Dr. Keith Haney, Becoming Bridge Builders, on Leading Church and Nonprofit Change When You Haven’t Been Trained for the Job (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 975)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Dr. Keith Haney, a leadership consultant, speaker, and workshop leader who hosts the Becoming Bridge Builders podcast and wrote Guided By Grace: A Narrative to Lead Organizational Change. Keith’s core message is that most people who end up leading an organization were never trained for it. They inherit the role from whoever held it before them, sometimes for decades, and are left to figure it out as they go.
Keith argues that leading a volunteer organization is often harder than leading a business, because you cannot fire an underperforming volunteer the way you can an employee. Instead, a leader has to win people’s hearts and minds inside what he calls a family system, complete with its own unwritten rules and long-standing alliances. He tells the story of a financial secretary who ran a congregation’s books for 42 years after being asked to fill in “for a while,” and a friendly wager he made with a skeptical board member that ended in a 35 percent increase in giving once the organization’s vision became clear.
Keith also breaks down what he calls the “trophy” question, a simple test for whether an organization’s vision is actually clear enough for people to work toward, and he uses the Chicago Cubs’ rebuild under Theo Epstein to illustrate it. Listeners can find Keith’s book, his three podcasts, and more of his work at becomingbridgebuilders.org.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- Most leaders, whether in a business, a nonprofit, or a church, were thrust into the role with no training for it at all and simply inherited habits, good or bad, from whoever came before them.
- Leading volunteers is harder than leading employees, because you cannot fire someone who is not performing. You have to earn their commitment instead.
- A real vision is a specific, nameable goal, what Keith calls a “trophy,” not a vague or feel-good statement.
- Small, concrete challenges, like a stewardship wager, can build trust and prove that meaningful change is possible.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Dr. Keith Haney
02:09 Dr. Keith Haney joins the conversation
02:24 A look at Keith’s three podcasts, including Becoming Bridge Builders
03:53 What makes Keith’s approach to leadership different
04:13 The school closing that showed Keith he was not equipped to lead
05:15 Discovering John Maxwell’s teaching and diving into leadership training
06:42 The story of a volunteer who ran the books for 42 years without training
09:50 Comparing leadership challenges in nonprofits and churches to business
11:16 Family systems theory and how it applies to organizations
16:50 Why new leaders should spend three to six months learning an organization
17:34 Kotter’s change model and the “iceberg is melting” concept
20:57 What a first meeting with a struggling organization looks like
23:13 The Chicago Cubs’ rebuild under Theo Epstein as a lesson in clear vision
24:59 Warning signs that an organization needs help
26:23 The stewardship wager that led to a 35 percent increase in giving
29:18 How listeners can connect with Keith and find his book
Dr. Keith Haney, Leadership Consultant and Speaker, Becoming Bridge Builders
Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney is a leadership consultant, speaker, and workshop leader with more than 30 years of experience helping churches, nonprofits, and businesses navigate organizational change.
He is the author of Guided By Grace: A Narrative to Lead Organizational Change, and his work is centered around Becoming Bridge Builders, his platform for leadership development that includes his podcast, his writing, and his consulting practice.
Through the podcast and his workshops, Keith helps leaders build the vision, training, and trust needed to lead effectively, particularly in organizations that depend heavily on volunteers.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
Approaching 1,000 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
