Leading and Learning with David Spell

Most of us have worked for both good and bad bosses during our professional career. I've learned so many great things from the good leaders I have been privileged to serve under. I've also learned some great lessons working for the not so great bosses. In this episode, I detail seven lessons I learned from the bad leaders.

Have you ever considered writing a book about your business, your hobby, or your passion? People are willing to pay to learn what you know. Creating a non-fiction book to pass your expertise along is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and to build your business.

The most successful businesses and non-profits invest in their people through on-going training and development. Does your organization provide opportunities for in-service training, off-site seminars, or even tuition reimbursement? David outlines several reasons why companies need to constantly be focusing on developing their people.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead has long been attacked as a myth, lie, hoax, etc. David discusses the four most popular arguments against the resurrection and provides excellent counter-arguments. Christianity is not based primarily on Jesus' teaching but on the fact that he rose from the dead. The episode gives the believer some excellent tools to use in dialoguing with a skeptic.

Most Christians have no trouble relating to the concept of God. We can see Jesus in the pages of the Gospels. When we talk about the person and work of Holy Spirit, however, things tend to become much more vague. In this episode, David discusses what Jesus taught his followers about the Holy Spirit just before he was arrested.

Whether your church calls them small groups, life groups, dinner parties, Sunday School classes, or connect group, the most successful churches understand the importance of these groups. We build community and relationships in the context of a connect group that we can't do on a Sunday morning. Dr. Dave gives several important tips for becoming an effective small group leader and for leading...

What does it mean to be an effective father? Our kids don't come with an instruction manual. Dr. Dave shares several important thoughts to help you become the father that God intended you to be!

David discusses the importance of strategic thinking. How much time do you set aside in your day or week for intentional, focused thinking? David will give you four important reasons why you need to be focus on this important mental exercise.

Bible Scholar David Spell gives some excellent advice on getting the most out of our Bible study time. For too many people, the Bible is still a mysterious book. These three simple tips will help bring the Scriptures to life for you. Make sure you visit DavidSpell.com for the show notes for this episode.

David shares a powerful excerpt from his book, Reflections on the Resurrection. This chapter of the book examines the important role that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus played in the Jesus' resurrection. Their contribution is often overlooked but vital to the Easter Story.

David discusses the differences between using a traditional publisher to publish your book or doing it yourself through self-publishing. As an added bonus he even discusses his experience using a hybrid publisher. Which method of publishing is right for you?

There is a natural tension between management and leadership. They are both very important to any organization. In this episode, David discusses how managers can be more effective leaders while still functioning in their managerial role.

David reviews John Maxwell's book, Intentional Living. As Maxwell says, "Every person wants his or her life to matter." What does it take to move from sailing aimlessly through life to living a life of intentionality? How can we live a life of significance? David shares his thoughts on this excellent book in this weeks show.

The most effective leaders know what they should be doing and what they should not be doing. There are some key areas that can only be accomplished by the senior leaders. They cannot be delegated. David takes us through several of the these important issues.

David answers listener questions about his writing process, tools, and publishing. If you have a question, make sure you go to DavidSpell.com and leave your question in the comments section for today's show.

David provides nine of the most important areas that a church security team needs to be trained in. We never take it for granted that our people know what to do. We want to train them so they can effectively protect their church from all threats.

David continues his series on church security. In this episode, he outlines the type of people that every pastor should be looking for to be a part of their church's security plan. David provides the pastor and leader with a few requirements that every member of the team should meet and provides some ideas for pastors of smaller churches who may not have as many options.

As a pastor or leader what are you doing to make sure your people are safe? It seems like every few months we hear about another terrible tragedy taking place at a church. As a career police officer and as a pastor for many years, David gives some tips on how we can keep our churches safe.

What does it take to bring your goals to reality? Just thinking about those goal is not enough. In this episode, David outlines why it is important not only to write them down but also to create action steps to bring them to reality.

What are you doing now to prepare you for the coming year? Are you intentional in setting goals and mapping out where you want to go in your life over the coming twelve months? David provides a simple, effective method to help you set some goals to ensure your success in the New Year!

What does it take to translate our vision into action? To start with, we have to right the right organizational culture. We will never see our vision become reality if our culture is unhealthy. David talks about how to create the right kind of culture in your church, business, or organization.

Most organizations have plenty of vision. They know where they want to go. Their actual practices, however, are often not conducive to seeing that vision fulfilled. What does it take to create an environment in which vision can be realized?

What are the criteria you use when picking team members for your organization? Too often, we allow a dazzling resume cloud our judgment. Talents, skill, and experience are important but not at the expense of character and other qualities. David gives several important things we should look for when selecting team members.

This is our second most popular episode of all time. What is the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives? What does he actually do? How does he help us in our day-to-day living. David gives a great analogy of the Holy Spirit as our personal trainer in life. We need to know how the Holy Spirit is working behind the scenes of our lives. David shows us how in this episode!

This is one of our most popular episodes and it is worth listening to again. Small groups are one of the most important ways that we can create a growing and healthy church. But to do that, we need great small group leaders. What does it really take to lead a connect group? The answer might surprise you!