Do More Good, Better

Feature or Bug? The Question That Changes Everything.

On his first visit to the church I was leading, RL Brown pulled me aside and told me something I smiled at and promptly ignored.

He and his wife Joann had just found our church. RL was 69 years old, the founder of rlbrownreports.com, and the premier economist in Arizona's housing market. Sharp, direct, rugged and about as low-maintenance as a man of his stature could be. He told me if they called Journey home, he would never want me to ask him to be an elder.

Within a year he became the first chairman of the board our new church ever had.

We led that church together for years. He taught me things about leadership, business, and life that I carry to this day. He was a gift I did not deserve and did not take for granted.

Leadership is boring and frustrating. Do it anyway.

One of our strongest leaders came to me recently frustrated with a government partner we've been working to bring along.

I share her frustration.

She is usually well-measured. She has a significantly higher EQ than me. She is patient in ways that have taught me a lot over the years. So when she came in to the meeting swinging, I noticed.

What To Do With Development Dollars

Last year our team hit a goal we had been chasing for a while.

The reward was real. As part of the bonus, every staff member received a significant bump in their leadership development budget for this year. It was something we had all been wanting and it felt great to deliver it.

But when I sat down with my team to talk through how to spend it, I noticed something. Almost everyone was thinking about the same thing. A week-long conference out of town. One option. One week. Done.

Something Isn’t Working

Progress is slow. The results you hoped for aren't showing up. And you're stuck asking yourself a question that doesn't come with an easy answer.

Do I change direction or do I stay the course?

Get it wrong and the consequences are real. Pivot too early and you abandon something that just needed more time. Hold on too long and you waste years and resources on something that was never going to work the way you hoped.

I've been on both sides of this. And I've learned that knowing which one you're facing is one of the most important skills a leader can develop.

Welcome to NGO Joe

In 2015 I agreed to help my good friend start an international nonprofit from the ground up. How hard could it be? After all, I had been leading in the church world for over 20 years and I thought my pastoral background prepared me for the work ahead. And in many ways, it did. I knew how to work with people, navigate board dynamics, communicate vision, and lead through change.

But I was not ready for everything else.

Fundraising Is Partnership, Not Begging

Recently I was talking with a friend who works in the corporate world. He had just finished his annual review and asked how things were wrapping up for us at The Hope Effect.

We eventually started talking about next year and what we were looking forward to in our careers. Then he asked me a really honest question. "Do you ever get weary having to raise money all the time?" Without hesitation I said, "No."