engage!

LMC Accolades

2008-07-02T19:49:00.002+10:00

June 20, 2008

Hey LMC Team!

We are doing well...we have used SO much from LMC.

We revised the Life Management Plan so it can be used with our ministry team and had opportunity to test it out on some friends the other night. They loved it! When we have our Team Orientation at the end of July, each person will be required to do a Personal Life Plan.

AND we did the Position Results Descriptions in the LMC manner and have had many people comment about how clear they are.

We talked about Leadership Matters Course so much in various circles that we started getting requests to share the information in a more formal manner.
Just yesterday, we did a training workshop with some managers from another organization - teaching them the Management Skills straight from LMC! We even gave them a set of Management Pocket Prompters. They were so excited because they said they regularly have management trainings, but they are usually about inspiring their staff and never about practical things like delegation and ensuring progress, etc. The managers in the Media & Periodicals Department decided they are going to be teaching the tools to everyone in their teams. (We explained the need for everyone to understand a "Good Delegation" so they can hold the managers accountable.)

We also did a session about Team Building for another non-profit organization. We talked about the power of sharing stories and making intentional space to have people share accomplishments and dreams. It was very good! We can't wait to hear how they use it all.
We just realized yesterday that we have already accomplished everything on our PR Plans of Action from LMC! We literally worked through each from top to bottom without even realizing it - and it is turning out great!

So - be encouraged! What you do is SO helpful - it couldn't have come at a better time for us, that's for sure. We are praying for you as well!

sincerely … (LMC Alumnus)

Quick poll

2008-06-24T06:36:00.004+10:00

There is a poll on the side-bar of the blog asking

What is the biggest challenge in leading?

If you cannot find an answer that suits your biggest challenge please let us know by posting your thoughts. Just click on comments (below this post) and enter your thoughts.

Thanks.

How to successfully build your leadership with willing followers

2008-06-17T13:05:00.004+10:00

For years experts have said that leadership was intangible and not measurable. However there is a basic measure - leaders are determined by their followers. No followers, no leader. Most influential leaders no matter what title they have or role they play are those with willing followers.

The whole point of leadership is to get whole hearted followers for a given course of action. However most potential leaders ignore followership and instead focus on being more engaging, interesting or convincing. At times they may rely on their positional power and end up, not with committed followers but with agreements at best, compliance at worst and marginal results.

The term whole hearted implies leaders have engaged their followers both in the heart and head in other words emotionally and intellectually. It also implies that the follower decides to whether or not to give his or her commitment.

So how do you gain whole hearted commitments and willing followers? The first step starts with the conversation
you have with a potential follower. Here you express your decision goals, and you include three critical decision goal elements:

1) a confident statement of the goal which has value or benefits to the potential followers
2) an invitation for followers to look at or listen to the goal and strategy and
3) an acknowledgement that the potential followers are decision-makers.

Take for example the following interaction: I believe we can reach our target of cost reduction by making a few changes to our process. Let's discuss this approach and you decide if it something that you can support. By putting forth your ideas with the confidence that others can decide on and treating followers as fellow decision makers, you have a greater chance of being heard and with an open mind and gaining credibility.

Planning and logic alone will not guarantee commitment. Commitments are whole hearted decisions and that means engaging the heart and head. Not everyone sees information the same way because emotions shape logic.

Opening a conversation with a well stated decision goal establishes rapport, openness and trust; it also lets followers know they are decision makers and so feel safer talking and revealing their true attitudes toward a plan.

A follower’s potential attitude can be positive, negative or neutral and can vary from moment to moment. Exceptional leaders are able to intuitively recognise intuitively recognize momentary changes in attitudes or points of view in a conversation. They focus more on how something is said, and by that, what is said makes more sense. Recognising and adapting to what is said is what enables leaders to influence others.

Let's look at an example of what this looks like - when you give someone directions to your home, you first determine where the other person is starting from. The directions you then give vary based on where the person is at that moment in time. In the same way if a potential follower considers your goal or strategy difficult to execute then you must simplify it. If a follower sees a plan as being to risky you then reduce the risk. Since followers vary in their attitudes you will need a range of responses that make sense to followers.

Regardless of a potential follower’s response, you must treat followers seriously so they talk openly and consider your goals and strategies. Acknowledging their point of view and taking them seriously are easier to do with the following:

1. Give them your total attention: Prove you care by suspending all other activities, suspend your point of view and show interest in what the other person is saying.

2. Respond: Responses can be verbal or nonverbal (nods, expressing interest). the key is to show that the message was received and had an impact.

3. Prove understanding: Saying I understand is not enough. You need to prove understanding by occasionally restating the gist of the idea or asking questions which prove you know the main idea. This is different from proving that you are listening and transmits a different message when people are communicating.

4. Prove respect: Take others’ views seriously. Telling someone, I appreciate your position, or I know how you feel, does not help. Such responses are usually followed by the word “but” and your viewpoint. Instead, show respect for the other person’s view by communicating at their level of understanding and attitude. An adjustment in tone of voice, rate of speech, and choice of words shows you are imagining being where the other person is at the moment.

When others sense they are being taken seriously; they in turn will take you seriously as their leader. Understanding that successful leaders are great followers first will assist you in becoming a better, more effective leader.

Does your leadership facilitate?

2008-06-16T04:45:00.000+10:00

What does my life mean? What am I doing here? Do I matter? Is there more to existence than consumption? Are we called to improve the lives of our fellow human beings? Are we called to take care of the earth? Is it really possible for one person to make a difference?

This “higher purpose” mentality sounds lofty, but it is actually the kind of thinking that is now driving some of the best human efforts on the planet, whether in business, science, the social sector, or entertainment. Make no mistake: meaning can be commoditised, just like toothpaste and cars. We would be amiss to imagine that the significance movement is altruistic at its core. But we would also be amiss to imagine that it is altogether insincere. More than ever, humans are waking up to the fact that they have the power to affect life, for better or worse. We’ve had several centuries of mostly worse. Now, many are choosing to do what they can for the better.

But do we really believe this? Do we really have faith that people want to build better workplaces, better neighbourhoods, better mousetraps, or better ministries? One manager of a Fortune 100 company described his dilemma as a leader:

“I know in my heart that when people are driving in to work that they’re not thinking, ‘How can I mess things up today? How can I give my boss a hard time?’ No one is driving here with that intent, but we (as leaders) then act as if we believed that. We’re afraid to give them any slack.”

Margaret Wheatley put it best when she said, “Most of us know that as people drive to work they’re wondering how they can get something done for the organisation despite the organisation—despite political craziness, the bureaucratic nightmares, the mindless procedures piled up in the way.”

Ben Zander, in his book, The Art of Possibility, claims that leaders often operate with the assumption that people don’t want to contribute; that they want us to do everything for them. Yet, from Bono’s One campaign to Arts for Aids to the Sustainable Energy Network, there is a new level of participation and individual commitment. Perhaps people are tired of being told there is nothing they can do. Perhaps they are tired of clogged bureaucracies. Instead, they are persistently and quietly organizing themselves—over the Internet, over coffee, over anything—because they want to make a difference. They are rolling up their sleeves and doing what they can because, well, they finally know that they can—without the help their employers or the institutions they attend.

There is no question that good-old fashioned narcissism still abounds. But the rising tide of activism is getting hard to ignore, and this time around, it seems to be more grassroots than ever and embracing several generations, not just one. What assumptions have you made as a leader about the people in your church, your ministry, and your community? Are people really just out for themselves? Do they really want us to do it all for them? How do we know? Have we tested that assumption lately? And if it’s true that many people really do want to make a difference, how will our leadership facilitate rather than exterminate that desire?

Great leadership believes great things about people and releases them to do the impossible.

What Makes For A Unique Training Experience?

2008-01-26T10:21:00.001+10:00

It has been a challenge to describe the unique distinctive of the Leadership Matters Course. With so many courses being advertised as leadership training, as graduates of LMC, we need to be able to describe what is different.

If we were to simply give an outline of the materials covered in the LMC curriculum, there may seem to be little that is different to other leadership training courses. The question needs to be answered "What is unique about LMC?"

Many courses that are advertised as training are, in reality, lectures that are given in a teaching mode, rather than a training mode. ‘Teaching’, while very significant, tends to focus on the delivery of prescribed content in a lecture format. But in our context ‘training’ is focused on developing the participant’s skills and doing it in such a practiced way that they will remember the principles.

Participants will remember far more because they have had the opportunity to actually practice the new skill, or apply the new insight, than if they only have a record of it in a handbook.

There are a number of things in the presentation of LMC that make it unique. Four very significant aspects are:

1) The amount of time the participant is actually ‘doing’ and ‘practicing’ the material rather than passively ‘listening’. Each of the trainers is motivated by the phrase ‘Participants will not remember so much what WE say, but they will remember what THEY do’.

2) Participants are asked to practice a new skill only after the trainer has first modeled it.

3) While the trainers do introduce new material, they are committed wherever possible to help the participant discover the answers themselves. Participants do this by sharing their combined knowledge in a very interactive environment.

4) There is a carefully planned structure to the progression of the training which follows a Biblical emphasis.
a. Firstly, we help the trainees recognize their own worth and gifting in God’s eyes as the essential reality for them.
b. This is followed by developing an understanding of Gods concern for them to be loving and caring for other people.
c. With these two in their rightful place we then focus on the situations that as leaders they will need to address.
Being able to guide the discussions and insights from the participants; and balancing the introduction of new content with that, is what necessitates the specialized training given to all the trainers.

Given this background, another helpful way to show the differences between LMC and the many other training courses is to state the outcomes that the graduates can expect when they actively apply the training. The ongoing relevance of the course will be directly related to the ability of the participant to apply it to their own situation.

Warmly in Him,
David Cummings

What Happens If Nothing Changes In The Way We Lead?

2008-01-26T08:06:00.000+10:00

Perhaps like me you go through a similar routine at the start of a new year. We start by admonishing ourselves for the mistakes of the past year - projects left undone, opportunites not seized. We grit our teeth and resolve to make changes in the way we do things in the coming year, only to find ourselves making the same resolutions: I've got to get organised, I'll set priorities this year, I promise to delegate more etc.

