jesus has a history of taking sardines and saltines and creating a meal that satisfies the multitudes along with a bounty left over. He can take our measly offerings and truly do “exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or ...
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I love the pattern of God’s leadership development laid out in Psalm 78:70-72: “Hechose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him toshepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. Withupright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.”
Leaders who have been faithful with a little (in David’s case, sheep) are then entrusted with more. Leadership development should—at the end of the day—create “upright hearts” and “skillful hands”.
A great leadership coach in my life once walked me through different seasons and phases of leadership, he captured them this way: leading yourself, leading followers, leading organization, and ...
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