I am a big fan of questioning things. I think that if you were to spend any amount of time with me, you would find that I want to know the meaning of what I believe, say and do.
Here are a few questions that I am asking myseld:
Am I serving my wife and living her to the best that I know how?
Can I love her better?
Am I being a humble person?
How am I handling stress?
Am I giving into temptation when I get stressed?
Am I managing my online time?
What in my life needs work?
In my leadership, are people following because they love me or because they have too?
Am I reading enough?
Am I keeping the house clean?
Am I spending enough time with my wife? (Did I say that already? : ) )
My friend Matthew Paul Turner posted this last light. I really enjoyed the video side of things, music is very good, lyrics are a little bit of a downer but none the less a beautiful song.
I will start off with this question; does anyone really like their boss? Let me explain.
A boss tells you what to do and what you are doing wrong. They let you know when you screwed up. They are about production and looking good. They see everyone underneath them as someone who is there to serve them. Most of them stay in a office and come out only when they are meeting with someone or need something from an employee.
A leader on the other hand does things drastically different. A leader asks the person or people that they are in charge of what they think of things before they tell them what to do and tell them what they (the employee) did wrong. Doing this creates ownership on the part of the worker or employee.
When you screw up, they let you know in such a way that is not going to destroy you but build you up so that you learn from your mistake. A leader is more concerned about the person rather than the production (after all, it is the people who produce.)
Leaders see and speak to those who they watch over as on the same team. The leader makes it so that they are chasing the same goal, as opposed to the boss telling the employee to make the goal happen.
Lastly a leader is with the people. By this I mean they don’t just stay in the office, but they get out on the front lines with those who work for them. They come out of the office and down onto the factory floor. Their job is to cast vision, yes that is true, but it is also to partake in the vision.
Thoughts? Comments?
Psalm 139 is killing me lately. It is an unbelievable passage. Check it. (My thoughts in dark red.)
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.Amazing that he KNOWS EVERY THING I DO!
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.His protection and assurance that He is there… wow!
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.I love that HE is in control, puts me at rest.
17 How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!The fact that GOD thinks of me humbles my very core.
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
I have been on a lot of teams through out my life. Everything from soccer, to baseball to basketball. And even now, I try to play pick-up basketball every week.
And recently building a great team has been on my mind. I really believe that having a great team dictates whether you are going to have success. On every team there must be a few things that are vitally important. I thought I would name a few that I have thought about in the past few days.
The team must be able to follow their leader/ coach.
If the team can’t decide one way or another who is the leader and that they will follow them then they are doomed to fail sooner or later. I will say this though… just because someone has the title, doesn’t mean they have the respect. The coach leader must earn this first before people will follow. Other wise people will just play for themselves.
There must be unity on the team.
Everyone should support everyone. I know it’s hard to do, I mean people are going to be people. Sooner or later feelings will be hurt and ego’s bruised. From beginning to end, the team must be unified if they want to work towards any goal, let alone accomplish it.
The focus needs to be centralized for the team.
The focus is set by the leader/ coach. After this is set their are roles that people fit into. We all have different talents and abilities, which means we all will do different things but, that doesn’t mean we have an excuse to lose focus of the pre-set goal.
The effort must be the same from everyone on the team.
Let’s be honest, no one likes a person who thinks they don’t have to work as hard as the rest of the team. Not everyone on a team will have the same talent, but the effort must be there from everyone. The moment someone feels like a team member is not working as hard as the other team members things begin to fall apart.
Would you add anything? Re-order anything? I would love to hear your thoughts… I need to learn more on this subject!
So #leadershipweek is over and I think it went very well. I am grateful to everyone who participated; from readers to writers I thought every things went well. So thanks everyone for doing this with me!
Since I have not written anything myself in the past few days I thought I would give you some thoughts that are in my brain right now, who knows maybe I will write about them in the coming weeks.
- Matt Chandler from the Village Church is the man. I have listened to two podcasts from him recently and all I can say is WOW! That man knows the word and is so passionate about it!
- I want to be more passionate for God’s word.
- I love my wife! She is the best and I would be so lost without her!
- When you give people an inch, they normally take a mile… be ready for that.
- No one ever likes the feeling of “they are not good enough.” If a church, pastor or Christ follower makes someone feel like that then there is a problem.
- Having tough conversations is key to great leadership. Leaders that avoid tough conversations are poor leaders.
- I went to Philly 2 weeks ago, I forgot to mention that it was awesome!
- Very excited about two speaking opportunities coming up. The day before Thanksgiving I am speaking to everyone at our church. And at the beginning of Dec. I will be speaking to Christian athletes at Geneva College.
- Your leadership only goes as far as your character will take it.
- People want to follow genuine leaders, if your fake… people will follow you in a fake kind of way.
- Moses and Jasper (my dogs) are getting along great. Jasper is already house trained… thinking about opening up a doggie training center.
Jeff Leake is the author of this post for #leadershipweek. I want to thank Jeff for taking the time to participate in this event. Please check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
Integrity and Leadership
Integrity is one of those foundational qualities of life that is most noticeable when it is absent, but hard to define when it is present.