While they are worthy goals - the truth is we will more likely than not find ourselves at the same spot next year. But what would happen if we were to make a determined and real change in the way we lead our organisations? Better still - what will happen in our organisations this year if nothing changes in the way we lead?

Here are seven leadership resolutions you might consider that will make a real difference in your organisation in the coming year. Which ones will provide the biggest payoffs? Do all seven, and chances are you will have the most rewarding year of your leadership career!

1. Craft a big, bold, breath-taking story and tell it every day.
What is the most exciting, rewarding, and scariest future you can imagine? What great battles will be won, treasures found and people freed? Paint the story in full colour. What does the future look like? How are we going to get there? How is tomorrow going to be much better than today? People want to be part of an important story. Tell it to them and help them find their own starring role.

2. Multiply the strength of your leadership connections.
Consider for a moment the 8-10 individuals with whom you share management and leadership responsibilities. What would change if your relationships with those on the leadership team remained as is?
How much more effective would your leadership team become if you dramatically strengthened your personal connection with every one of these people? You have probably created a mutually acceptable status quo with these individuals so change will not be easy. Are there some difficult conversations that you need to have? Try this: honour their uniqueness; share more of yourself; learn about them; ask how you can serve them. Be careful, this is very potent.

3. Act with exceptional compassion and kindness.
You are not the only one feeling a bit beaten up these days. The members of your organisation are faced with many of the same challenges that you face…imperfect products and processes, unpredictable environments, insatiable customers, disappointing staff performance. Seek out ways to show your humanity every day. Treat everyone in the organisation with dignity and respect, especially those who are struggling. They will walk through walls for you, but do not do it for that reason. Do it because it is the right thing to do. We spend much of our waking lives inside organisations and you have the power to make these places where the human spirit can thrive or die. Use this power well.

4. Tell the absolute truth.
Stop spinning, sugar-coating and avoiding. You’ll be amazed at how many people start listening to you. How much more effective would your organisation be if the half-truths, positioning and face-saving were eradicated? The tough part is that you cannot make this happen by mandating it. You must go first. You must model it.

5. Hold everyone accountable.
Accountability is not tyranny. It is a very good thing. A caring leader insists that people do what they say they will do. When you hold people accountable, you are saying that their work is important. You are saying that they are important. Every time you let a deadline slip or a deliverable go incomplete, you are discounting the person whose job it is to deliver on these commitments. Make it a habit to ensure that every piece of work is accompanied by a personal commitment. Measure. Give feedback. Initiate consequences. Celebrate being part of an organisation that keeps its promises.

6. Confront underperformance.
You know in your heart-of-hearts who in your organisation is under-performing. Commit to seeing that this performance changes early this year. Now here’s the caveat. Before you take any action, ask yourself these questions – “What is my part in this situation? How have my actions or lack thereof contributed to this situation? What do I need to do differently?” Approach the individuals in question and describe your responsibilities and personal commitments to change. Then, and only then, it’s their turn.

7. Be distinctively you.
What would you get if you could put all of the leadership qualities of Bill Gates, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, George Washington, Jack Welch and Winston Churchill into one individual? Probably a bland, non-descript person indistinguishable in the crowd. These men and women made a difference because they had the courage to be themselves. Have you forgotten who you really are? What excites you these days? What are your passions? Where do you want to make your mark? When you are at your best, what are you doing? Maybe it’s time to figure out what is most important to you, tell everyone around you, and let this fuel your leadership.

Why not make this your best year ever as a leader. What will happen if nothing really changes?

Resources to Engage

2008-01-20T10:02:00.000+10:00

FERRAZZIGREENLIGHT http://www.ferrazzifrfeenlight.com
Born out of a rich life experience in senior management, this company seeks to enable leaders to develop their own networking style and thus enrich their own careers. "How to build a lifelong community of colleagues, contacts, friends and mentors" is the sub-line of the title of "Never Eat Alone" the CEO's first book on networking.

FARNHAM CASTLE http://www.farnhamcastle.com/
An excellent example of a truly comprehensive equipping programme for those working overseas. One of the key area of focus is preparing senior managers in international companies for their posts overseas. A professional and highly relevant project.

FOCIG http://www.focig.com/focus.htm
Enriching and encouraging those who work in governments around the world, is indeed a high and noble vision. This is the desire of FOCIG which is a fellowship of Christians in government in the Philippines. Serving the nation in the heart of the nation.

MARKETPLACE CONNECTIONS http://www.marketplaceconnections.com/home.htm
We have a Marketplace Faith: The Christian faith started outside the temple. Jesus grew up as a carpenter. When it was time for public
ministry he worked in the marketplace with fishermen and a tax collector. His parables were marketplace stories and his healings
happened often in marketplace situations. Why is the marketplace important as a place of ministry? Our work is important because that is where we earn our living, provide for our families and spend some 67% of our waking time Monday to Friday. It is also the place where we meet non-Christians the most.

by Global Nomad

Resources to Engage

2007-11-11T07:11:00.000+10:00

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

4 Leadership Secrets Revealed

2007-11-11T06:41:00.000+10:00

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

2007-11-11T06:26:00.000+10:00

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.

by Joop Strietman

Natural Leadership Development

2007-10-14T08:35:00.000+10:00

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?

Where is Your Attention?

2007-10-13T20:39:00.003+10:00

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?

How Do You Measure Up?

2007-10-13T20:39:00.002+10:00

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

2007-10-13T20:39:00.001+10:00

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

Greetings

2007-07-14T06:52:00.000+10:00

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

2007-07-14T06:40:00.000+10:00

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?

How to Ease the Pain of Delegation

2007-07-14T06:25:00.000+10:00

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.

Why Transformation outweighs Culture

2007-07-05T04:37:00.000+10:00

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.

Why The CEO-Leader Model Doesn't Serve The Purpose Of Going Missional

2007-05-13T08:33:00.001+10:00

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.

How To Connect With Your Audience

2007-05-12T13:35:00.000+10:00

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

2007-05-12T12:01:00.000+10:00

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

2007-05-12T11:50:00.000+10:00

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

2007-05-12T11:09:00.000+10:00

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

How to Find Blessed Assurance

2007-04-15T19:31:00.001+10:00

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:

"Though Satan should buffet.

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."

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.

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."

Who posts the articles

2007-04-14T10:51:00.000+10:00

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.

Becoming an Easter People

2007-04-09T08:41:00.000+10:00

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.

How To Change An Institution

2007-04-08T19:13:00.000+10:00

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:

"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.

These seem especially pertinent given the following quote from a Starbuck’s District Manager: “We have identified a ‘third place.’ And I really believe that sets us apart. The third place is that place that’s not work or home. It’s the place our customers come for refuge.” —Nancy Orsolini, District Manager

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.

Survey

2007-04-08T08:55:00.000+10:00

Please complete the following survey so that the ITA Staff can appraise the ongoing effectiveness and relevance of the LMC materials in your life and ministry.

SURVEY

John King.

5 Leadership Lessons: Leadership and Motivation

2007-04-08T08:47:00.000+10:00

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:

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.

5. Work as a form of service requiring skill, work that calls forcreativity in all its rich variety, work that fosters a deepcomradeship with our co-workers, is almost by definition work thatmotivates us to give our best. Or, putting it differently, when, as Kahil Gibran says, “Work is the expression of love, then motivation will never be our problem."Perhaps the real challenge of leadership today is to locate, releaseand channel the power of love that flows from deep inner springs withinus all.These five lessons are from Leadership and Motivation by internationally recognized leadership authority John Adair.

Learning to Preach Like Jesus

2007-04-08T08:36:00.000+10:00

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

How to Develop Great leadership

2006-10-15T09:56:00.000+10:00

In an interview with Fast Company, GE's CEO Jeff Immelt reveals his own leadership checklist which often shares with up and coming leaders at the company's famous management-development center.

1. Personal Responsibility."Enron and 9/11 marked the end of an era of individual freedom and the beginning of personal responsibility. You lead today by building teams and placing others first. It's not about you."

2. Simplify Constantly. "I always use Jack [Welch] as my example here. Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the organization is working on. If you can't, then you're not leading well."

3. Understand Breadth, Depth, and Context."Its really important to understand how your organisation fits in with the world and how you respond to it."

4. The importance of alignment and time management."There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around the things that are really important: setting priorities, measuring outcomes, and rewarding them."

5. Leaders learn constantly and also have to learn how to teach. "A leader's primary role is to teach. People who work with you don't have to agree with you, but they have to feel you're willing to share what you've learned."

6. Stay true to your own style."Leadership is an intense journey into yourself. You can use your own style to get anything done. It's about being self-aware. Every morning, I look in the mirror and say, 'I could have done three things better yesterday.' "

7. Manage by setting boundaries with freedom in the middle."The boundaries are commitment, passion, trust, and teamwork. Within those guidelines, there's plenty of freedom. But no one can cross those four boundaries."

8. Stay disciplined and detailed."Good leaders are never afraid to intervene personally on things that are important. Michael Dell can tell you how many computers were shipped from Singapore yesterday."

9. Leave a few things unsaid."I may know an answer, but I'll often let the team find its own way. Sometimes, being an active listener is much more effective than ending a meeting with me enumerating 17 actions."

10. Like people."Today, it's employment at will. Nobody's here who doesn't want to be here. So it's critical to understand people, to always be fair, and to want the best in them. And when it doesn't work, they need to know it's not personal."

Stop that email!

2006-10-15T08:26:00.000+10:00

I took a day off work only to come back to over 70 emails in my inbox. I found my self only following up on messages that managed to catch my attention within the first few seconds of viewing it.

This experience underscored the need to be relevant to an audience. Is this relevant to you? The LMC course which you have either attended or been referred to provides the skills to be relevant to your respective audiences. The training alliance through a series of media including this, hope to encourage you on your path to relevance.

Seth Godin wrote an excellent post on his blog about communication through speeches or talk. He writes about the dynamics of speech: “Speech is both linear and unpaceable. You can’t skip around and you can’t speed it up. When the speaker covers something you know, you are bored. When he quickly covers something you don’t understand, you are lost.” This is both the advantage and the challenge of speech.

A speech has always been a platform to sell ideas, but we often forget that and just drone on presenting what perhaps is important to us (often the audience can’t tell) without regard to our listeners. Godin adds, “If marketing is the art of spreading ideas, then teaching is a kind of marketing. And teaching to groups verbally is broken, perhaps beyond repair. Consumers of information won’t stand for it. We’re learning less every time we are confronted with this technique, because we’ve been spoiled by the remote control and the web.”

