#6 Paul Szczesiak (Abu Dhabi)

#6 Paul Szczesiak (Abu Dhabi)

From NCMI Podcast by NCMI

February 5, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Paul Szczesiak discusses leadership challenges and cultural dynamics in Abu Dhabi.

We took the podcast on the road at the Global Equip '25 and asked Paul Szczesiak (Cornerstone Church, Abu Dhabi) questions around leadership in his context. 0:00 - Intro to Paul 1:02 - Leading in a new culture 3:03 - Advice to someone stepping into leadership in a multicultural context 4:20 - Fostering unity while honoring a diverse range of cultures 5:36 - A story on how cultural differences influenced certain decisions 6:25 - Key leadership challenges for Paul 7:35 - Most important governance principles for local church 8:53 - Balancing crucial conversations 10:40 - Being a "support elder" and growing teams 12:33 - Playing a key role in operational background and project management 14:12 - Paul and Nadia working as a team 15:30 - Connecting marketplace skills with local church and ministry 17:40 - Marketplace (and visa) pressures 19:33 - Recognizing seasons 22:07 - The "power of the pause" for burnout and coming out of it 24:38 - The impact of the gift of administration 26:53 - The power of reliability

People in this episode

Guest: Paul Szczesiak

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • multicultural context
  • cultural differences
  • governance principles
  • team dynamics
  • marketplace skills
  • burnout

Keywords

  • leadership
  • cultural diversity
  • unity
  • governance
  • teamwork
  • marketplace pressures
  • burnout
  • administration
  • reliability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cornerstone Church

Places: Abu Dhabi

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