It is a character quality that is woven into the fabric of a person or organization and is not necessarily visible immediately on the surface. But its presence is like the stitching in a garment, it is not readily visible but it has an affect to hold it all together.
What is integrity? A simple definition is this: Integrity is when your words and your actions match.
A related word is the word ‘integrated’. Integrity happens when a person’s values are integrated consistently throughout their life. Their values show through the same in their words, as in their attitudes, as in their motives, as in their actions. When integrity is present in a person or an organization – trust is established, credibility grows, values are reproduced, and people feel safe.
When integrity is missing, even in a small way – trust is broken, suspicion develops, values seem hollow, and people are insecure. There can be temporary success without integrity, but if the stitching begins to unravel…eventually the entire garment will fall apart. So what do we do to guard integrity?
1. Listen To Your Conscience – Integrity most often unravels slowly, like the pulling on a thread starts with just small fraying. The only way to prevent this is to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the activity of your conscience. The rule is that when your conscience is offended, and you respond to it -its voice remains strong in your life. But when you ignore your conscience, its voice becomes a whisper and larger offenses seem natural.
2. Repair Small Breaches - When you become aware of an offense, an area of dishonesty, an exaggeration, or misstep, take action on it. Tie up that lose end. Apologize. Make it right. Correct your exaggeration. Do what’s necessary to maintain integrity in the smallest areas of life.
3. Remain Teachable - If integrity is a value, you will be thankful for anyone who points out to you when it appears to be missing. The best way to ensure this is to invite accountability from trusted mentors or friends. But even critics can be a gift if we sort through the criticism to throw out the garbage and yet hold onto some element of truth.
4. Build Firewalls - It’s best to eliminate temptation before it has the chance to arise. Systems can be put in place to prevent weak moments from becoming moments of failure. Put policies and protections in place. Have two people handle the money and sign checks. Never spend time alone with a person of the opposite sex (who is not your spouse). Invest in some accountability software for your computer. There are many such rules that provide needed protection.
5. Reject Shortcuts - Many times we compromise because we want something that we don’t feel that we can get without some quick aggressive action. Lack of integrity can be a sign of lack of trust in God. It says, ‘I can’t wait for God to provide this for me righteously, so I will seek to obtain it on my own.’ When we choose integrity, we are saying, ‘I would rather maintain the favor of God on my life than obtain anything else in the short-term…because God will always take care of my needs.’
I’m not sure anyone can completely claim total integrity in all areas. But it is a value that we should consistently pursue. I pray God helps you grow this area of your life today.
This post was written by Joel Davis for #leadershipweek. I would like to thank Joel for doing the graphics and taking the time to participate in this event. Please check out his website and follow him on Twitter here.
Strength from Weakness
I once heard the saying, “a leader with no followers, is just out taking a walk.” I imagine that it could be quite a disappointment as a “leader” to have no one to actually lead. But I wonder who’s worse off…a leader with no followers, or a leader with people following them, “just out taking a walk.”
My question to you as a leader is this…
Where are you leading? Where are you taking the people that God has placed in your care?
I feel as though “leadership” has become a buzzword among us in the church. I’m not saying that it’s wrong. I’m just saying that we need to be aware of the responsibility that comes along with the label.
My father always told me growing up (and I’m sure he stole it from someone else), “you cannot lead someone where you haven’t been yourself.” You see, I’m convinced that until we’ve spent time implementing the principles we teach, engaging the presence we point people towards, and living the lives we declare as biblical, we’ll never be able to effectively lead people there. Now, I’m not saying you have to have all of your junk together to be a great leader…quite the contrary…I believe God uses our weaknesses to perfect His strengths, and that’s where strong leadership is born.
So where is the balance? If you can’t lead someone where you’ve never been, and you’re still not expected to have it all together, where is the middle ground?
It is being in the process. It is having a clear picture of where you’re headed, and being willing to give everything you have to get there yourself. It’s transparency to those who are following, admitting that you are not perfect but willing to serve alongside those following you.
It’s letting God be who He is through you. It’s humbling yourself before God and His purpose and plan knowing full well that His way is better.
It’s relinquishing control to the One who is faithful to complete what He has started in us. It is allowing His strength to be made perfect in our weakness, as Paul addressed in 2 Corinthians 12:9. It’s from this very passage of scripture that Paul spoke of boasting even more in his weakness in order that “the power of the Holy Spirit” might rest upon him.
You want to be a powerful, effective leader? Allow the Holy Spirit to rest upon you. Allow His strength to be perfected in your weakness.
David Santistevan is the author of this post. He wrote it for #leadershipweek. I want to thank David for taking the time to participate in this event. Check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
The Invisible Leader
One of the qualities of a great spiritual leader is invisibility. Not invisibility in a super-hero sense, or a psychopath spiritual sense – invisibility in that their lives make much of God and not themselves. They don’t lead people to admire their gifting but God’s glory. They don’t just lead people to a good time, but to God’s truth. They lead in such a way that people are left in awe of God, or wrestling with what God has spoken in His word. Through their leadership they provide opportunities for people to ‘see’ the glory of God and experience a life-changing encounter. I think the Apostle Paul says it best:
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (I Cor. 2:3-5).