Godin suggests, “If you teach - teach anything - you need to start by acknowledging that there’s a need to sell your ideas emotionally. So you need to use whatever tools are available to you—an evocative PowerPoint image, say, or a truly impassioned speech.” Speech isn’t broken; we just don’t take the time to do it well. A well crafted speech has the potential to cut through the clutter and hold your attention more intimately than nearly any other form of communication.

In my opinion the above doesn't just apply to speeches but to all forms of communication.

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John King and Vinay Koshy.

How To Gain Humility Through Success

2006-10-15T08:04:00.000+10:00

Is it wrong to pray for God to make me more successful so that I can be more humble?

Paul writes: "We know that 'We all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up." (I Corinthians 8:1b, Today's NIV). If "knowledge puffs up," then we as professionals are in ever-present danger of having elephantine egos.

A decade ago, U.S. News & World Report found evidence in academia of Paul's observation: "A poll of university professors found that 94% of the respondents thought that they were better at their jobs than their average colleague" (16 Dec 1996).

I have a natural inclination to puffiness. What's a “gifted intellect” like me supposed to do? My ego likes the world to believe that I am a super successful professional and am really smart. But "don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?" (James 4:4b).

Blaise Pascal (1623-62), one of the greatest scientists of the 17th century, voiced the proper perspective on the matter. Pascal invented the first computer, studied vacuums and was a gifted mathematician. The metric unit of pressure bears his name. (I'm hesitant to admit it, but his intellect probably exceeded mine.)

On Monday, Nov 23, 1654, Pascal had a life-changing conversion encounter with Jesus Christ. We know these details because, upon Pascal's death, personal notes about his conversion were found in the lining of his coat. He wrote the following prayer:

"Almighty God, who gave your servant Blaise Pascal a great intellect that he might explore the mysteries of your creation, and who kindled in his heart a love for you and a devotion to your service - mercifully give us your servants, according to our various callings, gifts of excellence in body, mind, and will, and the grace to use them diligently and to your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever."

Pascal had it right. I am to celebrate my intellect as a gift from God, and when rejoicing in any accomplishments, do it before Him in thanksgiving. This is such an obvious directive.

Solomon also addresses this dilemma, and gives argument-settling advice to people like myself with debating egos. "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandment, for this is the whole [duty] of man." (Eccl 12:12b-13).

Critical Key to Empowered Leadership

2006-10-15T07:37:00.000+10:00

In recent times there seems to be a dearth of trust between people in different circumstances be at home, in business, politic etc. Trust is a word with which we are truly familiar. Yet, it is difficult to define in a truly comprehensive way. You may not know that it is a word of Scandinavian origin. It connects “agreement,” “pact,” and “faith”—all wrapped into one. Webster notes two definitions: first, “a confident dependence on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something”; second, “something committed or entrusted to one to be used or cared for in the interest of another.” The first definition is commonplace and correlates with our grade-school interpretation. But, the latter definition embraces the transcendent qualities of the word.

Trust, in its fullest sense, extends beyond simply having great confidence in a person, or faith that a task will be performed. It manifests itself when one becomes committed to the protection and care of someone else—he is entrusted to that person, who holds his faith in trust.

The Founding Fathers of the United States were very concerned about trust and mutual respect and the leadership of the country they had just created. In fact Baron Charles de Montesquieu’s seminal work, The Spirit of Laws, was closely referred to.

The concept of the separation of powers, developed here and influenced by the work of the Greek historian Polybius, surely formed the basis of the Constitution.
Montesquieu explored this relationship which must exist between a people and their government – between leaders and followers – without which they could not survive. He weighed the advantages and disadvantages of dictatorships, monarchies and republics, describing the cohesive forces of each. Although he felt that the free republic was the most desirous form of government, he stated that it was the most fragile because it depends on a virtuous people. The framers of the Constitution took that to mean those that could sacrifice their private concerns for the good of the country. Of this quality of being they had grave concerns. Washington concluded, that “the few, therefore, who act upon Principles of disinterestedness are, comparatively speaking, no more that a drop in the Ocean.”

Any good leaders should feel an obligation to not only consider their personal well being but also that of others as well. When this implicit commitment is broken – when the leader only considers their own well being – there is no basis for leadership and the leader cannot be trusted.

Suspicion not trust is the operative word today. Trust, however, is an essential ingredient of the leader follower relationship. An ingredient that is in short supply. Trust of course, involves a vulnerability on our part, due to some form of ignorance or basic uncertainty as to the other person’s motives. This is a leap of faith that many of us today, are not willing to make. But a leap we must make because leadership doesn’t and can’t happen in a vacuum.

8 Principles to Lead Innovation

2006-10-14T07:24:00.000+10:00

One of the biggest challenges to organisations and untapped resources are its employees ideas and innovations. To this day most organizations still share the following barriers to innovation:

Lack of language. Organizations don't have effective ways to talk about the innovation process.
Limited scope. Existing innovation processes often encourage small, incremental changes rather than new products, breakthrough ideas or unusual concepts.
Isolation. Departments and groups may be isolated, creating subcultures that are different from the rest of the organization and limiting exchange of ideas and information.
Comfort with the status quo. People are often dependent on the familiar, leaving little room or tolerance for anyone with wildly different ideas and behaviors.
A deficit of trust. Innovation requires structures that are supported by bonds of trust, confidence and respect for those involved.

Bob Rosenfeld author of Making the Invisible Visible: The Human Principles for Sustaining Innovation, says that all ideas come from people, but it requires innovation leaders to stimulate, motivate and encourage people in specific ways."

This combined with the sustained commitment from a high-level within the organization are crucial elements for ideas and innovation to come forth. Leaders need to look beyond the mechanics, techniques and results of innovation to the unseen principles of innovation.

He describes eight principles that underlie the human aspect of innovation:

Innovation starts when people convert problems into ideas.
Innovation needs a system.
Passion is the fuel, and pain is the hidden ingredient.
Co-locating drives effective exchange.
Differences should be leveraged.

The elements of destruction are present at creation.
Soft values drive the organization.
Trust is the means and love the unspoken word.

Nehemiah's Secrets to Answered Prayer

2006-09-16T13:41:00.000+10:00

Rick Warren in a recent article provides us with a model of prayer for leaders from the first book of Nehemiah. Upon hearing upon the downfall of Jerusalem, he prayed for four months.
This was not just a casual prayer. It gives us a pattern for successful praying.

Rick provides four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah:

1. Base your request on God's character

Pray like you know God will answer you: "I'm expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. Nehemiah said three things about God:

You're great – that's God's position.

You're awesome – that shows his power.

You keep your promises – God's covenant.

2. Confess the sin in my life.

After Nehemiah based his prayer on who God is, he confessed his sins. Leaders accept the blame but losers pass the buck. If you want to be a leader, you accept the blame, and share the credit.

3. Claim the promises of God.

Nehemiah is praying to the Lord and saying, "I want you to remember what you told your servant Moses."He's reminding God what he had said in the past. If imperfect fathers know that they need to fulfill their promises to their children, how much more does a perfect Father, a heavenly Father, intend to keep the promises he's made in his Word.

4. Be very specific in what I ask for.

If you want specific answers to prayer you need to make specific requests. If you make general prayers, how will you know if they are answered?

If you can't ask God to make you a success at what you're doing, you should be doing something else. God doesn't want you to waste your life.

Everyday Leadership

2006-09-16T10:56:00.000+10:00

Leadership more often is exercised by everyday leaders in schools, homes and communities without much or any public attention being drawn. According to CCL's André Martin. "Leaders are people who, in connection with others, accomplish the tasks of setting direction, building commitment and creating alignment."

CCL in a recent study attempting to gain insight from everyday leaders attempted to explore definitions of leadership, key leadership skills and current challenges. The study included interviews with people from diverse backgrounds including teachers, a car dealership owner, medical doctors, an accountant, a judge, a mayor, a not-for-profit director, Peace Corps volunteers and stay-at-home moms, among others.

"The concepts of inspiration and guidance, vision, and change were articulated in one way or another by most interviewees," says Martin. Combining the key elements from the various interviews, one definition of leadership for everyday leaders is:

The ability to create a vision for positive change, help focus resources on right solutions, inspire and motivate others and provide opportunities for growth and learning.

What skills are needed?
Skills related to interpersonal openness and building relationships were the most frequently mentioned. Commitment, demonstrated knowledge, organization skills and ability to persuade/negotiate were also in the top five.

Looking to the future, there isn't much difference to present requirements: interpersonal openness and building relationships remained at the top, followed by organization skills and the ability to persuade/negotiate. There was a rise in the skills of communication, delegation and setting direction, suggesting, says Martin, "that leaders will need to be even more cognizant of where they are taking people and how to help people be involved."

Tasks of Leadership
CCL's definition of an effective leader is someone who, in connection with others, is able to accomplish three key tasks of leadership:

Setting direction is the articulation of mission, vision, values and purposes. Key questions are: Where are we going? What are we going to do? Why are we doing it?

Building commitment involves the creation of mutual trust and accountability, including addressing questions such as: How can we stay together? How can we work better as a group? What can improve cooperation?

Creating alignment is about finding common ground and areas of interrelated responsibility. Effective leaders ask: How can we develop a shared understanding of our situation? How can our actions be better coordinated?

Reviewing and Applying Skills Learned

2006-09-16T10:24:00.000+10:00

Have you made the discovery that reviewing and continually applying the skills learned at LMC is a ‘Could Be’ rather than an ‘As Is’? Recently I’ve gotten several letters like the following. (Maybe you have thought this too?)

Dear John,

I’ve been talking with other LMC alumni and suggesting that we should reboot our mental computers by doing a refresher course. I can imagine that you don't want us to be successful for the first while and then nothing comes through because the application was lost during the process!! Right?

ONE BIG RULE that you should have: “Those who come, should come as a pair!” Two people remember more then one person. That would ‘guarantee’ that the application would be much better at home ... better than with one person only.

RULE NUMBER TWO should be to organize a refresher course!

