Faithful Leaders Podcast: Recent Episodes
Thomas Dodds
Faithful leader training to help you get greater satisfaction and joy in your work, and plan for how you will live as a Christian at work.
In Exodus 18:21, God tells Moses to "Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people."
How do we pick and grow leaders to take lower-level work from us and lead "as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens."
Check out the podcast today for three questions to ask.
It's far too easy to get distracted in measuring the wrong things.
We can have all the analytics in the world, but if we don't keep an eye on the measures that move results, our momentum stalls.
In today's video, we talk about how client requests and good intentions can push you into doing things that are BAD for the client!
Listen to the podcast to learn steps to check your focus on fruitful service to the customer.
As Faithful Leaders, there are times to press in and meet the needs of those around us, particularly when there is a catastrophe or crisis.
Hurricane Ian is on the hearts and minds of many of us this week. It's an opportunity for us as leaders to help people make sense of the reality of the world.
Namely, that God is the one who brings these events about. A hurricane is a chance to turn to the Lord, acknowledge him, and repent of sins, receiving grace and forgiveness.
Listen to the podcast to learn three ways to cultivate a culture of generosity.
The hard work of being a leader is often misunderstood. The things that got us where we are will no longer help us move forward.
We should focus on the growth of others, and the organization’s capabilities rather than doing the work ourselves.
How, you ask? One key is to flip how you view your calendar. Find out more in today's episode
Putting out a strong vision that your organization is focused on glorifying the Lord will bring you the right people.
That means when it comes time to align your leadership on important decisions you already have a lot of buy-in.
Learn more about why that's important in today's episode with Thomas.
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?" -Matthew 24:45
Do you find yourself being pulled into meetings and getting behind on your own work? Does that create stress that makes it tough to get everything else done that's already on your plate?
Many leaders are struggling with keeping focus without feeling like they letting the team down.
How do we protect ourselves from being pulled in many ways?
Watch this week's episode for 3 simple things to try.
"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed." -Proverbs 15:22 We all rely on experts in business. They highlight areas of opportunity and growth. But what happens when experts are no longer available to help? Do we go on without them? The Bible says we should seek wise counsel if we want our plans to succeed. In this video, I talk about how to get the right team experts involved at the right time to keep momentum going, especially for the sales team. How can we use advisers to keep our team on the path to success? Find out!
"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy." -1 Timothy 6:17 Even when we have many resources, we can be anxious about what’s happening in the world outside our businesses. As leaders, we are not immune to anxiety. In fact, leadership can put even more pressure on us. So how do we do lead with steady confidence that lasts?
It can be easy to grow weary when we don't see fruit from our work.
The small actions we take don't always show up as big wins. Even though we know this is true, it still can be disappointing, especially when the culture and the media tell us to focus on achieving our goals as our sole motivation.
But Paul tells us in Galatians that we must be persistent in doing good for a different reason. Instead of only looking to tangible results, what do we gain if we change our perspective? It is not the so-called big win of accomplishing our goals in the world, but an eternal weight of glory in life everlasting.
Easy to understand but hard to do sometimes! Check out how Jessica deals with weariness in work.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, it is important that we spend time in His word. Each morning when I wake up, it helps me to be refreshed and ready to be the leader God wants me to be.
So I am inviting you to join me each morning in reading the Bible this summer. Don't worry, you don't have to brush your hair. Just accept the invite to join the Bible reading plan, and read it whenever you get up each morning :)
Don't worry if you have missed a few days, just pick up today and move forward.
Here is where you can get the plan: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/31489/together/51613715/invitation
See the first episode Finding Leaders of Character and Competence: https://www.thomasdodds.com/podcasts/faithful-leaders-podcast/episodes/2147734049
It's not enough to find people of character to work with you. They must be evaluated for the level of leadership they are gifted for.
This is what Moses did in Exodus. He let them govern and rule in the capacity they were fit for.
How do you know which leader fits your current need?
Thomas shares more in today's episode about how Moses selected leaders and how a present day leader, Mary, asked specific questions to find the right level of leader for the work.
The biggest leverage in business does not always come from the biggest levers.
Take for example your sales. There are certain services that make you more money than others. You don't have to add to them or create something new. They just make you more money than others.
Those are the types of things that make sense to take a second look at during inflation.
Do you struggle to find good leaders? You aren't the only one. In Exodus, Moses was overwhelmed with leading the nation of Israel.
He needed men of character and competence to lead others in his place. How did he handle this?
The Lord told him how, through Jethro. He said to look for able men who feared God and were trustworthy.
Check out today's episode where Thomas talks through the verse and shares a couple of questions that he uses to learn about a potential leader.
We are involved in a war. It's not a choice. As Christian leaders, we engage in small skirmishes every day. What is our war? How do we fight? Elon Musk just bought Twitter for 44 Billion dollars. He bought it to battle for free speech, calling Twitter the "town square" for many of the most important subjects of our future. So how do WE engage as Christian leaders? We must choose the right battles to fight and do it in the correct spirit.
It can be tempting to cut direct costs first during times of stress. But our goal is to serve with excellence and keep meaningful momentum going. In today’s podcast, Thomas talks about the role of cost-cutting as one part of your inflation strategy.
On April 12th, 2022, we heard inflation is up 8.5%. Bad news can be a big challenge for leaders.
But the way that we lead in challenging times is an investment that pays great dividends! If we are direct and compassionate with customers, employees, and stakeholders, we honor God and build trust with those we lead.
Find out how to have those tough conversations in today's episode.
What happens when your business is hit by inflation?
Profit decreases
Margins shrink
People panic
But we don't need to stress. God supplies opportunity even in tough times. Learn how raising prices might be a great solution to help you stay strong during financial stress and build meaningful momentum for the future. Listen today as Thomas gives a real example of how this could work.
Did you know that God has principles that can help you fight the anxiety that comes with things like inflation? Check out this verse in Proverbs 22 "Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." If we focus on solving king-size problems we will always be of value.
It's easy to fall into the trap of measuring things that don't correlate to results. What your systems and sub-systems measure has a HUGE influence on gaining real momentum for your business. Listen today as Thomas talks about how to take an approach of focus to create real fruitfulness that ends in faithfulness to your calling.
Many leaders are stressed out and depleted these days. They want to be faithful and create great environments, but they need to help themselves first! Learn how Thomas helps people create meaningful moments from the ground up each day.
When you push the pedal down in a car, will it go faster? When you press the brake will the car stop? If you have a machine that is built correctly then you can build momentum with it.
Watch today as Thomas talks about having the right tools in place so you can move your business with predictability.
If we are uneasy as a leader then it is difficult to love well. An anxious leader reacts to circumstances instead of responding well. Today we discuss how to be at peace when you could easily be peeved.
The problem with running on purpose is that it becomes unpredictable. You've got to have a machine that makes sure the successful things get done again and again. Watch today's episode as Thomas talks about generating great outcomes over and over when purpose works WITH the machine.
Avoiding distraction isn't always about stopping the things that are fun to do. Sometimes your remote tools and resources can take you away from what is most important. Find out how Mark took on a couple of new routines to improve his own momentum.
Thomas talks about how one leader was being overrun by his work schedule. It was flowing into his weekends and taking up time. One commitment turned it all around for him.
Thomas talks about how one leader was being overrun by his work schedule. It was flowing into his weekends and taking up time. One commitment turned it all around for him.