Paul understood the danger of leading people simply to himself. We need to minister in a way that people’s faith is not in our wisdom, charisma, or gifting, but in the power of God.
So often church leadership can mimic Hollywood ideals. We want to ‘make it’ and be successful. We want people to like us. We want our music, ministry, and message to be recognized by many and influence many. Not necessarily a terrible goal. However, Hollywood stars are all about the spotlight. They want to draw people’s attention to who they are. As church leaders, we are seeking to be invisible – ministering in such a way that people ‘see’ God because it’s only as people ‘see’ and respond to God that they will be changed.
As a worship leader, this comes full-circle. Every Sunday I stand before an extremely mixed congregation. What can I do in this situation to be an invisible leader? A leader who makes much of Jesus Christ? What about you? It all starts before you hit the stage, my friend.
- Be a Bible person. I want to be someone who lives and breathes Scripture. I can tell if I spend enough time in the Word by what comes out of my mouth. Scripture has a transforming effect on a person. The more it changes you on the inside, the better leader you will be on the outside.
- Avoid being overly critical. Criticism has a dampening effect on your spirit. It can keep you from fully engaging in anything because you resolve to simply ‘observe’ and ‘critique’. As invisible leaders, we need a passion for Christ that is visible inside and out.
- Be Honest. People don’t want to follow a perfect leader. They want to follow an honest one. One who’s not afraid to admit mistakes. One who is living the reality they proclaim.
- Constantly expand your ‘view’ of God. Don’t become stagnant in your experience of God. You’ve never ‘learned it all’ or ‘seen all there is to see’ when it comes to God. Be constantly pursuing and worshiping Christ in secret. This will breathe constant life into your ministry and is contagious to others.
This post was written by Chilly Chilton for #leadershipweek. I want to thank Chilly for participating in this event. Please go and check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
The Tackle Box
This past summer I had the privilege of spending a week with my two brothers and their families at a lake house in Northern Michigan. We were celebrating my parent’s 50th Anniversary. It was a beautiful setting and an awesome opportunity to kickback and have fun – something we had not done all together for almost 20 years.
My older brother brought his boat – my kids were pumped for some hardcore tubing & swimming (so was I)… You see, throughout my upbringing, I was never interested in fishing – IF I was at a lake, I was in it or on it being active. My brothers hated taking me fishing. I would, without fail, end up doing something stupid (like hook my brother in the arm) or I would scare the fish away (by jumping in)!
Well, by now, you know where I’m going with this… yep, within 12 hours of our vacation, all the men were standing at a small tackle store purchasing fishing licenses. “Ok, why not?” I thought, “It’s a chance to hangout & kickback w/ the boys.”
I don’t own a fishing pole, tackle box or anything related to fishing, but that wasn’t a problem. My brother apparently brought the “Bass Pro Shop” with him! It was crazy! Every kind of fishing lure imaginable: big ones, little ones, shiny ones, spotted ones, feathered ones, slimy ones… some looked like fish, others like frogs, flies, worms… every color possible. Crazy! And, my big bro could tell me, without hesitation, what each one was made for: night fishing, bass fishing, trolling, casting… huh?! Ultimately, I came up with one obvious observation: You need a variety of lures IF you want to catch MORE fish!
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee; he saw Simon and
his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18 And they left their nets at once and followed Him. Mark 1:16-18
My point to all of this simple: it takes ALL kinds of leaders to catch fish (people)! I’ve seen a lot of leadership/ministry teams that appear to be cookie-cutter duplicates of each other. It’s annoying and humorous at the same time. Questions flood my mind: “Do they get a group discount at The Gap?” …“Are soy lattes really better for you?” …”Can you go to heaven if you don’t attend Catalyst?”
I have the greatest staff in the world – they’re NOTHING like me! I’m sure that’s a huge relief to them. They are teachers, baristas, engineers, students, mommies, secretaries, information techs, managers, repairmen, waiters and soldiers. The only things my staff all have in common is this: they love Jesus with all their hearts, they’re addicted to winning, and they serve without pay! That’s right – no one receives a salary (and no one calls it ‘sacrifice’). Many of these heroes have moved here from all across the country & bought homes right in the inner city of Detroit just to be a part of the adventure! Crazy?? Not if you read the same book of Acts that we do!
Seems like, far too often, we hire friends, just like us, to play with us, hang out with us, eat with us and catch the same fish with us. When we’re not with them – we’re tweeting & retweeting them. What does that say about us? Now, for a bunch of you with paid staff, DON’T get your underwear in a knot over this – I’m not saying my way is the only way. That would be arrogant & ignorant. I’m simply asking you, me, US to consider our approach – look beyond our comfort zone, style, and look – in order to reach people not yet in your pond. Don’t allow a paycheck to replace calling & commitment.
For our staff, working in the market place brings a fresh passion & purpose to the ministry of our team. We’re here to catch fish! Diversity is key. And, it mobilizes our church to serve! We need every kind of lure possible! Jesus is the ultimate fisherman – we’re all sharp & ready for whenever He wants to put us on the line & cast us into the sea of humanity. We’re available!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” – oh man, I’m feelin’ that! Are you?
