Links to help provide resources and to engage with others of similar mindset:
CABE: A initiative among Business Executives. Well worth exploring: http://www.cabe-online.org/history.htm
BE THINKING: This website keeps our minds alert and in-gear: http://bethinking.org/
2SIGNIFICANCE: Businessmen with a flair for influencing others for the Kingdom: http://www.2significance.com.au/
ETHICAL LEADERS: The Don Soderquist Business Centre is well worth checking out: http://www.soderquist.org/
By Global Nomad
Sunday, November 11, 2007
4 Leadership Secrets Revealed
I was browsing through a bookshop the other day and found a couple of books including a recent edition of Fortune irresistible. I simply couldn’t walk away from a magazine and books that promised to share the secrets of leaders from companies such as GE and P&G. The articles were well written and interesting, but as I read, I was struck by the fact that I have seen these same ideas in dozens of books over the years.
The truth is that there are no secrets to leadership. We know what it takes to successfully lead organisations. It is however just simply put - tough, and we'd like to find an easier way to do it. Perhaps Ken Chenault of American Express has the answer.
Leading today's organisation is not for the faint-hearted, but the elements of what it takes to be successful at the craft are well-known.
1. Be the kind of person to whom others attribute the qualities of leadership. Words like authenticity, integrity, trust, and respect are often used, but it boils down to having the requisite personal stature, as measured by organisation members, to earn the right to lead. (Bonus points: create an organisation of stature.)
2. Determine where the organization is going and how it is going to get there. (Bonus points: create an organisation that can effectively respond to the inevitable changing winds and tides that will surely throw it off course.)
3. Craft innovative business models, systems, processes, and structures which unleash the natural talents and capabilities of people, while harnessing the inevitable chaos associated with organisation life. (Bonus points: create teams and organisations that re-design themselves as they encounter obstacles and opportunities.)
4. Build a purpose-driven community where all members get to contribute, learn and earn in a big way. (Bonus points: create the environment and processes that will supply an endless supply of leaders that are even better than you.)
Great leadership is not a secret; it's just hard work on four well-known fronts.
Give Us Trainers With Credibilty
The following is a quote from Bill Hybels book 'Courageous Leadership' page 132. It captures what we desire to see in trainers for the Leadership Matters Course.
"I usually hesitate when people ask me to participate in leadership development programs. 'How is it going to work? ' I ask. If they respond in the typical fashion: 'We are going to get Jo Shmo (with a Ph.D. in this or that) to teach on leadership' I tell them the same thing I tell everybody else. 'Most good leaders are not going to want to participate in that program because Jo Shmo is not a leader. He's a classroom teacher. He might even be a great teacher, but he never really led anything. True leaders want more than theory from teacher types. They want to be around other leaders who have actually been in the game, leaders with a few bloodstains on their uniforms. "
This powerfully illustrates the point of why we are intentional in recruiting key trainers for the Leadership Matters Course. We are looking for individuals who have a lot of experience. For each LMC, a team of three experienced leaders, who are good trainers, should be able to lead a successful course. They work together with others on their team who have a little less experience.
That's why we desperately need people with ample life and ministry experience to be the key trainers in each LMC. Our focus is to train leaders in pastoral and mission work. We need people who are leaders in their ministries; who have field experience. They have "a few bloodstains on their uniforms". We have often recognized this. In fact this has been an issue where some have disagreed with us. They say: 'Anyone can teach LMC, because it's about principles and the philosophy of training'. But we said 'No' to this, for the very reason that Bill Hybels so clearly points out to us.
The tendency may be to become somewhat lenient on this point, due to the pressure of our great need for trainers. At the moment, this is not so much an issue, since we have many who want to help out. A few years ago, we recognized that if experienced leaders, with this stature of giftedness and experience, have the desire to do training, they will prove to be the ones that can successfully carry several courses in a given year. We knew that if we worked almost entirely with people with less leadership experience, we would soon find out that the reputation and effectiveness of the LMC would suffer and eventually die a quiet death.
The ongoing involvement of David Cummings for example has been an enormous significance and has been widely appreciated.
In this sense we can't over estimate the value of people like David in the process of making the course as successful and popular as it is right now. We need people with much respect, a clear maturity, obvious skill, and with plenty of ministry background. We want to grow; we want to keep a good reputation and we want to gain admittance into more organizations.
As you read this you can pray that God will give us more of these experienced trainers. We also need them in the French and Spanish language world, as we are purposefully trying to get the course going in those languages. Depending on the level of an individual’s giftedness we can train people in the skills of being a good trainer. We can't train people, however, to have the credibility that comes from a rich life and ministry experience. Only God can bring about that growth. He also needs to call them to be involved in training other leaders. They need to see that with all their experience, the best investment they can make with their life and ministry is to pass on some of the lessons they have learned to others. That is investing in the future!
In Bill Hybel's words: The 'Jo Shmo's’ won't do it because leaders want to learn from leaders!' That is for the 'pillars' in the team.
"I usually hesitate when people ask me to participate in leadership development programs. 'How is it going to work? ' I ask. If they respond in the typical fashion: 'We are going to get Jo Shmo (with a Ph.D. in this or that) to teach on leadership' I tell them the same thing I tell everybody else. 'Most good leaders are not going to want to participate in that program because Jo Shmo is not a leader. He's a classroom teacher. He might even be a great teacher, but he never really led anything. True leaders want more than theory from teacher types. They want to be around other leaders who have actually been in the game, leaders with a few bloodstains on their uniforms. "
This powerfully illustrates the point of why we are intentional in recruiting key trainers for the Leadership Matters Course. We are looking for individuals who have a lot of experience. For each LMC, a team of three experienced leaders, who are good trainers, should be able to lead a successful course. They work together with others on their team who have a little less experience.
