Ron Edmondson

JULY 20, 2023

As a leader, I often read the Bible through a leadership lens. Likewise, some of my best principles of leadership have been inspired by Jesus. There are many leaders I admire who have influenced my own leadership. I love a good leadership book and have read most of the primary authors of them – too many to have a favorite. There are leaders from my personal life such as a former pastor, a former boss, a high school principal and leaders in my own community who have influenced me as I have

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 5, 2023

I once had a good illustration of leading under pressure. The Story I met a friend at a restaurant for breakfast. The place was normally busy and this seemed like a typical day from the many times I had frequented this restaurant. What was unusual was a new manager I had not seen before. And she was in full stress mode. Apparently, several of her employees hadn’t shown up for work that day.

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 19, 2023

I’ve been called “the list guy.” I’m sure there are at least 7 reasons why. But there are some things even the best written list won’t solve. Most of the time a list is a good thing – at least for me. Not everyone agrees and I’m okay with that. One guy wrote me — “What’s with all the lists? Don’t you know how to write without them?

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Ron Edmondson

JUNE 14, 2023

Ron – What do you think are some of the most frustrating things pastors experience? This post, and the opposite one before it, ( 7 Exciting Things Pastors Experience ) began when I received this question on my blog. Great question. I decided to first address some of the exciting things but like most jobs, there are frustrating things about the job.

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Power Edmondson Examples Reputation 75

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 23, 2023

Great leaders are willing to do hard things. And the hardest always involve people. Yet, in my experience, the toughest decision is almost always the smartest decision. It’s the choice we know we need to make, but it’s the hardest one to make. Truth is every leader I know wants to be liked. They want to limit frustration among the people trying to follow them.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Do you want to attract a leader to your team? Do you want to keep the leaders you have? One thing I learned soon in church revitalization, which I already knew from other experiences, is many times entrepreneurial type leaders disappear when things aren’t working well. People who like big visions don’t hang around when the church is holding on to status quo.

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Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Good leaders know who they are and, perhaps equally important, who they are not. Here’s a little known fact about me: People who know me well might say I am quick-witted and can even be funny. Yet, most people seldom see that side of me. My family knows this about me. Occasionally the people I work with get to see who I really am. Except for occasional bursts of randomness, however, the rest of the world thinks I’m always serious and always thinking about something strategic or purpo

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Influence Edmondson Long-term Energy 70

Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 7, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talk about how pastors can find friends. I have talked to many pastors who don’t feel they have any true friends. Sadly, they often feel they can’t find them. It’s hard – admittedly – to know who to trust. In this episode, how pastors can find friends.

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Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Some words everyone needs to hear. Words are powerful. As leaders, the words we use make a huge difference in the organizations we lead. In my post about life-giving statements Jesus made , I shared some things Jesus said, which can encourage us today. As we seek to be like Him, we have an opportunity within our influence to be people-builders; speaking life-giving words to those we are attempting to lead.

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Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

Here are 25 leadership nuggets I’ve learned over the years – many of them the hard way: If you know the answer is no, say it now. Don’t give people false hopes for a yes or maybe that isn’t coming. The more a leader says “I”, the less the team will feels like a “we”. Equally, if it’s “my” team then it will always be dependent on “me” Trust is the fuel of healthy relationships and healthy teams.

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Leadership Edmondson Resistance Learning-by-Doing 81

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

I frequently have pastors ask how I choose what I personally announce on Sunday. I am not the primary communicator of announcements. Some pastors might be. Yet, there are some things I NEED to announce. So, through the years I’ve developed a framework to help me discern. If you’re a pastor then you know the tension I am about to describe in a made-up scenario.

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 18, 2022

I’ve learned over the years that if you want to have excellence on your team it will often come with quirks. I heard of a very well known band who demanded Skittles and M&M’s in their dressing room prior to the show. But there was always one color, which had to be removed. And the color consistently changed. If the band showed up and the requirement wasn’t fulfilled exactly as requested they would pitch a fit.