I’m so glad that God loves our uniqueness – He made us and designed us to reach some fish that no one else can catch! Get in His tackle box! Find a place where you can serve without conforming to the status quo. Diversity is a wonderful quality that we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.
Note: IF this hurt, I’m sorry – you’re not the first person I’ve hooked in the arm!
This post was written by Kevin Martineau as part of #leadershipweek. I want to say thanks to Kevin for participating in this event. Please check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
Servant leadership versus Self-focused leadership
I have been a leader (in various arena’s) for most of my adult life. I am by no means an expert on leadership but I have learned a few things along the way. I think the greatest lesson that I have learned about leadership is that leaders are servants and they are humble. This is the example that Jesus gave us. First and foremost, He came to serve and He was the greatest example of humility. Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, gives this definition of servant leadership:“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.“ Unfortunately, I have met many leaders who are leader-first and not servant-first. These types of leaders are prideful and self-focused. In this short post I want to contrast servant leadership with self-focused (leader-first) leadership.
Self-focused leadership leads through human effort. It relies on its own abilities and gifts because it usually has lots of them. It doesn’t need God to “show up” because it has it all together.
Servant leadership leads from a reliance on God. It relies on the empowering of the Holy Spirit to use them despite their gifts and abilities. If God doesn’t “show up” everything will fail.
Self-focused leadership focuses on the “big deal” to impress others. It loves to be in the forefront. At all costs, it seeks to be the biggest and most recognized in its field of expertise.
Servant leadership doesn’t distinguish between small and big opportunities. It doesn’t lead to impress others. It does not have to be in the forefront.
Self-focused leadership requires external rewards. It needs others to see and appreciate the effort. It is secretly always seeking human applause. It loves to be the centre of attention.
Servant leadership is content in hiddeness. It doesn’t seek any attention. It lives for an audience of One.
Self-focused leadership becomes bitter when the results are not as “satisfactory” as expected. They only want results that will bring them attention and recognition.
Servant leadership is free of calculating the results. It delights only in leading and serving.
Self-focused leadership fractures community because it focuses everything on one person. It is not team oriented. It will sacrifice everyone and everything to accomplish its purposes.
Servant leadership, on the other hand, builds community. It sees the value of being a team and not just an individual. It will sacrifice itself for others.
Self-focused leadership is temporary and limited. It won’t last for the long haul. It only leads when it serves its purposes and ends.
Servant leadership is a life-style. It encompasses all aspects of life. It is always willing to lead and serve.
What other contrasts would you include?
This post was written by Pete Wilson for #leadershipweek. I want to thank Pete for taking the time to participate in this event. Please go and check out Pete’s blog and follow him on Twitter here.
Thank you guys so much for the opportunity to join you here on #LeadershipWeek. It’s an honor to partner with you guys as we seek to be more effective stewards of the leadership gifts God has given us. I wanted to take the opportunity to write about a topic that has derailed my leadership on more than on occasion and that is the topic of praise and criticism.
I recently had the opportunity to hear one of my favorite preachers of all time Chuck Swindoll <http://www.insight.org/> preach. I’ve listened to his sermons since I was in college. He shared with us the leadership lessons he’s learned over the decades of his ministry. One of his points which really stuck out with me was his thoughts about the opinions of others.
He essentially said,
“There will be people in your life who basically want to worship you. In their eyes you can do no wrong. They put you up on a pedestal and believe every word, every action, every thought is pure as the fallen snow.”“On the other hand you will have your critics for whom you can do nothing right. Every word, action, and thought will be criticized with little thought to who you are as a person.”
He said the wise leader will not take either one of these groups serious. I don’t think he meant we shouldn’t still love them because I believe we should. I think he meant we shouldn’t allow them to shape and mold us. Their false worship and eager critical hearts will simply damage the work God is doing in you and through you.
A couple weeks ago someone sent me a link <http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2009/10/do-you-need-your-spiritual-womb-opened.html> to a radio program that had aired earlier in the day. I listened to this guy spend two hours bashing me and taking one of my messages and going line by line tearing it apart. My first thought was…well, I can’t tell you my first thought. My second thought was, Who has this kind of time? And why would he go online and pick the one message he thought he could pick on the most? Why would someone who calls himself a Christian do this? How does this build up the Kingdom?
And then I thought about Swindoll’s words and I turned the radio show off, shut my computer, climbed into bed with my amazing wife <http://www.brandiandboys.wordpress.com> and was reminded of how grateful I am for the things God is doing in my life and the relationships he’s blessed me with.
Hear me now: Don’t waste your time listening to false praise or distorted criticism. The praise will go straight to your head and the criticism will go directly to your heart. Both will lead you astray and both will damage the work God is doing in you and through you.
Which is more likely to get you off course? Praise or criticism?
*Note: Please do not go on the guy’s blog above and say negative things. A reaction is exactly what he’s looking for and it only get’s him going more. At the end of the day he’s someone I’m called to love and extend grace to. While I clearly don’t do ministry in the way he does, we’re on the same team. Plus, he’s right. It really wasn’t my best message. 