That's why we desperately need people with ample life and ministry experience to be the key trainers in each LMC. Our focus is to train leaders in pastoral and mission work. We need people who are leaders in their ministries; who have field experience. They have "a few bloodstains on their uniforms". We have often recognized this. In fact this has been an issue where some have disagreed with us. They say: 'Anyone can teach LMC, because it's about principles and the philosophy of training'. But we said 'No' to this, for the very reason that Bill Hybels so clearly points out to us.
The tendency may be to become somewhat lenient on this point, due to the pressure of our great need for trainers. At the moment, this is not so much an issue, since we have many who want to help out. A few years ago, we recognized that if experienced leaders, with this stature of giftedness and experience, have the desire to do training, they will prove to be the ones that can successfully carry several courses in a given year. We knew that if we worked almost entirely with people with less leadership experience, we would soon find out that the reputation and effectiveness of the LMC would suffer and eventually die a quiet death.
The ongoing involvement of David Cummings for example has been an enormous significance and has been widely appreciated.
In this sense we can't over estimate the value of people like David in the process of making the course as successful and popular as it is right now. We need people with much respect, a clear maturity, obvious skill, and with plenty of ministry background. We want to grow; we want to keep a good reputation and we want to gain admittance into more organizations.
As you read this you can pray that God will give us more of these experienced trainers. We also need them in the French and Spanish language world, as we are purposefully trying to get the course going in those languages. Depending on the level of an individual’s giftedness we can train people in the skills of being a good trainer. We can't train people, however, to have the credibility that comes from a rich life and ministry experience. Only God can bring about that growth. He also needs to call them to be involved in training other leaders. They need to see that with all their experience, the best investment they can make with their life and ministry is to pass on some of the lessons they have learned to others. That is investing in the future!
In Bill Hybel's words: The 'Jo Shmo's’ won't do it because leaders want to learn from leaders!' That is for the 'pillars' in the team.
by Joop Strietman
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Natural Leadership Development
I have been thinking about and having conversations around Leadership development of late. These realities have been challenging my thinking:
• Leaders can't be recruited from the platform. We have to challenge them one-on-one.
• Leaders won't be fulfilled performing tasks. We need to give them responsibility.
• Leaders don't follow doers. We need to make sure they're connected to another strong leader.
• Leaders don't want to be micromanaged. We have to eliminate the tendency to control the process and, instead, hold people accountable for the outcomes.
• Leaders won't commit to ambiguity. We need to offer a clear vision. (And, it better be big.)
• Leaders don't just show up. We have to be intentional about leadership development.
John Maxwell challenged us in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with this statement:
"When a leader can't or won't empower others, he creates barriers within the organization that people cannot overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to another organization where they can maximize their potential."
He went on to explain, "Only secure leaders give power to others." In other words, failure to empower other leaders is a sign of insecurity.
This stuff is smacking me right between the eyes. Where are my limitations and insecurities limiting the leaders around me? What changes do I need to make to empower new leaders? How does our ministry need to change in order to improve leadership development?
• Leaders can't be recruited from the platform. We have to challenge them one-on-one.
• Leaders won't be fulfilled performing tasks. We need to give them responsibility.
• Leaders don't follow doers. We need to make sure they're connected to another strong leader.
• Leaders don't want to be micromanaged. We have to eliminate the tendency to control the process and, instead, hold people accountable for the outcomes.
• Leaders won't commit to ambiguity. We need to offer a clear vision. (And, it better be big.)
• Leaders don't just show up. We have to be intentional about leadership development.
John Maxwell challenged us in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with this statement:
"When a leader can't or won't empower others, he creates barriers within the organization that people cannot overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to another organization where they can maximize their potential."
He went on to explain, "Only secure leaders give power to others." In other words, failure to empower other leaders is a sign of insecurity.
This stuff is smacking me right between the eyes. Where are my limitations and insecurities limiting the leaders around me? What changes do I need to make to empower new leaders? How does our ministry need to change in order to improve leadership development?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Where is Your Attention?
Do you have the ability to focus your mind on what you want, when you want?
It is often said that our most precious commodity is time. I disagree. Because the experience of time is relative, I do not find it an adequate measurement tool. Rather, I propose that our most precious commodity is our attention. We only have so much attention to give at any given moment, and so our question becomes, to whom and to what should I devote it?
Unfortunately, for most people including myself, the ability to control one’s own attention is severely underdeveloped. As a result, I frequently find that my mind races off, following various thoughts as they arise. Perhaps you may identify with the following experience – I was reading the other day and came to the end of a page only to realize that I had no idea of I had just read because I was not paying attention (and so, frustratingly, has to re-read the entire page). What a strange experience!
If you can recall such a time you’ll realise - you were reading, but your attention was decidedly absent. Where did it go? If you were not controlling your own attention, do you know who or what was? This is something worth contemplating. The undisciplined mind is a noisy and busy mind. Sometimes we can see evidence of this mind in outward behaviour such as quick speech, the inability to sit still, or the constant need to rush from one thing to another. The most common incarnation of this type in organizations today is the person who has to respond to every ping from their Blackberry (not unlike Pavlov's dogs). However, just as often, the only evidence of an undisciplined mind is the feeling that another person is not really listening to us. Perhaps you have noticed this in others - they appear to be paying attention, but you don't get the sense that they really are. Or, perhaps you have noticed how your own mind wanders when in conversation with others.
