The Leader’s Notebook with Dr. Mark Rutland

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

Be prepared to encounter The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in a new and fresh way, a way that will change your world.

The God of The Unlikely is an unlikely title for a podcast, but if you’re like the rest of the world, you could use a word of encouragement. Don’t miss Dr. Rutland’s unusual take on the volatile world we live in.

This episode is an interview with Rick McDaniel, a leader, writer, church planter, and master communicator. Dr. Rutland and Rick McDaniel discuss leadership and personal growth. Please note that the event mentioned in this episode, YourComebackEvent.com in Atlanta, GA on June 26, 2021, was cancelled due to the ongoing challenges and uncertainties of the post-COVID-19 period.

Dr. Rutland and Pastor Travis Rutland continue this special In-depth interview. The exchange between this father-son team of leaders is absolutely fascinating as well as downright entertaining.

You will be intrigued, entertained, and blessed with this father-son interview between Dr. Rutland and his son, Pastor Travis Rutland. Their “on the air” chemistry is engaging and informative.

This the final episode in the ReLaunch series Dr. Rutland speaks to that desert we onion as leadership “burn out”. Whatever we call it, we know it is devastating in its impact on, leaders, their organizations, and their families. Even if you have not heard any of the previous episodes of the ReLaunch series, if you are in leadership, in business, or in the church, you cannot afford to miss this gripping episode.

What does a huge, stunningly beautiful, and heavily armed 17th Century naval vessel have to do with 21st Century executive leadership? As Dr. Rutland explains it, a great deal. Important teaching lessons from the incredible story of the Vasa Ship. Do not miss this powerful teaching on the value of free-flowing upward communication.

No turnaround can divorce entirely from the organization’s past, nor should it. As Dr. Rutland points out, the challenge is to honor the past but not be in bondage to it. He points out that the attempt to re-create a “golden era” is doomed, as is the effort to deny the more difficult realities of an organization’s history. Sometimes some tough negotiations lead the way forward. Using the athletic program at a university where he served as President, Dr. Rutland deals with this tension.

So much teaching about turnaround leadership is theoretical. Dr. Rutland explains that theory will only take you so far before the wall of reality can be the crash point. What exactly does the turnaround leader do? Dr. Rutland answers out of 53 years of leadership experience, especially in three major turn arounds.

In this episode, Dr. Rutland explains how servant leadership impacts the success of a turnaround. He says servanthood lubricates the gears of management. Without it, they grind against each other and may even grind to a halt. In the intensity and crisis of turnaround leadership, never can fray and tempers flare. Servanthood is the heart of true leadership, especially in a turnaround.

In this episode, Dr. Rutland deals with the reality that the turnaround leader faces personal challenges of growth and development. Every challenge is both an opportunity and a challenge. Some of such challenges can be extremely intimidating—the more daunting the challenge, the greater the possibility of personal growth.

Turnarounds are among the most difficult of all leadership challenges. In this episode, Dr. Rutland speaks to why some attempts succeed, and others fail. There are particular skills unique to turnarounds and, even more importantly, indispensable attitudes.

Easter is, without a doubt, the greatest of all Christian Holy Days. It marks the celebration of the resurrection of Christ and is the most important day in the Christian church calendar worldwide. In this episode, Dr. Rutland deftly guides us from theology to the meaning of the resurrection in the everyday life of the believer and, in fact, in the death of the believer.

In this fascinating and insightful episode, Dr. Rutland explores the differences between two types of growth; organic and engineered. Each has pluses and minuses. Some of the differences may surprise you.

Servant leadership is a hot topic among those who teach leadership. Even so, there remain many misconceptions about what it is and definitely about what it is NOT. In this episode, Dr. Rutland delves into the topic of servant leadership with down to earth practicality and good humor. If you are a leader of any kind, parent, pastor, or CEO, don’t miss this one.

In this challenging but intriguing episode, Dr. Rutland speaks to the issue of “evil speaking” or, as it is said in Hebrew, Lashon Hara. From gossip to making a false accusation, reviled speaking damages lives, reputations, marriages, and careers, yet many never stop to consider the wounding power of Lashon Hara.

One question Biblical counselors are frequently asked is, if inner healing is really Biblical, why didn’t Jesus do it. Dr. Rutland’s surprising answer is, He did. Using the Biblical story of the restoration of a failed New Testament saint, Rutland paints a powerful picture of the grace and process of inner healing.

Of all the toxins, fear has the most destructive effect of the dimension of a life. Fear shrinks life; fear that a past pain will be repeated or an imagined pain will happen. Unable to commit, easily triggered and totally risk averse the fearful watch their lives shrivel up. Everything begins to be about avoiding pain. Rutland explores this terrible reality and the healing therapy of the Presence of Love.

In this, the next episode of COURAGE TO BE HEALED, Dr. Rutland speaks to the dark toxin of condemnation. What may surprise you most is the “throne” from which condemnation emanates. Once that is clarified comes the surprising Biblical therapy that topples that throne and dries up the toxic flow of condemnation.

Ever wonder why some people seem to repeat behavior patterns over and over again which cause others to reject them? We have all seen that tragic pattern destroy relationships. In this episode Dr. Rutland speaks to the emotional wound of rejection and the devastation it can cause in relationships. He documents the emotional struggle of a young woman trapped in the performance-for-acceptance syndrome. From her painful story reveals the key to healing rejection.

In his newest book, COURAGE TO BE HEALED, Dr. Rutland explains that courage, not faith, is the most important variable in emotional healing. In this episode Rutland explains why it takes great courage to forgive and why forgiveness has great power to heal the wounded soul. Using the powerful story of a man filled with hate for his ex-wife and her lawyer, Rutland speaks to the incredible power of forgiveness. He explains that forgiving the unforgivable, impossible in the natural realm, is not only possible with God’s grace, it is absolutely necessary for any lasting emotional healing.

