Category Archives: Leadership

Discipleship, Jesus is the Christ, Leadership, Ministry, Mission, Popular Culture, Teaching

Do You Have A Theological Vision?

This Fall I have spent a great deal of time reading and thinking through Tim Keller‘s excellent book, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City. Keller is the Pastor at Redeemer in the heart of NYC and is one of my favorite authors/thinkers. Rather than a “cut and paste, this is how we do ministry-this is how you should do ministry” book, Center Church focuses on developing a Theological Vision that is consistent with what a particular congregation believes and that drives the way ministry happens. Too often the ministry expressions of a church are divorced from or even at odds with their beliefs as well as unconnected from the very people they are trying to reach. This causes frustration within the congregation and confusion from those outside looking in.

Keller defines Theological Vision as an underlying vision that brings your theological understanding (doctrine, beliefs) to bear upon your ministry expressions (practices, programs). It is in essence, a faithful understanding of the Gospel “with rich implications for life, ministry, and mission in a type of culture at a specific moment in history.” Developing a robust Theological Vision is important because it forces the people of God to think long and hard about the character and implications of the Gospel, what the Gospel has to say within your particular culture, and what it means to do ministry in your time and place.

With a Theological Vision in place, leaders and churches can make better choices about ministry expression that are faithful to the Gospel while at the same time are meaningful to their ministry context. That means a greater impact in Worship, Discipleship, Evangelism, Service, and Cultural Engagement.

A Theological Vision helps you determine what you are going to do with what you believe within your cultural setting.

Keller sums up the importance of this vision when he says, “A Theological Visions allows (us) to see (our) culture in a way that is different than (we) have ever been able to see before… Those who are empowered by the theological vision do not simply stand against the mainstream impulses of the culture but take the initiative both to understand and speak to that culture from the framework of the Scriptures… The modern theological vision must seek to bring the entire counsel of God into the world of its time in order that its time might be transformed.”

In order to develop a Theological Vision Keller says that you must spend time in “deep reflection” on Scripture and the particular culture that you minister in. In order to think deeply and reflect on these things, Keller offers 8 questions to help in the development of a robust and significant Theological Vision.

They are:
1) What is the gospel, and how do we bring it to bear on the hearts of people today?
2) What is this culture like, and how can we both connect to it and challenge it in our communication?
3) Where are we located — city, suburb, town, rural area — and how does this affect our ministry?
4) To what degree and how should Christians be involved in civic life and cultural production?
5) How do the various ministries in a church — word and deed, community and instruction — relate to one another?
6) How innovative will our church be and how traditional?
7) How will our church relate to other churches in our city and region?
8) How will we make our case to the culture about the truth of Christianity?

Keller warns that the development of this type of vision is hard but it is essential. The quality of your Theological Vision will determine your effectiveness as you find ways to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly to your particular place in history.

Over the coming weeks, I am planning on meeting with a group of leaders to think through these 8 questions as a group in order to gain a better understanding of our mission to those within our church body and our surrounding community. The Starbucks near us recently built a new location complete with a variety of warm and inviting meeting areas so we are going to wrestle with these questions in the heart of the local agora just like Paul did in Athens. Of course Paul, as far as we know, didn’t get to sit in plush leather chairs sipping a peppermint mocha from a red cup.

If you have not read Keller’s Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City, I want encourage you to pick it up and wrestle with these questions within your own ministry context. I’ll be posting my thoughts and feelings as we go along so you are welcome to join in the conversation here in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter.

So what do you think of all this? Is a Theological Vision important? In what ways have you gained a greater understanding of the Gospel? In what ways have you worked to gain a better understanding of your particular culture?

Discipleship, Ethos, Family Ministry, Leadership

What Story Are You Telling?

This post was originally published on April 24, 2009.

In their book, Lead Like Jesus, Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges state clearly that to lead like Jesus you must become a servant. In Matthew 20:25-28 we see Jesus telling his disciples the difference between leadership as defined by the world and leadership as defined by the Father.

“Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28 TNIV)

Leading like Jesus requires us to tell a new story. Right now, the story most men are telling to their families is that a) Work comes before family b) My relationship with my child will always be strained and c) “Me” time is more important than “We” time

We need to be telling a different story.