Rich Boehne is the author of this post. He wrote it for the event of #leadershipweek. I want to thank Rich for taking the time to participate in this event. Rich is the president & CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company. Check their site out here.
The Surprising Leaders
Twenty three years ago, the newspaper I was working for asked me to write a series about leadership in the Greater Cincinnati community. The idea was to identify the formal and informal networks and the training grounds that produced the community’s leaders. I also was to identify the traits that distinguished successful local leaders. Was there a pattern? A common ingredient or experience?
As I left the editor’s office that day my first thought was, “How do I get rid of this nausea?”
What had I done to deserve this? Assigned to write about “leadership”…and more than once. A series. How many times over the next week would I have to type stupid clichés about l-e-a-d-e-r-s-h-i-p? Yuk.
You see, journalists despise clichés. They like and admire true leaders, but journalists figure leaders should be described by deeds; not by overused adjectives and adverbs.
So I set out to find the secret leaders training camp, hoping to catch them doing something stupid like having a seminar or working in teams to solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than five minutes.
As I suspected there were some well-established leadership pipelines; organizations and programs that included many prominent local leaders among their alums. But to my surprise, the really strong and trusted leaders in the community had qualities that are not often taught in seminars and classes, and even more rarely written about in the droves of leaderships books published every year.
What did they have in common? What made them the most trusted voices in business, government, social service, as well as in the faith community?
Humility. Self-awareness. Fairness. A servant’s heart. What I was pleased to find were people at the top who got there by lifting up the people at the bottom.
Unfortunately, these kinds of leaders, now just like 23 years ago, are in short supply. For some reason books about humility are not big sellers.
This post was written by Stephen Brewster for #Leadershipweek. I want to say thanks to Brew for writing for this event. Please go and check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
Have you ever seen a runner in a marathon? There comes a point when that runner looks like she is just gliding along. She finds the rhythm.
As leaders, we are responsible for the rhythm. The rhythm of our lives and the lives of those we are responsible for stewarding. But how can we manage that balance, if we do not create it in our own lives?
Matthew 11:28-29 (Msg) says: 28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.29 Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. God desires us to walk in His “unforced rhythms of grace”. The bible is crystal clear on how to measure our time, how we are supposed to walk, act, treat others, manage our staffs, develop generations, and pretty much anything else we are going to deal with as a leader.
Our problem is, we take on all the responsibility. We “trust” God, but we slowly and unconsciously take control, assume the burden, stop resting, and lose our life…we fall out of rhythm. So as a leader, today, create time in your life for a couple of things that will help you bounce to the rhythm of grace God has created for you:
1. Don’t be afraid to admit you are getting worn out and burnt out. It happens to the best of us. Admitting this will help you find your rhythm.
2. Get alone with God. Walk with him. Talk with Him. Don’t feel guilty for investing in Him, it is an investment in you, your family, your staff, and your organization. Find out what HE thinks. What HE wants, what HE is saying about the “things” in your life.
3. Study the leadership style of Jesus. As you walk with Him and watch Him work, the word says you will learn His unforced rhythm.
Once you have taken that time, you have refocused the compass of your organization, YOU. Now the practical, the word RHYTHM comes from the greek “rhythmos” and means any measured flow or movement. Are you measuring the flow of your life? Creating time for family? Choosing to stay on strategic task as opposed to reacting to circumstances? Are you making room for creativity, development, and the things that are important to your core values? Do it.
So lets go. Lets find our rhythm, find that pace, that beat, that internal flow that allows us to recover our lives as leaders, to enjoy the privilege of pressure, and to get things back into the rhythm. Its time to start bouncing to a beat that can change the world.
This post was written by Scott Williams for #Leadershipweek. I want to thanks Scott for participating in this event. Please check out his blog and follow him on Twitter here.
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND
When you read the phrase “Blind Leading The Blind” what generally comes to mind? The general thought is that people who don’t know what they’re doing leading people who don’t know what they are doing. I’d like to look at this phrase from a totally different perspective.
In the world of social media there are leaders that grow to have a strong voice and garner a specific following. These leaders establish themselves through their daily blog posts, daily tweets or daily facebook updates. They develop a voice that people want to listen to. Many of the people who follow these social media leaders have never physically met or seen them and vice versa. Blind Leading The Blind!
Leading in the world of social media can sometimes be more difficult than leading in a traditional leadership/work setting. The social media leader has to lead purely through relational and content equity. There is no positional equity, hierarchal leadership or formal boss. The social media leader has to answer this daily question from each of their followers: “Why should I listen to, or follow you?” In other words, what are you providing that makes people want to follow you; especially when there are thousands of others who are only a click away.
Here are 5 Quick thoughts to be a successful Blind Leading The Blind social media leader:
- 1. Can You See What I’m Saying? Find your voice. Online voice should be a natural overflow of your IRL (In Real Life) voice. They should not be mutually exclusive, but rather one in the same.