Left untrained, our minds will often repeat the same collection of thoughts over and over again, sometimes for years. When we have not practiced mental discipline to tame what has been referred to as our "wild horse mind," we find ourselves in a state of constant distraction, unable to be fully present to any situation - regardless of where we find ourselves. For example, we may be on vacation, but if our attention is back at work, then time away from the office has not been sufficient to provide that much needed holiday. Without applying mental discipline to direct our own attention, our mind is consumed with thoughts, making it difficult, if not impossible, to notice what is actually happening - in a conversation, in a meeting, or during a presentation or important negotiation. The cost of this lack of attention can never be fully known; however, I believe it is greater than we can possibly imagine.
Try This:
For one week, pay attention to the thoughts you think most often. Notice all the things you say to yourself about what is happening and what it means to you. Simply bring awareness to where you currently invest your most precious commodity - your attention. At the end of the week, answer the following questions:
- What are the thoughts I think most often?
- Which thoughts are useful to myself and others?
- Which ones are not?
- How can I more effectively focus my attention next week?
It is often said that our most precious commodity is time. I disagree. Because the experience of time is relative, I do not find it an adequate measurement tool. Rather, I propose that our most precious commodity is our attention. We only have so much attention to give at any given moment, and so our question becomes, to whom and to what should I devote it?
Unfortunately, for most people including myself, the ability to control one’s own attention is severely underdeveloped. As a result, I frequently find that my mind races off, following various thoughts as they arise. Perhaps you may identify with the following experience – I was reading the other day and came to the end of a page only to realize that I had no idea of I had just read because I was not paying attention (and so, frustratingly, has to re-read the entire page). What a strange experience!
If you can recall such a time you’ll realise - you were reading, but your attention was decidedly absent. Where did it go? If you were not controlling your own attention, do you know who or what was? This is something worth contemplating. The undisciplined mind is a noisy and busy mind. Sometimes we can see evidence of this mind in outward behaviour such as quick speech, the inability to sit still, or the constant need to rush from one thing to another. The most common incarnation of this type in organizations today is the person who has to respond to every ping from their Blackberry (not unlike Pavlov's dogs). However, just as often, the only evidence of an undisciplined mind is the feeling that another person is not really listening to us. Perhaps you have noticed this in others - they appear to be paying attention, but you don't get the sense that they really are. Or, perhaps you have noticed how your own mind wanders when in conversation with others.
Left untrained, our minds will often repeat the same collection of thoughts over and over again, sometimes for years. When we have not practiced mental discipline to tame what has been referred to as our "wild horse mind," we find ourselves in a state of constant distraction, unable to be fully present to any situation - regardless of where we find ourselves. For example, we may be on vacation, but if our attention is back at work, then time away from the office has not been sufficient to provide that much needed holiday. Without applying mental discipline to direct our own attention, our mind is consumed with thoughts, making it difficult, if not impossible, to notice what is actually happening - in a conversation, in a meeting, or during a presentation or important negotiation. The cost of this lack of attention can never be fully known; however, I believe it is greater than we can possibly imagine.
Try This:
For one week, pay attention to the thoughts you think most often. Notice all the things you say to yourself about what is happening and what it means to you. Simply bring awareness to where you currently invest your most precious commodity - your attention. At the end of the week, answer the following questions:
- What are the thoughts I think most often?
- Which thoughts are useful to myself and others?
- Which ones are not?
- How can I more effectively focus my attention next week?
How Do You Measure Up?
Think about someone whom you consider to be a very good leader. What is it about this person that has earned them this status? Perhaps they are very inspirational, personable or visionary. Maybe they are pillars of virtue, incredibly creative or exceptionally encouraging of others. They might be strategic thinkers. These are all important leadership qualities, but are they appropriate measures?
I suggest that leadership has only one real measurement …the organisational outcomes it produces. In other words, how do others behave differently because of your leadership? Do they work harder; do they work on the right things; do they learn and grow; do they also lead? I believe that there is a lot of emphasis particularly in the leadership development field on what leaders do and not on what they create. Perhaps we should take our eyes off the leader and instead look at the impact they have on their organisation.
It is only appropriate that we be able to help leaders conduct a check up on their effectiveness. I find the following questions particularly useful for organisational leaders in assessing their impact.
Key Organisational Outcomes
1. Alignment – Are all the arrows going in the same direction?
2. Engagement – Does everyone bring their best talents and efforts to work everyday?
3. Retention – Do people stay through the good times and bad?
4. Innovation – Is there a constant supply of ideas, change an improvement?
5. Spiritual Health – Is everyone connected and in tune spiritually?
6. Collaboration – Does important work get completed with no one person taking credit?
7. Talent – Is the organisation known for exceptional talent and development?
8. Productivity – Are people 2-3 times as effective as those in competing organisations?
9. Agility – Do people thrive on change?
10. Responsiveness – Does the organization live ahead of the curve?
11. Pervasive Leadership – Is there extraordinary leadership throughout the organisation?
Leading today's organisations is extremely challenging, and we all come at this role with our unique personalities, talents and experiences. I would encourage you to put your sights on the most meaningful organisation outcomes and seek to find your own best road to get there. How do you believe that the International Training Alliance (ITA) and LMC measure up?
