I spent last Wednesday with an awesome group of young leaders from our community. The program called Youth Leadership Clarksville is a school year long, once a month look at the community for high school juniors and seniors.  These are top in their class students, usually from good, supportive homes, so one would think this group was self-confident and certain of their future.  I almost expected an arrogance of sorts or an idealistic approach to the years before them.  At some point in the day, however, I asked them to tell me their greatest fear.  Almost unanimously, the group of over thirty young people said fear of failure or fear of making a lifetime mistake is their greatest fear and something they struggle with, especially as they think about leaving high school. 

My son Nate, who went through the leadership program last year, had a recent blog post where he described some of his fears.  Read that post HERE.  (Titled: Reflections with the Fray) 

In reflection, I am honestly asking myself some questions, such as:

1.     What have we as parents and a society done to encourage or promote this type of fear in our youth?  Have we, for example, by giving our children everything they desire in life, kept them from realizing their own potential for success in some way?  Have we not allowed them enough opportunities to experience failure so that now fear of failure is the same as fear of the unknown to them?  

2.     Will these fears haunt our youth into adulthood or is this something they will outgrow? 

3.     Should we try to help youth overcome their fear of failure, so they will be willing to take big risks and dream bigger dreams or is this fear a natural part of their discovery? 

4.     Is this a cultural phenomenon and so do adults share the same fears right now? 

5.     Is the current state of the economy contributing to these fears?

I don’t have answers necessarily, just questions. 

What do you think?  

One of the ways I continue to learn and stay fresh in my leadership role is by reading.  Years ago I developed a discipline of reading at least one chapter of a book everyday, in addition to the Bible reading I do.  At this rate, I finish an average of two books per month.  This rate keeps books from consuming all my time, but helps me stay current.  By the end of January, I had met my goal for the first month, and I can fully recommend the two books I finished last month. 

Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands, by Nancy Ortberg is probably one of the easiest to read and yet most helpful leadership books I have ever read.  I write key points and the corresponding page numbers on the blank pages of my books for easy reference if I need them.  A good book will fill the front cover blank pages.  I found myself looking for more blank pages with this book.  Nancy is free flowing with one-liners that have huge impact.  I would highly recommend leaders or those desiring to be leaders read this book. 

it, How Churches and Leaders Can Get it and Keep it, by Craig Groeschel is a must read for pastors who want to see their churches get and keep it.  I won’t spoil the book for you telling you all that it is, but needless to say when you have it you know it.  Craig has the true heart of a pastor. He writes with humor, candor and humility.  Chapter 7 on innovation rocked my world with inspiration. Chapters 11 and 12 humbled me and gave me new encouragement to live bolder in my faith and draw closer to the heart of God.    

Feel free to click on the link on my home page to take you straight to Amazon.com and purchase these books for your library.  

What books would you suggest I add to my reading list this year?

I thought of an important question today. 

I am sadly aware of companies and churches faced with the difficult task of letting go workers in an attempt to improve the bottom-line.  I understand the struggle firsthand, having once tried to hold a company together while expenses outweighed income.   Sometimes leadership requires the leader to make hard decisions for the good of the entire organization. 

So here’s my question for all leaders:

Would you be willing to fire yourself if you are the person who needs to go the most? 

That’s a tough question, but it is one I have actually faced that a few times in my life.  Once in business where I knew, I didn’t have the energy or the expertise to carry the company to the next level.  In my last two churches, I reached a point where knew it was time for another pastor if the church wanted to continue to grow.  In both instances I was used to help the church grow and God was continuing to show us success, but I knew in my heart I had grown stale, burned out, and I knew the church deserved more commitment than I was giving them. 

In the business decision, I waited too long to fire myself and it ended up hurting the company.  Thankfully, I resigned from both churches in plenty of time for them to find the right replacement. 

In light of where you are personally and where the organization you lead is at, are you the right person to be leading the team at this time?   If the answer is no, what are you going to do about it?  Should the organization and others suffer while you wait to make the right decision?  

We have such an awesome staff at Grace Community Church. God has blessed us with people who love Him and love others and each of them has a true heart’s desire to be found faithful in their Kingdom work.  With the size of our church, by most standards we are under-staffed. We have a philosophy that everyone on our staff is a true minister.  There are no strictly administrative people working for Grace.  (I hope that’s always our philosophy.)  I want to take this opportunity to honor each of them for their special contribution to all God has done at Grace in the last 3 ½ years. Each of them encourage me in some way in what I do for the Kingdom.

Chad Rowland (Co-Pastor) 

Chad is my partner.  When we agreed to plant the church together the selling point for both of us was that either of us would have chosen to work for the other person.  Chad has the ability to take my weak ideas and make them far better.  He’s the “cool” of our partnership.  I also know that Chad is by far has a better pastor’s heart than me.  He truly cares for people and is so good at encouraging others.  Chad encourages me to consider people above progress. 

