On this episode of the Unfinished Leadership Podcast, Jon Peacock sits down with Shawn Williams, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, to talk about the realities of leading through a rebuilding season. From stepping into a post-crisis environment to making painful but necessary changes, Shawn shares what he’s learned about putting values in the driver’s seat, rebuilding culture, and restoring trust. He opens up about the endurance required to keep showing up, the role of feedback in shaping healthier teams, and why leaders must hold onto vision even when it feels dormant.

If you’ve ever found yourself leading in the aftermath of disruption - whether in business, ministry, or community - this conversation will encourage you to stay committed, lead with integrity, and hold out hope for the “fun stuff” ahead.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

05:57 – From building to rebuilding at Willow Creek

09:14 – Post-crisis realities and shattered vision

11:48 – Making painful but necessary staff and structure changes

14:58 – Culture on life support: addressing trust and morale

17:51 – Staff surveys, feedback, and rebuilding culture

20:54 – Personal endurance, calling, and convictions

23:51 – Values in the driver’s seat vs. vision in the driver’s seat

26:47 – Looking ahead: the future of leadership at Willow Creek

This episode continues our deep dive into the role of habits in leadership and life. Building on the foundation from the last conversation, Jon introduces three more powerful mind shifts that reshape how we think about growth. Instead of trying to fight bad habits head-on, Jon shows why it’s more effective to avoid them altogether. He unpacks the surprising power of simply showing up daily, and he explores what it means to rely on God’s strength rather than our own limited willpower.

Together, these shifts create a framework for lasting transformation helping leaders close the gap between who they are today and who they are becoming tomorrow.

In this episode, Jon Peacock challenges leaders to confront the gap between where they are and where they want to be and to close that gap with consistent, intentional habits. But more than just building habits, Jon explores how we think about habits and why that mindset shift is essential to sustained growth. Jon introduces three powerful mind shifts that can help leaders stay in the game, even when progress feels slow.

In this episode of Unfinished Leadership, Jon Peacock gets real about the pain that comes with leadership. Whether it’s emotional, relational, or physical, pain is inevitable. How we respond to it determines the kind of leader we become. Jon walks through three essential steps to turning pain into growth: recognize it, release it, and reframe it.

In this debut episode of the Unfinished Leadership Podcast, host Jon Peacock explores the hidden ways ego undermines effective leadership. Rather than being a source of strength, ego often becomes a silent killer—eroding trust, distorting accountability, and stalling personal growth. Jon offers a fresh, honest take on how humility can shift a leader’s posture from self-preserving to self-aware. He outlines three key stages of leadership—Beginning, Building, and Decline—and unpacks how ego and humility uniquely show up in each. It’s a conversation for anyone who wants to grow, lead with authenticity, and leave behind the myth of the finished leader.

In this debut episode of the Unfinished Leadership Podcast, host Jon Peacock explores the hidden ways ego undermines effective leadership. Rather than being a source of strength, ego often becomes a silent killer—eroding trust, distorting accountability, and stalling personal growth. Jon offers a fresh, honest take on how humility can shift a leader’s posture from self-preserving to self-aware. He outlines three key stages of leadership—Beginning, Building, and Decline—and unpacks how ego and humility uniquely show up in each. It’s a conversation for anyone who wants to grow, lead with authenticity, and leave behind the myth of the finished leader.