Category: Leadership (page 14 of 30)

Dave Ramsey, Catalyst 2011

October 6, 2011 / / 3 Comments

Dave Ramsey, author, radio host and TV host, started his talk at Catalyst 2011 with the question:

What does it really mean to be present as you’re engaging in leadership?

He has decided he’s going to run his business God’s way.

Leadership matters.

5 things about leadership that matter:

 

1. In order to be present, you’ve got to understand that people matter.

  • The #1 correlation between your success and failure is your relational IQ.
  • When you’re having an interaction with someone, listen for their story.

2. An incredible team and a culture of excellence matters.

  • If we’re not careful, we’ll be surrounded by people who need more help that they can give.
  • You can’t win the Kentucky Derby if you’ve got a donkey.
  • When you put someone in the wrong seat on a bus, the whole organization suffers.
  • Spend time on the staffing/interview process.
  • Don’t intentionally bring ‘crazy’ into the building.

3. Slow and steady matters.

  • Don’t let your ministry, workplace, and life go faster than your resources.
  • When you’re growing faster than you’ve got money, you’re about to have problems.

4. Financial principles matter.

  • Stay out of debt
  • Save.
  • Have a plan.
  • Spend less than you make.
  • Learn to be generous.

5. A higher calling matters.

  • Do your work as unto the Lord.
  • Opportunity will be attracted to excellence.

Care about the “why” not just the “what.”

The “why” is the most important part. Readdress your higher calling each and every day.

Do you see leadership as essential?

 

Andy Stanley, Catalyst 2011

October 6, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Andy Stanley, pastor at North Point Community Church, opened the main sessions at Catalyst 2011.

He challenged those at the conference with these statements as they related to the theme, “Be Present.”

The more successful you are, the less accessible you will become.

For many this is frustrating. For others, this is liberating. But this is simply a leadership truth. And it’s not a bad thing.

There’s part of us that reads this and says, “Not me. I’ll always be accessible.”

 Refuse to face this reality and burn out by trying to be accessible to everyone.

You get stretched really thin if you ignore this principle. You can only be really, truly accessible to very few people. Over time, your body is in many different locations, and your mind goes with it.

 Some people use success as an excuse to become more inaccessible than necessary.

We see people using success as an excuse. Over time, the one who spreads himself too thin is no longer “present.”

Some people like to live with the mantra:

Unawareness is bliss.

The more aware you are of the needs around you, the more you often feel helpless and put-upon. Because no problem is fixed in 30 minutes, is it?

Being aware of the problems around us wears us out.

The Apostle Paul helps us with this.

Let us not become weary in coing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

You have limited time and opportunity, but as you have time and opportunity…

Here’s the truth from this passage:

  • You can’t shut it all out.
  • You can’t hide in your office from people.
  • You can’t take it all on.

In ministry, this is one of the primary tensions you have to manage. There is no solution for this. If you ever solve this problem, your heart is hard towards people.

This is the phrase that Andy lives by, and the one he lives out with his family all of the time:

Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.

In school, when people asked the lunch lady, “Can I have an extra cookie?” she’d respond with, “If I give it to you, I have to give it to everyone.” To which you reply, “No you don’t…you can just give it to me!”

Fairness ended in the garden of Eden.

Nothing has been fair since. Fair is nothing to shoot for.

Don’t be fair. Be engaged.

3 tips to be engaged:

  1. Go deep rather than wide.
  2. Get involved with an individual couple.
  3. Go long-term rather than short-term

If you give every single one of your leaders who’s struggling an hour…you’ll be burned out. You’d be better off giving one couple 20 or 30 hours. If you don’t, it’ll rob your joy.

This is a challenge for me, personally. I would like to be able to “fix” everything. I’m grateful for Andy’s wisdom here. I needed it for sure.

Are you tempted to “fix” everything and everyone?

 

Michael Hyatt, Catalyst 2011

October 5, 2011 / / 1 Comment

I’m at Catalyst Conference this week, and I’ll be blogging what I feel are some of the most important sessions.

In this lab session, Michael Hyatt spoke on the importance of the leader’s heart.

On a retreat in college, Michael’s pastor said this:

Based on my experience, by the time you are 55 years old, 10% of you will act like you never knew Jesus at all. 70% of you will be compromised. 20% of you will still be following Christ, and if you want to be a part of that 20%, you have to make a commitment to be in it for the long haul.

This had a profound impact on his life.

What happens to the 80% that don’t make it? Those people lose heart in some way.

This truth is particularly important for leaders.