I perked up at the comments about doing a refresher course since that is an area that I would like to see developed in the LMC ministry effort. In fact, we have already conducted some mini courses which we call Leadership Matters Advanced (LMA).

During the Leadership Matters Advanced we review LMC material, practice skills and provide individual consultant help on personal projects, like PRD’s or Life Management Plans, etc. We also spend additional time introducing new materials such as Team Building workshops.

An LMA is a minimum of 15 hours of reviewing LMC data with as many LMC alumni as are available. (Since it seems to be a norm for LMC alumni to train their teams in the material they’ve already learned, other colleagues may come to the LMA as well!)

An LMA may be scheduled to coincide with a retreat or conference. (One time we had it as the main feature of a Field Retreat and scheduled business meetings, fun programs and inspirational speakers around it.) Economical use of time and money is always a benefit. With your creative greenlighting skills maybe you can propose some ideas of mutual benefit in which we could schedule and organize an LMA together?

Hit Contact Us if you have a possible interest in a refresher course. It may be that your dreams will fit our plans! Also fill in the Survey so that the ITA Staff can appraise the ongoing effectiveness and relevance of the LMC materials in your life and ministry.

Serving with you …

John King

Editor for A Matter of Course & engage!

LMC Trainer

3 Points from Aristotle on Presentation

2006-09-16T09:47:00.000+10:00

1. Begin With the End in Mind
Knowing where you're trying to go before you start is crucial to leading an effective life (and handy for road trips too). Aristotle called this teleology, which is the study of matters with their end or purpose in mind. Fans of Stephen Covey will recognize the concept from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The same principle applies to any presentation. The overall story that a presentation is trying to tell is tied into your unique selling proposition, and you need to have a clearly-defined big picture perspective of how you're going to tell that story over time.
You do that by telling smaller stories, and, those smaller stories should each have a clear individual point and reason for being. Even if it's just to make your audience smile on a Monday.
Each story in some way should be also telling a part of the bigger story that demonstrates to your audience that they will benefit from engaging with you. There's a million different ways to do that, and developing your own unique style is as important as any other advice you might get.
Just always remain focused on where you're trying to end up. Even when the path disappears, you’ve got to remember where you’re trying to go.

2. It's Not About You
Aristotle nailed the key to persuasion. Aristotle said that persuasion involved being able to identify the most compelling naturally-occurring element of any subject.
Once identified, Aristotle argued that the most compelling way to communicate that natural element is via pathos, the ability to connect with the emotions, desires, fears, and passions of the audience. And you certainly don't accomplish that by focusing on yourself.

3. Tell Persuasive Stories
When it's time to bang out a winning story post that captivates your audience and prompts them to take action, Aristotle's got you covered. Here is his four step structure to persuasive presentations:
Exordium: This is your opening. You've caught their interest with your headline, but the opening is where you've really got to grab hold for dear life. It might be a shocking statement, an interesting factoid, a famous quote, or a vivid anecdote.
Narratio: Next you've got to show the audience you understand their problems. They need to identify with you, and you with them. In this section you demonstrate that you feel their pain.
Confirmatio: The solution appears. Use vivid imagery to illustrate that the technique or service you offer is the answer, and give examples featuring people similar to the audience.
Peroratio: Don't forget to expressly state the need to act upon the solution offered now. This is the call to action, and it's crucial, yet so many people simply stop at the confirmatio.

The Right Story at the Right Time
The point I hope you take away from this post is that you'll see certain timeless truths again and again in the world of marketing. How those truths eventually resonate with you depends on who tells you the right story at the right time.

This applies to you and your ministry. Someone in your field is going to connect with that motivated individual, convert them and disciple them.
If you're telling compelling stories, and others can't be bothered to, who's that someone more likely to be?

5 Tips from Jobs

2006-09-14T19:20:00.000+10:00

Apple computers is now celebrating 30 years of innovation. Anyone who has watched a Steve Jobs keynote, will tell you that he is one the most extraordinary speakers in corporate America. He comes across to most people as a particularly hip and plugged in friend showing off inventions in your living room. Jobs has learnt that a leader must be an evangelist and brand spokesperson.

Here are Jobs tips to wow them with your presentation:

1. Sell the Benefit
Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal; he sells an experience. "For example, when introducing a 30 GB iPod, he clearly explains what it means to the consumer - users can carry 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos, or up to 75 hours of video.

In January when Jobs introduced the first Intel (INTC)-based Mac notebook he began by saying, "What does this mean?"He went on to explain the notebook had two processors, making the new product four to five times faster than the Powerbook G4, a "screamer" as he called it. It's not about the technology, but what the technology can do for you".

2. Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More
Take nothing for granted during presentations. Review and rehearses your material. Jobs sense of informality and easy manner comes only after grueling hours of practice.

3. Keep It Visual
There are very few bullet points in a Jobs presentation. Each slide is highly visual. If he's discussing the new chip inside a computer, a slide in the background will show a colorful image of the chip itself alongside the product. That's it. Simple and visual.

Apple's presentations are not created on PowerPoint, as the vast majority of presentations are. But PowerPoint slides can be made visual as well. It's a matter of thinking about the content visually instead of falling into the habit of creating slide after slide with headlines and bullet points.

4. Exude Passion, Energy, and Enthusiasm
Jobs has an infectious enthusiasm. This was obvious during the launch of the video iPod, with comments like: "It's the best music player we've made," "It has a gorgeous screen," "The color is fantastic," and "The video quality is amazing."

"There is no better example of Jobs' passion than the famous story of how he convinced John Sculley to lead Apple in the mid '80s by asking him, "Do you want to sell sugared water all your life or do you want to change the world?" The former Pepsi executive chose the latter and, although the pairing ultimately failed to work out, it reflects Jobs' sense of mission - a mission that he conveyed consistently in the early years of Apple and continues to today".

5."And One More Thing..."
At the end of each presentation Jobs adds to the drama by saying, "and one more thing." He then adds a new product, new feature, or sometimes introduces a band. He approaches each presentation as an event, a production with a strong opening, product demonstrations in the middle, a strong conclusion, and an encore - that "one more thing!"

So what does this mean?
How do you and your team rate when it comes to crafting the story behind your organisation or brand? Do you come across as trustworthy, confident, and competent, or do you fail to captivate your listeners? When you do speak to an individual or groups or a large audience you are often the sole experience a listener has with your organisation/brand.
LMC has an entire section of the course dedicated to help bring the evangelist and brand spokesperson out of each one of us.

3 Reasons Why a Lack of Resources is a Blessing

2006-08-19T18:39:00.000+10:00

There's an air of iron willed determination about entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Along with hope and a blind optimism which leaves most people just shaking their heads but leaves me fascinated by them.

Ministry development or church planting for me is essentially the same thing. I believe the innovation and creativity born out of not ever having enough resources [be it people, money and or time] leads to some of the most amazing problem-solving skills and breakthrough ideas. Sometimes it may appear to be stuck together with band-aids or duct-taped together, but they'll make it work!

Seth Godin talks a bit about this in a recent post about marketing budgets, but I think it applies to ministry development as well.

First: Great product development and marketing almost always comes from organizations that don't have enough money. Having less money keeps you from trying to buy your way out of trouble.

Second: Learning to live with less money means you will develop skills and resources instead of buying them. And it means that when you have less money (again), you'll be prepared.

Third: It keeps a focus on what needs to be done and cuts out on the extra frills.

Tags: Ministry development, Innovation, Marketing, Public relations

Lack of Leadership and Decay

2006-08-13T06:33:00.000+10:00

The term leadership could be used to refer to everything that leaders do, including preaching, managing, coordinating, administration etc. However how vital is leadership in a narrower context? In other words the process of seeking out God's vision and purpose for a church/ministry, and for individuals; sharing that vision, and enabling and encouraging a church/ministry to own and reach that vision for themselves.

George Barna in one of his books (though written from an American perspective, is still valid in other parts of the world): Leaders on Leadership says "After fifteen years of diligent digging into the world around me, I have reached several conclusions about the future of the Christian church in America. The central conclusion is that the American church is dying due to the lack of strong leadership. In this time of unprecedented opportunity and plentiful resources, the church is actually losing influence. The primary reason is the lack of leadership. Nothing is more important than leadership.

Most recently I have discovered that the current exodus from the church is partially attributed to the flight of the laity who posses the leadership abilities, gifts and experience. These individuals, whom the church so desperately needs, are leaving the church because they can no longer stomach being part of an alleged movement that lacks strong visionary leadership.

These are people of capacity, people who can make things happen. I have watched with sorrow as they have tried to penetrate the culture of the Church and offer the benefit of their gifts. They have been unable to contribute because their churches are neither led by leaders nor by those who understand leadership.

I have studied modern history to comprehend the dynamics of revolutions, people movements, societal systems and national fortunes. The result is the conviction that there have not been - and are not likely to be - any significant and successful movements, revolutions or other systems in which strong visionary leaders were not at the forefront of those groups, leading the way for change in thought and word and deed."

Christian Schwarz, in his book "Natural Church Development", based on a study of more than a 1000 churches in 32 countries concluded that empowering leadership was the first of their eight quality characteristics for healthy churches.
"Leaders of growing churches concentrate on empowering other Christians for ministry. They do not use lay workers as helpers in attaining their own goals and fulfilling heir own visions. Rather, they invert the pyramid of authority so that the leader assists Christians to attain the spiritual potential God has for them. These pastors equip, support, motivate and mentor individuals, enabling them to become all that God wants them to be."

Leadership is vital for healthy churches and ministries. Leadership is vital for the church/ministry to positively influence the society we live in. Leadership is vital to encourage growth be it in the church or ministry. Leadership is vital to enable Christians to grow in ministry. Leadership is vital!

Tags: leadership

Unlearn Your Fears

2006-08-13T06:20:00.000+10:00

Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it all others depend.” The systematic development of the deep down quality of unflinching courage is one of the fundamental requirements for leadership in any field. Fear, or the lack of courage is more responsible for failure in management, and in life, than any other factor. It is always fear that causes people to hold back, to sell themselves short, to settle for far less than they are capable of!

Eliminate Fear and Doubt
I firmly believe that you can do, have or be far more than you now know if only you could eliminate the fear, doubts and misgivings that consciously and unconsciously interfere with your realizing your full potential.

