True leadership requires the courage to let go of what’s good in order to receive what’s better. Whether it’s possessions, positions, or plans, holding loosely allows us to lead with open hands, ready for transformation, collaboration, and God’s greater purpose.
You did it! You started a business with nothing more than a dream and a willingness to roll up your sleeves. You worked hard, really hard, and the business grew. You didn’t know what you were doing half the time, but you figured it out. You made it up as you went, and now you’re leading your very own multi-million dollar business.
The fastest way to lose sight of your business is to stop listening to your customers. What you think is happening inside your company and what your customers are actually experiencing might be two completely different stories. Too often, leaders rely on assumptions instead of real feedback—and that gap can cost you growth, loyalty, and trust.
In this post, Convene Chair Mike Edwards shares how to check in with your customers in meaningful, non-intrusive ways—and how to turn their insights into quick, high-impact improvements.
Are business growth and your faith opposed? Christian leaders often find themselves at a crossroads, seeking to balance ambition with their faith-based values. The desire to scale operations and achieve greater impact can sometimes feel at odds with the principles of service, integrity, and stewardship that underpin their beliefs.
Yet, scaling a business and adhering to Christian values are not mutually exclusive. In fact, by integrating biblical wisdom with sound business practices, Christian leaders can unlock a path to sustainable growth that aligns with their faith and honors God's purpose for their endeavors.
In an ever-changing world filled with uncertainty, leaders face a critical choice—become a hostage to chaos or a master of clarity. In this insightful article, Oleg Konovalov and Dave Ulrich explore how leaders can navigate volatile times with confidence. Through research-backed strategies, they provide seven actionable steps to transform uncertainty into structured success. If you’re ready to rise above the noise and bring clarity to your leadership, this is a must-read.
In Tom Peter’s 1982 book, In Search of Excellence, he teaches that the best leaders spend time managing where the work and workers are. An hour spent daily in MBWA (managing by wandering around), may well be your best time spent. I adopted this method while leading in the public company world in the factory where I worked making aircraft parts and employed around 600 people. What I quickly learned was that MBWA was a great way to help my team win and effectively connect with my workforce.
Have you ever asked for a referral?
What happened?
Did the person you asked answer with a stock response like, “let me think about it.”?
Or, did she almost automatically shift her posture, and by sitting back in her chair, shifting in her seat, or crossing her arms? With the shifting movement, the person is subconsciously trying to put distance between themselves and your request. The shift indicates discomfort.
One of the most common questions we hear from organizations is about clarifying a Manager’s role in their business. To what level of detail should they oversee their team’s work? How do they create alignment among different stakeholders? How do they ensure they’re using a results-driven leadership style and not simply reacting to different requests?
We have to:
be key decision makers enabling the timely release of capital to the right strategic priorities in the organization.
strengthen the organization’s ability to create the flow of capital, and help leaders think differently about the concept of investments, not in the market, but investments into our own business.
Is finance the enemy of breakthrough innovation…
… because they misidentify who their customer is?
“Big-picture, finance interfaces with regulators/auditors but ultimately needs to see their customer as the one who buys the products/services. It puts finance on the same side as the business, a partner/collaborator that should challenge assumptions and think creatively within the finance space.”
Sam Winter, Director of Finance, Thrivent Financial
