Welcome back, friends! In this episode, we dive into a crucial yet often overlooked conversation about the aftermath of moral failures in leadership. What happens when a leader falls from grace? How do they find their way back to meaning and purpose?
Our guest today is Pastor and Author Greg Lindsay, who opens up about his own experience of crashing and burning as a pastor. Greg shares insights from his new book, "The Rest of Your Story," a candid account of his journey through shame, suicidal thoughts, and the long road to restoration.
We discuss the significance of understanding one's story, the impact of past traumas, and the importance of experiencing Jesus in the healing process. Greg emphasizes the necessity of community and trusted relationships in finding true freedom and redemption.
Whether you're a leader who's been through a similar fall or someone seeking hope and encouragement, this episode promises to provide valuable insights and inspiration. Join us as we explore the path to healing and the importance of staying true to one's calling despite life's challenges.
About Greg Lindsey
Greg Lindsey is a trial attorney turned church planter who has been the lead pastor of Discovery Church in Colorado Springs for over fifteen years. He is also one of the founding leaders of COSILoveYou, a Colorado Springs-based organization committed to uniting and igniting the local church in love for the city. Greg and his wife, Stacy, have been married forty years and have four daughters and nine grandkids.
Connect with Greg
Book: https://amzn.to/4cbjJp8
Instagram: @greglindseyauthor
Twitter: @greglindsey
Tik Tok: @greglindseyauthor
Facebook: @greglindseyauthor
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Steve Carter was next in line to pastor Willow Creek Community Church, but as scandals arose around Bill Hybels Steve walked away in order to heal and care for his family. He talks about the trauma of that season, the faith it required of him and how he experienced restoration and you can too. This is a GREAT episode to share with anyone who has experienced church hurt in any facet. We need more hopeful stories like this of people who have journeyed well and done the work. Pick up his brand new book Grieve, Breathe, Receive on Amazon.
About Steve Carter
Steve Carter is the best selling author of The Thing Beneath The Thing, host of the Craft and Character podcast, a coach to communicators who are looking to find their unique voice or take their next step of growth in speaking and teaches regularly at churches, conferences, and various businesses around the country. He is the former lead teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and currently serves as a teaching pastor at Forest City Church. He lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with his wife and two kids.
Takeaways
Embrace grief and learn to sit with the pain in order to find healing and renewal.
Forgiveness is a powerful gift that allows us to release bitterness and anger and experience freedom.
Finding a sense of place and belonging can be a significant part of the healing process.
Leaders often struggle with grieving and celebrating, but both are essential for personal growth and maturity.
There is hope and a surprise waiting for leaders who are hurting, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Quotes
"Grieve what is, grieve what I thought it was gonna be, grieve how key people let me down, breathe in the new mercies, exhale all bitterness and resentment and anger, and receive what I need to learn, receive what I need to own, receive who I need to become."
"Go to the desert and wait for instructions because I am... I was trying to achieve my way out of it. I was trying to figure out, okay, like, where can I go? What's a bigger city? What's a better opportunity? Because that's how I'd always handled my sadness and stress was just look to go do something more. And I thought the desert was metaphorical, but I took out my journal and just started to write similar to the donut shop and... I just wrote down the line, you can't achieve your way out of this, you can only grieve your way through it."
"Trust is a mathematical formula. Safe plus consistent, again and again, over and over on repeat, makes you worthy of trust. Unsafe, consistent, again and again, over and over, makes you unworthy of trust. And safe but inconsistent, again and again, over and over on repeat, makes you unworthy of trust. The question is, are you worthy of trust?"
Connect with Steve
Website: https://www.stevecarter.org/
Book: https://amzn.to/3x87cnc
 

Alan interviews Pat Lencioni for part 2 of our Working Genius series. This episode focuses on how to apply The Working Genius to teams. This is THE best assessment we've ever seen for team alignment and common language. We are honored to have The Working Genius as a sponsor for this podcast.
Go take the assessment at www.WorkingGenius.com.
If you would like Alan to lead a training to translate this assessment into your tea, email us at hello@stayforth.com
About Pat Lencioni
Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 13 books, which have sold over 8 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams.
Prior to founding the firm in 1997, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase. Pat lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four boys.
Takeaways
Understanding the six types of working genius can transform teams and improve productivity and morale.
Borrowing geniuses across teams can lead to increased innovation and success.
Understanding frustrations can be liberating and prevent burnout.
The team map is a valuable tool for visualizing the distribution of geniuses and frustrations within a team.
Using the vocabulary of working genius can improve team communication and project flow.
Understanding individual and team dynamics is crucial for improving productivity and avoiding conflict.
The concept of working genius identifies six types of genius that individuals possess.
Clarity and communication are essential for ensuring alignment within teams.
Working genius can be connected to other concepts introduced by Lencioni, such as the five dysfunctions of a team and the ideal team player.
Taking the working genius assessment can provide valuable insights for individuals and teams.
Quotables
"Nobody on their team had the genius of wonder."
"Let's just put people in the right role and give them the right responsibilities that correspond to what gives them joy and energy."
"She has enablement, which means whenever a customer or an employee says, I need help, she's right there."
"You have to see how it comes about. And we know it's going to be painful for you."
"People can now actually call each other out on things in a way that doesn't feel like they're being judged or attacked, but they're being honored."
"People talk to one another using the language of working genius, which in a good way objectifies feedback that used to feel personal."
 