- 2. When You Look At Me Who Do You See? Don’t try to be a copycat or phony. Authenticity is crucial, so Keep it Real! “Do You! It’s A Statement… Not A Question.”
- 3. Can I See You? Be accessible, helpful, respond to tweets, write a guest post for someone, remember that your online success is based upon those who choose to follow you. Key word… choose!
- 4. Can You See My Muscles? Be willing to flex your leadership muscle by tackling the tough issues and providing overall value to the online community.
- 5. Can You See Me? People can’t follow you if you don’t give them anything to follow. Just like the newspaper, you need to deliver regular content. You don’t have to be hyperactive, just active. Write something, tweet something, share something!
Share your thoughts on any these 5 Blind Leading The Blind thoughts or add some additional to the list. Why do you follow social media leaders?
This post was written by Fiore Londino for #leadershipweek. I want to thank Fiore for taking the time to write on a topic that he is very knowledgable in. You can check out his consulting companies website here.
Managerial Courage: If It Looks Like a Lion & Walks Like a Lion…
“All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts…But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.”
The Cowardly Lion, The Wizard of Oz
Employees expect the “Kings” of their organizations – CEOs, VPs, Directors, Managers – to live up to their titles. They respect, trust, and follow leaders who step up to issues, make tough calls, and take the heat. Unfortunately, even leaders who make daring operational decisions, lose their nerve when facing tough personnel issues. They fail to demonstrate managerial courage.
Courage to Surround Yourself with Strong Talent
Courageous leaders don’t let insecurity or fear of being upstaged keep them from hiring people who are strong as or stronger than they are in key areas. They aren’t afraid to surround themselves with people who challenge their thinking. Ego doesn’t keep them from developing successors to fill their shoes. Rather than being threatened by others’ competence, they gain great satisfaction from building a high performing team and seeing members experience success. Imagine your “dream team.” How would it be different from your team today?
Courage to “Let Go”
As leaders take on bigger roles, they must adjust their to-do lists, strategically letting go of some responsibilities. Those who don’t, become overloaded and a bottleneck for their teams. They imply “I don’t trust you enough” to talented team members looking for new challenges. Courageous leaders don’t abdicate or micromanage. Instead, they constantly scan for meaningful opportunities and wisely entrust responsibility and authority. They don’t derail themselves with thoughts like: “By the time I explain it, I can do it myself, “I can do it better and faster,” “I like it and don’t want to give it up,” or “I don’t like asking my team to take on more work.” It takes professional maturity – and nerves of steel – to pass the baton for the first time. What tasks are you clinging on to that you should let go?
Courage to Step Up to Conflicts
Savvy leaders know conflict is a natural, inevitable part of people working together. Instead of avoiding conflict, they choose productive ways to get involved because they know conflict handled well strengthens teams. Sometimes, the best thing is to do nothing and let people sort things out themselves. However, when conflicts fester they flatten productivity and shatter morale. Courageous leaders quickly coach others to handle their own conflicts, get directly involved in mediating, or when all else fails, take charge. What conflicts are impacting productivity or morale in your team and how will you step up to ensure they’re resolved?
Courage to Hold People Accountable
A team is only as strong as its weakest link and you can bet strong performers know who the weak performers are. They know because they have to do – and undo and redo – their work. They resent them and resent you for not holding them accountable. Courageous leaders discuss expected results with each team member. Knowing that bad attitudes and behaviors are “catching,” they also specify in- and out-of-bounds behaviors. They move in swiftly to deliver the “you’re off track” message in no uncertain terms, but with the goal of getting the person back on track. And, when a team member is incapable or unwilling to change, courageous leaders step up to the uncomfortable task of terminating the relationship. How are you handling weak links in your team?
Courage to Admit Weaknesses
Research shows the higher we move in management, the less honest feedback we get. It’s not that people don’t see our weaknesses, they just don’t tell us. Not knowing or admitting weaknesses derails careers and companies. Brave leaders practice candid self-reflection. They solicit feedback and listen non-defensively because they know others’ perceptions must be addressed. They may use 360 surveys, hire an objective coach, or join a professional peer-accountability group. They face up to blind spots like inability to admit mistakes, arrogance, defensiveness, and lack of composure. In Greek tragedy, the hero’s tragic flaw is usually exaggerated pride. What weaknesses or blind spots are you working to improve?
Few managers would admit that they want to be braver “people leaders.” The truth is that they, like the Lion, typically have enormous reserves of courage, but hesitate to tap into them. It is those who recognize courage in themselves and apply it, who make life infinitely easier for themselves and those they serve.
This post was written by my friend Paul Bae for #leadershipweek. I want to thank Paul for taking the time to participate in this event. Paul’s website is under construction so follow him on Twitter here.
Fresh Perspectives for Project Management
Ever heard the term “Scrum”? It’s a formation used in the sport of rugby to restart play. But since I know absolutely nothing about rugby, I’d like to talk about another type of Scrum – this one from the software development world (they borrowed the name from rugby). Scrum is a team-based product development framework, or process-management methodology. It relies on strict guidelines and patterns to maximize cooperation and productivity, improve trust and teamwork, aid in time/resource management, and reduce conflict and confusion. Scrum is somewhat complex (or at least multi-faceted) so I’ll just focus on a few different aspects of it here. Why? Because organizations and team leaders can gain fresh perspective by looking at strategies and methodologies from industries that are vastly different from their own.