Don Miller tells of a time when he met with a good friend over coffee. His friend begins pouring his heart out to Don telling him about how his marriage is suffering, that they are struggling to pay off the bills, and, on top of all that, his 13 yr. old daughter has turned goth and is dating a real loser. They found pot in her room and they are fearful of all the destructive behavior they are beginning to see in her life. His friend tells Don that he has done everything he can- from threatening to ground her to keeping her locked in the house to sending her to youth group (the horror!). The results have been less than encouraging and seem to have driven her further and further away. His friend felt frustrated and felt like a failure.

Don thinks for a minute absorbing all that his friend has said. “I think,” says Don, “that your daughter doesn’t like the story you’re telling her.”

No doubt his friend became a bit perturbed by this answer. Don says, “Ok wait. Hear me out. We are all designed to live in a story. Your daughter wants to live in a story where she is wanted and accepted and needed and loved- hence the loser boyfriend. She is looking for excitement, risk, and adventure- hence the drugs. She is looking for an identity and a purpose- hence the new, goth look. That’s the story she is living in.”

Don then challenges his friend by asking him, “What story are you telling her as her father? Maybe you need to tell a better story.”

The friend thinks about what Don has said for a few days. He then calls a family meeting. He gathers his wife, goth daughter, and younger son together and tells them that he has a project for them. He had contacted an orphanage in Mexico without first telling anyone in his family. This orphanage needed a new building and it was going to cost them $20,000-$25,000 to build a new one. “I don’t know how we are going to raise this money- we are up to our eyeballs in debt,” he tells his family, “but we really need to do something about this and I would really like it if we could do this together. Oh, and we only have two years to do this in. Any ideas?”

That night didn’t end well as you can probably imagine. The family stormed off and Don’s friend was left in the living room all by himself. However about a week later his son comes to him and says that since they will be going to Mexico they will all need passports and could he begin looking at getting the passports. Then his wife comes and offers to sell one of the cars. Then his daughter comes and says that she posted about this plan on MySpace and that she was asking her friends to do the same so that they could begin taking donations.

Two weeks later the boyfriend is gone, she is no longer isolating herself from the family, and they all start to turn the corner in their relationships to one another.

So what happened? The daughter (and everyone else in the family) got caught up with the new story. They all felt needed and felt that they had a purpose. They became the heroes instead of the bit players. They knew that they were called to something greater than themselves. They had become the servants rather than the served.

As parents, as adults, as leaders we are the ones that initiate the story in our families and churches. It is up to us to get caught up in the story God is calling us to and to guide our loved ones into that story.

So the challenge before you is to ask, “What story am I telling?”

Is your story one of self-service or self-sacrifice? The first one is a pretty lousy tale.

The latter was told by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like–minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1-11 TNIV)

Leadership

Be a L.E.A.D.E.R.

As Leaders in the church, often times people will come to us with prayer requests, personal issues of pain and heartache, struggles with sin, and stories of broken relationships. How can you make the most of these opportunities and offer a listening ear, open arms, and feet that are willing to walk with them through the valley toward the hope and healing offered us by Jesus Christ? One way to do this is by being a L.E.A.D.E.R. Below I’ve listed some of the steps that you can take as you help others process through the pain and guide them to the promise of hope and healing.

LISTEN- One of the most powerful actions you can take as a leaders is to simply show up and be present when someone comes to you with a pain, problem, or point of issue. Often times, they won’t remember the words you say as much as they will remember your presence. In order to simply listen and be present, remove distractions out of your mind, look them in the eyes, and give them your full attention. Instead of making statements, ask questions. Repeat back what they have said as a confirmation to them that you have been listening. Remember, James says that we are to be “quick to listen, and slow to speak.” (James 1:9)

EMPATHIZE- When someone comes to you with a problem or personal issue it is important that you show them that you understand and actually feel the pain and frustration that they feel. Be genuine, offer compassion, and be sensitive to their situation in order to strengthen the connection between yourself and them. Since we live in a fallen and broken world, much of the struggles, pain, and heartache that people share with you will be self-inflicted. That is when you can come in, listen to their pain, and express grace rather than judgement. Sin does need confrontation and correction but that can come at a different time.