Making An Impact With Your Audience
Last Sunday I was sitting in a pew at Southside International Church during the sermon. This is pretty unusual because as the Pastor I am usually the preacher. Today was different and I was about to be greatly blessed and encouraged. The speaker was Rev Dang Pham. Dang and his wife are C&MA missionaries to Cambodia . They head up the ministry of New Hope which reaches out to the 1.5 million Vietnamese refugees who are amongst the poorest of the poor in the Khmer Kingdom . Dang was a former jet pilot with the South Vietnamese Air Force. He was imprisoned for three years after the fall of Vietnam in 1975. With his family he later escaped to Australia where they were sponsored by a rural Baptist Church . It was in this small town that an Aussie pastor led the family to Christ. After nine months they moved to Sydney where Dang undertook theological studies. He joined a C&MA church and after retirement he and his wife offered themselves for missionary service, leaving behind four single adult sons. In March this year Dang took the Leadership Matters Course in Bangkok . This is where my encouragement came. As I listened to this man for whom English is not his mother tongue, I could hardly contain myself as he delivered a near perfect thirteen minute talk which he had developed during the LMC. His “you modules” gained the immediate attention of his hearers, the cultural modules were gripping, his “is it worth it all” module came through loud and clear and his “nuts and bolts’ module clearly described the ministry of New Hope. Two others in the congregation who had taken LMC courses caught my eye and with big grins gave me the “thumbs up”.
From listening to Dang I was encouraged to realize again that LMC is truly making an impact. Missionaries can share their story in a concise and relevant way that really makes an impact on their hearers. I am all fired up again. I want to keep raising up leaders as long as I have health and my Lord allows me to continue this life-changing ministry.
Roger Lang
ITA Trainer
From listening to Dang I was encouraged to realize again that LMC is truly making an impact. Missionaries can share their story in a concise and relevant way that really makes an impact on their hearers. I am all fired up again. I want to keep raising up leaders as long as I have health and my Lord allows me to continue this life-changing ministry.
Roger Lang
ITA Trainer
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Greetings
Do you recall the Management Skills Principle # 1 that we discussed and memorized at the Leadership Course?
Click on image to enlarge.As trainers, we love to hear brief comments of how you’ve been able to apply (or not apply!) the material researched at LMC. What has been the most important idea or concept you have been made aware of regarding Principle # 1 of Management since you returned to your work situation?
Hit "comments" below or click here and tell us a quick module of how you have made application …
Managing together …
John King
Why Listening is Key to Leadership
Habakkuk teaches us that leaders must first be listeners. In the first four verses of his book, the prophet cries out for God to answer his questions. He begs God to respond to the injustice, the violence, and the perversion of his nation. He knew God was infinitely just and he could not understand why God didn’t interested in doing something about Judah’s rebellion.
When God finally did respond, He gave Habakkuk a distasteful answer: God declared that He planned to use a nation more unjust than Judah to correct injustice among the Jews. That didn’t make sense to Habakkuk!.
Even so the prophet continued to listen. He wrestled with God but knew that leaders earn their right to speak by listening. When they listen they gain something more precious than the privilege to speak:
1. They gain insight about people
2. They connect with the speaker’s
3. They earn their right to speak
4. They become relevant
5. They understand the keys to the speakers heart
6. They identify
7. They gain authority
8. They learn
Tell me, When you speak, do you learn anything? Do gain anything - should you listen to God and to others?
1. They gain insight about people
2. They connect with the speaker’s
3. They earn their right to speak
4. They become relevant
5. They understand the keys to the speakers heart
6. They identify
7. They gain authority
8. They learn
Tell me, When you speak, do you learn anything? Do gain anything - should you listen to God and to others?
How to Ease the Pain of Delegation
The ability to delegate sets leaders apart from followers. That is because many people find it difficult to give up control. Delegating duties and responsibilities is essential in today's downsized organisations. The following key points will help you take the pain out of delegation.
1. Find the right person for the project.
Do not assign the project to just any warm body - unless any outcome is acceptable. If you want the job done right, however, you must find the right person for the job. If none exists, find the most capable person and train him or her well.
2. Delegate authority and accountability.
The worst thing you can do is delegate a task and then tie a person's hands. If you have picked the right person or trained someone well, you must then give that person authority so the job can be done without your supervision. If you have to minutely supervise the project, you have not truly delegated it. In addition, you should make the person accountable for the quality of the work performed.
3. Make the task perfectly clear.
Carefully explain the nature of the project to the person you are giving responsibility. This may be done verbally or in writing, depending on the complexity of the task. The newer and more complex the task, the more questions the person you are giving responsibility will have. Answer all questions promptly and thoroughly.
4. Agree on a deadline.
When the person to whom you are delegating fully understands your expectations, both of you are in a position to determine a mutually acceptable deadline.
5. Review and coach.
There is a learning curve associated with any new activity. During this time, you should periodically review the other person's progress and offer additional coaching if needed.
6. Lay the groundwork for more delegation.
Once you get your feet wet, you will find more things that can be done by others to free up your time. Begin training people to assist you in more operations and you will find yourself with more time to do what you do best.
1. Find the right person for the project.
Do not assign the project to just any warm body - unless any outcome is acceptable. If you want the job done right, however, you must find the right person for the job. If none exists, find the most capable person and train him or her well.
2. Delegate authority and accountability.
The worst thing you can do is delegate a task and then tie a person's hands. If you have picked the right person or trained someone well, you must then give that person authority so the job can be done without your supervision. If you have to minutely supervise the project, you have not truly delegated it. In addition, you should make the person accountable for the quality of the work performed.
3. Make the task perfectly clear.
Carefully explain the nature of the project to the person you are giving responsibility. This may be done verbally or in writing, depending on the complexity of the task. The newer and more complex the task, the more questions the person you are giving responsibility will have. Answer all questions promptly and thoroughly.
4. Agree on a deadline.
When the person to whom you are delegating fully understands your expectations, both of you are in a position to determine a mutually acceptable deadline.
5. Review and coach.
There is a learning curve associated with any new activity. During this time, you should periodically review the other person's progress and offer additional coaching if needed.
6. Lay the groundwork for more delegation.
Once you get your feet wet, you will find more things that can be done by others to free up your time. Begin training people to assist you in more operations and you will find yourself with more time to do what you do best.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Why Transformation outweighs Culture
Of late I have been reminded of a critical objective related to helping people experience transformed lives.