Unlearn Your Fears
If there is anything positive about fear, it is that all fears are learned, that no one is born with fears, and that having been learned, they can be unlearned. If you want to understand the role of fear in shaping the course of your life, just ask yourself, if you had a magic wand that would absolutely guarantee you success in any one thing you attempted, what goal would you set for yourself.

The Question
“What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?” If you had no fears at all with regard to money or the criticism of others, what would you do differently? Most people can think of all kinds of changes they would, or could, make in their lives if they had no fears to hold them back.

The Origins of Fear
The development of courage begins with understanding the psychological origins of fear. The newborn child has only two fears; the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All other fears that we experience as adults are learned as we are growing up, primarily as the result of well-meaning but destructive criticism from our parents.

How Fears Develop
When the curious child gets into things and makes a mess, the parent scolds and punishes the child, eventually building up a pattern of fear connected with trying or getting into anything new or different. As adults, we experience this as the fear of failure, the fear of risking, of making a mistake, of losing.

Action Exercises
Here are two steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

1. Imagine that you had no fears at all. What would you set as a goal for yourself if you were guaranteed of success?

2. Decide exactly what you want and then act as if it were impossible to fail. You may be surprised at how successful you are.

4 Tips on Leadership Development for You and Your Staff

2006-08-12T20:47:00.000+10:00

Warren Allan Johnson in a recent post on his blog provides 3 tips from Bill Hybels who spoke at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit (August 10-12, 2006):

1. To develop your own leadership skills:

Read everything you can get your hands on about improving your leadership skills. You should always have two books that you’re working on.

Go where leadership is taught. Take the initiative to do this early in your life and career.

Get around leaders who are better than you and ask good questions. Take them to lunch to ask your questions, if needed.

Be involved in leading something

2. When hiring people, or looking for people to move into leadership positions, look for:

Character

Competence

Chemistry

3. Leaders will eventually reach a point where it is wise to develop a “constellation of colleagues” to work beside them in senior leadership. The additional grid he uses to select who should be leaders at the senior level includes:

Intelligence

Energetic people

Relational IQ – someone who doesn’t hurt people as they get things done

Commitment - a “win or die” spirit

It’s important for the leader to develop other leaders because you eventually become the growth-limiting factor for your department, division or organization. If you don’t develop leaders, the good people in your organization will eventually leave for other positions where they can make an impact.

4. Keep Leading Something
It's important to keep your skills honed and to apply yourself whenever possible.

Tags: leadership, leadership development, recruitment, leaders character

3 Key Lessons from a Master Storyteller

2006-08-11T19:33:00.000+10:00

Jesus knew that sometimes truth can't be explained, outlined, analyzed, and summarized. He knew that sometimes the only way to tell the truth is to wrap it up in a story.

In a recent article on pastors.com, Steven James quotes novelist Flannery O’Connor: “When you can state the theme of a story, when you can separate it from the story itself, then you can be sure the story is not a very good one. The meaning of a story has to be embodied in it, has to be made concrete in it. A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is.”

Steven goes on to sure 3 key lessons learnt during his story telling sojourn thus far:

1. Work with images rather than propositions Faith cannot exist without imagination. And you do not grow in faith by just hearing facts. Often the best told stories, and sermons, need no explanation because they embody the truth. They say what cannot be said any other way.

2. Trust the story to do its work Jesus rarely explained his stories, in fact only once in Scripture are we told specifically why Jesus told a story (Luke 18:1), and only a couple of his story explanations appear. Jesus trusted his stories to do their work in the hearts of the people listening.

3. Never tell the same story twice Effective communicators combine careful and thoughtful preparation with a warm sense of spontaneity. In short, they respond to their audiences. They prepare their messages with their listeners in mind. Their stories and jokes aren’t canned. People feel like the message is directed right at them.

Steven James has a master’s degree in storytelling, speaks weekly at churches and conferences nationwide, and is the author of the highly acclaimed book Story: Recapture the Mystery

Tags: leadership, communication, leader+communication, leadership+communicationTags: storytelling

Manager or Leader Which Are You?

2006-08-11T19:14:00.000+10:00

There’s a difference between being a boss and a leader. Which one are you?

Webster’s definitions of a boss include: A person who exercises control over others and makes decisions, usually the person of highest rank or authority, a supervisor, a person who commands in a domineering manner.

In contrast the definitions for a leader include: A person who rules, guides, inspires, escorts, directs, influences, persuades, and is out and ahead of or at the head of others. They have influence, power, and commanding authority over those they lead. They tend toward a certain goal or result, are in the foremost position, and usually “pull” people toward what becomes a common vision. People usually follow a leader because they want to rather than have to.

Influential leaders, who lead with great ethics, whether they are Prime Ministers, Kings, corporate CEOs, Girl Guide or Scout leaders, bare some traits in common. They are passionate about what they do and what they believe in; they are visionaries, can see the “big picture”, and are driven inside to draw people into what they believe – to jump on the train with them.

A manager in a restaurant sees tables and chairs that need to be filled, customers that need to be fed, employees that need to be scheduled, doors that need fixed, floors that need to be cleaned, the end of the day/week accounting that needs to be done and marketing that needs to be planned. They work toward these ends, seeing them to fulfillment, sometimes in very creative ways.

A leader in a restaurant sees those things too, but he or she also feels excitement about being in business, or about making profit from people’s need for food and associate atmosphere and how that profit can be poured back into the restaurant to give it a competitive edge over other restaurants. They care about, and inspire, their staff, realizing that they are the front line ambassadors of the restaurant. They not only see where the restaurant is at now, but they also envision what it will look like or how it will impact their community ten years from now. Whether they actually own the restaurant or not, they make the restaurant their own.

With good leaders, people usually feel drawn, or “pulled”, into the same vision. Have you ever gone into a restaurant and been treated so well by the staff there that you just knew that you would return again? Not only did you just receive knock your socks off customer service, but you also met employees empowered by the vision of a true leader.

A leader usually develops and motivates leaders under them. People who get “fired-up” and captivated by the vision and rise to the occasion.

For leaders, leadership is a way of life. If there's leadership spontaneously required at a gathering, leaders will step up to bat, even if it's just to open a door as people arrive.

Can a manager be a leader? Definitely.

Updates & News from the ITA

2006-08-06T17:44:00.000+10:00

This past year has been one of seeing the Lord bring a new level of maturity to Leadership Matters. Over 900 leaders have now taken the training. That is a real praise item.

During this past July, our newly formed Council, representative of eight agencies, met for its second meeting. Several organizations are asking for this specialized training and others are asking to be part of the alliance. This confirms to us that there is a huge need for leadership training around the globe. And while there are many Bodies of Believers springing up around the world, there is a desperate need for the training of leaders to help them to be effective.

The Apostle Paul, during his missionary journeys, was intent on ensuring that the believers had follow up. He provided thorough instruction and good training for the deacons and elders so that they could effectively lead the new congregations.

This is exactly what the Lord is letting us do. There is a lot of emphasis on church planting around the world, and we praise God for every church that is planted, but the reality is that there is a dearth of training available for the leaders of those churches.

Following is a quote from an LMC graduate from Spain. He eloquently expresses what the training has meant to him and the outreach there.”I want to thank you for your investment in equipping and empowering others to be the most effective leaders they can be. I have attended many conferences and read many books, but the training I have received at Leadership Matters Course has been the most practical hands-on training I have ever received.
1. The range of leadership skills covered,
2. the way they are broken down into bite sized modules,
3. plus the effective modeling , and
4. opportunity to immediately put into practice the skills, make it such an impacting course.
The way you come alongside each participant, coaching and affirming them, instills confidence and builds enthusiasm.
When I think of the impact that this program can have on the 93 team members I work with, my heart rejoices. This type of training will equip us to more than double the effectiveness of our efforts in building up leaders in ministry in the areas of the world where we serve.”

Equipping the Saints,

John King
Editor for A Matter of Course and engage!
LMC Trainer

Swagger - Does it Fit?

2006-08-01T21:58:00.000+10:00

The word “swagger” conjures up images of John Wayne starring in a classic Western movie or Mohammed Ali brashly proclaiming “I am the greatest.” Does such swagger fit within the skill set of a leader?

In his article “Confidence: Putting Grace in Your Swagger” John Baldoni describes swagger as “a healthy dose of confidence without overconfidence,” and “the subtle display of confidence and capability.”

Leaders with swagger display pride in their work and reflect their ability to get things done correctly and achieve consistently. When displayed appropriately it can help a team or organization feel better about itself and its people.

A leaders confidence can be contagious, but arrogance alienates followers. So how can a leader be sure to show swagger appropriately?

Baldoni's suggestions -

Know Yourself
Know yourself and operate in the areas in which you naturally excel. Find teammates who can complement areas where you are weak. Being in your sweet spot will spark your swagger.

Know Your Team
Your ability to delegate tasks based upon the collection of talent you have surrounding you is vital. Understanding relational dynamics within your team and promote unity. Like a Sherpa make sure each member has the tools to succeed and is positioned in their area of enjoyment and expertise. A well equipped, positioned and harmonious team that is set up for success will have swagger.

Share the Glory
Swagger is a team product and requires to be spread around. Accept the blame and pass along the glory. Praise and encourage those you lead and affirm their hard work. Make it a habit to shine the spotlight on the achievements of team members to promote swagger.

Know Your Limits
According to Baldoni too much swagger is a real danger - "Swagger can dull a leader’s strategic thinking or obscure an obligation to the people for whom he or she is responsible". Suitable swagger must be infused with humility, otherwise your leadership is prone to the blinders and confines of self-importance. An attitude of superiority will separate you from their team, and egotism will rob your appeal and influence with those you lead.

If the "LMC Buzz" is anything to go by it would appear that swagger is very much a by product for LMC graduates.

Happiness, Ownership and the Art of Innovation

2006-07-30T09:43:00.000+10:00

There's no big secret to keeping your organisation or ministry from making significant strides towards the objectives set out or from being on the cutting edge. Just make sure your employees feel engaged

In the course of my work and past experiences, the question I come across most frequently is, "How can I get the people in my organization to be more innovative and take ownership?"

It's an easy question to answer, but a difficult one to answer in a way that leads to meaningful change. It's easy because there are lots of highly touted prescriptions for being more innovative and empowered. From putting beanbags in the lobby to using Six Sigma to keeping teams nimble and lean, you know there are myriad options, many of them legitimate, but more than enough to make one's head spin.

