The CEO was known to use people's words to turn on them. He would simply lie and justify and blame shift when exhorted. We were concerned that he would simply kick us off the mission then and there and we would be stuck half way around the world from our home. Our children were in their last two months of class time in the mission school. Yet the CEO said he wanted to hear why we were leaving. To us it was asking us to stick our necks out with the possibility of being chopped off.
Serving Under Toxic Leaders
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The Prevalence of Toxic Leadership: Are They Under Every Rock?
Clearly, according to a survey/study done in Sweden bad leadership is not under every rock. Only 42% of those surveyed don’t trust their company’s management team. Is the glass half full?
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Insolent Opponents: Can Toxic Leaders Change?
Like in domestic abuse research, there is debate as to the malleability of abusive people in leadership. I would guess that in most people's experience, there is little hope for such change.
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The Hope of New Creation for Leadership
May Easter bring leadership transformation.
Change Agents: Who Will Stand Up?
In John 9, a healed blind man boldly confronts religious leaders. Unlike his fearful parents, he exemplified courage against toxic authority. This is the story of so many who are intimidated by leaders. Followers who fear loss can be easily manipulated. It is how toxic leaders retain their authority over others.
A Covenant of Peace: When the Lord Banishes Toxic Leadership
Toxic leadership affects many, but a future promise exists when the Lord will eradicate such leadership and provide true care.
Self-Differentiation and the Use of Gifts
Self-differentiation is rooted in biblical and psychological concepts. We need go no further than to focus on the examples of Jesus and King David to illustrate dependence and trust in God as necessary to use our gifting.
Zechariah and Toxic Christian Leadership
Our distrust of God is what drives our trust in ourselves. We, in practice, believe that we can make better decisions, control situations better, and get the job done better than the LORD, even if we would never admit that. So too the Israelite leaders—priests and kings and counselors—thought they knew better than the LORD when Zechariah spoke around 500 B.C.
Do Not Cover Their Guilt: Imprecatory Praying
Imprecatory Praying: It is a hard topic for Christians to wrap their heads around. When I normally speak of "imprecatory praying" I give qualifications. But Nehemiah, in a display of raw emotion, simply asks the Lord to destroy this enemy.
Rachel’s Story: Tenacious Pursuit of Justice
When Rachel Black was struggling to make sense of her abusive pastor, there was no Christianity Today Mars Hill podcasts and seemingly no books on how an employee in a church is to respond to such disregard. All she knew was the "hairs on her arms stood up" as she sought to understand her boss.