ASSIST- Often times, someone shares something with you because they are looking or reaching out for help. Notice that this step is called ASSIST and not ADVICE. We are often too quick to offer up unsolicited advice or suggestions when what the other person really needs is your assistance in recognizing the issue and crafting a plan of action in order to begin moving forward. Before you tell them what you would do or what some talking head on television suggests, pause and ask, “What can I do you help you?” or “What do you need from me?” Their response to those questions will help you know and meet the real need at hand.

DIRECT- Discipleship and life-transformation starts with an understanding that something is terribly wrong with the way that we are living life apart from God. We must acknowledge that we are in pain because of sin– self-inflicted or inflicted upon us. We experience the beginning of transformation when we move to repentance before God. When sin is involved, whether it is anger, pride, pornography, an unforgiving heart, or jealousy, we must help people acknowledge their sinfulness and then point them to the hope of the Gospel. We have hope in Christ Jesus because there is no sin too small or too large that his blood doesn’t cover. His tent of forgiveness is big enough for anyone to enter. God’s grace forgives us and can also empower us to live a new, holy life. After repentance, we must move to believing that God can really change us and we must seek the scriptures and pray that God will give us a plan for change. As leaders and pastors we must direct people through this process. If someone has given you permission to walk with them through this season of repentance and grace, you can help them by pointing them to scripture, praying with them, offering resources, or connecting them with others that can assist them through this recovery. 

ENCOURAGE- In his closing remarks to the church in Corinth, Paul ends his second letter by saying, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2Cor 13:11) It is our duty as brothers and sisters in Jesus to encourage one another as we are being restored to the men and women that God would have us be. Sin is a powerful force that goes about derailing lives and crushing spirits. The good news is that Jesus is greater and more powerful. The good news is that we are not alone. The good news is that grace is offered us in an ever increasing measure. The good news is that we can encourage one another and be encouraged. After someone shares with you a secret sin or a frustration or heartache do not walk away from them or fail to follow-up. This can be one of the hardest steps because we often do not know what say. If you find yourself not knowing how to follow up, simply remind the person that you love them, you believe in them, and that you are praying for them. 

REFER- Memorize this phrase: “Know when to refer.” Again, “Know when to refer.” Just because someone has shared with you a dark secret, a personal struggle, or has expressed a spiritual doubt to you doesn’t mean that you are the right person to walk them through all of the steps needed for recovery. We can listen, we can encourage, and we can pray but we must never believe that the success of someone’s overcoming and recovery is dependent upon us. We are only one part of how God works through the life of those we lead. Influences come from many areas and many sources. You must know when you are no longer able to offer the kind of help that is needed to move toward recovery. There are other professionals and individuals that are supremely qualified to help people take steps closer to recovery. You must know when to refer these individuals to people more qualified to handle their situation. You are not abandoning others when you refer them on. You are actually helping them by pointing to better resources and more specialized care than you can offer.

Discipleship, Leadership

Top 10 Quotes from Catalyst

Attending Catalyst in Atlanta is a little bit like drinking water from a firehose– here is so much coming at you that it is almost overwhelming! Thankfully, I always purchase the audio sessions from the event so that I can listen to each of the messages again.

I tell people that, for me, Catalyst is a slow burn. Other events or conferences send me home with a new technique or a new curriculum or a new trick that will practically benefit my ministry today. Catalyst is different.

Catalyst does something deep inside of me where thoughts and ideas are ruminated on, processed, and developed over time. As I have thought back over all the leadership goodness I was able to feast on last week, there a few thoughts and ideas that have continued to settle deep inside of me. It is these quotes that have been pushing on my heart and it is these quotes that have arrested my imagination in the quiet and still moments of my day. God is using these thoughts to mold me, change me, and to #MAKE me into the leader he desires me to be. It is my hope that one or all of these will hit you where you are today.

You were MADE to #MAKE a difference.

