Leadership Archives - Page 25 of 30 -

Category: Leadership (page 25 of 30)

Building a loyal audience

Building trust takes a long time. And it takes consistency. And perseverance.

It’s not developed overnight. And though working on a path cleared for you by others helps, you’ve still got to do the hard work of building trust.

The same thing is true whether you’re building a relationship with someone you’re trying to help grow in their faith, trying to build a new company, planting a church, launching a blog, starting a movement, or trying to change the culture of an age-old tradition.

Share information that’s valuable and you’ll slowly but surely build a loyal audience. You may not see the results today. And you probably won’t see the ROI tomorrow.

But in the long run, you’ll find that consistently sharing valuable information builds trust, and leaves you with a tribe of followers.

Starbucks, Consistency, and Small groups

June 10, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

I have a Starbucks “Black Card.” It’s supposed to give various perks, one of which, from day 1, was free refills. Until today. I asked for a refill, gave the card to the cashier, and she said, “Do you have money loaded on this card?” I said, “I don’t need money loaded on it…the refill should be free.” She said, “Nope. Not on this card it’s not. You need a different card for the refill to be free.”

Starbucks is supposed to be the king of consistency. A Hazelnut latte should taste the same in Belgium as it does in coffee mecca (Seattle). They should look and feel the same wherever you are. Consistency, and brand management, help people to feel “at home” when they go to a Starbucks that’s not their regular shop. But when that consistency is broken, and that which used to go along with the Black Card changes, things no longer seem as…well…consistent.

A while back, we had a small group that was really struggling getting people to show up. They had been meeting for 6 months, and had moved from 18 folks to 8. The leader and his wife were incredibly gracious hosts, gifted in ministry, lovable, and fully bought into the mission and vision of Grace (our church). I sat down with the leader to try to troubleshoot. As I talked with the leader, and other group members, we came to the same conclusion. Here’s what was happening.

The group leader was gifted in teaching, and had great ease in front of people. He was also incredibly busy with work. That deadly combination led him to not work on (or lead his group through) any kind of curriculum (not that every group needs to have a curriculum, but every group should have a plan). In short, from week to week and month to month, he wasn’t taking his people anywhere. Instead, he would show up each week and just start throwing out thoughts and questions randomly, relying on his gift of gab and natural ease in leading people. This led to frustration as the group members never knew how to prepare for their small group time. They didn’t know what to think through, what to read, or what questions to be prepared to answer. The group members never knew what to expect, and never knew where the group was headed. Trust was never built, and the group fizzled out.

While it’s not vital that your group utilize a curriculum, it is vital that you take your group somewhere. With no understood goal, it’s impossible to know whether you’re “winning” as a small group or not. If you have no idea where you’re taking your group, now’s the time to figure that out. Don’t wait another day. Begin praying now, and talking with your group through it. Then consistently work to accomplish that goal.

Without consistency, people don’t know what to expect. Consistency allows trust to be build. Trust encourages the group to speak truth into each others’ lives. Speaking truth into each others’ lives spurs growth in godliness. And a group growing in godliness is a healthy group.

How are you building consistency into your group time, without allowing things to grow stale?

Embrace Constraints

May 26, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

Your organization has a problem that it hasn’t yet figured out how to solve.

And you don’t have years of related experience to draw from.

Or loads of cash.

Or an extra staff person.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t tackle the issue.

I don’t have enough time/money/people/experience.’ Stop whining! Constraints are advantages in disguise. Limited resources force you to make do with what you’ve got. There’s no rook for waste. And that forces you to be creative. —ReWork, chapter Progress, by Fried and Hansson

Though you may see the constraints that your organization face as disadvantages, Fried and Hansson argue that they are just the opposite. Constraints force our minds to think outside of the box, looking for new and innovative ways to overcome the various issues that inevitably and consistently arise.

So instead of looking for more and more resources, use the creativity God has given you (and your team). In the long run (and I’d argue in the short run, too), you’ll be better off.

