By Jim LaDoux Two my favorite books to read on lowering people's level of anxiety include Edwin Friedman's book, A Failure of Nerve, and Steve Cuss's book titled, Managing Leadership Anxiety.  Listed below are a few of my insights on anxiety based on these two books.  1 | The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change.Wh...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Sharing stories of generosity are critical to a year-round stewardship plan.Generosity Story TemplateThank you for taking the time to tell us your story. You may either type in your answers below or print this and write them in. You may either answer each question separately or tie them together in a story. Below is an example. Please include a picture of yourself smiling at the came...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Your meeting outcomes should frame the format, setting, and flow of your meetings.There are four basic types of meetings most leaders engage in:Logistical meetings that focus on what’s recently happened (in the past week) and what’s happening in the next week or two. They may be “stand up” meetings that last no longer than 20 minutes.Solutions-centered meetings where the order of the...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Make it easy for people to share their life, faith, impact, and generosity stories by providing them with a basic script to guide their conversations. Give people a few questions to think about ahead of time to respond to. You can also give people an index card that has 3 - 5 "complete the sentence" prompts. Providing people with scripts greatly increases the likelihood that they'll ...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Every meeting and encounter with other people is an opportunity to learn more about them - their backgrounds, their gifts, their motivations, their dreams, and their challenges.  As  part of my everyday reinvention activities, I often challenge myself to learn something new about my wife, my kids, my co-workers, my friends, and the people I interact with by phone or Zoom. This moves ...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux In today's society, finding moments of rest and rejuvenation has become a luxury rather than a necessity. In his enlightening book, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Wayne Muller invites us to experience the transformative power of embracing one sacred day of rest each week, and to embed Sabbath moments into our daily lives. Muller describes how the act o...  Read More