Leading Lazarus is available for preorder at www.leadinglazarus.com with some incredible bonus material for all preorders. All preorders receive access to our 8 week leadership transformation system that will create you into the healthiest, most effective leader possible.
Jared returns to the Examined podcast after a pause due to One City Church’s major transition and move into a new location in Chesapeake, Virginia, and announces the podcast will resume with one new episode per month. He shares that his book, “Leading Lazarus,” releases September 6, 2026, with pre-orders at leadinglazarus.com, and emphasizes that leadership systems only work when the heart behind them is healthy.
The core idea is that people don’t experience a leader’s intentions, they experience their leadership impact; he connects this to Luke 6:45 and Jesus’ tangible expressions of love. Jared recounts how his habit of taking over tasks communicated distrust to his team despite good intentions, and urges heart-level examination. He offers three steps: ask someone “What’s it like to be on the other side of me?” without defending, make your invisible heart visible in one relationship, and take the source issues to God before fixing surface behaviors, closing with a prayer for inner healing and Christlike leadership.
00:00 Welcome Back Update
00:36 Church Move Story
01:26 New Book Announcement
02:16 Intentions Versus Impact
03:31 Why It Lands Wrong
06:09 Jesus On The Heart
07:14 Jesus Made Love Tangible
08:35 My Overfunctioning Lesson
10:18 Fear Beneath The Gap
11:56 Three Reflection Questions
14:04 Three Steps This Week
17:14 Prayer And Sendoff
The Heart of the Matter: People Experience Leadership, Not Intentions
As I’ve been reflecting on the journey toward releasing this book, a profound realization has emerged: a system is only as effective as the heart that runs it. We can have the best leadership tools and frameworks, but if something within us is unsettled, these tools may falter. Today, I want to delve into an idea, exploring how our intentions and leadership intersect.
Exploring Intentions vs. Leadership
Have you ever left a conversation certain of your good intentions, yet the outcome deviated from what you anticipated? This disconnect arises because people don’t experience our intentions—they experience our leadership. Our words, tone, actions, and follow-through shape their perceptions.
The gap between intentions and impact often seeds broken relationships and cultures. Many judge themselves by intentions and others by actions, creating disparities. Reflecting on Jesus’ teachings in Luke 6:45, where the overflow of our actions reveals our heart’s contents, is crucial. Harshness often signifies deeper sources within us, and the remedy isn’t mere word management; it’s allowing transformative work within our hearts.
Leading Like Jesus: A Model of Visible Intentions
Jesus exemplified this harmonious alignment between intentions and leadership. He touched lepers, wept with mourners, and washed disciples’ feet, ensuring His good intentions were tangibly experienced. If Jesus prioritized visible actions despite flawless intentions, how much more must we, amid human imperfection, ensure our intentions are genuinely felt?
Personal Reflection: A Learning Journey
In my leadership journey, I often over-functioned, overshadowing team empowerment despite my well-meaning intentions. The key takeaway is acknowledging that defending intentions hinders leadership growth. Bridging intention-impact gaps demands introspection and addressing underlying fears or wounds influencing actions.
The Path to Tangible Leadership Transformation
True transformation begins internally. Here are three practical steps for redefining leadership impact:
Ask for Honest Feedback: Inquire, “What’s it like to be on the other side of me?” and listen openly, appreciating honest responses.
Visible Heart in Action: Choose one relationship to manifest your intentions visibly, ensuring your heart’s good intentions are felt.
Source Over Surface: Seek God’s guidance on underlying issues causing unintended impacts. Allow deeper healing, acknowledging that external actions stem from internal restoration.
Change requires uncomfortable reflections but leads to profound shifts. Embrace these steps, invite divine examination, and let overflowing goodness permeate your leadership.
Conclusion: Embrace Transformative Leadership
Thank you for journeying with us. Remember, people experience leadership, not intentions. The insights shared today form the fertile soil where effective leadership systems flourish. Dive deeper into this transformative journey by exploring “Leading Lazarus.” Let’s commit to presenting our hearts visibly, empowering others through authentic, compassionate leadership.
Stay diligent in your leadership evolution, make the invisible visible, and join us for continued growth in future episodes.