Challenging the Status Quo

April 29, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

Our culture works hard to prevent change. We have long had systems and organizations and standards designed to dissuade people from challenging the status quo. We enforce our systems and call whoever is crazy enough to challenge them a heretic. And society enforces the standards at the stake, either literally or figuratively. – Tribes, Seth Godin, p. 73

Are you a part of an organization that embraces change? That encourages people who challenge the system?

If not, then be ready to welcome irrelevance and ineffectiveness.

David Platt and The Modern Gospel

April 28, 2010 / Ben Reed / 2 Comments

In writing about how modern churches often present what an appropriate response to the Gospel should be, David Platt says

We already have a fairly high view of our morality, so when we add a superstitious prayer, a subsequent dose of church attendance, and obedience to some of the Bible, we feel pretty sure that we will be all right in the end.

The modern-day gospel says, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can be saved.” Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, “You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.”

The former sells books and draws crowds. The latter saves souls. Which is more important?

Taken from Radical, Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt, p. 32

Directions

April 26, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

My wife and I just got back from a trip to the United Kingdom. While there, we visited the city of Windsor.

Windsor is a charming town, with cobblestone streets, vendors selling pastries, and lots of people roaming the markets. The queen also resides occasionally at Windsor Castle, and while we were there, she happened to be in town.

There were a whole lot of tourists visiting…many, I’m sure, hoping to spot the queen.

For whatever reason, we didn’t look like tourists that day (even though it was our first day there, and I’m sure we still had that wide-eyed look that tourists seem to have), and were stopped and asked the question, “Do you know where the McDonald’s is?”

Don’t mind the irony of the situation (the fact that they were asking a couple of Americans, who weren’t in America, where an American restaurant was located). We really weren’t sure where the McDonald’s was located. It seemed like we had passed one (and passed we did…we refused to eat American food while in the UK) earlier, so we pointed them in the direction we thought best. Turns out we were right.

Turns out we were right.

But we could have just as easily have been wrong.

Just because we were American didn’t mean we knew where the McDonald’s was.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole process of mentoring lately. Maybe because I’m at that stage where I need a lot of help. (will I ever get out of this stage? Would it even be healthy if I did exit this stage?) Maybe it’s because I see others’ errors more easily than I see my own (that’s a problem, I know). Maybe it’s because I thoroughly enjoy learning from others. But I’m not going to just choose to learn from anybody. I mean, I’ll read lots of books. Listen to lots of podcasts. Read lots of blogs. But when it comes to asking somebody to specifically speak truth into my life, I’m being very picky.

And I think you should as well.

Because the people who are influencing me now really are influencing me. They’re shaping the way that I look as a husband, a dad, and a pastor. And for some odd reason, I think that’s pretty important.

In looking for help thinking through your current stage in life, choose wisely.

Just because someone’s a dad doesn’t mean that they know what they’re doing.

Just because someone’s a pastor doesn’t mean they can help give you the counsel you need.

Just because someone’s a leader doesn’t mean that they can help you take the next steps you need to take.

They may be right.

But then again, they may not even be in the right country.

The people who are influencing you now really are influencing you.

You Just Don’t Get It

April 7, 2010 / Ben Reed / 3 Comments

Sometimes it’s because of my age.

Sometimes it’s because of my stage in life.

Sometimes they’re just prideful.

Sometimes they’re completely off base.

Sometimes they’re older.

Sometimes they have experienced more of life than I have.

Sometimes they’re right on point.

Sometimes they’re flat-out wrong.

But every time somebody gives the smug perception, “I get it…and you don’t…” I’m immediately turned off. (I know, I know…I’ve got lots to work on. Just hear me out…)

I’ve sat in meetings where I felt like I had a good idea, but was shot down because, peering over their glasses, they would say, “You just don’t understand…but you will one day.”

I’ve been at larger meetings where I can’t get a seat at the table because of my age and stage in life.

I’ve been chuckled at because my thought was ludicrous to them.

And, like I acknowledged above, they were probably right. Maybe I had no right to be at the table. To offer critiques. To suggest solutions.

But, regardless, they’ve set me on edge, and put me on the defense, when they’ve looked down on me. (1 Timothy 4:12 is a great admonition. But that’s another post)

_______________________

When you’re leading people, remember this.

