Before he led at Watermark’s Young Adult Ministry or preached at Harris Creek in Waco, Jonathan “JP” Pokluda was money-driven and success-obsessed. In this week’s Church Leadership Podcast, JP shares how he found himself in vocational ministry with no ladder to climb and had to rethink his whole approach to life.  

Last week, John McGee and Caitlin Van Wagoner shared some qualities that make people stand out on a team. Now they’re back with more habits of exceptional employees—like following through, challenging the status quo, and soliciting feedback—and how you can develop them. (You can find Part 1 here.)What Leaders Look For - Download 

Certain people stand out as exemplary teammates, and it can be hard to put your finger on why. In this week's Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Caitlin Van Wagoner examine the qualities that make these people so exceptional, how to use them to distinguish yourself on a team, and how leaders can cultivate them in an organization.

In many ways, the way you bring an employee or volunteer on board sets the tone for their experience going forward. It goes beyond just setting them up with a key card or a lanyard with a name tag; it’s a chance to introduce them to the culture they’re joining and communicate how valuable they are to the team. Special guests Josiah Jones and Lanie Eberhard joined this week’s Church Leadership Podcast to share their best practices for starting things on the right foot.   Onboarding Documents from Watermark's HR Department:Onboarding Document - Hosts and GuestsOnboarding Document - Events and MinistriesOnboarding Document - Contacting Facilites, IT and ProductionOnboarding Document - Writing Your Website BioRecommended Podcast Episodes for New Team Members:1. Views from the Porch “How to Work at Work”2. Views from the Porch “Becoming Unoffendable”3. Views from the Porch “Leading Up Part 1”4. Views from the Porch “Leading Up Part 2”5. Church Leaders Podcast “Giving and Receiving Feedback”6. Church Leaders Podcast “Responding to Criticism”7. Church Leaders Podcast “What Older Leaders Want You to Know”8. Church Leaders Podcast “A Leaders First 90 Days”

Responding to failure gets a lot of attention– but what about success? What’s the right response of a Christ-follower when things go well? What’s the difference between confidence and arrogance? In this week’s podcast, John McGee shares the six things you should always do after a win. 

The last few episodes of the Church Leadership Podcast talked about physical health and growth, but internal health is just as important. Leadership can be lonely, and the constant pressure to produce and perform can push “inside health” to the bottom of the priority list. If you strip away all the external results of your efforts and instead examine just your heart, how are you actually doing?  

Most of us hope to continue growing and developing throughout our lives. However, without taking conscious steps, it's easy to become complacent in our daily routines and habitual ways of thinking. In this week's podcast, John McGee shares ten actionable strategies to foster your own growth and self-improvement. 

Most of us acknowledge our bodies as temples to be stewarded for God’s glory, but it’s easier said than put into practice. In today’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Luke Friesen and Bobby Rodriguez explain some of the spiritual implications of physical health and some measurable steps you can take toward being a healthier leader. 

When is the last time you thought about strategic plans? For many of us, it's probably been a little while. On this episode, we're joined by Harvard MBA and Executive Pastor of Watermark Community Church, John Cox as we dive into the key elements of crafting a strategic plan and common pitfalls to avoid.

Even competent employees won’t last long if they can’t manage their own emotions. Unfortunately, most of us can't even identify our emotions, much less realize when we’re allowing them to drive our decisions. On this week’s podcast, Jeff Ward, Watermark Director of External Focus, shares six tips for understanding, embracing, and managing the God-given gift of emotions.