Ron Edmondson

JUNE 21, 2023

I speak with churches often who want to grow and they contact me wanting for suggestions. In my experience, there are often paradigms needed for church growth. I’ve learned it’s seldom a vision problem. The church actually has the clearest and best defined vision of anyone. We are to “Go and make disciples” Sometimes we fail to do those things which accomplish the vision.

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Leadership Learning-by-Doing Edmondson Energy 60

Ron Edmondson

MAY 31, 2023

God builds the church, but He uses people to build it. So, a good question might be, what kind of church member does God use to build a great church? As a pastor, I have noticed some trends among church people who help move the church forward. The following is a list of characteristics of those type of people. Not everyone will have every one of them, yet, from my perspective, it’s the combination of each of these in people that builds a great church.

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Ron Edmondson

APRIL 19, 2023

I am frequently asked how I am able to get so much done and still take care of myself and my family. By some standards I would be consider a “high-achiever”. I pastor a large church, maintain a separate non-profit ministry, speak at various conferences and events. Plus, I have an active online presence, mentor about a dozen pastors at any given time – some in groups and some as individuals, plus I mentor 9 young leaders in our church.

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Tips Learning-by-Doing Edmondson Mentor 59

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 30, 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. But I’ve learned there are some necessary paradigms I’ve had to form to be an 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 Leadership Edmondson Micromanagement 67

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 14, 2023

There is one incredibly important characteristic of successful teams or organizations. It is inherent and cannot be trained or programmed. With this a team can weather the storms of life together. When this is an attribute of an organization, regardless of the struggles it encounters, the vision can be accomplished. Leaders need to understand the importance of this.

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Organization Succession Edmondson Leadership 53

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Every healthy organization has certain characteristics in common with one another. I have worked (and led) in just about every professional context. I don’t have many specialties, but I would contend one of them is organizational leadership. That’s mostly built through experience – good and bad. 7 healthy organization characteristics: Review process is empowering.

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Organization Edmondson Leadership Learning-by-Doing 64

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy discuss how to manage the highs and lows of ministry. Every profession has highs and lows. When I (Ron) was employed in the marketplace we had seasons – some better than others. But ministry has been different for me. And I work with lots of other pastors also. Ministry comes with unique seasons.

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Edmondson Management Leadership Consultative 56

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

I can offer one simple tweak to enjoy leadership – and life – more. Are you stressing so much about things that are happening — or not happening — that you can’t enjoy the good things already in your life? Do you continually compare yourself to others? Are you continually overwhelmed with the changes coming your way? Does every new day seem to bring a new “surprise”?

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Leadership Edmondson Stress Learning-by-Doing 74

Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Want a guaranteed better Thanksgiving? Perhaps even the best Thanksgiving ever? I actually believe Thanksgiving may be one of the most “Christian” holidays we can celebrate. As followers of Christ, we are to give thanks always – and in every situation. We have reason to be thankful continually. This world, as it is today, is not our permanent home.

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How To Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Follow-up 87

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 6, 2022

I came into ministry later in life after over 25 years in the business world. I’ve now almost been in ministry as long as I was in business. (not quite, but close) Maybe this explains some of why I was surprised when I entered the ministry at how hard churches can be on a pastor. So, I have a word of encouragement to pastors. Frankly, I never knew.

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Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 31, 2022

A healthy organization has good systems and structures. . That statement will surprise some of the people who have worked with me in the past. I can be known as someone who runs from rules at times. I always say a stop sign in a parking lot is a suggestion. “Wet paint” signs to me actually read “Test me” . But an organization is only as healthy as the systems and structures put into place.

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Goal System Edmondson Bureaucracy 56

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 8, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy discuss why an introvert on your team may not be participating in team meetings. Some of the most creative minds are often hidden among the introverts on your team. But why don’t they speak up? Why isn’t the introvert on your team participating in the discussions like everyone else?

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Participative Edmondson Team Leadership 59

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 28, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talking about how to influence the people supposed to be leading you – often called ”leading up”. Most of us will find ourselves, especially earlier in our careers, needing to know how to best influence someone supposed to be leading us. The term is ”leading up” and we talk about it in this episode.

