Authority is the ability to make decisions without asking someone else’s permission. So often we give a leader responsibility without also giving him the authority. Their job is clear--but for just about every decision, they must get approval from their boss, or accounting for every expense, or HR for simple personnel approvals. Or, they actually have the authority to make all those decisions, at least on paper. But in reality, they know you are going to swoop in and make changes.

Traditions are part of the glue that holds a fan base together. They are built on from year to year as a program develops. In fact, any school, organization, or even country that wants to develop and secure a following comes up with traditions, logos, hand signals, flags, or other unifying trademarks that people can rally around.

The creative and the leader can be focused on the same mission, yet so differently; they can be serving the same cause, yet often hold opposing views on how to call others to do the same. This may be the single most important relationship to navigate in any church or business. And unfortunately, most leaders never figure out how to make it work.

Most executive leaders would say they have a team. But having a team and operating as a team are two different things.

There is nothing worse than working at an organization with a bad culture, and there is nothing better than working at an organization with a great culture. You wake up every day looking forward to getting back to work on the mission with people you enjoy being around.

If you are in a culture where meetings feel like a waste of time, change the culture. How? One meeting at a time.

It takes discipline and integrity to go against popular opinion. But your team will give their best, be at their best, and perform their best when they believe you have their backs.

When you work at a church, it isn’t just a job. It’s not just about fulfilling a responsibility. It is also about doing life together. It is about being the church while you are leading the church. It is about having fun, working through conflict, accomplishing ministry, and yes, being highly effective in your job.

Your leaders want influence. They usually have a lot of responsibility over a specific area. They typically feel very trusted to lead, as long as they stay in their lane. They may even get paid well for what they do. But what they desire is an opportunity to influence the entire organization.

You don’t get to spike the ball on culture. You can never proclaim your culture a success or stop working on it. If you have human beings working with and for you, then this will be something you work on ad infinitum.

I think the best marriages are made when two people understand what fills the tank of their spouse, and when they each do everything they can to make sure it stays filled. And I think the best leaders know what gives them energy, and they know what drains it away.

Have you ever been in a job where it felt like no one wanted you to think or contribute, where you were just supposed to get your work done? You were wired to change the world, to make a difference, to influence the people around you—but you were stuck in a position where you were assembling widgets?

When every moment of my life is scheduled, I don’t have the margin to stop and listen to someone who needs an ear; I don’t have the time to jump in and help a neighbor fix their sprinkler; or don’t have the flexibility to go to my kids sporting event that was scheduled at the last minute.

You should never e-mail when you are in any type of relational conflict with another individual. What is the alternative? Talk with him or her in person so that you can see their eyes, watch their body language, and discern their mood or disposition.

With any big change, you need a plan for communication. Who should you tell first? Who should you tell next? Who would be hurt if they found out about it from someone else in your organization?

Anytime you want to start something new, make a change, add a program, or expand the budget, make sure you don’t skip the meeting before the meeting. Be sure to meet with every key influencer ahead of time.

The right coaching environment is personal and transformative for no more than 20 people. Everyone has a chance to be heard. Every story can be told and unpacked. Coaching happens over a period of weeks or months, so there is enough time between gatherings that life has a chance to happen.

Millennials get a lot of grief about how much time they spend on their phones. I hear people say, "They never put their phones down!" or "I bet she couldn't live a day without her phone" or “He doesn’t even know how to communicate in person.” But in truth I see adults of all ages every day who belittle others because of bad phone habits.

It’s not easy, but change is good. Change may be hard for those ingrained in the institution, but change attracts new people.

Whether you want to change the color of the carpet in the office or you want to change the color of the carpet in the office or you want to see your church begin to leverage pop culture, here are a few things I have picked up along the way that will help you lead from the middle.