In my experience, few solutions actually address what I believe to be a fundamental enabler of innovative behavior in organizations. Now, I'm no psychologist. Nor am I an expert in organizational behavior. But I've been playing the innovation game since first leading projects and organisations a few years ago, and as I look back on what made for peoples ownership behavior and what didn't, there's one thing I would point to: personal happiness.

Piano Solo.
When it comes to creating innovative organizations, the key question is not "What superstar creative people do I need?" or "What highly-touted process can I put in place?" No, the key to unleashing ownership behavior is asking the question "how can I help each person in my organization achieve a state of happiness on a daily basis?" In other words, help happiness bloom, and ownership as well as innovative behavior will follow.

You already know how. Think back to your formative years. What made your heart sing? When did you feel intrinsically motivated to get out and makes things happen?

In the case of a friend, it was her developing her skill as a classical painist. She never grooved with violin lessons, but at a very young age she sat oown at a piano, and over the next decade, she spent thousands of hours noodling on her paino with an intensity bordering on the obsessive, always trying to crack the code on some innovative classical or movie lick.

In The Zone
She says " I could play for hours and feel like only 10 minutes had passed. Though in the moment my practice was difficult and often frustrating, in retrospect I was in a state of bliss, and developed a deep self-awareness of how happy -- even joyful -- it could feel to engage in innovative behavior."

You likely have experienced this kind of happiness, too. If you enjoy any kind of sporting activity, you know what I'm talking about. Or if you relish the art of producing a well-cooked meal. Good video games -- much to the chagrin of parents and significant others -- routinely take users to a state of mind where time disappears and mind and body meld into one seamless, focused whole. It's no surprise that some of the above activities are considered more work than play, or least as serious play. We're happy after we do them, intrinsically motivated to pursue them as an integral part of our life.

The psychologists in the crowd already know that I'm talking about the concept of flow, as originated by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Here's a brief summary of the concept, so that you don't have to read Csikszentmihalyi's book (though you should if you can): Flow occurs when the complexity of the thing you're doing just outstrips your ability to get it done. In other words, it's challenging, but not overwhelmingly so.

The Middle Way.
For my friend, it was mastering the next film track on the album. For a dedicated cook, it's a wild Mario Batali dish built around unusual porcine lipids. For my friend Laurie, who as an ex-commando used to camp without a fire or tent on the border of places that have been forgotten in time, it means climbing a gnarly iced-over waterfall 2,000 feet up a rock face deep in Patagonia.

Too much complexity and challenge leads to despair, frustration, and paralysis. Too little, leads to boredom. Just right, and it's easy to become fully engaged, and as you stretch and overcome the challenge, you experience flow, and are primed for innovative behavior. Happiness follows. It's basic human wiring.

This is why you already know what to shoot for when it comes to innovation. Getting individuals to experience this same state of flow -- a state of happiness --is the key to fostering innovative behavior across your entire organization.

The Case for Flow and Innovation
So why are happy people -- people in a state of flow -- likely to innovate?

Think about a new work assignment. How complex and challenging is it relative to what you've done before? Are the goals clear? If it's too complex and too fuzzy, and if you're at all like me, you'll end up sitting around scared out of your wits, your IQ will drop by 100 points, paralysis will set in, and not much will get done.

On the other hand, if you've done it a dozen times before, you're likely to do it in a bored, rote way. Either scenario leads us away from ownership, innovative behaviors and outcomes.

The perfect work assignment for someone who needs to be innovative is one that balances clear, achievable goals with just enough task challenge to ignite the fires of creativity that lie within us all. These are the conditions for flow, and they enable a state of serious play.

Work for Fun.
Ask me to dig deep, and I'll be forced to act entrepreneurially and to wrack my brain and my network for creative insights. This combination of entrepreneurial action and creative insight is the basis of innovative behavior. And while I may curse my boss while I'm navigating through the choppy waters of a challenging assignment, I'll look back and say I never felt more engaged and happy and -- oh, by the way, look at all the killer, innovative stuff I did. Cool!

But don't take my word for it. Listen to the words of arch-innovator Sochiro Honda, father of an organization that manages to create category-pacing (even disruptive) innovations year after year: Each individual should work for himself. People will not sacrifice themselves for the company. They come to work at the company to enjoy themselves.

The proof is in the pudding. We can all agree that Honda (HMC) innovates on a routine basis, and it's very likely due to a happy workforce (see Business Week Online, 10/23/05, "Hot Honda Hybrid"). What Honda recognizes is that people who are led with an eye toward flow really don't need to be "managed" at all, as you're setting them up to live in a place where intrinsic motivation is the norm, rather than the exception to the rule.

Personal Day.
Doesn't that sound like a more believable way to encourage innovative behavior than an "up or out" HR policy, cheesy mandatory-fun organisation picnics, or a lobby full of beanbags?

Google (GOOG ) is another good example of solving for happiness to help make innovation bloom (see Business Week, 10/3/05, "Managing Google's Idea Factory"). Each engineer at the company gets a day a week to work on a project of their choice -- that is, something that's intrinsically motivating, something that leads to flow.

There has to be a happiness ripple effect which influences the overall innovation quotient of the Google workforce, and ultimately, all of Google's market offerings. Other innovative organizations, such as 3M, have practiced this for years.

So -- What Should You Do?
First, make it your goal to enable other people to be happy. So that this isn't an overwhelming proposition, get started by focusing on just a few of your key innovators. Your goal is to design individual experiences that put task complexity just beyond the individual's current comfort zone.

Remember, freaked-out people aren't innovative, but neither are bored people. It's a difficult balance to reach, but try to be a leader who inspires others to try new things, acknowledging that there will be failures along the path to success.

Be sure to check in frequently to make sure your initial assessment of challenge vs. ability was on target. How do you know? Day to day, a flow-inducing assignment will feel more like a climb up El Capitan than a stroll through Central Park. It should induce moments of breathlessness balanced by episodes of sheer delight, even rapture. If temporary setbacks and moments of personal crisis aren't encountered along the way, you've aimed too low.

Human Interest.
A person should finish the process excited, more confident, and highly motivated to do the next cool thing. Can you apply metrics to measure this stuff? Yes. But that's the stuff of a future column. For now, let me say that I think the best gauge of success in achieving flow is the work itself, and the tone of the workplace in which it happens.

So the next time someone says, "We need a strategy to become more innovative," respond with this question: "How can we make individuals happy in their work?"

Let me know how it goes with the flow.

Leaders Are Made, Not Born

2006-07-30T09:13:00.000+10:00

There is and has been a lot of debate as to whether leadership can be effectively taught. However at the end of the day your ability to negotiate, communicate, influence, and persuade others to do things is absolutely indispensable to everything you accomplish in life. The most effective men and women in every area are those who can quite competently organize the cooperation and assistance of other people toward the accomplishment of important goals and objectives.

Everyone is Different
Of course, everyone you meet has different values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, cultural values, work habits, goals, ambitions, and dreams. Because of this incredible diversity of human resources, it has never been more difficult and yet more necessary for diplomatic, spirit filled and led leaders to emerge and form these people into high-performing teams.

Do What Other Leaders Do
Fortunately, leaders are made, not born. You can learn to become a leader by doing what other excellent leaders have done before you. You become proficient in your job or skill, and then you become proficient at understanding the motivations and behaviors of other people. As a leader, you combine your personal competencies with the competencies of a variety of others into a smoothly functioning team that can out-distinguish and out-perform itself from its competitors. When you become a team leader, even if your team only consists of one other person, you must immediately develop a whole new set of leadership skills.

How to Craft a Winning Speech

2006-07-30T08:44:00.000+10:00

Professional speechwriter Andrew Wilson offers some tips for crafting a winning speech.

First, three cardinal rules:
1. Speak from the heart. Talk about the things you really know and care about.
2. Don’t shy away from conflict. Conflict, and the resolution of conflict, are the central elements in storytelling and all forms of dramatic expression—including speeches.
3. Get inside the minds of the audience. Speak to their needs and concerns or their shortcomings or failings. People will accept criticism but they don’t want to be finessed.

Next are some techniques that are useful in thinking through a speech from start to finish:
1. Open with a bang. Don’t waste time with niceties. Aim to capture your audience with your first words.
2. Tell stories and look for ways to build suspense. You build suspense by creating a potential disaster and delaying the moment of truth.
3. Write for the eye, the ear, the nose, and all the senses. In other words, be as vivid as you can.
4. Create a plot just as you would if you were writing a short story. Most plots have a protagonist and an antagonist—or a good guy and a bad guy.
5. Show first, then tell, using examples and stories that lead (through various twists and turns) to a few easily stated and readily understood conclusions.
6. In ending a speech, it is usually a good idea to hark back to the beginning—giving the audience a satisfying sense of coming full circle.

The World Is A Better Place Today

2006-07-24T14:31:00.000+10:00

To view cartoon strip click on image. Enjoy.

Management and Tapping Into Knowledge

2006-07-23T08:30:00.000+10:00

Management can be defined as "getting things done through others." To be an effective manager you must be an expert at persuading and influencing others to work in a common direction. This is why all excellent managers are also excellent low-pressure salespeople. They do not order people to do things; instead, they persuade them to accept certain responsibilities, with specific deadlines and agreed-upon standards of performance. When a person has been persuaded that he or she has a vested interest in doing a job well, he or she accepts ownership of the job and the result. Once a person accepts ownership and responsibility, the manager can step aside confidently, knowing the job will be done on schedule.

You Have Two Choices
With most tasks, you have a choice of either doing it yourself or delegating it to others. Your ability to get someone else to take on the job with the same enthusiasm that you would have is an exercise in personal persuasion. It may seem to take a little longer at the beginning, but it saves you an enormous amount of time in the completion of the task.

Key Leverage Point
A key form of leverage that you must develop for success is other using other people's knowledge. You must be able to tap into the brain power of many other people if you want to accomplish worthwhile goals. Successful people are not those who know everything needed to accomplish a particular task, but more often than not, they are people who know how to find the knowledge they need.

What Knowledge Do You Need?
What is the knowledge that you need to achieve your most important goals? Of the knowledge required, what knowledge must you have personally in order to control your situation, and what knowledge can you borrow, buy, or rent from others?