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Influence Edmondson Leadership Consultative 63

Ron Edmondson

JUNE 23, 2022

A leader plays the key role in setting the culture of the organization. If as a leader you want your team to flourish, there are certain things you must “gift” to them. People on any team will often wait until they feel they have permission from leadership before they move forward. Here are 10 things every leader should gift their team: The right to dream – Leaders give the team permission to dream the seemingly impossible.

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Team Edmondson Leadership Organization 71

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 1, 2022

When we owned a small manufacturing company I had to learn the language of the field. I obviously had heard the term bottleneck, but I never really understood how damaging it can be. That is until a bottleneck began to destroy our profit as a company. A bottleneck can put you out of business. I have also learned that the term bottleneck matters in the field of leadership.

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Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Leader, you need a consistent rhythm of breaks – whatever that looks like for you. Certainly the weekend can help. It will be an even better weekend if you properly take time to prepare for it. In my experience, however, if we are not careful the weekend passes so quickly we begin another work week feeling we wasted the weekend we had. Or we are so stressed by the week behind or the week ahead that all we do is catch our breath and we can’t fully enjoy the weekend.

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Edmondson Learning-by-Doing Quality Planning 62

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talk about ways to identify toxic leadership. Have you ever been in a leadership environment that was so damaging to your personal health you simply had to quit – with no future job lined up? You might have been living under what we call “toxic leadership” Join us as we unpack this subject more.

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Leadership Edmondson Environment Review 61

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 18, 2022

Do you know the number one change needed for an effective church revitalization? It’s not programs, systems or structure. Everyone always things about those first. Those are easy to change. Okay, well, maybe not easy. Try changing the library into a welcome area or removing the choir robes. But there is one change even bigger than those if you want effective church revitalization.

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Ron Edmondson

NOVEMBER 11, 2021

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talk about how to stop being a people-pleasing leader. Every hard decision a leader makes excites some and upsets others. At the same time, most of us who have positions of leadership want people to like us personally and in our role as a leader. We all like to be liked.

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Edmondson How To Leadership Motivation 59

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 19, 2021

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy offer some encouragement for worried pastors and leaders. I have been a leader for close to 35 years. In all of those years, I don’t know a more difficult time to be a leader. Certainly the past couple of years leading through a pandemic have been difficult, but it is more than that.

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Edmondson Leadership Loyalty Stress 60

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 13, 2021

In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast Ron and Chandler Vannoy talk about how to be a community-minded pastor. I’m convinced that in order to follow Jesus’ command to build His church that pastors today have to be community-minded. I think one reason we have found success in church planting and church revitalization is that we have taken this seriously and invested in our community.

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Edmondson How To Leadership Review 64

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

The best leaders I know are always learning. Part of my growth as a leader has been developing of a leadership vocabulary. It’s something I try to monitor and continually be aware of as I attempt to lead others. I once sat in on a leadership meeting for another organization. I didn’t feel I had the relationship to do so, but I left sincerely hoping someone would speak into this leader’s life and that he would be willing to learn.

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Leadership Edmondson Development Maturity 59

Ron Edmondson

AUGUST 19, 2021

What’s the greatest enemy of momentum? We often think it is a lack of vision. But you can have the greatest vision ever and still see motivation dwindle and momentum die. The fact is we have an amazing ability to get bored with good things over time. Some say it’s a lack of appreciation. And that’s true, but it’s not the greatest.

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Edmondson Motivation Leadership Resources 86

Ron Edmondson

JULY 29, 2021

Do you want to harness the greatest power in your organization? Are you benefiting from your organization’s best asset? The organization’s best assets – whether a church, business or non-profit – never appear on your balance sheet. The truth is any organization is only as good as the people within it. Take the greatest idea and put the wrong people behind it and little progress will be realized.

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Edmondson Human Capital Learning-by-Doing Brainstorming 57

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 5, 2021

Evaluation may be equally important to the planning, which goes into any event. For churches, just as we ask God to direct our thoughts and energies in creating an event, we should ask Him to direct us in evaluating. What worked and what didn’t work is important to know. The way you evaluate any event helps determine how well you do with similar events in the future.