1) “The greatest thing you do as a leader may not be what you do as a leader but who watches you do what you do.” – @AndyStanley

2) “Your response makes all the difference in the world and is the thing that will determine how God will use you.” – @AndyStanley

3) “”Any organization that wants to make a difference in anything it does must be healthy.” – @PatrickLencioni

4) “Don’t be in a Party. Be a party!” – KidPresident.com

5) “‘NO’ simply means ‘Next Opportunity.'” – @MarkBurnettTV

6) “It is better to be MARKED by God than to be MARKETED by men.” – @ChristineCaine

7) “We’re told to go and make disciples, but we often just sit & make excuses.”- Francis Chan

8) “God will never be handcuffed by your failure or unleashed by your successes!” – @JonAcuff

9) “When we realize that only God is good and our real enemy is Satan, we can make history for the glory of God!”- @craiggroeschel

10) “Don’t blame me.” – Geoffrey Canada

Discipleship, Leadership, Mission

Vision- The WHY

A few years ago, the board of directors for a small but growing chicken restaurant named Chick-fil-a met to decide the future direction of their organization. One group argued that the way to growth would be rapid expansion into new parts of the country. Some argued new menu items would cause the company to gain more of a market share. Still, some made the case for flashier commercials and giveaways in order to make Chick-fil-a a bigger company. The founder, Truett Cathy, sat there and listened to the arguments going back and forth across the conference table. He then began to bang his fist on the table in order to get everyone’s attention. When the room became quiet and with all eyes on him, the oldest man in the room simply said, “When we get better, we’ll get bigger.” With that, Chick-fil-a set out to become a better company in order to become a bigger one.

Compare that to Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC or whatever they are calling themselves these days. It seems like every 6 months, Colonel Sanders and friends roll out a new marketing strategy or flashy new menu item or new remodel in order to attract customers. One ad cycle may show the chain becoming a heath food alternative with the next cycle tapping into the “homestyle-back-in-the-day” nostalgia that Kentucky Fried Chicken had back in the day. KFC seems to have be suffering from a identity crisis.

Much of these differences in marketing, strategy, and focus come down to the Mission of each organization.

On the KFC website, you will see that the company has a mission statement. It says:

KFC is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain, specializing in Original Recipe, Extra Crispy, Colonel’s Crispy Strips and Honey BBQ Wings, with home-style sides and freshly made chicken sandwiches. Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been serving customers delicious, already prepared complete family meals at affordable prices.

Through this statement, KFC makes it clear that their main focus is delivering chicken products to customers. It even goes so far as to list its main menu items in their mission statement. If you’ll remember, Harlen Sanders believed that Kentucky Fried Chicken existed to serve Original Recipe chicken and only Original Recipe. After he sold the company, he raised quite a stir after the new organization announced a new item- Crispy Chicken. The chicken has always been the focus of KFC.

Now, look at Chick-fil-a’s Mission Statement from their website:

Be America’s Best Quick-Service Restaurant

Chick-fil-a makes it clear that their main goal isn’t to simply sell chicken but to better serve people.

Just a glance at their respective homepages shows that KFC highlights products and Chick-fil-a highlights people. Neither one of these is right or wrong but they will have a direct effect on how each restaurant operates. An organization who holds serving people as their highest value will focus and behave differently than an organization that focuses on serving innovative products.

When it comes to determining what an organization wants to do and the best way to do that, they must first answer the question, “Why do we exist?”

If the answer is “We exist to serve chicken.” than offering many chicken options, highlighting new chicken products, changing your signage, and reminding people about your history of selling chicken will be the type of choices and behaviors the organization will exhibit in order to achieve their goals.

If your reason to exist is to serve people than you might make sure that your employees are trained to be friendly and encourage behaviors such as helping families by delivering the food to their table. You might make sure that the dining experience is fast, clean, and efficient. You might make sure that your menu is streamlined so that when people order they can do so quickly and easily.

If you’ve been to either one of these restaurants recently you know that each one has a distinct style and atmosphere. These things are directly due to the mission and vision that each organization is pursuing.

In his book, Start With Why, author Simon Sinek says that often times organizations struggle with getting their people to understand the vision or to buy into what the organization is trying to accomplish because leaders focus more on WHAT needs to be done and HOW it will be accomplished. Sinek argues that leaders must first get their people to understand the cause, the belief, the mission – the WHY behind it all.

(Set aside 18 minutes in your schedule today in order to watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action)

If we are going to lead healthy organizations that are actively making a difference in the lives of our people than we must identify the underlying reason WHY we exist in the first place. Once we understand the WHY, then we can move forward with the mission. Once the people you lead understand the WHY, than they will gladly join you on that mission.

