Ron Edmondson

MAY 22, 2023

Sometimes change is more difficult to lead than other times. This is where leadership is tested most, tensions mount and people are more likely to object. In my experience, if a leader knows these times it helps prepare to approach the change. Change is necessary. While change may produce conflict, without change there will also be conflict. When people sit still – when growth stalls – people complain.

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Objective Edmondson Resistance Definition 60

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 6, 2023

Healthy teams respond to new ideas in a certain way. Specifically, they allow every idea a chance to live. Initially, there are no bad ideas. The healthiest teams don’t contain a built in idea killer or a system that shuts them down before their time. That’s because good leaders know ideas need a chance to breathe. They need to be stretched and prodded and examined.

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Team Brainstorming Edmondson Entrepreneur 74

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

One of the hardest parts of leading for me has been the things I’ve had to learn or do which may have been contrary to the way I would have naturally done them – or wanted to do them. I have had to make some hard pivots in order to be a more effective leader. For example, I like to be in control of my surroundings. I don’t like the feeling of being out of control.

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Learning-by-Doing Micromanagement Edmondson Uncertainty 73

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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Edmondson Consultative Review Leadership 67

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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Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Team Creativity 72

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy discuss some good reasons for a leader to say no. Most leaders struggle at some point with overcommitment. We take on more than we can or should do and it impacts the quality of our leadership and personal life. Perhaps we simply need some good reasons to say no. In this episode, good reasons for a leader to say no.

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Edmondson Consultative Review Quality 67

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 2, 2022

Pastors and spouses can find true friends. Really, they can. Of course, people talk. People gossip. People love to share what they hear. And that’s true of what they hear from a pastor too. So, if the pastor talks about personal life, shares a concern – heaven forbid shares a sin or weakness – people will talk. I’ve personally been burned several times by trusting the wrong people with information.

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Travel Long-term Bond Edmondson 61

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 4, 2022

As a result of planting two churches, I’ve spoken with dozens of people wrestling with a call to be a church planter. They want to discuss the biggest challenges they will face in planting. The challenges are the same almost every time. These are usually transferable to all church pastorates, but especially planters. 3 challenges for every church planter: Finances.

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Maturity Edmondson Budgeting Finance 58

Ron Edmondson

MAY 3, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy are unpacking 5T Leadership. This may seem to be a self-serving podcast – and in some ways it probably is, but in this episode, I share more about the model of consulting and coaching I am doing these days. I actually think unpacking this might spur some needed conversations in your organization.

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Edmondson Leadership Consultative Review 60

Ron Edmondson

MAY 2, 2022

I once consulted with a church struggling to move forward. The pastor had been there a couple years, had a great vision and was supported by most everyone, there were adequate resources, the community needed a healthy church (as all do), but they never could get any traction. I quickly assessed that they needed to create unity in the church in order to move forward.

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Influence Maturity Planning Cooper 61

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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Audience Edmondson Morale Reference 86

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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Organization Maturity Bureaucracy Edmondson 62

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 11, 2021

The beginning days are critical in leadership transitions. I’ve learned the impressions created in the initial days – positive or negative – are often hard to overcome. The momentum a new leader should have can be jeopardized by the environment created during the opening days of his or her leadership tenure. Therefore, I make three requests of teams I lead in the opening days of my leadership transition.

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Leadership Learning-by-Doing Bottom-up Team 60

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Leader, if it is “ driving you crazy” (Which is a phrase I often hear leaders say about their organization, their team members, or things that are impacting them at the time.) . Whether it’s a systems issue, a personnel issue, or an issue with the progress (or lack thereof) from your team, there are not many options. You can boil them down to a couple of main decisions. .

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Edmondson Content Motivation System 41

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Want to “shoot yourself in the foot” as a pastor? Hopefully, through this blog and my conference speaking I have established myself as someone that loves pastors. I came into vocational ministry mid-career and it gave me a unique perspective on the role. I want pastors to succeed. Of course, no one would intentionally cripple their ministry, but I have seen some ways pastors get into trouble if they aren’t careful.

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Edmondson Conference Motivation Career 69

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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Leadership Edmondson Energy 63

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Let me introduce you to something I’ve been working on for years, but formalized over the last few weeks. Introducing 5T Leadership. In my previous post , I shared that we were in another life transition. Here’s part of what’s next. 5TLeadership. Ron (and his strategic partners) coach and consult churches, organizations and leaders in 5 critical areas of leadership.

