218. Trust, Teams, and Transformational Leadership, with Mike Bonem, author of The Art of Leading Change

Spiritual Life and Leadership

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Strong sermons, pastoral care and counseling, leading Bible studies. These are all really important for effective ministry leadership. But leading a church or organization is more than just that, isn’t it?
In this episode, Mike Bonem--consultant, coach, and author of The Art of Leading Change--offers invaluable insights into how trust, effective team-building, and adept communication can transform your leadership and help you navigate the complexities of ministry.
THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Mike Bonem highlights the importance of trust in leadership, emphasizing that people are unlikely to give 110% if they don't trust their leader.
• Markus Watson notes that trust has different dimensions and can erode gradually through unfulfilled commitments and unmet expectations.
• Trust is built through follow-through on commitments and investing in relational components.
• When there is trust within a congregation, people are more likely to give the benefit of the doubt, get involved in initiatives, and commit to change.
• Trust is about being trustworthy as a person, not just doing things to gain trust.
• Manipulation by leaders is easily detected, underscoring the necessity of integrity.
• Mike Bonem discusses the importance of building strong teams to handle heavy loads and accomplish needed tasks.
• Building a strong team involves intentionally enlisting different perspectives and gifts.
• It is important to include people who bring different perspectives in the planning stages.
• Mike Bonem elaborates on the value of getting different perspectives and gifts in the room for effective team building.
• Markus Watson reflects on his own experience of leading change in a church amid the pandemic, highlighting how difficult it was.
• Mike Bonem emphasizes the importance of incorporating business practices into pastoral work to improve leadership in congregations.
• Mike Bonem and Markus Watson discuss key principles for leading change, including leading with trust, recognizing the importance of strong teams, and understanding that resistors are not the enemy.
• Mike Bonem’s Fuller Equip online course "The Business of Ministry" provides fundamental training for pastors in areas such as finance, HR, and church business.
• The first module of Mike Bonem’s course addresses the debate on whether the church should adopt business practices to ensure good stewardship of resources.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Mike Bonem:
  • Website – mikebonem.com
• Business of Ministry online course
• Books mentioned:
  • The Art of Leading Change, by Mike Bonem
  • Leading from the Second Chair, by Mike Bonem
  • Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, by Ruth Haley Barton
  • Sacred Rhythms, by Ruth Haley Barton
  • Good to Great, by Jim Collins
• Related episodes:
  • How Did God Intend Us to Experience Sabbath?

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