Get Back, Leadership, Ministry, Mission, Personal Leadership, Resources, Self-Leadership, Theology

Get Back 5- Life-Long Learning

I have a passion for learning. One of my core values is that Leaders are Learners and so I make sure that my daily actions are in line with this belief. Learning is a discipline and is strengthened through daily exercise.

We live in an day and age where each day offers you a new opportunity to grow in your calling. You can read a book, attend a conference, Skype with a mentor, or listen to a podcast. The possibilities are endless. All you have to do is make the choice to develop yourself, create a plan and stick with it.

My go-to form of development is Reading. Some may look at reading as merely a hobby. However, the truth is that while I love reading it is much more than a hobby for me. It is a necessity.

If I want to learn… I read.
If I need inspiration… I read.
If I need to understand the complexities of life… I read.
If I am hungry… I eat. (As amazing as reading is it can’t do everything.)

This year, I will read somewhere around 50 books.

I’m not chasing a number. I’m chasing wisdom.
I’m not after a trophy. I’m after knowledge.

Reading is essential for growth, development, inspiration, and focus. It is true in my life and it should be true in yours. As I’ve said before, you may believe that you do not have the time to read but the truth is you don’t time NOT to read. It is that important to your development as a leader. Growing organizations are led by growing leaders. If you aren’t growing… you’re dying.

I have had friends ask me how I read so much. Today’s post will give you a little insight into how I make the most of life-long learning through my reading.

I want share with you 3 simple ways to help you make reading an essential part of your life…

1) Choose the RIGHT BOOKS to read
There will be over 1 million new books published this year. You can’t possibly begin to try and read everything so the first step in making reading a essential part of your life is to read only the books that will have a direct impact on your leadership. I look for books in 3 categories:

a) Theology
As a pastor, I read books on theology in order to help me better understand God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Primarily this understanding comes directly through the Bible, God’s Word. I also read theologians like NT Wright, Walter Brueggemann, Miroslav Wolf, and Timothy Keller. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension.” I want my mind stretched by the things of God so that I will be forever changed.

b) Philosophy
I read theology so that I can understand God. I read philosophy so I can understand man. I may read a book on Psychology and then read a biography/autobiography. I might read up on a particular time in history and then I might follow that up with reading a work of literature. Reading philosophy isn’t about reading Freud or Socrates. The whole point of reading books in this category is to understand how others think and what they believe about life and how it should be lived. Reading about competing world views and philosophies doesn’t make them all equal and valid. Understanding them though will aid in helping to connect them to Jesus Christ and his will for their lives.

c) Best Practices
Best Practices are the types of books that will help me in a practical areas of life and ministry. Books on leadership, small groups, marriage, and administration help me gain insight and develop skills that I need to succeed. I am currently in a season where I am devouring everything I can on communication so that I can develop my teaching and speaking skills.

Exit Question: What are the categories of books you need to read in order to grow and develop your area of leadership? Choose 3 categories right now.

2) Take NOTES on what you read
If you want to get the most from your reading you must take notes on what you are learning. I have two ways that I take notes on what I’m reading. First, I never go anywhere without my Rickshaw Moleskine Folio. When I’m reading I try and distill any thoughts or ideas down to one sentance. I also write out any quotes that strike me as important. I primarily use my moleskin to take notes if I am reading from my Kindle. If I have a physical copy of the book I write my notes inside the front cover and the quotes on the inside of the back cover. Find a way to take notes that matches your personality and learning style.

photo
(This a picture of my Rickshaw Moleskine Folio. I actually own more than one of these. The folio allows me to carry my notes, pens, and anything else I might need when I’m reading and writing. You can see the reflection of my Starbucks Gold Card there in the front. I love this product.)

3) TELL someone what you are reading
Telling someone about what you are reading will do 2 things for you. First, you will begin to understand and clarify for yourself what you’re learning. Teaching others is a great way to learn. Second, you will find that as you share with others your excitement and confidence will grow. You will begin to feel and see the fruit of all your hard work. This will in turn encourage you to keep reading. You will see, feel, and know that your learning is having a tangible impact on you and those around you!