Just because somebody hasn’t been a Christian as long as you…

Or a father as long as you…

Or haven’t read as many books or written as many blog posts as you have…

Or haven’t taken as many seminary classes…

Or been a “member” as long…

Or been in as many small groups…

Or led as many small groups…

Doesn’t mean that they don’t get it.

Who can you take a chance on today?

Who can you give respect to, by simply listening to their story?

*Note: This post is not in response to my current position at Grace Community Church. I’m thankful for the risks they’ve taken, and for the ones they continue to encourage me to take.

A Healthy Small Group…

March 30, 2010 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

I recently said this on Twitter:

So many problems in life could be solved by a healthy small group.

The responses I received really made me think about what components go into producing a “healthy” small group.

A “healthy” small group is one that accomplishes “the win” for your system. Which means that a healthy group at our church may look a little different than the one at your church. And that’s ok. Step 1 is defining “the win.”

But there are certain things that “winning groups” do, right? Do you encourage those things?

Here are a few that I’ve come up with for our system.

A healthy small group…

…stirs your heart to action.

…helps remind you who you are in Christ.

…helps you realize the all-encompassing nature of the Gospel.

…pursues unity.

…is full of people taking steps of faith…together.

…helps you realize the fullness of Grace.

…helps remind you that the troubles in this life will one day be over.

…doesn’t wait until the group meeting to speak encouragement to one another.

…shares group responsibilities with each other.

…relies on each other when needs arise.

…isn’t satisfied with surface-level prayer requests.

…serves others.

…serves each other.

…has fun together.

…laughs together.

…gives people safe space to explore their faith.

…is a safe space for non-believers.

What would you add to the list?

Encouraging Criticism

March 25, 2010 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

Hate Twitter all you want, but, like I’ve said HERE, I find great value in it. I recently said this after a visit to Lasaters Coffee, a local shop here in Clarksville:

Disappointed that the @lasaterscoffee workers couldn’t serve me a press pot of coffee bc they didn’t know what it was 3:37 PM Dec 2nd

I received this reply from them…directly to me:

@benreed We will be serving coffee via French Press before you know it!! Keep an eye on the website and in the stores:) 10:04 AM Dec 4th from TweetDeck in reply to benreed

Knowing how, and when, to respond to critics is very important. I applaud Lasaters for their timely and effective response. Because of that response, they’ll get more business from me.

A critique of the system you’re leading can often feel like a personal attack.

But in the end, critiques can help to improve the overall effectiveness of the ministry.

Maybe a person’s critique is off-base. Out of line. Out of touch. Off-color. Off-putting. Off-handed. Offensive. Biting. Reactionary. Untruthful. Unholy. Discouraging. Poorly timed. Poorly executed. Or all of the above combined.

But most critiques have at least a shred of truth.

May we, as leaders in our respective organizations, be humble enough to continually evaluate our system.

How do you encourage open, honest evaluation of your system?

Cultivating the drone

March 20, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

Do you celebrate volunteers who do exactly what you ask them to do?

Or do you encourage creativity, outside-the-box thinking, and pursuing God-given passions?

Teaching people to punch a button is easy. Raising up (and giving space to) leaders who are creative and innovative is not.

Raising up creative leaders is:

1. Messy – When you ask somebody to think outside of the box, it ceases to be “clean, concise, and manageable.”

2. Decentralized – It’s difficult to have a two-hour training on this stuff. It’s more about cultivating an environment than about transferring information. And allowing creativity to permeate each person (rather than having those you lead simply parrot back a response) means that you won’t be the sole trainer.

3. Slow – Since it’s not chiefly about transferring information, it takes much longer.

4. Difficult to replicate – Many times, this process differs from person to person. Creativity is unique to the individual, and thus not exactly duplicate-able.

5. Risky – Asking people to think outside the box means that they may go off in a direction that you didn’t intend.

However, I think that it’s worth dealing with each of the above. Because in the long run, organizations that embrace and encourage creativity will produce innovators who work through plaguing problems, promote development, and help a company (or a church) sustain long-term growth.

If you’re content doing things the same way you’ve always done them, then you’re going to raise up leaders with that same value.