"We are not helping people convert to our culture; we are helping them be transformed by Christ."
If we aren't crystal clear about that, people will be drawn to, and make commitments to our culture. People want to belong to a movement bigger than they are. People want to be in on what is exciting and adventurous. People want to be part of something excellent and significant. But, if we aren't clear about calling people to be disciples, sold-out followers of Jesus Christ, they will continue to show up, cheer and maybe even tell their friends, but their lives may not reflect a personal, missional buy-in to the agenda of the kingdom of God and the grace of Jesus Christ.
People matter too much to miss this critical distinction. God's kingdom agenda matters too much to allow this confusion.
"We are not helping people convert to our culture; we are helping them be transformed by Christ."
If we aren't crystal clear about that, people will be drawn to, and make commitments to our culture. People want to belong to a movement bigger than they are. People want to be in on what is exciting and adventurous. People want to be part of something excellent and significant. But, if we aren't clear about calling people to be disciples, sold-out followers of Jesus Christ, they will continue to show up, cheer and maybe even tell their friends, but their lives may not reflect a personal, missional buy-in to the agenda of the kingdom of God and the grace of Jesus Christ.
People matter too much to miss this critical distinction. God's kingdom agenda matters too much to allow this confusion.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Why The CEO-Leader Model Doesn't Serve The Purpose Of Going Missional
In an interview with Pastor/Professor David Fitch with the editors of The Leadership Journal here are a few of his perspectives on leadership in the Life on the Vine, in Long Grove Illinois, a chruch seeking a more missional posture."At Life on the Vine, we recently added a fourth pastor. Some people
told me a model with multiple visible leaders would never work—there
would be no single face to attach to the vision of the church and the
church would never grow. Balderdash (is that a word?). The church
continues to grow. There are signs of healing, new mission, and new
souls finding God."
1. It doesn't make sense to build a church around a personality
People start coming to hear that one guy (most often it's a guy), and
as the crowds get bigger this pastor becomes distanced from the
congregation at which point he loses the ability to speak into the
people's lives that he knows.
2. There are no supermen or superwomen
With mutliple pastors the whole ministry of the chruch is fed from their may gifts, and all are invited to participate in the empowerment of the gifts as modeled by the many faceted leadership. No single pastor has the gifts required to bring this about.
3. Isolated pastors can get tunnel vision
Multiple pastors in submission to one to another can work against this.
4. Pastors benefit from being bi-vocational/bi-ministrerial (since bing the secular workplace is ministry)
Pastors who have jobs outside the chruch can get to know non-Christains and spend time in non-Christain settings.
5. It models the diversity and interrelatedness of the Body
The notion of a senior pastor puts up a false impression that one
person is especially qualified and elevated to ministry. But with
multiple pastors, he/she does not stand alone. The whole body is called
to minister the gospel inside and outside the church as a way of life.
6. It protects pastors from the temptations which lead to moral failure and/or disappointment.
Multiple leaders in mutual submission to each other in Christ, there
can be no temptation to put any of the pastors on a false pedestal as
an image of the perfect Christian.
7. It is hard for pastors to be servants when they are put on a pedestal.
All pastors should have to clean toilets, serve the poor, and vacuum floors after potlucks. We should see ourselves in submission to the Body of Christ, not over it. (Mark 10:42-45). This "amongness" is not always possible as a senior pastor.
8. Because the senior pastor position is an impossible position to live up to.
Therefore, by accepting this role we are setting ourselves up (and the church) for inevitable failure.
While Pastor David Finch agrees that in some contexts and ways of bing the Body of Christ, the senior pastor position may still have validity - it doesn't work at 'Life on the Vine' whilst they seek to be missional.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
How To Connect With Your Audience
Connecting with people is critical for selling, persuading or getting the point across. And one of the ways we connect with people is to tell them stories about ourselves.I was at a business workshop recently, and the stories that were most effective (by acclamation of the attendees) were ones where the person let down his/her guard, and revealed something personal. This is one of the reasons storytelling is more effective than reciting a list of benefits to a prospect. In addition to being interesting and easy to understand, it also helps create a personal bond with the audience. It means that you may want, in your ministry storytelling, to reveal anxieties, fears and feelings. In other words, to give the audience your confidence.
Why Thinking About Vice Increases Your Chance of Giving In
In a recent Science Daily article - a study by researchers from Duke, USC, and UPenn explored for the first time how questioning can affect our behavior when we have mixed feelings about an issue. The study, forthcoming in the June issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, found that asking people questions, like how many times they expect to give in to a temptation they know they should resist, increases how many times they will actually give in to it.A number of experiments were run including college students illustrating how questions that seemed innocent enough, actually encouraged people to lower their guard to the extent that they were actually giving in to the vice.
Despite very real negative repercussions, respondents to a question about their future class attendance engaged in the negative behavior (missing class) at a significantly greater rate than those not asked to predict their behaviour.
While the results were especially pronounced for those with low self control. Its implications only serve to strengthen why those of us in leadership and management have all the more reason to lean on the Lord and be rooted firmly in the Word so as to avoid the numerous vices that pervade our lives and societies.
However on a positive note - two moderators were discovered which can prevent intention questions from exacerbating indulgences in vices -
1. Having people explicitly consider strategies for how they might avoid the behavior.
2. Having people create a self-reward for sticking with their stated usage patterns.
How To Make A Point Effectively
We often grapple with the question of why and how leaders should go about making a point through their messages. In otherwords get people to understand the message when they hear it, they remember it, and they change their behavior because of it.Messages that make a point or “sticky” messages have certain distinctives - unexpected, concrete, credible, and emotional.