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 12, 2022

What is one leadership principle every leader must know? I once received an email: Ron, a question for you. If you had to pass one and only one leadership principle to others leaders, what would that one principle be and why that one? That’s a hard question, because I can think of so many principles of what leadership is – maybe even seven or ten of them.

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Ron Edmondson

MAY 25, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy consider how to be a great nonprofit board member. In a previous episode, we talked about common mistakes governing bodies make in their roles. It seems appropriate to address the things effective governing board members do. In this episode, we discuss how to be a great nonprofit board member: Show notes: We continually hear from many leaders who enjoy these podcasts.

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Ron Edmondson

MAY 24, 2022

I have learned and observed there is one common thing every pastor needs to be successful. I see it modeled in Scripture. Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 5, 2022

I’ve got a strong word for some of my pastor friends. I might be late to saying this and would love not to have to be someone to say it. Yet, I feel I must to be faithful to my blog audience. They aren’t coming back. Some of the people you keep hoping you will see back on Sunday mornings simply aren’t going to return. At least for now.

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Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 3, 2022

Pastor, I am convinced one of the most kingdom-minded things you can do for your church is to lead the church as if you aren’t going to be there next year. (BTW, this may equally apply to other fields of leadership.). Yes, you were probably called there to lead. The church looks to you for that role. But the reality is you don’t know how long you will be there.

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Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Years ago, I read an article by Raymond P. Rood’s entitled “ How Then Should Organizations Live ”. (I can’t find a link for the article now. ) Rood made the point that every organization has three basic needs. This philosophy resonated with me and, based on my experience, I can see how it relates to the churches, businesses, and non-profits I have led. 3 things every organization needs to thrive: Growth.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Lather, rinse, repeat is not just for shampooing. It is a necessary leadership principle. I haven’t check in a while to see if it is still a thing, but years ago I was bored (and curious) so I checked. It seemed every the bottle of shampoo gave these instructions. I’m still not sure why we need directions for something so simple, but if taken literally, there would be an endless loop of repeating the same steps until the bottle is empty.

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Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 10, 2021

Here are the funniest questions I received as a church planter: “When are you going to build a church?”. I always thought, “Well, that’s what we are doing now meeting in this high school.” (Oh, you mean a building, but, of course, you’d agree the church is not the building, right? ). “Are you going to keep doing this?”. For whatever reason, it seemed that some believed a church plant was temporary.

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 21, 2021

Having been a church planter twice, I understand the unique challenges facing planters. They are constantly struggling with leadership issues, finances and simply knowing what to do next. I’d love to offer a word of encouragement for church planters. Recently I had a conversation with a church planter friend in Chicago. He’s in hard soil to plant anyway, but mentioned that the pandemic has been especially hard on church planters.

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Ron Edmondson

JULY 20, 2021

In my experience, it’s easier to hide bad leadership when an organization isn’t growing. However, the more growth that occurs the more bad leadership becomes apparent. Therefore, leaders must grow as the organization grows. . As a leader for the last several decades, I’ve learned my leadership is stretched most when we are growing the fastest.

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Organization Edmondson Delegation Leadership Development 75

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 23, 2021

Here’s a quick tip I’ve had to use many times in life when I lack the courage I need as a leader. When it is time to make the hard choices – and do the things I know I needed to do, but I’m scared to do them I’ve learned a way forward. I can never seem to manipulate courage, so – When I lack courage as a leader, I renew my passion for the thing which I need to do.

