In this Harvard Business Review Case Study Brad Powell, the newly hired senior minister of a Temple Baptist Church, must lead the organization to reverse a three-decade decline and return to fulfilling its mission. Brad spent the first six months assessing the situation, building relationships, and reiterating the longstanding mission of the organization. Now, with an understanding of its history, an intimate knowledge of the immediate challenges, and a clear vision of what the organization should become, Brad is considering his strategy and next steps. As the leader of a nonprofit organization resourced by members and volunteers, Brad must lead change that produces results without compromising the mission. The B case summarizes Brad's actions and the results.

Article highlights some of the neuroscience behind leadership. Essentially, the way a leader delivers a message is more important than the message itself, and science proves it. The effects of activating neural circuitry in followers' brains can be very powerful. In a recent study, researchers observed two groups: One received negative performance feedback accompanied by positive emotional signals-namely, nods and smiles; the other was given positive feedback that was delivered critically, with frowns and narrowed eyes. In subsequent interviews conducted to compare the emotional states of the two groups, the people who had received positive feedback accompanied by negative emotional signals reported feeling worse about their performance than did the participants who had received good-natured negative feedback. In effect, the delivery was more important than the message itself. And everybody knows that when people feel better, they perform better. So, if leaders hope to get the best out of their people, they should continue to be demanding but in ways that foster a positive mood in their teams. The old carrot-and-stick approach alone doesn't make neural sense; traditional incentive systems are simply not enough to get the best performance from followers. Here's an example of what does work. It turns out that there's a subset of mirror neurons whose only job is to detect other people's smiles and laughter, prompting smiles and laughter in return. A boss who is self-controlled and humorless will rarely engage those neurons in his team members, but a boss who laughs and sets an easygoing tone puts those neurons to work, triggering spontaneous laughter and knitting his team together in the process. A bonded group is one that performs well.

What if leaders were judged based on "evidence of demand," the term coined by author Tammy Erickson? What if the organizations we serve developed internal collaboration hubs specifically designed to capture peer feedback and serve as a reputation-development tool. Would we be proud of our reputations? Would our website demonstrate evidence of demand: upcoming team commitments based on others' desire to work for us and with us?

This video is GREAT stuff for any would-be leader. The basic lesson is that folks are driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose, not profit so incentive pay only seems to work for repetitive physical, rather than cognitively challenging, tasks. What a great way to teach -- this 10 minute video is better than hours of lecture.

Todd Sears had been openly gay as a student at Duke University in Durham, N.C. So he didn't expect the need to be secretive about being "out" after he graduated in 1998 to work on Wall Street. But soon after he started his entry-level job as a financial analyst for an investment bank, he heard someone at a nearby desk say a derogatory word toward gays. He soon learned the traditional Wall Street work environment, with its stereotypically rigid culture, was anything but welcoming to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. He conceived of the idea of gathering the major Wall Street banks in an event for the LGBT community and 10 years later he finally pulled it off.

Japan has had five prime ministers in as many years, creating a merry-go-round of leadership. Now, for the first time, the country is being plunged into a catastrophe and the costs of weak leadership are becoming increasingly clear. Despite that fact, the bar is low enough now that even his apparent shortcomings are showcasing Mr. Kan as the kind of quiet, stalwart leader he wasn't considered before Friday's disasters. Mr. Kan's initially quick response is also a comparative improvement from the way disaster efforts were managed following the Kobe earthquake in January 1995. "People are more focused on getting things done on the day-to-day level. You don't necessarily have to be a flashy, charismatic leader to get the support of the people," said Koichi Nakano, professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo. "As long as Kan appears earnest and hard-working, that's fine. He doesn't necessarily need to inspire the people."

Ferriss, Timothy. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. New York: Crown Archetype. 2007. ISBN-10: 0307353133 ISBN-13: 978-0307353139 If you view church work as a career, rather than a calling, it is easy to see the move from working 40 hours a week as the Associate Pastor at a church to working 80 hours a week as the Senior Minister at a church as a "promotion". If you have spent your life attending and serving small churches, it is easy to see the role of Pastor as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. Tim Ferriss' book was not written for those who serve God in a church setting, but there is so much to be gleaned from this book. If for no other reason, read this book because Tim Ferris gives you permission to be unreasonable and unambiguous, puts you on a Low-Information Diet, and teaches you the Art of Refusal. If nothing else, you can learn how to get a church secretary for $4.00/hour and get more work done. Some of this advice just won't work for those of us who serve God in the church, but so much of it will. Buy a highlighter. Buy some sticky notes. Buy the book.

Dudley, Carl S. Effective Small Churches in the 21st Century. Nashville: Abingdon Press. 2003. ISBN: 0687090903 ISBN-13: 9780687090907 In the Louisiana Conference of United Methodists, only 89 churches have Sunday morning worship attendance greater than 100. Of course, there are a few who have over 1,000 in worship each Sunday, but over 400 churches in the conference are small (very small) and this seems to be the same trend in every Conference and Jurisdiction. The truth is, most United Methodist pastors will never serve a large church; therefore, it is important to have a resource that is written specifically for small churches, rather than trying to apply "mega-church" answer to small church problems. Effective Small Churches is that resource. Using their congregational experiences as case studies, readers will examine, with Carl Dudley's help, how their unique qualities can be mobilized to encourage local leaders, strengthen commitments, organize resources, and focus their energies to experience to meet new challenges. The primary goal of the book is to lead ministers who have begun a new appointment through a series of specific exercises, questionnaires, and guided dialogue with church members to jump start their appointment. So many good ideas. The Cabinet should make every pastor go through the exercises and report on their findings to their District Superintendent during the first six months at their new church.

Within the church, there are those called to servant leadership. Their callings are evidenced by gifts and promise of usefulness. Greenleaf is well-known for coining this term "outside" the church.