Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

In my last post, “ Do You Want to Grow Leaders ?”, I said that experience…good and bad shapes us as a leader. The bigger the experience…the more we grow. Continuing that thought process, how do we create the environment where leaders can grow? What are some common elements that are necessary in every organization? What tools do we need to help leaders grow?

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

I spent a couple hours in IKEA recently. If you’re not familiar, it’s a massive size store of home furnishings that has become extremely popular in the larger cities where they have one. It’s very European and draws you in quickly with well-displayed, reasonably priced merchandise. Not everyone loves the place, but it’s obvious many do.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Recently I was talking with a staff member of a larger church. She consistently fears the stability of her job. She never knows what her pastor is thinking. She’s considering looking for a new position, not because she doesn’t like her work, but because she isn’t sure about the future of her work. She claims that living with uncertainty is the standard when working on this church staff.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

I’ve often heard it said some people “never grow up” It is said in a humorous way. My wife may say that about me at times. But, many times it is said in a not so funny way, usually speaking of a person’s continued immaturity. I have another thought. Maybe for some people it is that they have never had an experience that instills maturity in them.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

I’ll never forget being thrown into the fire as a young leader. When I had to end the employment of the first person…then the second, as a 20 year old, I was overwhelmed with the weight of those decisions, even though I knew they were the right ones to make. Telling someone they no longer have a job is excruciatingly painful. I’m thankful for the people who walked through them with me, but I’m also glad they allowed me to experience that weight of leadership for myself.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Process the information. One struggle I’ve witnessed consistently with leaders is that they drown in information overload. They have more good ideas than they can implement. They are constantly fed details they can’t handle adequately. They just don’t know what to do with all the stuff in their heads. In fact, they fail to accomplish as much as they could simply because they have more information than they can effectively process.

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Information Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Stress 58

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

In one of my first professional leadership roles, I managed a large retail division of a major department store. The division had several departments within it and each department had a separate department manager. Most of the departments were efficient, profitable, and easy to manage. One department, however, continued to fall behind the others. It was frustrating, because I couldn’t seem to get them to improve.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise- dwell on these things.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Almost on a weekly basis, I receive an email from a staff member of a church with the same question. They are in an awkward position where they don’t respect the pastor, but love the church, feel loyal to it, and don’t want to hurt the church. Their question is: How do they respond to a leader they can’t support, but who is their boss and the church’s called leader?

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

“ …what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” He (God) said, “I will not destroy it. ” Genesis 18:28 NIV. God can do math! That’s good news. Forgive me if I seem to be trivializing God. That is certainly not the intent.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

When I’m pushed for a quick answer…without time to get all the information…. I often empower people on my team to make the decision. This doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I simply don’t have any input, even though by position the decision would normally be mine to make. It happens frequently enough that I need to have a plan for those occasions.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

Leader, if it is “driving you crazy…” (Which is a phrase I often hear leaders say…). You have two options: Do something about it. Live with it and quit complaining. You don’t want to be crazy, do you? Which are you going to do? The post Leader, if it’s driving you crazy… appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: 10 Things in Leadership that Drive Me Crazy.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Okay, maybe not everything, but certainly many things. The rules of the game are changing… Thanks to social media. As you may know, I recently transitioned from one church to another. The new church is more established. They have had 104 years to establish their systems and procedures. When it came to hiring a pastor…they had a predetermined system of how that was to be done.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

I was coaching a young pastor recently on building a healthy team. One question I asked was about his involvement with other staff members. Specifically, I asked if they felt encouraged in their roles on his staff. His response was revealing. He said, “ I think most of them feel encouraged, but honestly, I can’t think of anything for which to encourage some of them.” Really?

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

They don’t stand the test of time. It takes months or years to build a strong, steady, daily audience. The worst thing for your blogging may be the numbers you are monitoring. Stop it. Quit watching them. Pick a subject you know and about which you are passionate. Write good posts. Engage with other blogs. Look for opportunities to promote your work.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

9.9.12 : Families from ron edmondson on Vimeo. The post The Marriage Sermon appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: Forgiveness: A Sermon By Nate Edmondson. Jonah Chapter 3: A Sermon. Jonah Chapter 4: A Sermon. Jonah Chapters 1-2, A Sermon.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

One of my dear friends died last week. He was 54 years old. Too young. Although, it’s always too young when you love someone. I loved Steve. Steve came into my life and almost instantly became a good friend. We met together every week, at the same time, on the same day, for several years. It was one appointment I looked forward to every time I saw it on my calendar.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

9.16.12 video from ron edmondson on Vimeo. The post Marriage Sermon Part 2 appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: The Marriage Sermon. Faith and Trust: A Sermon Message. Let’s Talk About Love: A Sermon Message. Jonah Chapter 4: A Sermon.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

I appreciate all my readers. I seriously am blown away that anyone would want to read what I have to say. But I’m thankful for the honor. I was thinking though. Readers really only know what I write. And, yet even though I’m not a complex person, there’s more to me than just this blog. I write a lot about leadership, family and church, but there’s so much more.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

9.2.12 Jonah from ron edmondson on Vimeo. The post Jonah Chapter 4: A Sermon appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: Jonah Chapter 3: A Sermon. Jonah Chapters 1-2, A Sermon. Let’s Talk About Love: A Sermon Message. Forgiveness: A Sermon By Nate Edmondson.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Join us as we study the book oh Jonah together. 8.19.12 Jonah from ron edmondson on Vimeo. The post Jonah Chapters 1-2, A Sermon appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: Let’s Talk About Love: A Sermon Message. Hope: A Sermon Message. Faith and Trust: A Sermon Message. Forgiveness: A Sermon By Nate Edmondson.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

8.26.12 Jonah from ron edmondson on Vimeo. The post Jonah Chapter 3: A Sermon appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: Jonah Chapters 1-2, A Sermon. Let’s Talk About Love: A Sermon Message. Hope: A Sermon Message. Faith and Trust: A Sermon Message.

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Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Having recently gone through the search team process of a church, I found this post by my friend William Vanderbloemen especially funny. And, true. William didn’t write this, it has been around a while, but I’m glad he shared it again. (By the way, if you are looking for staff for your church, William can help.). Pastors, just so you are reminded, most (actually all…but for my self-righteous friends I’ll say most) of us wouldn’t qualify for any position in the churc

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