WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CALLING GETS TOUGH
“God I’m doing everything you’ve called me to do—why are things so hard right now?” Ever thought that? Told God that? I have. And I know I’m not alone. A while back I had breakfast with a friend who has an amazing call on his life. God is using him and his wife in...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 153: INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG OWENS – PART 1
In today’s episode John and Jim welcome Craig Owens to the mic. Craig is a pastor, a consultant, and author of the book, Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics that really matter. Pod 153 explores how our strengths can become our kryptonite if we’re not careful. Here are...
INCREASING YOUR TEAM’S LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT
Your team is the most important asset in the organization you lead. But this is true only when they are engaged. In 2017, according to a Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, only 15% of employees worldwide were engaged at work. By engaged, Gallup means...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 152: INTERVIEW WITH CHIP JUDD – PART 2
In Part 2 of my interview with Chip Judd, Care Pastor at Seacoast Church in South Carolina, John and Chip focus on the inner life of leaders, and also on what can be done about the shrinking leadership pool. Here are the show notes: Let’s talk about the inner life of...
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY
If you ask twenty people how many hours per week is reasonable for a leader to work, you’d probably get twenty different answers. Researchers from the business world have proven time and again that once you hit forty-five hours in a week, productivity (for most normal...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 151: INTERVIEW WITH CHIP JUDD – PART 1
In today's episode, John interviews Chip Judd, Care Pastor at Seacoast Church in South Carolina. This powerful conversation unpacks important insights into the call of God on a leader's life, and the top challenges they face in a quickly changing culture. Here are the...
THE HIDDEN TRAPS OF SUCESS
When success arrives, it’s easy to get full of ourselves. We can let our accomplishments go to our head. Or think we’re better than we really are. I’m 100% in favor of success—but hidden within it are dangerous forces that if we’re not careful, can ruin our lives, and...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 150: FOUR BEHAVIORS OF HEALTHY PASTORS_PART 2
As the leader goes, so goes the organization they lead. What does health look like for a leader? In today’s episode—Part 2 of a 2-part series—John and Jim unpack two more consistent behaviors observed in pastors who’ve maintained robust health over a long period of...
WHEN PARISHIONERS ATTACK
Criticism hurts. No matter how great a leader you are, there will always be a few parishioners who don’t like you and feel it’s their calling to criticize you. This group of people who think you suck can—although they are in the minority—tend to be the most vocal...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 149: FOUR BEHAVIORS OF HEALTHY PASTORS_PART 1
As the leader goes, so goes the organization they lead. What does health look like for a leader? In today’s episode John and Jim unpack two behaviors they’ve observed in pastors who’ve maintained a good level of health over a long period of time. Here are the show...
FOUR BEHAVIORS OF HEALTHY PASTORS
The word “health” gets tossed around a lot regarding pastors. So much, that it begs the question: What does health mean? What does it look like for a pastor? I reached out to a few of my pastor friends and asked for their definition. Here are their responses: “The...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 148: INTERVIEW WITH JP DORSEY
In today’s episode, John interviews JP Dorsey, former President of Northpoint college. In this compelling conversation, JP and John unpack important questions around the movement of leaders, the two biggest challenges currently facing the Church, and what we can do...
Faked Out by Busy
Distraction . . . sometimes our friend. Most of the time, not so much. Occasionally we need a healthy distraction from the rapid pace of our lives. Playing 18 holes, walking the beach, planting flowers, etc. These pursuits can help us detach from work and catch our...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 147: MONDAY MORNINGS IN PASTOR LAND
Monday morning . . . The sworn enemy of pastors. It’s said that many pastors quit every Monday morning, only to re-up sometime later in the week. On Monday morning, Sunday gets replayed in our head. The good and the not-so-good The question is: What can we do about...
WORDS & MULLIGANS
I like to play golf. Golf isn’t super-exciting. In fact, it’s kinda boring. But hitting a little ball hard with a club can be therapeutic. I’m a below average golfer. Golfers at a below average level use mulligans occasionally. If you’ve never played golf, you...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 146: HOURS OR OUTCOMES?