You will maximize your influence as a leader when you embrace 5 truths about the heart.

5 Truths About Your Heart

1. Your heart is the essence of your identity.

This is particularly important to grasp in a world of social media, where the image triumphs the reality. Don’t lose yourself in your image! The Bible uses the word, “heart” over 1,000 times. Matthew 5:8. Matthew 6:23. Matthew 15:18. Matthew 22:37.

Today, you are you. That is truer than true. There is none alive that is you-ier than you. – Dr. Seuss

The essence of who you are is your heart. It’s where your dreams, hopes, fears, love, and disappointment live in this sanctuary. But the world’s focus is too often on the external image.

In 1 Samuel 16.7, we see that the Lord looks at the heart, because that’s what matters most.

A question that John Eldredge asked rocked Michael’s world:

How is your heart?

2. Your heart is the most valuable leadership tool you have.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” It doesn’t say, “If you can squeeze ‘guarding your heart’ into your to-do list…” Your heart is the wellspring of life!

We often think that leadership is about your knowledge, experience, or skills. But it’s about your heart…because it’s the wellspring of life.

A few things about springs:

  • If you stop up a spring, it stops flowing.
  • If you pollute a spring, then what comes out is toxic.

The same is true for your heart.

3. Your heart directly impacts your influence.

Physically, your heart keeps you alive. Your body can’t survive without this vital organ.

Hyatt was brought to the hospital and treated for pneumonia, but 4 days later, he was rushed back to the hospital because of a ruptured gall bladder. But he has found out that, as important as it is, he’s really okay without a gall bladder. But if you lose your heart, you’re dead.

This is also true in a spiritual sense. Your heart is what keeps your organization alive. As a leader, you pump personality into every person and project you meet. Your organization can survive without your skills and knowledge, but it can’t survive without your heart. Your heart is the greatest gift you bring to your organization.

4. Your heart is either healthy or unhealthy

Cardiovascular disease happens in our bodies when arteries harden and blood flow is constricted. Cardiovascular disease is the quiet killer.

Spiritually, it is as well. It takes leaders out when they don’t even know it. And the truth is this: your heart is either open or closed.

When your heart is closed, it looks like this:

distant, aloof, lost in your own problems, can’t connect with people, communication shuts down, leave people on your team to fend for themselves, and people feel oppressed as life and possibility dries up.

But when your heart is open, it looks like this:

When you’re a leader with an open heart, you’re fully present and accessible. You’re focused on others, you connect to people, communication is wide open, you’re a resource to your people, you may focus on what is missing but you don’t focus on what’s wrong (be careul…it’ll suck the life out of your team), people feel free, you’re pumping life and possibility into the organization.

It matters if your heart is open or closed.

5. Your heart is under constant attack.

Satan’s primary objective is to take you out and render you ineffective for God. We do have an enemy, and he takes us out at the level of the heart. We can allow disappointment, disillusionments, and failures to steal our heart if we don’t guard it.

You’re never too old to do something stupid. Don’t ever give up!

Proverbs 4:23 encourages us to guard our hearts. Because there’s something valuable and precious there that needs to be guarded.

Satan is particularly adept at taking out the hearts of Christian leaders. Because he knows that if he takse you out he can take many others out with you. People are watching and hoping that you’re going to make it.

Having close friends is a key to keeping your heart alive, especially considering that pastor burnout is such a massive problem.

The heart is like a drawbridge. Sometimes it needs to be drawn up. But other times it needs to be let down and let others in.

We’re called to love and lead from our heart.

 

 

A Key To Leading Volunteers

October 3, 2011 / / 8 Comments

Make volunteers feel special!

image via Creation Swap

When I was a senior in high school, I was a part of the organization called National Honor Society. And though it felt at times that we existed as an organization purely to meet in between 4th and 5th periods, we did do some good.

One afternoon, we took a trip to an elementary school to help them promote their Fall Halloween Festival. We read books to the students, interacted them, and encouraged them to invite their families to the event that night. My main role was to hand out little trinkets to each student as they left the auditorium. I know…incredibly exciting and important. But I took it upon myself to make each and every student feel special.

So I’d act like each each student coming through was the only person on the planet who got that little spider ring. That spider ring was, according to all standards of financial reason, worthless. But according to that student, their little plastic spider ring was more valuable than a brand new diamond ring.

It’s all about perspective and value.

Which relates to all areas of leadership.

Value and Celebrate Volunteers

If you value those you lead, they’ll feel valuable.

Treat them like they’re a hired hand, and that’s exactly what they’ll feel like.

