Advertise on podcast: Creative Drive with Luke Gajary

This is a story from early in my career that completely changed how I think about strengths, work ethic, and what it means to be a great teammate. I’m not against strengths-based leadership. I’ve taken StrengthsFinder multiple times, sat through the trainings, and I believe there’s real value in understanding how you’re wired. But I also saw it used in a way that stuck with me for years… A teammate would regularly say, “That’s not in my strengths,” and pass work off to others. And while it sounded thoughtful and self-aware on the surface, it slowly created a culture where responsibility got shifted instead of owned. That experience gave me a bit of a bad taste toward personality tests for a long time. Here’s what I’ve come to believe since then: There’s a difference between knowing your strengths… and using them as a shield. Especially early in your career, there’s real value in saying yes, figuring things out, and becoming someone people can rely on no matter the task. Later on, sure… you can specialize, delegate, and focus your time where you’re most effective. But in the beginning? You build your reputation by doing the work. Curious your take: Have you ever worked with someone who leaned too hard on “that’s not my strength”? Or have you seen strengths used really well on a team? Drop your thoughts in the comments. #Leadership #CareerGrowth #WorkplaceCulture #StrengthsFinder #WorkEthic #ServantLeadership

In this episode of Creative Drive, I share a story about two speeches given at our Toastmasters club in McKinney, Texas. Both were centered on the same idea: measuring success. But the way they were delivered could not have been more different. One left people discouraged and hesitant to participate. The other reminded people that growth happens one percent at a time and that true success is measured by people, not checkboxes. The result was immediate. Members who had been quiet suddenly stepped up. Volunteers filled every role. The energy shifted. This episode is a real-time example of how leadership and encouragement shape culture. If you have ever wondered what makes people lean in versus shut down, you will want to hear this story.

"Capcut? Someone was just telling me about that app!" I meet pastors all the time and share some concepts with them about better digital media outreach, recently a friend connected me with a pastor in South Dallas. We chatted for a few minutes on the phone, and I brought up the way we use capcut in our workflow of weekly church content. I shared some tricks, tips, and simple ways to leverage the free app - and after I hung up the  phone, I thought I would share some of that here.  Enjoy!  https://www.capcut.com/

Had some short thoughts about churches using Threads, X, and text based platforms vs photo based ones.  Digital Church is all about helping church creatives and busy pastors with the online side of church - the Toolbox podcast is a resource to help with practical ideas and online church ministry marketing philosophies. Audio Episodes: https://digitalchurch.co/podcast/ Learn more about the team or download free resources: http://digitalchurch.co Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://digitalchurch90646.activehosted.com/f/3

The CVS near me was recently remodeled, and it was amazing...until I actually needed something. Let's talk about how that connects to church! Digital Church is all about helping church creatives and busy pastors with the online side of church - the Toolbox podcast is a resource to help with practical ideas and online church ministry marketing philosophies. Video episodes available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOR3iaxYehl8Q5XcqgsPztA9dSqVEU0dX Learn more about the team or download free resources: http://digitalchurch.co Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://digitalchurch90646.activehosted.com/f/3

Welcome to an updated / rebranded show, where Luke dials in to some concepts, theories, and ideas about church online and reaching people on social media.  Video episodes available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOR3iaxYehl8Q5XcqgsPztA9dSqVEU0dX

Today we're talking about a trend on TikTok called Bones Day! I'm pulling in an excerpt from a message I preached in October 2021 about serving God. Enjoy!

Before we get great at leadership, we've got to be good at following. Do we put the cart before the horse?

Special guest Zach Vassar joins the pod today to talk about what it looks like ot be a present parent, and paralells he's picked up from coaching that apply to parenting well. Link to the facebook group we mention at the end here.