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Leadership Restructuring Team Building Edmondson 76

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 30, 2021

I started in ministry much later in life. I was 38 when I began vocational ministry. The experience I gained in the business world has helped me greatly in ministry. It’s given me advice I like to share with young pastors. I love investing in young pastors; especially those who may not have previous leadership experience- and are teachable. I’m encouraged by what I see in this generation of pastors entering church work.

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Advice Mentor Edmondson Learning-by-Doing 67

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 12, 2021

There is one hard truth about leadership every leader must understand, but is difficult to receive by some leaders. The probability is good you won’t like this truth either. The one hard truth of leadership: Not everyone will agree with you – or even like you – if you are a leader. That’s hard, isn’t it? All of us – at a certain level – like to be liked.

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Leadership Edmondson Energy Organization 78

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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Edmondson Follow-up Course Leadership 79

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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Edmondson Committee Budgeting Finance 77

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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Management Resistance System Learning-by-Doing 78

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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Edmondson Morale Delegation Organization 70

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 8, 2021

Here’s a simple, free, and exceptionally great leadership tip. . And it’s one you likely already know, but sometimes forget. Or just don’t do it enough. This leadership tip was shared with me years ago by one of my leaders who mentored me. I have practiced it in every leadership environment since then. It’s one of the smartest things I do.

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Tips Leadership Edmondson Video 47

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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Leadership Edmondson Advice Examples 67

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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Mentor Follow-up Delegation Edmondson 73

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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Maturity Learning-by-Doing Metrics Edmondson 66

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 27, 2021

A healthy team gives the potential for life to every idea. Every idea has a chance to live. Initially, there are no bad ideas. . Healthy teams don’t contain a built in idea killer. And if there is one they aren’t allowed to remain so for long. Ideas need a chance to breathe. They need to be stretched and prodded and examined. The best ideas sometimes come from what started as a seemingly really bad idea.

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Team Edmondson Brainstorming Process 66

Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 17, 2020

I have been part of several organizations experiencing either exponential growth or tremendous change. In business and with a few churches, we had times of explosive growth, but 2020 taught us there are times where the speed of change is overwhelming. It was hard to keep up. I have learned there are common tensions during overwhelming change. . 7 common tensions during overwhelming change: Miscommunication.

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Learning Curve Edmondson Learning-by-Doing System 83

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

I try to always be strategic in leadership. All leadership involves change. You can’t avoid it and lead. Sometimes you can change simply because you have a new idea. I have learned, however, there are some times when leaders must strategically introduce change. There are times the “gut call” comes in handy for a leader. Leaders often must make quick and decisive decisions. 2020 taught us that if nothing else.

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Resistance Strategic Planning Energy Edmondson 54

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 21, 2020

My story is simple. While enjoying starting a church , my established home church was struggling. It caused me to question what would become of all the established churches. That burning question in my heart lined with a church in need of revitalization. I agreed to be their pastor. The rest is my history. We have help start two churches and helped revitalize three others.

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Long-term Edmondson Energy Review 83

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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Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Audience Review 75

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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Objective Edmondson Resistance Power 48

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast , Ron and Nate discuss the things that a leader should try to control. Ron is blessed to have successfully led in the planting of two churches and leading in three revitalization efforts in established churches. Because of this experience, Ron is frequently asked what things he tries to control and which he releases to others.

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Edmondson Review Resources Leadership 68

Ron Edmondson

MAY 26, 2020

I have learned I don’t agree with everyone. And everyone doesn’t agree with me. I could say shame on them, and while that might be funny, it isn’t fair. I’ve been wrong many times before. Many times. Over the years, as I’ve taken time to listen and get to know people different from me, I’ve realized I often have as much in common with them as I have differences.

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Edmondson Politics Education Media 85

Ron Edmondson

MAY 6, 2020

I have been writing about the times of crisis, especially from the viewpoint of leadership. I’ve written these posts previously, but like most crises, none of us saw this current one coming. I pray God brings each of us through this time quickly. You’ll want to read the first two posts HERE and HERE. They deal with things to do and things not to do when leading in a crisis.

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Crisis Leadership Edmondson Skills 53

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 4, 2020

Capacity: the ability or power to do, experience, or understand something. . Most leaders realize the capacity of the organization impacts the potential to accomplish its mission. When the organization begins to exceed its capacity for too long things eventually stall. If you want to spur growth you have to increase capacity. Therefore, one of the best ways a leader can impact an organization is to create capacity so the organization and its people can grow.

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