Read More on my other blog.
Why Put Your Spirtual Vision In Touch With Reality by John King
Greetings from Ephesus, the city in Turkiye where the apostle’s Paul and John built up a Body of believers.It is rather intriguing for me to be staying in the shadow of the ruins of this ancient city. The conference centre that we are holding this LMC at, is located amidst the farms and villages that now occupy the silted in harbour to the city. There is no evidence of there ever being a harbour here now. Even the huge city was buried and lost for generations. I spent some time in the ruins of the 40,000 seat amphitheatre where Paul confronted the mob who spent two hours shouting about how great their gods were. I wandered along the now unearthed street where the silversmiths had their shops and looked off toward the nearby Isle of Patmos. As I turn the pages of the New Testament to read the enduring words of both John and Paul, I'm awed by what our Father preserves and what He allows to crumble. That gives a unique perspective on what 'reality' is.
In a study that I'm currently working through called 'The Vision of the Leader', Bruce Wilkinson (Walk Thru the Bible) makes a statement comparing long and short visions. He says, "We can have a vision for 500 years from now with ability to look back with God’s perspective." He enlarged my perspective on the Seven Year Letter that we wrote ... and even on expanding my Life Management Plan to consider my 'after life' portion of existence. That is a big spiritual vision and is probably more in touch with reality.
When John wrote the prophetic words of Jesus “turn back to me …. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand …” (Rev 2:5) it’s likely that he could hardly believe that not just a church but a whole city would disappear when the light went out. But the very things that I would class as being fairly permanent, did disappear.
Jeremiah was so frustrated with the spiritual state of his people that he was called the weeping prophet. His vision was so far beyond his times that he never saw it realized. Yet 500 years later, people were still so aware of his mourning that they wondered if Jesus was actually Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s ‘after life’ existence was still making an impact.
I’m taking a longer look at my Seven Year Letter !
On behalf of the ITA team
John King
Sunday, April 15, 2007
How to Find Blessed Assurance
Here is Jody McBrayer's, (singer with christian band Avalon) perspective on how he uses faith and music to get him through the tough times.
In the 1870s, Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer. He had a wife named Anna and five children. Early in 1871, one of Mr. Spafford's children, his only son, died suddenly and left the entire family devastated. Spafford had invested heavily in real estate and, as if to add insult to injury, he lost most of his properties as well as his life savings during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Spafford desperately needed a rest, so in 1873 he planned a trip to Europe with his wife and four daughters. Last minute business caused Spafford to delay his departure, but he sent his wife and daughters on the S.S. Ville Du Havre as scheduled, promising to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship was struck by the English ship Lochearn, and it sank in twelve minutes. 244 souls perished that day, including all four of Spafford's daughters. Several days later, what little survivors there were, landed at Cardiff, Wales. Spafford's wife Anna was among
them. She cabled her husband the brief message, "Saved alone, what shall I do?"
When Horatio Spafford made the trip to meet his grieving wife, he sailed near the place where his four daughters had sunk to the ocean depths. There, in the midst of his sorrow, he wrote the unforgettable words to a song that has brought healing and hope to countless people: "It is Well With My Soul."
I have been singing that song my whole life and have known of the story for sometime now but it has only recently been a source of strength and inspiration to me.
Every one of us experience pain and loss in this life. We come face to face with difficulties that overwhelm us, often leaving us paralysed and unable to move forward. What does it say about a man like Horatio Spafford to have his entire family and fortune taken from him, yet still have enough faith in God to say, "It Is Well…."?
I'm not sure I would respond that way. As a matter of fact, I haven't. I haven't even begun to experience the kind of loss that Mr. Spafford did, and yet my response to difficulty and loss has been very different. My father passed away in 2000, and to this day I still shake my head at the heavens and ask why. That's where Mr. Spafford's life and story have helped alter my perspective.
Philippians 4:7 from The Message says; "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
I love that line, "...when God displaces worry at the center of your life." There really is a peace beyond our own understanding. God promises us peace and a clearer understanding of life's difficulties if we'll only just pray and seek Him. The true test is not the trial itself but how we respond to that trial. Mr. Spafford knew this.
Horatio Spafford was a mighty man of God. One who shared company with some of the greatest spiritual men of his time. They would often call on him for advice and prayer because of his godly character. That is the kind of man I want to be. That's what God wants for all of us--to be people who are sold out for Christ, and so firmly rooted in His faith that we can withstand any storm.
The second verse of "It is Well" says:
In Isaiah 53 it says; "...He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
I wish you all peace, the kind of peace that Horatio Spafford had. The peace that only comes when we trust God with every fiber of our being. Knowing deep within us that, no matter where we are in this life, no matter what answers we don't have, no matter how difficult the path ahead may be, we can sing and truly believe "It is well, it is well with my soul."
In the 1870s, Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer. He had a wife named Anna and five children. Early in 1871, one of Mr. Spafford's children, his only son, died suddenly and left the entire family devastated. Spafford had invested heavily in real estate and, as if to add insult to injury, he lost most of his properties as well as his life savings during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Spafford desperately needed a rest, so in 1873 he planned a trip to Europe with his wife and four daughters. Last minute business caused Spafford to delay his departure, but he sent his wife and daughters on the S.S. Ville Du Havre as scheduled, promising to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship was struck by the English ship Lochearn, and it sank in twelve minutes. 244 souls perished that day, including all four of Spafford's daughters. Several days later, what little survivors there were, landed at Cardiff, Wales. Spafford's wife Anna was among
them. She cabled her husband the brief message, "Saved alone, what shall I do?"
