Leading by Faith | CPH Podcast with Jim Sanft
In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, host Elizabeth Pittman speaks with Jim Sanft, new author and CEO and president of Concordia Plan Services. In his new book with CPH, Leading by Faith: Practical Insights for Christian Leaders, Jim shares his reflections along his leadership journey as a means of encouraging you on yours. Leading by Faith will be available on May 28. Pre-order the book on the CPH website at cph.org/leadingbyfaith. Show Notes: As a Christian leader, you can trust that God is in control of your leadership journey, even when you can't see around the bend to know what's coming next. In this episode, we're joined by Jim Sanft. Jim is the CEO of Concordia Plan Services and the author of Leading by Faith: Practical Insights for Christian Leaders. During the conversation, Jim shares the lessons he’s learned from his more than 25 years of executive leadership experience. He also talks about the importance of leading by faith (not by sight) and learning to lead with God’s grace. Questions: - What’s it like being a first time author? - Every leader has a story. Tell us about your story and what led you to a place where you were ready to tell it and help other leaders. - Explain what it means to lead by faith, not by sight. - Tell us about the windshield fallacy. - Explain the leadership lesson you use from Indiana Jones. - How did your educational background in mathematics prepare you for leadership and what lessons have you brought into your current roles because of that? - Tell us a little bit about accountability and how that plays into a leader's role. - Tell us about a leadership lesson that you took away from the Lion King. - What advice do you have for leaders who encounter crisis in their leadership journey? - What has it been like traveling around the country talking to different groups about leadership? - What encouragement would you like to leave our listeners with? About the Guest Jim Sanft has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, including being CEO of Concordia Plans, a complex financial services non-profit agency of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. He led his organization through the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 to 2009 as well as the global pandemic of 2020. Throughout his career, Sanft has developed a high-performing team that has been recognized both locally and nationally. He is an established leader among his colleagues from other denominations and serves as chair of The Church Alliance, an organization that advocates for employee benefits for faith leaders and their families. Away from the office, Jim is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