As a user-experience producer (and wannabe programmer), I’ve worked within the Scrum framework before and was pretty impressed with how it helped bring increased efficiency and focus to the product/project development team. Scrum can really streamline a complicated (and potentially chaotic) product development process by managing expectations, goals/timelines, and most importantly, roles. This post will focus on the roles, although the process definitions are fascinating — “sprints”, daily stand-ups, backlogs, sprint retrospectives, etc. (Sprints are predefined, repeatable iterations or work cycles that are typically 2-4 weeks each and highly specific to a set of goals. Once a sprint starts, you can’t add new tasks or change the scope. Isn’t that awesome?!?!)
So, back to those Scrum-defined roles… All 3 roles are essential to the process:
The TEAM is a small group of people who do the actual work, including analysis, design, implementation, testing, etc. Generally, you’re talking about 3-7 people. They can be from different departments, but each person brings the skills and knowledge to do the actual work (design, develop, test, etc) and accomplish whatever the project needs may be.
The PRODUCT OWNER represents the stakeholders (customers) and shapes and communicates the overall vision for the project to the team. The Product Owner defines the features of the product and sets the priorities according the customer’s needs/desires. They are usually the person that makes the budgetary and final go/no-go decisions.
The SCRUM MASTER is a “servant leader” to the team and it is this person’s job to facilitate scrum. The Scrum Master can be (but is often not) the leader of the team, but works outside of that team to help them deliver their goals. They are responsible for eliminating distractions to the Team, enforcing the Scrum rules, shielding the Team from external interferences, and making sure that they have what they need to succeed in each “sprint”. Think of this person as a “buffer” and process evangelist. (Think about that for a sec… “Process Evangelist” — so important, yet so many organizations lack them)
Your organization probably has individuals or roles that match up in many ways to these Scrum roles. But the interesting thing about Scrum that makes it unique, and arguably more effective, is that the roles are (for the most part) mutually exclusive. In fact, it’s almost MORE important what each role does NOT do. This aspect of Scrum really helps to reduce conflict and confusion. For example:
* The Product Owner does not do any actual development work – that’s the Teams’ job.
* The Team carries out the actual work, but can NOT change the focus of the project or the specific goal(s) of each sprint — that’s been laid out by the Product Owner.
* Only the members of the Team are empowered to make the daily decisions regarding how the work will be carried out.
* The Product Owner or Scrum Master cannot make any daily decisions regarding how the work will be carried out. The Team is entrusted with those daily decisions and tasks.
* The Scrum Master focuses on eliminating outside distractions and whatever impediments that may arise.
* The Team is not allowed to focus on impediments that arise from changing conditions, customer requirements, etc.
Now, those points may seem really obvious. After all, that’s why each job has a specific job-description in your organization, right? But how many times has the “Product Owner” in your organization micromanaged a particular facet of a team’s work sprint? How many of your “Team” members have been distracted by the changing needs of a “customer” and attempted to directly address them? If there is a role in your organization akin to a “Scrum Master,” has that person ever misinterpreted or augmented the vision, albeit ever-so-slightly?
The beauty of Scrum is that strict adherence to these roles limits conflict, increases trust, forces better communication, requires thorough evaluation, and demands realistic goals and expectations. For software development, Scrum is almost crucial for teams to stay focused in the midst of potential conflict, distractions and chaos created by rapidly changing circumstances and evolving market/customer needs.
Even if your “customers” are not as demanding as Apple’s iPhone users awaiting the next software update or bug fix, having guidelines or a team-based methodology that better define roles and processes may be helpful.
* If your project life cycles are long and constantly changing, try adhering to short “sprints” that have hyper-focused goals/tasks.
* If your organization already has well defined roles in place, trust each role and then give each person the freedom to do what they do best.
* If you are the type of person that has many talents and consequently gets involved in every aspect of a project, try setting limits for yourself (within any one particular project) and allow other people to blossom in their roles. Just make sure that the expectations are laid out clearly beforehand.
Sometimes the best way to support other team members is to set really specific guidelines and then stay out of their way!
This post was written by Mark Santistevan. I want to thank Mark for participating in this week long series of posts on leadership. Please check out his blog here and follow him on Twitter here. BTW Mark doesn’t use capitalization.
