Mark Williamson's Blog, page 6

What is the Good News?

What is the Good News? What makes the Christian gospel such good news? It’s obviously a play on words, since gospel and good news mean the same thing, so one is actually the same as the other. But having stated the obvious, what does that actually mean? What is the good news for us today, that is embodied in the message of Jesus?

I asked this question last week to a small group at my church. Together we are planting a new congregation aimed at sharing the message of Jesus with young professio...

Top Three Books on Vision

Vision is a subject endlessly talked about now within leadership circles, but I find there are relatively few good books written about the subject. And especially when we think in terms of vision as being given by God, there can be even less literature on it.

So here are my top three books on vision, that discuss both what vision is, and how to discern God’s vision for your life:

Holy Discontent, Bill Hybels: Hybels has written many books on ministry, but I have a feeling this will come to b...

Discipline the Body

There are numerous passages in the bible that encourage us to discipline the body, and be wary about serving our own appetites rather than serving God.

“I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” (Romans 16:18)

“live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

“The spirit is...

Three Simple Ways to Build Trust

I wrote recently about how trust is the foundation for everything in leadership. So what as a leader can you do to build trust?

It’s critical that your team members trust you, that you trust them, and that they trust each other. So here’s some simple things you can do, and that when consistently done over time, will build trust.

Be reliable: Consistently do what you say you will do. Over time, this is the biggest way you will build trust. And conversely, not delivering on what you promise is...

Trust is the Foundation of Leadership

Trust is the foundation of leadership. Without trust, everything either slows down or stops altogether.

Effective leadership is a combination of several key skills or attributes; Vision, Integrity, Planning, Communication, Building Teams and Coaching. Consider how many of these are dependent on trust:

Vision: No matter how clear and compelling your vision, if people do not trust you they will not follow you in pursuing the vision. They will probably find someone else with the same vision, who...

The Importance of Employee Volunteer Programs

Each workplace is a part of a greater community. By implementing employee volunteer programs, not only will the community benefit, but so will the staff and the workplace as a whole.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give,” said Winston Churchill. What makes a community is the people who work and live within its borders. If we move in and out of the community without acknowledging its existence, it will suffer, which in turn, makes us suffer. Volunteering is a great...

Three Areas Where Leaders Focus

Where should leaders focus? It can be easy to get involved with a bit of everything that’s happening within your organisation. There’s a temptation to slice your time up and divide it evenly between every department or priority you have, but that’s rarely a good idea.

You should obviously focus on the areas that match your skill set, and where you can add the greatest value. For some that might be in marketing, for others new product development, for some developing new partnerships, for othe...

Don’t Abdicate Responsibility

Here’s some leadership advice I’ve learned the hard way; don’t abdicate responsibility.

As a leader, the biggest burden you carry is responsibility. One of my personal definitions of leadership is actually taking responsibility for the outcome of a situation. When things get difficult, who is the person who picks themselves up, resolves to get a grip on the situation, and says ‘we’re going to sort this out’? That’s a mark of a true leader.

But because leadership can be such a huge burden, I’v...

Abundant Life v. Exaggerated Life

Who does not want an abundant life, a fulfilled life, a life that matters?

Lack of a sense of meaning and significance in life scales down from disappointment through discouragement to depression. We fall into these dark states because we buy into a lie – a lie of an exaggerated life.

We are surrounded by embellished images of life that alter our perception of reality. This exaggerated life is sold mainly through the media. And because exaggerated life is so unreal, longing for it and not bei...

Five Rules for Recruiting Team Members

Here are five rules to consider when recruiting team members. And they’re handily packaged together as the five Cs, to help you remember them.

Character: This is where you should always start. Do you trust the person’s character? Are they trustworthy, moral and reliable? Are they someone you will have confidence in to always do the right thing? Or is their character questionable? Are they dogged by rumours of loose morals, inappropriate words and behaviour, or financial misdeeds? If their cha...