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Ron Edmondson

MAY 17, 2021

I’ve written a fair amount about management versus leadership. I have a chapter about the subject in my book The Mythical Leader. I won’t make you go read the book to know I believe both are valuable to any organization. We need good leadership and good management. But this is a leadership blog. And if you want to be a leader, you can’t focus more on managing the organization than you do on leading the organization forward.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 28, 2021

There are some things the senior leader will naturally control – whether intentional or unintentional. . Having planted two churches and two revitalization churches I am frequently asked about what things do I try to control and which did I release to others. I love the question. It is one all leaders need to ask themselves – frequently.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 27, 2021

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talk about 7 Unspoken, Unseen Leadership Traits That Make Leaders Great. There are parts of leadership you won’t read on a job description when they are telling you about the place you will work. There are traits of a leader which are unseen – often unknown. These traits have to be tested and you won’t know the traits are there until the test is complete, but these traits are what prove a leader to be a great leader.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 7, 2021

I have been asked the difference in being a leader of leaders and leading followers. It’s one of my favorite questions. The question ultimately points to a paradigm of leading people by which I try to lead. I know I want to attract and retain leaders on our team. I don’t want a bunch of people waiting for me to make a decision or who fail to take initiative.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 30, 2021

Throughout my time in vocational ministry I’ve encountered people who shy away from terms such as leadership when talking about the church. Christ is the leader of the church and we are simply servants under His command. While I agree with their assessment of Christ’s ultimate leadership, I see all kinds of examples of biblical characters with their own leadership tension.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 9, 2021

I am thankful for the people who invested in me and made me a better leader. . When I became a leader, I had no clue what I was doing. I was a high school student and had just been elected student body president. Although I had served as class president and in a few other positions, there didn’t seem to be a lot of responsibility which stretched me prior to this.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 8, 2021

I have seen dumping responsibilities on people and calling it delegation. This form of delegation does more harm than good for an organization. It leaves projects undone or completed mediocre at best. It kills employee morale and motivation and it keeps the mission of the organization from reaching its full potential. Healthy delegation achieves the opposite results. .

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Over the years, I’ve watched many people come into the church excited only to be MIA within a few short years. It’s one of the saddest parts of being a pastor. Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing people slip away from the body of Christ and drift back into a lifestyle of spiritual complacency and apathy. And it breaks my heart more when they believe the church wasn’t meeting their needs.

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Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 16, 2020

The best ideas in an organizational setting often come by getting a group together and throw out random new ideas or ways of doing things. You can usually come up with better solutions if you put the right people in a room and let them throw lots of ideas on the table – or on a white board – even seemingly bad ideas (at least at first). But there are some phrases you must ban when developing ideas.

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Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast , Ron and Nate discuss four realities every senior leader sets for the team. One reason leadership can make a person feel isolated is the weight of responsibility on the one who serves as the senior leader in an organization. That has been even truer while leading during a pandemic. Whether in the business world, non-profits or in churches, there are some things which happen in any organization that senior leaders help determine – whether i

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 19, 2020

If you are a leader, then it is critically important that the people you are trying to lead hear you. Not just pretend to be listening while you ramble in a meeting, but actually absorb what you are trying to say to them. You want people to listen to you. How do you do that? Here are 5 suggestions if you want people to listen to you: Value the person.

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Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 1, 2020

I’ve learned there are some common – often hidden – objections to change. These are secret objections. No one admits to these, but they are real. In fact, they may be the biggest obstacles you’ll have to face in implementing change. Show me an objection to change and you’re almost guaranteed to find one of these hidden in the crowd somewhere.

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Ron Edmondson

MARCH 12, 2020

Leader, how should we respond when crisis comes? I love the leadership displayed during a scene in “ It’s a Wonderful Life ” where George Bailey is about to leave for his honeymoon and panic struck the Building and Loan. As the president, he was forced to avert his plan, go back and save the company. He kept the Building and Loan open with a couple of dollars to spare.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

The Apostle Paul was an effective leader. He was the arguably the most successful church planter of all times; managing to plant churches and write books we are still using today. There is an interesting story in Acts 19 of a time of crisis. I call it a crisis because the sub-heading in my Bible calls it “ The Riot in Ephesus.” Have you ever witnessed a riot?

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