We need to put in hours to obtain good outcomes. Although, putting in hours doesn’t guarantee good outcomes. In today’s episode, John & Jim unpack how managing to outcomes instead of hours helps you get the results you want and have more fun along the way. Above...
THE HIDDEN HOOK OF HURRY
Today we welcome back to the blog our teammate Jaime Hlavin. Jaime opens up about the fast pace of her current season, and what she's doing to fight back against the vicious cycle of "busy." Enjoy ~ John “The hurried life is a harried life.” ~ John Opalewski Have you...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 145: THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER
Jealousy is an emotion almost every leader deals with. The “green-eyed monster” is a thief. It robs us of healthy relationships. It steals our joy. In today’s episode, John and Jim reveal three signals jealousy is getting a foothold in your life, and then outline four...
MONDAY MORNING IN PASTOR LAND
Monday morning . . . The sworn enemy of pastors. It’s said that many pastors quit every Monday morning, only to re-up sometime later in the week. On Monday morning, Sunday gets replayed in our head. The good and the not-so-good. “Thank you, Lord for Your felt...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 144: THE BIG FOUR-ZERO
Increasing your team’s weekly hours by 50 percent (from 40 to 60 hours) does not result in 50 percent more productivity. Most leaders assume the extra hours will produce an equally matched extra output . . . but usually, this formula fails. In today’s episode, John...
HOURS OR OUTCOMES?
Several weeks ago I was working with a wonderful client of mine who is recovering from severe burnout. He is doing much better, not all the way back yet, but making great strides. And we had an interesting conversation . . . he was really struggling with the idea of a...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 143: BUSY . . . OR PRODUCTIVE?
Busy-ness doesn’t guarantee productivity. Busy can fool us into thinking we’re achieving when we’re really not. In today’s episode, John and Jim chat about the idea of “guarding our assignment” and answer the question, “How can we avoid being faked out by busy?” Here...
THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER
It’s time to kill the monster. Jealousy . . . aka the green-eyed monster . . . threatens us all. It’s an emotion every leader deals with occasionally. Its roots are insecurity, fear, self-doubt, etc. Jealousy can emerge when another leader achieves something you’ve...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 142: SELF-CARE VS. SELF-CENTEREDNESS
Occasionally, we still encounter some leaders who think self-care is a dressed-up word for selfishness. A while back one of our clients asked me, “what about Jesus’ call to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him?” I responded back with this: “Denying...
BUSY . . . OR PRODUCTIVE?
In 2 Chronicles 23, King Jehoida was giving instructions to his army, the priests, and the Levites about protecting about the temple of the Lord, who was allowed to enter it and who was not. And verse 6 says: “… all the other men are to guard what the Lord...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 141: LEADING THROUGH PERSONAL PAIN
Several weeks ago, our teammate Jaime Hlavin wrote a powerful post on the subject of leading through personal pain. It’s a fact of leadership life . . . occasionally you have to lead even when you’re experiencing significant headwinds in your personal life. In today’s...
SELF-CARE VS. SELF-CENTEREDNESS
Our team at Converge Coaching talks a ton about self-care. It’s become second nature to us. And yet occasionally, we still encounter some leaders who think self-care is nothing more than a dressed-up word for selfishness. A while back one of our clients asked me,...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 140: ELIMINATING HURRY
How do we deal with the tension between our task list and God’s invitation to stop hurrying? How can we be productive without being always on the move? In today’s episode, John & Jim unpack three ways eliminate hurry from your life and still be productive at work....
ELIMINATING HURRY
Rachel Macy Stafford, a New York Times bestselling author, relays the following personal story about hurry. “My thoughts and actions were controlled by electronic notifications, ring tones, and jam-packed agendas. And although every fiber of my inner drill sergeant...
LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT EPISODE 139: HIRING FROM THE OUTSIDE
Hiring from within has many advantages. But it’s not always possible. When hiring from the outside, a well-thought-out approach reduces your risk. In today’s episode, John and Jim explore three keys that help you make better hiring decisions. Here are the show notes:...