Two Calls Away
It has been said that, in our increasingly information-based society, you are never more than one book or two phone calls away from any piece of knowledge. With computer services that are capable of accessing huge data bases including online databases all over the world, you can usually get the precise information you require in a few minutes by using a personal computer. Whenever you need information and expertise from another person in order to achieve your goals, the very best way to persuade them to help you is to ask them for their assistance.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask
Almost everyone who is knowledgeable in a particular area is proud of their accomplishments. By asking a person for their expert advice, you compliment them and motivate them to want to help you. So don't be afraid to ask, even if you don't know the individual personally.

Action Exercises
Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, multiply your output and rewards by persuading other people to do the job for you and do it well. Delegation is the key to personal leverage.

Second, identify the most important knowledge you need to do an excellent job and then concentrate on finding and using that knowledge.

Third, sign up for the next LMC to determine how good you are and to perfect the skill through the course's learning and practise sessions.

The person who can find the knowledge in others is often more valuable than the person who possesses it.

10 Easy Ways to Know You're Not a Leader

2006-06-24T09:18:00.000+10:00

I came across a nice list (from Tony Morgan) on leadership the other day.

"10 Easy Ways To Know You Are Not A Leader."

1. You're waiting on a bigger staff and more money to accomplish your vision.
2. You think you need to be in charge to have influence.
3. You're content.
4. You tend to foster division instead of generating a helpful dialogue.
5. You think you need to say something to be heard.
6. You find it easier to blame others for your circumstances than to take responsibility for solutions.
7. It's been some time since you said, "I messed up."
8. You're driven by the task instead of the relationships and the vision.
9. Your dreams are so small, people think they can be achieved.
10. No one is following you.

I believe this to be a good little list to enable leaders help take stock of where they are at and reassess their direction - and not get caught up in a loss of vision, responsibility and relationships.
I might add a few more to the list:

11. You are disconnected from the Spirit of God.
12. You don't take time to really listen to what others are saying.
13. No time to invest in developing other leaders.
14. You are increasingly making independent decisions.

I hope it helps you and others keep your eye on the goal through continual refocus especially in light of 7. "I messed up," which should produce redirected leaders, not just portray perfect ones. What are your thoughts?

11 Leadership and Management Lessons From Guitar Playing

2006-06-17T17:21:00.000+10:00

The cover story of the May 2006 issue of Guitar Player magazine is titled, "99 Ways to Play Better Now: Tips from your Favorite Guitar Players!" and it struck me that are many similarities with gutar playing and life.

See if you can connect the dots between what several of them said about music and what you already know to be true about life, leadership, management and success at work or play:

"Incorporate the feel of what someone plays into your style rather than the actual notes." - Bonnie Raitt

"The best performances are completely unselfconscious - where you're inside the music, and it's leading you and you just follow where it goes." - Bill Nelson

"Don't spend more time worrying about what it is you're supposed to be doing, rather than just doing the work. Once I was stuck while trying to write some new music, and I asked my friend Wayne Horvitz how he did it. He gave me a pencil sharpener. The moral? There are no short cuts, so stop whining and get on with it!" - Bill Frisell

"Tone has more to do with touch than gear." - Eric Johnson

"Get in touch with your uniqueness." - Ty Tabor

"All it takes is to hear a little improvement in your playing, and that little bit of inspiration is often enough to push you even further." - Wes Montgomery

"Don't be precious about anything - much less a certain guitar sound. There is always another interesting sound or effect just waiting to be discovered." - Robin Guthrie

"Listen more to the other players on the bandstand than you do to yourself," - Bill Kirchen

"Remember that the reputations of some of the greatest jazzmen ever are built on eight-bar solos. Too many guitarists play solos that are way too long." - John Hall

"Remind yourself that you're free to feel great instead of reserved or insecure. You automatically become a better musician in becoming a more aware individual." - Eric Johnson

"The enemy of inspiration is self-doubt." - Nels Cline

It all resonates with what is covered in the LMC - apart from being good stuff to remember.

Social Club or Transformational Powerhouse

2006-06-16T20:01:00.000+10:00

I came across this quote from The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the position of the church:. It continues to be true in the 21st Century.

"There was a time when the church was very powerful-in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. . . . But the judgment of God is upon the church [today] as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century. (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, p. 17)"

I see two problems which have made a course like LMC necessary: 1) Ministries or the church has a hard time communicating its message. 2) The message we do communicate often fails because our authenticity is in jeopardy.

Finding pleasure in the simple things

2006-06-16T19:40:00.000+10:00

I feel like I'm starting to get all wound up again and long for the unwound and relaxed feeling of last Christmas. The other day I watched on amused as a couple of little kids amused themselves during a long train ride with each other and their imaginative worlds. This prompted me to take action and put a stop to work and just relax - a little bit of cooking and little light reading that evening. Its amazing how much fun it can be throwing around a ball or taking a walk around the neighborhood or park.

My RPMs have been reving pretty high the last few months, but I feel like I'm getting my margin back. I'm trying to enjoy the simple pleasures.

I was reading Matthew 6 and reflecting on two fascinating commandments. They aren't the kind of "commandments" we typically think of as commandments, but Jesus subscribed to bird-watching and flower-smelling.

Look at the birds--Matthew 6:26
Look at the lillies--Matthew 6:28

One of my goals is to do more bird-watching and flower-smelling. Some of it is scheduled. We have a picnic day and time out with colleagues over breakfast. But some of it is just spontaneous. Last Christmas was my time of winter adventure. I was really intentionally about turning everything into an adventure. I guess I am learning to enjoy a season of simple pleasures :)

You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader

2006-06-13T21:53:00.000+10:00

Kem Meyer in a one of her blogs makes an interesting observation that I quite often encounter as well - that of people blaming a lack of excellence in organizational change/communications due to their lack of power/influence in the organization.

She makes mention of Mark Sanborn's book: You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader : How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference and shares a few foundation principles that he outlined about leading without being in charge that are true.

* Self mastery. [Develop your competence, character and connection.]
* Focused attention beats brains, brawn and technology every time.
* Power with people rather than power over people. [We shouldn't strive to be likeable or capable, but both.]
* Implementation Quotient. [Ability to execute.]
* Persuasive Communication Skills. [Influence, not force feed.]
* Giving. [Of yourself. Of your time. Of your knowledge.]

leading up, v. How to get things done and motivate others without formal authority; convincing or persuading colleagues/superiors of the need for action and involvement or leading when not recognized as a leader by virtue of power or position.

What are You Doing with Your Life?

2006-06-13T21:38:00.000+10:00

Tom Peters (business and management guru) was speaking at an event in Dubai in September of last year when someone asked him the question: What have you been doing this year? Well, in typical Tom Peters fashion, he has responded. It's worth a few minutes of your day to download his response and then consider, what am I doing with my life? Have you identified your life mission?

There are helpful insights in Tom's response that might challenge your thinking on how you're approaching ministry as well. Stuff like "Deliciously designed gasp-worthy experiences" and "Women buy everything" and "Make it 'different,' not merely 'better.'" Do you think these statements and others included in this document have any bearing on what's happening or not happening in missions and the church?

What's stirring?

2006-06-11T07:04:00.000+10:00

I enjoy cooking. I love to mix ingredients together in just the right order and in the correct amount. Having the right amount of each ingredient in a recipe is critical to obtaining the taste of what you are preparing for a meal.

Timing is also critical. Being patient enough to let your bread rise fully once and then a second time will lend to a great tasting loaf of bread for your meal. Timing yields rich rewards just like fresh baked bread. As a result of patience and timing, one can enjoy the reward of fresh baked bread floating through the kitchen and the smell itself is almost as good as the taste. However with out the proper techniques this is not possible.

There are the proper techniques for baking, frying, boiling, and grill top cooking. Done correctly and you can produce a delicious array of meals that will keep your family coming back for more. Overall, quality cooking involves having the right ingredients, timing, and techniques to be successful. I want whatever meal I am preparing to have that certain taste or smell that calls out to everyone in my family and makes them hurry to the dinner table. Then I can both enjoy the meal and others joyfully partaking of what I have prepared.

On the flip side is a way of cooking that will not call out to others to join you at the dinner table. If the ingredients are not mixed properly it will ruin the meal you are preparing. Too much time in the oven or not enough will cause you to serve your meal late or have to prepare something else. If you misapply cooking techniques and fry what you should have been baked or boiled what should have been grilled you might get something that is far less appetizing and worse yet not recognizable as food.

There are so many combinations that you can put together to make a quality meal of food; likewise, there are so many ways you can ruin it when trying to cook.

Leadership is a lot like cooking. You can put together a quality recipe, follow that recipe, and produce a wonderful, appeasing meal. Or you can throw together a recipe that has a series of ingredients that don't work together, follow that quick fix recipe to ruin, and produce something both unsavory and hardly edible.

So as leaders we need to be careful of what we throw in the pot. No one wants a leader who can't cook for anyone - much less himself/herself.

2 Key Questions To Increase Your Effectiveness

2006-06-10T11:18:00.000+10:00

There are two questions that you can ask on a regular basis to keep yourself focused on getting your most important tasks completed on schedule. The first question is "What are my highest value activities?"

Put another way, what are the most important tasks you have to complete to make the greatest contribution to your organization? To your family? To your life in general?

Think it Through Carefully
This is one of the most important questions you can ask and answer. What are your highest value activities? First, think this through for yourself. Then, ask your boss. Ask your coworkers and subordinates. Ask your friends and family. Like focusing the lens of a camera, you must be very clear about your highest value activities before you begin work.

Keep Yourself Focused
The second question you can ask continually is, "What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a real difference?"

This question comes from Peter Drucker, the management guru. It is one of the best of all questions for achieving personal effectiveness. What can you, and only you do, that if done well, can make a real difference?

This is something that only you can do. If you don't do it, it won't be done by someone else. But if you do it, and you do it well, it can really make a difference to your life and your career. What is your answer to this question?

Every hour of every day, you can ask yourself this question and there will be a specific answer. You job is to be clear about the answer and then to start and work on this task before anything else.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a list of everything you do at work and then select your most valuable tasks from that list.

Second, resolve to start in on your highest value task and stay at it until it is 100% complete.

