Every person you know has a story occurring at the center of their identity and their progress that is too often expressed as an unanswered question: How do I connect my driving purpose to what I am doing every day? We ask it in different ways, but at the core of who we are as human beings is the question that connects the invisible pieces of our hearts with the visible pieces of our actions.
True leadership requires the courage to let go of what’s good in order to receive what’s better. Whether it’s possessions, positions, or plans, holding loosely allows us to lead with open hands, ready for transformation, collaboration, and God’s greater purpose.
You did it! You started a business with nothing more than a dream and a willingness to roll up your sleeves. You worked hard, really hard, and the business grew. You didn’t know what you were doing half the time, but you figured it out. You made it up as you went, and now you’re leading your very own multi-million dollar business.
The fastest way to lose sight of your business is to stop listening to your customers. What you think is happening inside your company and what your customers are actually experiencing might be two completely different stories. Too often, leaders rely on assumptions instead of real feedback—and that gap can cost you growth, loyalty, and trust.
In this post, Convene Chair Mike Edwards shares how to check in with your customers in meaningful, non-intrusive ways—and how to turn their insights into quick, high-impact improvements.
Are business growth and your faith opposed? Christian leaders often find themselves at a crossroads, seeking to balance ambition with their faith-based values. The desire to scale operations and achieve greater impact can sometimes feel at odds with the principles of service, integrity, and stewardship that underpin their beliefs.
Yet, scaling a business and adhering to Christian values are not mutually exclusive. In fact, by integrating biblical wisdom with sound business practices, Christian leaders can unlock a path to sustainable growth that aligns with their faith and honors God's purpose for their endeavors.
Culture is what you communicate, celebrate, and compensate. Culture is not your cleverly word-smithed statement or aspirational values or wall art or a well paying corporate job for your local screen printer. It is not some credo crafted at an offsite convention. Culture is much less glamorous and much more relevant than that.
Return on investment is perhaps the most foundational key performance indicator (KPI) in use today. The deceptively simple formula, (Earnings - Cost) ÷ Cost, defines a flexible indicator that leaders regularly use to assess multiple aspects of their business such as overall profitability, marketing effectiveness, pricing suitability, and profit on inventory. It is also frequently used with scenario analysis to choose between multiple options and understand whether it makes financial sense to make investments in new properties, plants, or equipment.
Hiring great leaders is so important in today’s competitive business landscape. Senior leaders can have an immediate and lasting impact on your organization, employees, stakeholders, community, and the Kingdom for generations. The wrong leader can hamper growth, damage your organization’s reputation, and set you back for years.
How is the “vertical tug” on your life? Are you doing everything in your company and leadership under your own wisdom, wit and power? Can everything on your “to do” list be done without inquiring of God? If so, you could be in danger of experiencing the “Gibeonite ruse”. Convene Board of Directors member Os Hillman reminds us that we must inquire of God before we act in our own strength.
Congratulations! You’ve arrived in the C-suite by building your business or being promoted to the most senior leadership ranks of your firm. Your excitement and eagerness are palpable as you settle in to the work of leading your team to make your corner of the world, and the marketplace, better. But you may also have more than a few butterflies in your stomach, doubts in the back of your mind, or questions about what it will take to succeed in your new role. As leaders evolve and grow, transitions bring some of the most exciting, yet challenging circumstances that they are likely to face throughout their career. Aspiring leaders typically have vision for their organization, career, and impact that they want to have and draw on it as a source of motivation. It is the challenges, blind spots, and frustrations that tend to catch them by surprise. So today, we’re going to explore the question, what happens when the initial excitement of a new or evolving role or professional challenge moves from initial elation to “what have I gotten into?”