When leaders stop learning they ultimately stop leading. Don’t let this be true of your life. Right now commit to growing in your leadership through reading. Over the weekend, choose a book that will help you in your calling, decide on a method for keeping track on what you’re learning, and tell a close friend about the book you’ve chosen. Then…

Get reading so you can get leading!

Collecting Experiences, Leadership, Popular Culture, Teaching

Flipping Failure

Have you ever experienced failure? 

I’m sure you have.

In 1995, actor and producer Kevin Costner experienced a huge career failure when his movie Waterworld failed at the box office. The film had been beset by inflated production costs and on-set disasters. A hurricane destroyed the set at one point and even Costner almost drowned while filming. When it was all said and done the film cost over $175 million dollars making it the most expensive movie at the time. When the movie finally opened to audiences it failed to connect and made only $88 million.

The press was merciless to Costner, the cast, and crew. Waterworld was considered a joke and Costner’s career took a major hit. Before Waterworld, Costner was an A-list superstar with a great box office trace record. Afterward he was damaged goods.

However, Costner didn’t let that failure go to waste. 

Entertainment Weekly published an article about the production of the movie Battleship. Like Waterworld, this summer’s action packed movie was filmed on the open seas and had the potential to meet many of the same obstacles that Costner and crew faced. While in pre-production, the director of Battleship, Peter Berg, received a phone call from someone offering to help them plan and prepare for their wet and wild production schedule.

It was Kevin Costner.

In the interview, Berg describes their conversation:

I was in my office one day. I get a call. Kevin Costner’s on the phone. I’ve never met Kevin Costner. I’m like, “Hello?” He’s like, “I need to come in and talk to you.” I’m like, “…Kevin?” He’s: “I need to come in and talk to you.” I say, “When?” He says, “Tomorrow.” I say, “Okay!”

So he comes in, he sits down, he says, “I feel compelled to talk to you and I want to tell you” – verbatim — “the stuff we did right and the stuff we did wrong.” And he talked to me for three hours about the perils of filming out on the ocean.

It was awesome. Kevin is a great guy and I think, maybe it was a little cathartic for him [laughing]. He’s probably waiting to have this conversation with someone for a long time. But, yeah, he didn’t have to do that and, you know, I can’t say enough about him. He made a huge difference.

When we experience failure in ministry or in life, often we take our licks and then bury that failure some place when no one will find it. We become embarrassed or angry whenever our failure is brought before us. We act as though we never failed.

Costner saw a crew of people mounting a production similar to his greatest cinematic failure. He took it upon himself to reach out to the crew and share his weaknesses and failures concerning that project. He did all of this in order that someone else wouldn’t have to go through the pain and frustration he did. He did this so that other people would succeed where he failed.

What if you started flipping your failure to someone else’s benefit?

Action Step:
Who could benefit from hearing the lessons you learned from a mistake you made? Invite them to lunch and share your failure in order to help them win big.

via EW.com

Leadership, Leadership Axioms

7 Questions to Ask Leaders

At Catalyst Dallas, John Maxwell spent his Thursday session pouring into us some of the lessons he has learned about leadership. He wasted no time in sharing with us and he started by quickly giving a list of important questions to ask other leaders when you meet with them.

John famously tells the story that when he was starting out in life he wrote to people he viewed as great leaders and people that he could learn a great deal from. He offered them lunch and $100 dollars to meet with him. The ones that accepted, he and his wife used that city as the destination for their vacation so he could meet with them. Over time he developed a set of questions that helped him get the conversation going and to maximize his learning.

Here are the 7 Questions to Ask Leaders
1) What’s the greatest lesson you’ve ever learned?
2) What are you learning now?
3) How has failure shaped your life?
4) Who do you know that I should know?
5) What book should I read?
6) What have you done that I need to do?
7) How can I add value to you?

I feel that you learn the most when you ask the right questions.

I am grateful that Dr. Maxwell shared these questions with us. I hope that they will be a blessing to you as well.

Leadership

Catalyst Dallas

1 Comment

Catalyst Dallas is in the books.

I’ve been making the annual pilgrimage to the ATL for Catalyst since 2003. Last year, the Catalyst folks decided to add an event in Dallas and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Three of us from the leadership of our church went to Bent Tree Bible last year to experience #CatDal.