Setting and achieving Goals

2006-05-20T13:56:00.000+10:00

Sustaining peak performance in today's environment requires a commitment to developing leaders throughout the organization.

An important part of this development process includes helping people set--and achieve--meaningful goals for personal change. All too often, however, goals are not set in a way that helps ensure the follow-through needed to turn great plans into successful outcomes.
In "Helping People achieve Their Goals" Marshall Goldsmith and Kelly Goldsmith offer reasons explaining why people give up on goals, offering some insight to help you apply a little preventive medicine as you help others set goals--so ultimately they will be more likely to achieve their objectives for change.

Delegation and Trust

2006-05-20T11:45:00.000+10:00

Delegating makes perfect sense in theory. But many of us find the practice fraught with anxiety or just plain hard. Why? It all comes down to an unwillingness to trust.

The more a manager's reputation or ministry/project success depends on someone else's performance, the more there is to lose -- and the less likely it is that trust will be conferred. But does it have to be that way? Have a read of this article by Alison Stein Wellner writing for Inc magazine.
What have your experiences been like?

About engage!

2006-05-19T21:31:00.000+10:00

Welcome to engage!

Here you will find different perspectives, thoughts and ideas on leadership, management and LMC training to help provide you with the tools and perspectives for an influential and effective role in your ministry.

We hope that you will find ideas and resources that you can use in your own ministry.

You are welcome to post questions or comments if you want to. If your question or comment is that we feel would be beneficial to readers, it will be posted. Nasty and spam related comments will be deleted.

Prepping Tomorrow's Leaders Today

2006-05-11T05:56:00.000+10:00

A recent article by CCL emphasizes the importance of building a leadership pipeline and the need for it to be a priority. For most people without a HR background this may not be on our to-do lists. However according to CCL's David Berke "Increasingly, managers and executives need to be hands-on in strengthening organizational talent and filling the leadership pipeline".

He also offers good reasons why it should be one of our priorities:

Helps you get the job done. Do you have the right skills and knowledge in your group? If you don't, how will you get it - especially if you cannot hire? If you do, how can you keep it up and adapt over time? When you connect development goals to the work that needs to be done, you and the organization will perform better.
Gives you ready replacements. Are you prepared for turnover in key positions? Minimize the negative impact caused by loss of key employees by creating a cadre of skilled people ready to take on new roles or additional responsibilities.
Builds people skills. When your team or staff is responsible for dealing with people effectively, building leadership capacity is key. Understanding and developing the interpersonal and relationship skills that allow them to be effective leaders is part of your job.
Helps you keep current. Developing yourself is not a luxury either. You and your staff need to be able to learn and adapt to change. By clarifying needs, expectations and goals with your staff, you'll gain insight into your own development opportunities and challenges. You may also gain more knowledge about the skills and competencies needed in other parts of the organization and for your future growth as well.
Demonstrates your own ability to lead. Your reputation as an effective leader can only be enhanced when you are seen as someone who invests in developing others.

I also think that the ability to develop continuity, adherence to the vision, reducing learning curves, the ability to retain staff, reducing churn, saving time and avoiding unnecessary costs are also important reasons for us to keep it on our radar screens.

Have I missed anything?

Competence is the enemy of change

2006-05-11T05:31:00.000+10:00

Have a read of popular business and marketing guru Seth Godin's article on change and change agents.
While written from a business perspective I believe it contains learning points for those in ministry management or leadership positions. What are your thoughts?

Double Vision?

2006-05-10T22:53:00.000+10:00

Do you have double vision? Check out this great post by Mark Batterson.
What are some ways you stay grassroots?

Leadership Lessons From Michael Jordan

2006-05-10T22:48:00.000+10:00

Came across an interesting post "Leadership Lessons from MJ" by Dave Ferguson.

Preaching and communication problems

2006-05-10T20:30:00.000+10:00

Check out Bruce's post, "How to Fix the Most Common Preaching/Communication Problem" and "The Number One Mistake Most Preachers and Communicators Make". Good stuff.

How are your listening skills?

2006-05-10T20:20:00.000+10:00

I've had to really work on this ever since being on the receiving end of someone be it a relative, friend or maybe a pastor who was always in a hurry and never took time to listen to me. I believe many of us are caught up in our own "agenda" to take time to listen to people. What do you think? Read more by Tommy Ham.

Developing vocabulary for change

2006-05-10T20:02:00.000+10:00

Check out this article on Steve Sjogren's perspective of dealing with change situations - something that LMC graduates will identify with.

Leadership and the emergent generation

2006-05-10T19:33:00.000+10:00

In the spring 2006 issue of Leadership Journal, Angie Ward (Leadership Coach, pastor's spouse, and associate director of the Innovative Community Church in Durham, NC) discusses some issues regarding differences and similarities among Gen-x (people born between 1962 & 1981, who are 25-43 years old now.) and their slightly older co-horts, Boomer leaders.

Here is a synopsis of her discussion: "Many Boomers feel that the Xers are not stepping up to the plate in the area of leadership. Xers believe that they are stepping up more than their Boomer friends believe. The difference is that Xers are stepping up in different ways. To the Gen-X leader, leadership is defined in terms of influence rather than authority of position. Tony Morgan (Exec. Director of WiredChurches.com) says that the emergent (Gen-X) generation is not dead, it's just dressed in different clothes. It's less about personality and position and authority. Instead, it's more relational. It's more vulnerable. It's more about helping people take their next steps in a journey."

Ward says that both generations need to look at what the other has to offer as a member of the Body of Christ and strive to maximize leadership influence by working together. Boomers need to be open to more fluid systemic models. "Emergents tend to emphasize organic process over linear organization, and relational networks or webs over hierarchies."

"Leadership ladders need to give way to leadership bridges."

Xers, "... Need to remember that both the gift of leadership (Romans 12:8) and the office of leadership (1 Timothy 3:1) are biblical concepts. The Bible does not speak against formal authority structures. A group of people, by definition, becomes an organization, and the structure and culture of that organization can be shaped by those in positions of authority. But neither the organization nor authority are inherently wrong constructs."

As church leaders...We need to keep our eyes on the goal! There is a need to be ever evaluating our current situations and insure that we are doing all we can to maximize the gifts and abilities God has given us for His glory. It can be a challenge for some of us to make an inter-generational connection with another leader in our community. But, are we able to intentionally seek to initiate an open dialogue that fosters collaboration and nurtures personal growth for God's glory? Yes, we are different. But, isn't that how God created us?

Are we upto the challenge in making sure we do our part and lead/influence others find theirs?

Blessing and Results

2006-05-08T18:54:00.000+10:00

The course has been a great blessing to me and the team. The team talks a lot about a Plan of Action and are implementing it for the summer campaign planning. Also in devotions, sermons etc, I can say LMC and then we look at each other and smile knowingly.

It has been very difficult for me to get into the Central Jail for a service. While we were waiting for the prisoners to gather, I went through the message in my mind, adding a few more stories. Suddenly I remembered the 'C' of AICDC and I wondered if this would be the only time in a long while where the inmates receive a "challenge to a commitment" for Jesus.

So I gave an invitation (usually not my style) to believe in Jesus as the one who truly sets free and let him change and rule their lives. To my great amazement over 40 for the 70 stayed back to pray with me. Praise the Lord.

Blessings,

Wolfgang

Quote

2006-05-08T04:48:00.000+10:00

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
- Dwight Eisenhower

What does the LMC cover?

2006-05-07T06:44:00.000+10:00

The course focuses on 7 key elements of leadership:

Gaining an understanding of what Vision is. The importance of living with vision and the 'how to' of seeing a vision develop in both your personal life and ministry. An important aspect of this is to have the ability to lead your team to do 'Creative Thinking' together and to have the tools for times of vision giving, refreshing and energizing solitude.
Developing the skills in the area of Communication. A leader does not only need a vision, but also needs to be able to communicate that vision. Workshops in Public Relations, public speaking, story telling and motivating to change and to own the vision of the leader and/or the ministry. Also to be able to prepare a talk, message, paper or letter in such a way that it addresses the needs of the audience in such a way that there is a positive response.
Developing skills in the area of Shepherding the people that are under the leader's care, through affirmation, understanding the different learning styles that people have, developing skills, learning to be more of a non-threatening questioning person and therefore a good listener and gaining experience in the use of these training tools.
Developing skills in the area of Management, such as Decision Making, Planning, Organizing, Delegating, 'following through' and Evaluating. Visions need to be turned into reality. For this to happen basic management skills are absolutely essential, both in the ministry and in the personal life of the leader.
A leader needs to be a continual Learner. This course is in itself one way in which learning can take place in the life of a leader, but the learning needs to be on-going and life-long. The participants will be able to watch trainers 'in training'. There will be mentoring throughout the course and they will experience a change in attitude towards being an on-going learner. The course is designed to be transferable so that they will also know how to pass skills on to others.
Accept and understand that Pain is inescapable for a leader. For that reason the environment of the training is one of encouragement, but also a preparation to reality by addressing this issue. Relationship building and effective management skills can greatly help to reduce the pain in many cases. Other skills acquired in the training can be of help also.
The need for God's Anointing in Christian leadership is evident - the realization that the hand of God needs to rest upon a leader's life and ministry. The trainers will be inspiring examples. Daily devotions will help focus upon God. The training is constantly Biblically based and immersed in much prayer.

ITA Mission Statement

2006-05-07T05:40:00.000+10:00

The International Training Alliance (ITA) is an alliance of participating organisations partnering together to provide training courses and training for trainers with a unique philosophy of training, committed to the skill development of experienced and potential leaders.

About Us

2006-05-07T05:27:00.000+10:00

The International Training Alliance is an organisation which has come into being in response to the deep need for Leadership training amongst Mission and church leaders, both amongst the expatriate missionaries and nationals in the developing world. Several mission leaders responded to the need to develop training for leaders, specifically focusing on delivering an interactive course where skills rather than mere knowledge would be passed on to the trainees. It was recognised that while there is a plethora of books on the subject of leadership, the problem is not being solved by making them available to leaders or potential leaders.

Leaders from Operation Mobilization, Wycliffe Bible Translators, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Caleb Ministries and Tentmakers USA, have joined together in cooperation to seek to supply an answer to the acute need there is for leadership training.