Treat them like without them you’d suffer. Let them know that their contribution matters.

Email them. Call them. Text them. Take them to lunch. Buy them a cup of coffee. Write them a letter. Have a dinner where you honor them. And give them a plastic spider ring while you’re at it.

Whatever you do, make them feel valued. Make them feel like they’re insiders.

Better yet…make them insiders.

*image via Creation Swap user: Amber Sprung

 

3 free tickets to RightNow 2011

September 26, 2011 / / 22 Comments

I like you. I genuinely do.

Most of you I know personally because we’ve had conversations either online or in person.

And just to say, “Thanks,” I’d like to give you something.

The guys at Right Now are putting on a conference for lead pastors, student pastors, and young adult pastors. It’s also for anyone who is responsible for casting vision, leading people, and equipping people to serve.

And don’t forget that it’s for small groups pastors, discipleship pastors, assimilation pastors, and anyone responsible for carrying out the Church’s mission through Bible studies, discipleship, or groups.

Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, and Matt Carter will all be there. It’s really a premier conference.

The conference happens from November 2-4, 2011. More details HERE.

And I’ve got 3 tickets to give away! (1 ticket per person)

To enter, just do (at least) one of the following (1 point/action below):

1. Subscribe to this blog. By email click HERE (just follow the instructions…it’s really easy), or by RSS HERE.

2. Tweet or Facebook (or both) this, making sure to tag me: Want to score a free ticket to Right Now 2011? Check out @benreed ‘s blog here: http://ow.ly/6ELRF 

3. “Like” Life & Theology on Facebook HERE.

4. You must leave a comment below, simply telling me how many of these you’ve done (1 for each of the above).

I’ll choose the winners via random.org on Friday, September 30th.

Good luck!

 

The 1st rule of Introducing Yourself

September 23, 2011 / / 7 Comments

Ever seen someone and you just can’t remember their name?

It’s embarrassing.

And if you’re in a position where you’re in front of a lot of people very often, likely there will be people who know your name, but you don’t know theirs. Still embarrassing.

I’ve got some things that I’m working on to help me better remember names, but I want to save embarrassment for others who aren’t working on it if that’s at all possible. So here’s my number one rule when I introduce myself:

Assmume nobody remembers my name.

Always assume someone has no idea who you are. (If they happen to remember your name, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!)

Then give them the context for how they know you.

Where did you meet? How long ago? Why should they know you? What’s the connection?

Assume they don’t know your spouse either. It’ll put them at ease, because if they don’t remember exactly they’ll be wracking their brain. If they have no recollection of who you are, this *rule* will help them tremendously. Trust me.

As soon as you act like someone should know who you are, you come across as a diva. And nobody wants to be a diva or talk to one.

So give people the easy road. Remind them of your name. And you’ll save everyone a little embarrassment and disappointment.

Question:

Are you good at remembering names?

Photo credit: Creative Commons user Bump

 

 

6 Reasons a “Yes” Man will Demolish Your Vision

September 22, 2011 / / 4 Comments

Creation Swap User Savannah Daniel

Having a team of people around you that agree with you on everything feels great in the moment. You feel like a king issuing awesomeness at every turn. Every idea, every decision, every complaint and every shout is greeted by a resounding, “Yes!” You can’t do anything wrong. Everybody wants to be you.

Little do you know, you may be leading your organization straight into the ground.

While I was in grad school, I called these guys, “lackeys.” Familiar with the term? A lackey is, formally, someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another.” (Merriam-Webster) I define it as someone who is constantly at your beckon call. In grad school, these were the guys who wore suits to class every day and ran little errands around for the professor. It was pitiful, really. Everywhere the professor went, so did the lackey. These guys were little clones, thinking and teaching like their leader.

Every leader can find little “lackeys.” Every leader, however, should surround themselves with people who think and operate differently.

Because a “Yes” man just could demolish your vision.

6 Reasons a “Yes” man will Demolish your Vision

1. Maybe you need to hear, “No.”

For “no” – I can sometimes have some dumb ideas. Really dumb. And I need someone to say, “Nope. Move on. Start moving in a different direction.”

2. Maybe you need to hear, “Yes.”

I have a tendency to be pretty hard on myself. Yet sometimes my ideas are really good. And I need someone to come alongside me and encourage me with, “Yes, your’e headed in the right direction even though you may think you’re not.”

3. You need pushback on your ideas

I process things out loud, so I need someone who’s going to push back on my ideas and not just take them at face value because I said them. I need the occasional, “Why? Are you sure? Why now? Why him? Why not this?” Reminder to self: you’re not as great as you think.