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Edmondson Energy Leadership Wilde 59

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 17, 2021

One of the responsibilities of a leader is consistently look forward for the organization. A leader has to be asking the question: What’s next? It is a critical key to continued growth of the organization. Some of this comes naturally for me. In some ways, however, I have to discipline myself to be forward-thinking. The problem for me comes with the immediate demands on my time.

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Edmondson Leadership Learning-by-Doing Creativity 67

Ron Edmondson

MARCH 2, 2021

The unwritten organizational rules are just as, if not more, important than the written rules. I wrote about this idea HERE. If you are considering making changes, implementing something new, adding staff, for example, you need to also consider these unwritten organizational rules. 7 examples of unwritten rules: The culture. How does it responds to change?

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Edmondson Leadership Consensus Influence 55

Ron Edmondson

DECEMBER 10, 2020

Leader, do you want to encourage cooperation on the team you lead? Do you want people to get along, support one another, and join forces to achieve the vision? Of course. All leaders want their teams to cooperate. It builds stronger teams when people aren’t on islands to themselves. How do great leaders encourage cooperation? I can help you encourage cooperation on your team with one quick tip.

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Cooper Team Edmondson How To 73

Ron Edmondson

OCTOBER 27, 2020

There is a huge difference the way you lead someone who wants to be led and how you lead someone who wants to be a leader. I have studied some psychological theory on personality differences and types. I’m certified to administer Myers-Briggs , but have worked with most of the more popular assessments. I generally agree with the theory behind these type tools.

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Edmondson Leadership Uncertainty Stress 66

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 Leadership 49

Ron Edmondson

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

I’ve sent a few teasers out via social media, but I can officially say I’m launching a podcast. I couldn’t come up with a creative name, so it’s officially The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast. Catchy, huh? I’ll be posting new episodes on this blog and I am also excited to be a part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network. So, you’ll see some publicity about it there also.

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Leadership Edmondson Blog Follow-up 48

Ron Edmondson

MAY 10, 2020

This is a tribute to the moms who have no children – of their own. I’ve posted this thought a number of times, because I’m always sensitive to the “mothers” without children. You know the ones. For whatever reason, they never had children. Some never tried. Others never could. Some lost their child and maybe some gave them up for adoption.

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Edmondson Examples 73

Ron Edmondson

APRIL 6, 2020

I have used Zoom for meetings for a number of years. During my tenure at Leadership Network, there was never a week and seldom a day that didn’t include a Zoom meeting. So, when so much of the world shifted to Zoom over the past few weeks it was completely comfortable for me. I’ve learned that is not the case for many. We had staff members that had never heard of it.

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Tips Bottom-up Edmondson eBook 85

Ron Edmondson

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

What is an intentional interim pastor? That’s a question I’ve been asked so many times in the last month. Even Siri doesn’t know that term. Test her. I didn’t see this one coming, but intentional interim pastor is another addition to where God has led Cheryl and me in this new season of ministry. . If you’re still catching up, I recently resigned as CEO of Leadership Network.

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Edmondson Long-term Short-term Consultative 73

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 14, 2020

As a leader for over 30 years, I’ve received my share of criticism. It comes with leadership. If you aren’t receiving criticism — you probably aren’t leading. I’ve also received my share of anonymous criticism. I’ve been a small business owner, elected official, church planter and church revitalizer. So perhaps I’ve received more than my share.

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Edmondson Leadership Motivation Organization 42

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 13, 2020

I’m curious what you do with anonymous criticism. . I never really had an official policy of how I handle anonymous criticism, but I often felt I should establish one. I realize that growth in any organization and just being in a position of leadership welcomes critics. The larger the organizations I led grew, the more criticism I received. That’s natural. .

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Policies Edmondson Leadership Letter 36

Ron Edmondson

JANUARY 1, 2020

I’ve always been considered a fairly disciplined person. There are certain disciplines that have made me who I am today. In especially busy or stressful times of life, however, I do not always feel as disciplined in each area of my life. I may excel in one area, but not in another. The only solution I know to remedy a lack of discipline is to add discipline.

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