On this episode, Alan Interviews legendary author and organizational consultant Pat Lencioni about The Working Genius assessment and message. We are honored to have The Working Genius as a sponsor for this podcast. In this episode which is a two part mini series, we delve into what The Working Genius is and how to understand the framework. Go take the assessment at WorkingGenius.com. If you would like Alan to lead a team training to incorporate this assessment into your team you can get more information by emailing us at hello@stayforth.com 
About Pat Lencioni
Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 13 books, which have sold over 8 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams.
Prior to founding the firm in 1997, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase. Pat lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four boys.
 Takeaways
Organizational health is important for avoiding burnout and creating healthy cultures.
The six types of working genius are wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity.
Wonderers ask questions and ponder new ideas, while inventors come up with new ideas and solutions.
Discerners evaluate ideas and have great pattern recognition instinct.
Galvanizers rally the troops and inspire others, while enablers answer the call for help and support.
Tenacious individuals plow through obstacles and finish tasks.
Both disruptive and responsive geniuses are needed in a team.
IGs (Invention and Galvanizing) are naturally excited about new ideas and enjoy sharing them.
IDs (Invention and Discernment) evaluate and edit ideas as they come up with them.
Understanding and celebrating each other's geniuses can lead to a more productive and joyful team.
An ideal day for an ID might involve coming up with new ideas and having coaching conversations.
An ideal day for an IG might involve launching new ideas and getting people excited about them.

Alan hosts a necessary conversation with his friend, Chris Bruno. Chris is a therapist and author, but in this episode he talks more about being a dad and a sage that is helping to restore mens hearts. Chris is a two time guest so be sure to go back and listen to episode 326 with Chris
About Chris
Chris received a master of arts in speech from Northwestern University and a master of arts in counseling psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. He is the co-founder and CEO of Restoration Project (restorationproject.net), a ministry devoted to helping men recover their hearts by healing their wounds, knowing God, and restoring the world. He is a licensed professional counselor, and the founder and CEO of ReStory® Counseling (restory.life), leading a diverse and collaborative team of Storywork counselors around the country.
Chris has been married to Beth for 27 years and they have three mostly adult children. After spending the better part of a decade in missions in the Near East, they settled in his home state of Colorado. But their love for travel permeates their home and dinnertime conversations and a good adventure is always in the works.
Connect with Chris
Sage
Man Maker Project
Restoration Project
ReStory Counseling
 

In this final episode of the Anti-Burnout series, Alan, Chad, and Jonathan discuss habits that can help leaders avoid burnout and live a lighter way of life. They emphasize the importance of constant learning, viewing limits as a gift, and cultivating empowerment rather than dependency. They also encourage leaders to go slow and not rush through life. The goal is to find freedom and live and lead in a way that is aligned with one's unique design.
 
Takeaways
Constant learning is essential for leaders to stay at or above the curve in a time of high change.
Viewing limits as a gift and living within one's unique design can bring freedom and fulfillment.
Cultivating empowerment rather than dependency in teams leads to greater impact and growth.
Going slow and avoiding rushing through life allows for greater presence and enjoyment of the present moment.
 
Quotables
"Leaders are readers."
"Don't just feedback, feed forward."
"Go slow or go fast, but don't rush."
Grab a copy of AntiBurnout here: https://bit.ly/3VXiVz9

In this episode, Stay Forth coach Chad Lunsford flips the mic on Alan and interviews him on part 3 of our AntiBurnout series "Shifts to lighten the load". This episode is equal parts honest and helpful.
Grab your copy here 
They discuss important shifts leaders must make if they want to avoid burning out. The conversation touches on the six types of working genius and the power of leaning into one's natural strengths. This episode provides practical insights and strategies for leaders to avoid burnout and lead with purpose. 
These shifts are important for leaders to make in order to be effective and impactful in their roles. The conversation emphasizes the need for leaders to have clarity, prioritize their tasks, and be intentional in their decision-making. It also highlights the importance of developing others and being effective with people rather than just being efficient.
Takeaways
Shifting from reactive to proactive leadership brings freedom and allows for intentional living.Investing energy in areas that bring fulfillment and multiply impact is more valuable than managing time.Understanding and leaning into one's natural strengths can lead to greater fulfillment and effectiveness in leadership.Living proactively and investing energy in the right areas can help leaders avoid burnout and lead with purpose. Leaders must have clarity in order to be effective.Prioritizing tasks and focusing on priorities rather than being in triage mode is crucial for leaders.Leaders should shift from intuitive thinking to intentional decision-making.Developing others and being effective with people is essential for leaders.Efficiency is important, but effectiveness with people should be prioritized.From Confusion to Clarity: The Importance of Having Clarity as a Leader
Quotables
"Now I find myself having greater impact and somehow putting in less output.""We cannot design our lives when we are reacting to them.""The currency of leadership is energy.""Leaders must have clarity.""The first job of a leader is to define reality.""Clarity brings confidence."

Alan and Jonathan discuss the major obstacles leaders face and the crucial opportunities that they must take advantage of when seeking to live and lead from a posture of health.
Grab your copy of AntiBurnout here: https://bit.ly/3VXiVz9
Takeaways
The greatest obstacles we face as leaders can lead to the greatest opportunities if we are resilient and push through them.Living a 'whelmed' life means living at our capacity and avoiding both underwhelm and overwhelm.Experiments and prototypes are vital for finding our way to open new doors and close others.Pain is an invitation to seek connection with others who understand our struggles.Disappointment can be an opportunity for growth and learning when we name the gap between our expectations and reality.Resistance is a normal part of shaping the future, and movement is the key to overcoming it.Cynicism can be overcome by cultivating curiosity and a mindset of possibility.Exhaustion should be addressed through intentional replenishment of what has been depleted.Change requires experimentation and prototyping to test new ideas and approaches.Overwhelm can be reduced by seeking clarity and focusing on the present moment.
Quotables"The greatest obstacles you face as a leader can lead to the greatest opportunities you will have.""Change yields loss before yields opportunity.""A whelmed life is a good life. A whelmed life is a full life."