Michael Bayne (Director of Family Ministries)

Michael is one of the hardest workers I know in ministry. Michael excels best at connecting with students and their parents. I know on a Sunday morning that if I can get a visitor to talk with Michael, they will visit ReMix on Wednesday night.  Michael gives his attention to many areas of our church, even those he’s not directly involved in.  He’s a true team player.  Michael is creative, funny, and one of my favorite people in the world to pick on.  Michael encourages me to work harder and dream bigger dreams. 

Michael Higdon (Director of Creative Arts)

Michael has more talent and experience than we have yet to completely tap into as a church.  Everywhere I go people know Michael and are impressed with him.  Michael has the heart of a worshipper.  He likes real, authentic, genuine worship and has a true desire for us as a church to take people to the deepest places in their walk with God.  Michael is joining the other Michael in being someone I’m quite fond of aggravating.  Michael encourages me to continually find ways to point people closer to God.

Daniel Doss (Worship Leader)

Daniel was with us from the beginning. He took a leap of faith and trusted in Chad and me (really God) to plant a church that reached lost and hurting people in Clarksville.  Daniel’s golden voice instantly became a sticking point for those who visited Grace.  People love to hear Daniel sing and watch Daniel lead worship.  Daniel has a sincere faith in God and a loyal devotion to his wife, family and friends. Daniel encourages me to be more intentional in relationships.

Ben Reed (Director of Community Groups)

Ben is a bright and rising star in ministry.  His youthful enthusiasm is excelled only by his sincere heart, devotion and wisdom.  Ben is a “get it done” guy.  I love the way he networks in the church and with other churches. He is always learning new ways to improve in his work.  Ben is rock solid in his beliefs and unwavering in his commitment to his wife and new baby son.  Ben encourages me towards continual improvement in what I do.  

Karen Grizzard (Director of Volunteer Ministries)

Karen has a steadfast loyalty to Grace and it’s mission. She has a sincere desire to help other people and her heart for women, especially those who are hurting, is contagious. Karen is quiet, but her insight when she shares it is always dead-on accurate.  Karen allows her life experience to minister to others in her kind, caring, and understanding way.  She never turns down an opportunity to sit with another woman and lend a crying shoulder.  Karen encourages me to remember those who are hurting most. 

Katrina Watts (Director of Preschool Ministry/Family Ministry Coordinator)

Katrina has done a remarkable job organizing our preschool area.  Every church I have been in seems to always scramble for workers, but Katrina seems to have solved that problem for us at Grace.  Katrina’s heart though is in helping people.  I seriously believe Katrina probably ministers to more people personally than any person on our staff. There is hardly a day I don’t hear about Katrina impacting someone in a positive way. Katrina’s mother was a spiritual giant and Katrina becomes more like her everyday.  Katrina encourages me to take advantage of every opportunity to encourage someone. 

Christy Crosby (Director of Children’s Ministry)

Christy loves Grace Community Church.  As a member of the core group who started the church, Christy has always been ready to do whatever is necessary to help Grace flourish. She’s a wonderful mother and serves a role model for other moms in our church and community.  Christy is a great example of a Proverbs 31 woman. She works, supports her husband and family, and never seems to tire of doing good things for others.  Christy encourages me to continually invest my time in building young families in our church. 

Anne Loy (Financial Administration)

Anne is the master of organization. She makes my job so much easier by insuring the financial part of Grace runs smoothly and efficiently.  Anne is more than a number cruncher though.  Anne thinks for the church and always finds ways to save the church money or help us operate more effectively.  Anne is easy to talk to and genuinely fun to be around and she uses that well for Kingdom impact. She has a tremendous outreach to high school girls through her ministry, along with her husband, in Young Life.  Anne encourages me to be even more organized so I can accomplish much for the Kingdom.  

I am in the midst of a life transition of sorts. It was subtle at first, but over the last couple years, as our church has grown in size and our ability to make an impact in the Kingdom has increased, it has become more recognizable.  I am moving from more of a receiver to an investor into other people’s lives.  I am honored to invest in younger men, many who are pastors also. 

I don’t share that to make myself appear important.  The older I get the more I realize I am nothing apart from Christ, but the fact is that people look to me for direction, support and encouragement.  I hesitate to even use the word, because I feel I still have so much to learn, but people actually are looking to me for wisdom.   It is a weird feeling to realize people actually think I have answers. 

I realize I can’t take people where I haven’t been, so I have always been a wisdom seeker.  I have always sought out godly men who are further along in life than I am, but are heading in the direction I want my life to go.  It is honestly getting more difficult to find men older than me who meet that criteria and are willing to invest in others.  So, the question remains.  If I am going to invest in other people, who is going to invest in me? 