This year we took 10 people– including a college student and one of our Shepherds who is in his 70s.

Talk about a great experience! To share something that has meant so much to me with people who mean so much to me is an incredible feeling.

I took a team to Catalyst. I’m not sure that has fully set in for me yet.

I am already making plans for 2013 because Catalyst Dallas will be our church leadership retreat next spring.

Thank you God for your faithfulness. Give us wisdom and courage to act on what we learned this weekend. Give us the creativity and the clarity to share it with those who didn’t get the opportunity to join us. Help us to lift your name higher and further in our community. Grow our love for your Son, Jesus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

 

Leadership

Fears

Sometimes people fail to lead because one thing stands in their way: Fear.

Fear of the unknown, the never-known, and the what-ifs can become an albatross around the neck of even the greatest heroes. Even Superman.

Did you know Superman has a fear? Actually he has two fears.

These fears are not exclusive to the Man of Steel either. They represent a virus of fear and false leadership that can strike at the heart of us all. They represent two ends of the spectrum and need a healthy examination to make sure that these fears and their effects don’t take hold. We’re all susceptible but knowing that they are there is half the battle. (I’m mixing my metaphors. Oops.) Once we identify the fear, we’ll identify the cure.

1) Superman fears that he will become too powerful.
Let’s be honest Superman could just as easily destroy as save. He is the ultimate weapon. He is the most powerful being on he planet and he knows it too. This knowledge could have kept him in Smallville and working on the farm for his entire life. The fear of himself and his gifts could have killed any hope of ever becoming a hero much less a leader. This fear goes by another name and it isn’t pretty. It’s called Pride and it has destroyed many a leader. If Superman, with all his gifts and powers, fears pride then shouldn’t we?

Again, let’s be honest. Most leaders do not fear their pride. In fact most never think about what happens when it starts to be more about themselves and less about others until it is way too late. The damage gets done, the leader fails, and people get hurt. Again, our fear of pride can keep us from doing anything at all. Thankfully, there is a cure to our pride and it’s called Humility.

Here is a little fact from the nerdery: Batman has a piece of Krypton locked away in the Batcave. Did you know that? Batman didn’t recover this piece of Krypton from a field in Kansas and he didn’t take the Batship out into deep space to find it either. So how did he get it?

It was humbly given to him by Superman. If ever Superman gets out of control, if ever he threatens the planet, if ever his pride blinds him to his true mission of serving humanity, Batman is to use that piece of Krypton to stop (kill) Superman.

Accountability is where humility begins. Afraid of your pride? Remember that you are accountable. Leaders are accountable to God, their people, their families, their friends… this list goes on and on. Approach leadership with pride and be destroyed. Approach it humbly and make a difference.

2) Superman is afraid of failure.
On the other side of the “All Powerful” coin is the fear that no matter what he does he can never do enough. This fear of failure is just as debilitating. Many a leader has disqualified themselves from leadership because they are afraid of failing. Lex has used this fear against Superman a few times over the years and each time we see Superman retreating away to Smallville or to the Fortress of Solitude. Self-pity really isn’t a great virtue. Self-pity really is the ugly step-sister to pride isn’t it?

Leaders fall into self-pity because they have forgotten that leadership isn’t about them it is about others. So what’s the cure? How do we get over that fear?

I can’t be filled with self-pity when I’m focused on the needs of others.

I guess the cure to both of these fears – Pride and Pity – is to again focus on the why.

Are you leading just to get ahead? Are you leading because you like/need the spotlight? Are you using your position to have your needs met? Have you forgotten about the needs of those you serve? Watch out for pride.

Are you afraid of failing? Do you second guess every move because of some great big unknown? Do you feel too inadequate? Do you feel worthless? Are you scared about looking foolish? Watch out for self-pity.

Are you focused on lifting others up? Are you excited about seeing those you serve win and win big? Do you care more about someone else getting the spotlight or the glory? Do you lead with humility? Is it more about others than it is yourself? You might just be understanding the why of leadership.

When you know the why behind what you do, then you begin to lead. Understand the why.

(This post originally was originally written August 22, 2008)