“thank you for following along with ben during this fantastic #leadershipweek. i know he has been very excited about it and his enthusiasm is contagious. i am personally very anxious to see how this week will turn out and hope to learn a lot. my name is mark santistevan, i am a bible college student about to graduate this december with a degree in theological studies: biblical languages (sounds impressive but all it really means is “nerd”). i am credentialed with the assemblies of God and plan on planting a church in west philadelphia soon after i graduate. thanks to ben for asking me to contribute and more importantly thank you for the drive to get this thing going, i am sure it will bless a lot of people and that we will all learn a lot. keep up the good work.
ben asked me to address the topic of what leadership in the church will be like when we (i am 21 so “we” are young leaders/pastors/whoevers) have become the old guys.
this is impossible to answer so instead i will give something that is more of what i “hope” it will be and what i pray it will be. things i want to address are problems i see in young leaders as well as particular advantages that they have. after that i hope to give ways that we can change the problems and capitalize on the advantages in order to provide the best opportunity for those who follow.
problems
1) young leaders can be rebellious. i think this is probably the most common problem and the one that most others flow from. we want to do things differently than the way they were done for us. it’s not even that we are actually thinking of “the best way” to do things as much as it is any way that’s different. sometimes we even want it to succeed just so we can shove it in our old leaders faces and say “see! i was right!” this is rebellion. rebellion is sin. sin is bad.
2) being young! i look back on who i was one year ago and sometimes i want to puke. wisdom comes with age. not all the time (there are some old people that are dumb), but it is a simple fact that people learn as the grow. if you are going in a maturing direction you will become more wise. we are not there yet. we are not yet as wise as we will be. we are still rebellious. we still have many dumb decisions to make that will make us become wiser.
3) ingratitude. very often young people are not grateful. we are proud and arrogant. we do not honor the people who have sacrificed for us. we think we are the stuff.
advantages
1) old people. there are people who have been there, they know there stuff and we can learn from them. there are mistakes before us that we can avoid thanks to them. there are also great ideas that we can use from them to do things better right away.
2) being freakin’ young! with this youth comes, at least for me, a drive that is different from older people. i’m still planning on changing the world. sometimes i don’t know what to do with the amount of ideas i have and i think i’ve probably forgotten some of my best ones because i didn’t write them down. there is a creativity that comes with being young. there is an ability to identify with a generation that needs to be reached for Jesus. i could go on.
i’m sure there is a lot more to all of that but those are just the pieces that i perceive to be the biggest. i think that capitalizing on the advantages and shutting down the problems go hand-in-hand.
the key for young leaders is humility. we need to chill. we need to slow down on our love-affair with rebellion and sit at the feet of our Savior. Jesus doesn’t give us room to be proud. we suck. that’s why he came. Jesus saved us and now is using us to do that same thing for other people so that he will look more awesome. it doesn’t get much more humbling than that. to borrow a phrase from my generation, we are not the s***. more accurately, we are s*** that Jesus changed and made glorious to the praise of his glorious grace.
we need to be grateful for and seek the wisdom of our elders. one time, they were young (believe it or not). there was a day when those guys were 21 like me. they made a lot of dumb decisions that they can keep me from making if i am smart enough to ask and listen. a big step towards humility is gratitude. take some time to thank the old people who have invested in your life. they may be parents, pastors, friends, whoever. it will go a long way in showing you your inadequacy.
finally we need to rely on Jesus. that’s what holds all this together. that’s what keeps us humble. this goes for everyone, old leaders, young leaders, people who are not leaders… Jesus is everything and it needs to stay that way. he needs to be our source of inspiration – not rebellion. he needs to be our source for wisdom – not our youth. he needs to be the source of our humility – not ingratitude. he is all of those things. more importantly, he is also God. and we need to not forget that. Jesus is God. he rules.
i hope that the leaders that come after us will be able to look at us and see a humble group of old men. that they will approach me with humility and that i will treat them with respect. i hope that i can show them the areas where i have failed so they won’t make the same mistakes. i hope that i can show them the awesome stuff i’ve done so they can do things that are almost as cool. what will it look like? God only knows. what do i hope it looks like? i hope it focuses on Jesus. because that’s all that will matter.”
This post was written by Tyler Braun. I want to thank Tyler for participating in this week long series of posts on leadership. Please check out Tyler’s blog and Twitter.
Look through most lists of best-selling books and it will become quite noticeable that leadership is a hot topic. Maybe even the hottest topic. Everyone is trying to get on the edge of how to be the next great manager of resources and people. Men such as Jim Collins, John Maxwell, Gary Hamel, and countless others have made a living by writing books, teaching upcoming leaders, and speaking at conferences on how to provide effective leadership in today’s world.
I could name well over 8 church conferences that focus on providing leadership within the local church. The great thing is that this is a hot topic because it is an important one. BUT it is changing. The way leaders operate within the local church is changing from a senior pastor model to a shared leadership model.
For too long churches have operated with the understanding that they need one well qualified leader to present the Word every week and make decisions for them. This sets up that senior leader and the church for complete failure.
(To clarify I would describe shared leadership as what many would call an eldership model and is outlined in Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5. The idea that leadership of the church is meant to be shared by a team of people who each carry the same amount of decision-making power is something the church has completely gotten away from as it has adopted a CEO-business style-of governing the church.)
This change will have 2 key implications:
- Limitations are minimized. Every pastor has limitations and blind spots. And too often senior pastors have no one that has enough power to point out those areas without compromising their already limited power to do so. Church leadership needs more accountability within the key decision making process.
- More key ministers of the gospel. Sharing the load of leadership will certainly lighten the load of those who carry far too much weight. It will also allow those who are capable and qualified to carry more weight, allowing for more to share in the ministry spreading the good news.