When Horatio Spafford made the trip to meet his grieving wife, he sailed near the place where his four daughters had sunk to the ocean depths. There, in the midst of his sorrow, he wrote the unforgettable words to a song that has brought healing and hope to countless people: "It is Well With My Soul."
I have been singing that song my whole life and have known of the story for sometime now but it has only recently been a source of strength and inspiration to me.
Every one of us experience pain and loss in this life. We come face to face with difficulties that overwhelm us, often leaving us paralysed and unable to move forward. What does it say about a man like Horatio Spafford to have his entire family and fortune taken from him, yet still have enough faith in God to say, "It Is Well…."?
I'm not sure I would respond that way. As a matter of fact, I haven't. I haven't even begun to experience the kind of loss that Mr. Spafford did, and yet my response to difficulty and loss has been very different. My father passed away in 2000, and to this day I still shake my head at the heavens and ask why. That's where Mr. Spafford's life and story have helped alter my perspective.
Philippians 4:7 from The Message says; "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
I love that line, "...when God displaces worry at the center of your life." There really is a peace beyond our own understanding. God promises us peace and a clearer understanding of life's difficulties if we'll only just pray and seek Him. The true test is not the trial itself but how we respond to that trial. Mr. Spafford knew this.
Horatio Spafford was a mighty man of God. One who shared company with some of the greatest spiritual men of his time. They would often call on him for advice and prayer because of his godly character. That is the kind of man I want to be. That's what God wants for all of us--to be people who are sold out for Christ, and so firmly rooted in His faith that we can withstand any storm.
The second verse of "It is Well" says:
"Though Satan should buffet.It is my prayer that when you and I are faced with struggles, we respond as Mr. Spafford did. With the "blessed assurance" of knowing that God is bigger than our circumstances. He is greater than our speeding tickets. He is more powerful than divorce. He is mightier than cancer or disease. Our God took into consideration all of these situations, both joyful and difficult, long before time began. Then, He sent Jesus to take those burdens from us and to renew our lives.
Though trials should come.
Let this blessed assurance control.
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
and hath shed His own blood for my soul."
In Isaiah 53 it says; "...He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
I wish you all peace, the kind of peace that Horatio Spafford had. The peace that only comes when we trust God with every fiber of our being. Knowing deep within us that, no matter where we are in this life, no matter what answers we don't have, no matter how difficult the path ahead may be, we can sing and truly believe "It is well, it is well with my soul."
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Who posts the articles
engage! - Perspectives on Leading and Managing Well is a blog for the Leadership Matters Course (LMC) run by International Trainers Alliance (ITA). Posts to the blog (translation - articles) are provided by Vinay Koshy with post name vqld, unless otherwise stated, in which case the authors name will be provided.
The Editor for the blog is John King.
The Editor for the blog is John King.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Becoming an Easter People
I came across this excerpt from Eugene Peterson called, Living the Resurrection and wanted to share this with you. I think it is especially relevant in light of Easter which we have just celebrated. Hopefully it will encourage you in your workday or wherever you are…
“The [world] is obviously not a vacation paradise. Its more like a warzone. And that’s where we Christians are stationed, along with the children, to affirm the primacy of life over death, to give a witness to the connectedness and preciousness of all life, to engage in the practice of resurrection.
We do this by gathering in congregations and regular worship before our life-giving God and our death-defeating Christ and our life-abounding Holy Spirit. We do it by reading, pondering, teaching, and preaching the Word of Life as it is revealed in our Scriptures. We do it by baptizing men, women and children into the name of the Trinity, nurturing them into a resurrection life. We do it by eating the life of Jesus in the bread and the wine in the Eucharist. We do it by visiting prisoners, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, healing the sick, working for justice, loving our enemies, raising our children, doing our everyday work to the glory of God…all this is pretty ordinary. It doesn’t take a great deal of training or talent to do any of it….”
We are called to be an Easter people, a resurrection people…people who proclaim life in a world of death and distraction. May we live together (united, even though we are part of different local communities) as the people of God in the everyday work to which God has called us.
Happy Easter.
“The [world] is obviously not a vacation paradise. Its more like a warzone. And that’s where we Christians are stationed, along with the children, to affirm the primacy of life over death, to give a witness to the connectedness and preciousness of all life, to engage in the practice of resurrection.
We do this by gathering in congregations and regular worship before our life-giving God and our death-defeating Christ and our life-abounding Holy Spirit. We do it by reading, pondering, teaching, and preaching the Word of Life as it is revealed in our Scriptures. We do it by baptizing men, women and children into the name of the Trinity, nurturing them into a resurrection life. We do it by eating the life of Jesus in the bread and the wine in the Eucharist. We do it by visiting prisoners, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, healing the sick, working for justice, loving our enemies, raising our children, doing our everyday work to the glory of God…all this is pretty ordinary. It doesn’t take a great deal of training or talent to do any of it….”
We are called to be an Easter people, a resurrection people…people who proclaim life in a world of death and distraction. May we live together (united, even though we are part of different local communities) as the people of God in the everyday work to which God has called us.
Happy Easter.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
How To Change An Institution
I came across an interview with Seth Godin a guru from the marketing world which highlights some neccessities in bringing about change, in forming communities and the role that ideas play.
In condensed form:
I am was both curious and awed in that Starbuck’s seems to understand the nature of community and refuge.
Where people used to run to the church for that “third place”, they now run to Starbuck’s.
Perhaps it’s time for a field trip, to discover what Starbuck’s knows that we don’t. Because I firmly believe that the missions and missional churches must become and be a “third place” of safety, refuge and community. It’s in finding that identity that will enable missions to impact that changing world around it.
In condensed form:
- "Start by living the change, by being responsible for the change and by not waiting for someone else to give you permission. No one ever made change in a meeting."