4. Unity is not the same as conformity.

We should pursue unity, but that doesn’t have to be conformity. Unity means that we can operate together as a team even though we have differing ideas. Unity promotes healthy growth. Conformity can produce growth, but it can also lead to a cess pool of thoughts that never evolve and get better.

5. Commiserating can take you down a dangerous path.

Ever headed there? It starts out innocently. You’re tired and frustrated, so you vent to someone else. And instead of them saying, “Whoa…hang on. You’re pretty bitter and angry right now. Why don’t you take a breather and come back in a few minutes?” They say, “Whoa…you’re right. That’s awful. In fact, it’s worse than you thought. Let me tell you about ___.” If you’ve ever been there, you know that this is a slippery slope.  “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” – Proverbs 13:20

6. “Leaders” are vital.

Leaders think for themselves and help the organization pursue what’s best for it. They don’t exist just to follow your leadership. They’re using the gifts God’s given them, and when they do that it is a thing of beauty for them and for you. Leaders produce leaders…followers do not. “Yes” men aren’t necessarily leaders. If you’ve only got followers in your organization right now, don’t expect them to produce, and attract, leaders.

Question:

Do you have people in your life that frustrate you because they always push back on your ideas?

*photo credit: Creation Swap user: Savannah Daniel

 

Anticipating before listening

September 21, 2011 / / 8 Comments

iStock photo user: Fabervisum

Good leaders listen well. They don’t merely anticipate.

I was at the bank yesterday, and as I left I said to the teller, “Bye, see you later!” To which she replied, “I hope you have a good day, too!”

She anticipated because she had heard the same thing from every customer that day. She thought she heard, “Have a good day!” She should have listened more carefully.

Not a big deal, because the response that my bank teller makes to me on the way out doesn’t make or break my day, but it does point out an important principle.

Listen before you answer.

Listen before you answer…

  • When you’re talking with your spouse and you feel like you already know what they’re going to say
  • When you’re in a hurry and you wish the person would just hurry up
  • When you’re the small group leader and you’re “expected to have the right answer”
  • When someone is going to ask your advice
  • When someone is not going to ask your advice, they’re just sharing their story
  • When you’re talking with an “extra grace required” person
  • When you’ll be expected to give a response and you’re not sure what you’re going to say.

The temptation is to move ahead and prepare what your response will be. That way, you’ll appear smart and on top of things.

But you’re better off listening fully before processing your answer.

Those who are sharing their heart with you will feel honored and respected knowing you truly care about them.

And when they throw you a curve ball, like I did my bank teller, you’ll be ready.

He who answers before listening — that is his folly and his shame. – Proverbs 18:13

Question:

Have you ever tried to anticipate what someone was going to say, and gotten it wrong?

Have you ever had a conversation with someone when they appeared absent?

*photo credit, iStock Photo user: Fabervisum

 

5 Non-Negotiables for New Small Groups

September 14, 2011 / / 9 Comments

iStockPhoto, user: Noriko Cooper

In the last week, I’ve had multiple pastors ask this question. Maybe it’s one you’re asking, too.

How do I structure my first small group meeting?

I think that pastors are asking it for a couple of reasons:

1. They don’t have small groups in their local church.

They’re trying to get groups off of the ground, and don’t have a template for how a group should launch.

2. They have small groups in their local church, but they want to ensure, as much as possible, that their personal small group succeeds.

I get that. You’re the pastor, and if your group “fails,” it reflects badly on you, who point people to the life-changing power of community. If your group “fails,” does “community” really work? (hint: the answer is that yes, it does still work…but you may just need to think critically about the dynamics of a small group)

The way that you structure your first few meetings will set the tone for the rest of your group’s life. Getting off to a slow start is a massive hindrance to success because relationships aren’t well-formed, group becomes “difficult” for people to attend, and most won’t see it as worth the trouble.

There are a few key principles to keep in mind as you launch your group. Whether that’s a singles group, a couples group, or anything in between, keeping these in mind is important to your group’s short-term and long-term success.

5 Non-Negotiables in Launching Your Small Group

1. Know what the “win” is for your group.

If you don’t know what you’re aiming for, you’ll never know if you hit it. Define the “win” for your group, and keep those front and center as you launch. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter tremendously (obviously within biblical parameters) what that win is…just that you define it. Define that win and go hard after it. *If you don’t know what the win is for your group, have a conversation with your groups pastor…if you don’t have a groups pastor, talk with your lead pastor for direction.