Dr. Rutland continues this series based on his latest book, COURAGE TO BE HEALED. Today he speaks to the emotionally devastating wound of shame, which he says is perhaps the most devastating of the five principle toxins, especially when it is caused by sexual trauma. In this powerful episode Rutland deals with the deadly “throne” of deception and how truth tears it down.

Murderer’s row. That’s what sports writers dubbed the 1927 NY Yankees. In this episode Dr. Rutland introduces the Murderers Row of emotion wreckage, the five most destructive sources of toxic emotional woundedness. It is impossible to move forward into the wholeness that God has for us while our life is a mountain of toxic waste. One variable above all others determines whether we move forward in emotional wholeness. That variable is COURAGE. In this episode and in the whole series, Rutland makes the case that it takes COURAGE TO BE HEALED.

The human mechanism is incredibly complex; it’s parts and systems are mysteriously interconnected. Drop a monkey wrench, especially sexual or violent trauma, down in the gears at an early age and an unbalanced emotional wreck can result. In this episode Dr. Rutland makes the case that the altered life may begin at an altar but it does not end there. There are dedicated believers who need emotional healing.

COURAGE TO BE HEALED is Dr. Mark Rutland’s newest book (his 19th). With this episode, he begins a nine-week series on the search for emotional healing. The premise of his book, and of this series, is that faith is not always the primary variable in the healing of damaged emotions. Rutland says, in inner healing, the variable is more likely to be courage.

The post-Christmas let down. That moment when all the celebrating and parties and get-togethers are over. Dr. Rutland explains why the Virgin Mary just might have understood exactly what you’re feeling. It must have been a moment of splendor when the Angel visited Mary. But what about when he left?

Buckle your seatbelt! Brace yourself for the moment when Dr. Rutland says, “There was nothing miraculous about the birth of Jesus.” Then stay tuned for the rest of his message. Don’t miss this unique approach to the Christmas story.

In this episode Dr. Rutland speaks to the issue of human vs Divine timing. Using the Nativity as the basis of the teaching, Rutland speaks a message of hope and faith. God’s activity in human history is not limited to our very human understanding of time.

This, the final episode in the David series, deals with his death. King David died at the age of 70. Right up to the very last moment of his life, David was surrounded by complications, emotional crisis, and court intrigue beyond what most leaders will ever face. How interesting that such a complicated life should end in such complexity. There are important life lessons in David’s life. Likewise, in his death, there are lessons no less important on ending well.

The most terrible of all emotional wounds is probably betrayal. This episode deals with David’s darkest moment, a deadly betrayal from inside his own family. Sooner or later, every leader, indeed most people, will experience betrayal at some level. The question is, how do we deal with it victoriously?

All leaders are mixed vessels. So was King David. In this episode, leaders can see what went in to David’s best and most destructive decisions. How can the same leader win two successive victories over vastly superior forces then lose to a solitary woman?

At one time or another, every leader feels overwhelmed by the pressure of decisions that can make the difference between success and failure. From King David, leaders can learn decision making in the face of terrible crisis and great opportunity.

Everyone’s life is, to some extent, a roller coaster. King David’s life careened up, down and sideways from crisis to victory, to the mountain top, to the valley of death and back again. This episode deals with tactical leadership in the midst and strategy on the other side.

You probably never thought of King David as a startup or turn around leader, but that is exactly what he was, on multiple occasions. This episode presents keys to successfully negotiating the transitions between strategy and tactics, which is which and when to use one or the other.

The Leader’s Notebook airs once a week every Tuesday. With a historic watershed election only days away and the United States in such turmoil, I present this special episode based on Isaiah chapter 6, in the hope that it may encourage you.

Ever had a great idea that blew up in your face? There is a possibility, it was, in fact, a good idea or even a great idea, but the timing was terrible. Among the many fascinating leadership lessons to be learned from King David, not the least of what this episode deals with is timing. Essential insights on timing for modern leaders.

In this episode, King David teaches the modern leader one of life’s harshest lessons. There may be someone in your life, perhaps an unlikely someone, who, for no good reason, hates you, literally hates you. David knew how to deal with it when his own father-in-law’s murderous hatred became increasingly obvious.

From an Iron Age warrior chieftain, we can learn how to win, even when we are surrounded by opposition, envy, and suspicion.

The first of a ten-part series on the life and leadership of King David. This episode introduces the complex genius that was far greater, more complicated, and fascinating than the little felt board Sunday School version that so many children were taught.

In this episode (Part 2 of 2) on Marc Antony and executive stress deals with the balance between Eklusis and “string follow.” Every leader lives a great deal of life under pressure. The question is never, how do I avoid it? It is rather, how do I deal with it?

What could a modern leader facing tremendous stress learn from an ancient Roman general? This intriguing episode (Part 1 of 2) reveals why Marc Antony lost a war he should never have lost and draws powerful parallels to the daily stress of the contemporary leader.

Among the aspects of communication damaged by the modern age, dialogue may be the most abused. This episode teaches five essential keys to successful dialogue.

Shaping the inner culture of an organization is among the most important of all aspects of leadership. Masquerading as wise old proverbs, highly destructive words get said repeatedly. This episode unmasks six subversive mindsets that are the enemies of a positive, productive organizational culture.

Dr. Rutland claims that the greatest mistake leaders make in trying to guide an organization through change is announcing it rather than leading it. In this episode, Rutland speaks to leading change as only an experienced change agent can.

It’s one thing for a leader to make a solitary executive decision. It’s quite another to guide a team through that process and in this episode, Dr. Rutland speaks out to the process of his extensive experience.