- People embrace stories - thus mastery over such a skill will prove valuable in ministry and within an institution
- "A community is a group of people who spread ideas... and who like (or at least know) each other. Without ideas spreading, there is no community."
- Catering to local needs - means providing respect and responsibilty that people want and need.
I am was both curious and awed in that Starbuck’s seems to understand the nature of community and refuge.
Where people used to run to the church for that “third place”, they now run to Starbuck’s.
Perhaps it’s time for a field trip, to discover what Starbuck’s knows that we don’t. Because I firmly believe that the missions and missional churches must become and be a “third place” of safety, refuge and community. It’s in finding that identity that will enable missions to impact that changing world around it.
5 Leadership Lessons: Leadership and Motivation
1. A wise leader will involve the team in decision-making as far aspossible, for the more that people share in decisions that affect theirworking life the more they are motivated to carry them out.
2. 50/50 Principle:Fifty per cent of our motivation comes from within us and 50 per centfrom without us—from our environment, especially the people around us.(These proportions may vary from person to person.) We are more like open systems than closed boxes.
3. Nobody inspires you more than the person who speaks to the greatness within you.
4. A Framework for Motivation:
2. 50/50 Principle:Fifty per cent of our motivation comes from within us and 50 per centfrom without us—from our environment, especially the people around us.(These proportions may vary from person to person.) We are more like open systems than closed boxes.
3. Nobody inspires you more than the person who speaks to the greatness within you.
4. A Framework for Motivation:
- Be motivated yourself. You can’t light a fire with a dead match.
- Select people who are highly motivated. Build yourteam not from those who talk enthusiastically but from those who showeagerness for the business and steady commitment in their actions.
- Treat each person as an individual. Theories andprinciples apply to the generality of people. You will never know howthey apply, even if they apply, to any given individuals unless youobserve them and talk to them. A good shepherd knows his sheep by name.
- Set realistic and challenging targets. Your skill asa leader is to set and agree to goals, objectives or targets that bothachieve the task and develop the team and its individual members.
- Remember that progress motivates. If you as a leadercan show your team, and to each individual member, that progress isbeing made, that it itself will feed the determination to pressforwards on the path of success.
- Create a motivating environment. Leaders are thereto build teamwork, and that is a creative activity. All leaders in anorganization should work together to ensure that it is an interesting,stimulating and challenging place of work.
- Provide fair rewards. The perception of unfairrewards does have a de-motivating effect on most people. Financial andother rewards should match he relative value of contribution, accordingto the market assessment for any particular kind of work.
- Give recognition. A good leader should be swift toshow recognition to all members of the team or organization, howeverindirect their contribution is to the overall task.
Learning to Preach Like Jesus
Demographers indicate that 350,000 sermons are preached in the USA every Sunday. But no-one has done any reliable surveys to discover how many people sleep during those sermons. Statistics from an earlier assessment have shown that if all the people who sleep in church were laid side be side in a long line … they would be a lot more comfortable!
For generations preachers have fought the battle on how to keep people awake during their sermons. Many methods have been proposed and some even aggressively instituted.
Not all preachers are gifted communicators. Billy Graham preached his first four sermons, sequentially, in one meeting, in only eight minutes. Many preachers do worse than that, except they take longer.
Communicating through the medium of preaching presents special challenges. And Ralph Lewis, in his book: “Learning to Preach Like Jesus” investigates the methodology that Jesus used.
When God wanted to communicate with people, it seems to me that He would choose the most effective method possible. That seems logical to me, since He knows the very essence of our make-up. And what tools did Jesus use to communicate in his sermons? Parables.
In his book, Ralph looks at the Greek and the Hebrew approaches and methodology of sermonizing. He analyzes the ‘right brain’, ‘left brain’ ways of learning. He researches the uniqueness in personal processing of data and he enlightens us on the ‘triple brain’ challenge. He does a fabulous job in discovering the ‘what’ of communication.
Then he dissects Jesus’ sermons and parables. Jesus was a storyteller.
But … there is one element that Ralph leaves out in his book ... the ‘HOW’ to tell stories. This element of ‘how’ is what we teach at the Leadership Matters Course! The ‘modular approach’ to storytelling, ‘STORY’ and the ‘Dutchman’ are distinctives of LMC!
Not forgetting what we learned! … John
For generations preachers have fought the battle on how to keep people awake during their sermons. Many methods have been proposed and some even aggressively instituted.
Not all preachers are gifted communicators. Billy Graham preached his first four sermons, sequentially, in one meeting, in only eight minutes. Many preachers do worse than that, except they take longer.
Communicating through the medium of preaching presents special challenges. And Ralph Lewis, in his book: “Learning to Preach Like Jesus” investigates the methodology that Jesus used.
When God wanted to communicate with people, it seems to me that He would choose the most effective method possible. That seems logical to me, since He knows the very essence of our make-up. And what tools did Jesus use to communicate in his sermons? Parables.
In his book, Ralph looks at the Greek and the Hebrew approaches and methodology of sermonizing. He analyzes the ‘right brain’, ‘left brain’ ways of learning. He researches the uniqueness in personal processing of data and he enlightens us on the ‘triple brain’ challenge. He does a fabulous job in discovering the ‘what’ of communication.
Then he dissects Jesus’ sermons and parables. Jesus was a storyteller.
But … there is one element that Ralph leaves out in his book ... the ‘HOW’ to tell stories. This element of ‘how’ is what we teach at the Leadership Matters Course! The ‘modular approach’ to storytelling, ‘STORY’ and the ‘Dutchman’ are distinctives of LMC!
Not forgetting what we learned! … John
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