2. Incorporate “fun” into your group.

You may lead a phenomenal Bible study…but if people don’t feel like they’re having “fun,” they won’t come back. Don’t believe me? No problem…just test it out. Don’t laugh or play a game or have any fun, and see if people come back. After you’ve tried that, and your group has dissolved to 1, come on back and read this again. The reality is that people can get great Bible studies anywhere: podcasts, books, blogs, and forums. They can’t get a real, authentic, enjoyable relationship with people from a podcast, though. I’ve written about this more extensively HERE and HERE.

3. Incorporate “serving” into your group.

If you don’t launch with a focus on serving together, your group won’t naturally gravitate towards it. You have to build this as a value into your group. Whether your goal is once/week, once/month, or once/quarter, set some goals and offer some ideas for the group to chew on. Maybe it’ll be a ministry you believe in. Maybe it’s something in your neighborhood. Maybe it’s something that someone else in the group is passionate about. That’s not as important as building in the idea of serving your community.

4. Share your faith story.

Sharing your faith story, and encouraging others to do the same, is essential to building healthy community. If, in the first 8 weeks of your group, you haven’t done this, your group will feel stale and cold. Lecturers have no need to share their story…but small group leaders do! This is a vital step to building authentic community.

5. Share responsibility.

Don’t hoard the responsibilities you’ve been entrusted with in leading your group. It’s important that everything gets done, but you don’t need to do everything. In fact, if you do everything, you’ll burnout. You’ll also not equip others to lead and use their gifts and resources, which should be a role of all group leaders…equipping others to do the work of the ministry by fleshing out their gifts.

When you’re ready to launch your group, keep these 5 non-negotiables handy.

Question: Do you lead a small group? What am I missing? Anything you would add?

*photo credit: iStockPhoto, Digital Skillet

 

Don’t be tempted by the cop-out

September 12, 2011 / / 9 Comments

image via iStock Photo, Rellas

I recently posed a question (HERE), “What’s a win for your blog?”  In the post, I said that a “win” for me isn’t the number of comments or tweets I receive in response to my writing…it’s getting the chance to articulate my thoughts.  And many of you heartily agreed with me.

But I began to wonder.

Is that just a cop-out?

Is that just the Resistance (re: The War of Art, Steven Pressfield) saying, “Don’t work harder…it’s not worth the effort.”?

Because if something is written well, shouldn’t it connect and inspire and spark?  Shouldn’t it be helpful for others?  Maybe it won’t be helpful for everyone, but shouldn’t it be helpful for some?  If I’m using my gifts, shouldn’t others be impacted and benefit? (re: 1 Corinthians 12)

It’s not that I need to start writing in order to get comments and shares. That’s backwards and fake and forced. Nobody wants that. That reeks of inauthenticity.

I was talking with a worship leader about his performance between songs on Sunday mornings.  When it comes to speaking between worship songs, he admittedly stumbles over his words, not sure what to say or how to best communicate.  He gets nervous and clams up.  I told him

Just be yourself. Talk about how God’s been speaking to you throughout the week. If God’s been pounding you over the head with the concept of grace, then share that with us. If He’s been convicting you about holding a piece of yourself back from Him…share that with us. If He’s been prodding you to do something new…share that with us. Share from your heart, not just from a canned piece of information that, on paper, connects the dots from one song to the next. If God really is moving your heart throughout the week, and you share from that experience, it’ll connect.

Do the work

Don’t miss this: that statement is predicated upon his hard work in seeking God throughout the week.  Don’t miss that!  It’s only after he’s done the hard work of seeking God throughout the week that he can truly share from his heart.

Writing a blog is a lot like that. Do the hard work of being real, improving your writing over time, asking probing questions of your own heart, observing life well…and the result should show an engagement with others at some level.  Am I wrong?

Justifying mediocrity

In the church world, where I operate, I’ve heard people use the phrase, “It’s not about the numbers” to refer to the fact that they don’t exist just to simply add numbers of people.  The problem is that that statement is often used when things aren’t going well, justifying a lack of effort and innovation.*  With blogging, never ever use, “It’s not about the comments and the ReTweets” to justify innovation and hard work.  Never.

If you’re aiming for mediocre, you’ll hit it every time, regardless of your field of expertise.

Question:

Do you think, “It’s not about the comments or the shares” is ever a cop-out?

Have you ever used a phrase like that to defer criticism of your lack of innovation and hard work?

*Though this isn’t always the case, and I’m not singling out any one church in particular.

*image via iStock Photo, Rellas

 
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