Do you agree it is difficult to find those who are willing to invest wisdom in younger people?   What can we do about it?  

Also, do you have a mentor?  Are you willing to mentor someone to help them with the wisdom you have gained?  

All of us make mistakes.  How do we respond as a leader when we make one?  I know tons of leaders, pastors included, who like to pretend the mistake never happened or if they are forced to acknowledge it, they tend to blame someone else for the error.

My son is proving to be an incredible leader.  I recently observed him in one of these situations.  Thankfully he handled it with class.

Please understand, in speaking of mistakes here I am not referring to moral failures.  Those would need to be covered in another post.  I’m writing about those mistakes that are made unintentionally or as an error of judgment.  These are the things we do such as saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or fail to make a hospital or funeral home visit we should have made.  The mistake could be criticizing people unjustly or failing to recognize someone for their accomplishments.  In business this may be making an error judgment call that proves to be costly to the company.  Nothing in your heart intended to make the error, but you did.  How should a leader respond in those situations?

Here are my suggestions for handling a mistake:

Accept responsibility. Don’t pass blame to others if the fault is yours. Be willing to confess your errors.  You aren’t perfect so don’t pretend that you are.

Don’t make excuses for your failure. If there are legitimate issues that need to be explained or lessons to be learned that’s one thing, but don’t try to excuse your mistake away.

Apologize quickly, humbly, and completely. Don’t say, “I’m sorry”, but then try to wrap the other person into your story.  Simply apologize.  You made a mistake.

Move forward. Regardless of whether forgiveness is given or not, once you have sincerely asked for forgiveness, move forward with the vision.  Get back to leading.

Try to learn from your mistakes. The best lessons in my life have come from some of the mistakes I have made.

What suggestions do you have?

There is a Biblical model for identifying potential leaders.  It is found in Exodus 18:21. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, had advised Moses to recruit some leaders. Then he told him what type of people to look for. 

“But select capable men form all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousand…” (Exodus 18:21)

So we are to look for men (and women) who are:

1.     Capable.

2.     Following God.

3.     Trustworthy. 

4.     Honest.

Do you think if you found people who met each of those characteristics you could use them to build a team of effective leaders?

What other qualities would you look for in a leader?  

Finding new leaders is critical to the successful growth of any organization.  The fact is that Kingdom growth is greatly impacted by the numbers of leaders we recruit.  Here are 10 steps to help you think through the concept of multiplying your leadership base.

1. Catch the vision of multiplication.

It’s hard to sell something you don’t believe in.

2. Be intentional.

You must make a conscious decision to replace yourself.  Multiplication must be a part of your strategy and there must be a system of leadership recruitment.

3.   Start early.

Replace leaders before you need them.

4.   Invest in your own personal growth.

You can’t take people where you haven’t been or aren’t going.

5.  Humble yourself.

Leaders must not be afraid that new leaders could lead better than them.  Allow people to shine under your leadership and it will only advance your ability to lead.  The good news is that today’s generation likes honesty.  They will follow you more if there is a direct benefit to them in doing so and if they trust your integrity.

6.  Share responsibilities early.

The easiest way to learn something is to do it and the more ownership you give to people the more they will be motivated to participate.

7.  Identify potential.

Look for the good in people.  What do they have that attracts people to them?

8.   Create an environment conducive to produce leaders.

Leaders don’t develop well under a dictatorship.  If people are afraid to have an answer under your leadership for fear of being wrong, they are less likely to try to have an answer.

9.   Recruit.

Don’t do the sign up method.  The best quality people are recruited.

Jesus found people with a personal ask.  Your best recruitment will be likewise.

10. Lead for life change.

Some people will experience their greatest life change only when they are leading others or have some sort of responsibility for leadership.  Nurture potential leaders knowing that part of their spiritual maturity will be that step of leadership.

What would you add to my list?

I have grown in my faith with the ministry of Dr. James Dobson.  His ministry, Focus on the Family, has been a part of my spiritual journey for many years.  I listen to the program often.  (I once listened every day, but the timing does not fit my schedule as well these days.)  I have supported them financially and encouraged others to check out the ministry.  When my boys were younger, their Plugged-In online movie review regularly helped my family make wiser movie choices. 

Let me be very clear that I still believe the ministry is doing great work for the Kingdom. I continue to support Dr. Dobson and the ministry of Focus on the Family.  Having said all this, I believe the ministry may have lost the pulse of much of today’s culture, including among many Christians and that may be now showing up in the financial support of the ministry.  It is okay to stand against culture; most of Christianity does, but when the ministry has a mission and vision that centered on reaching families through Jesus Christ, I question the effectiveness of where the ministry has gone in recent years. 

I was discouraged, for example, to read Focus Family Action Group’s “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America”.  I think the action group, which is a separate entity from the ministry, crossed the line with this letter.  Though the letter says it is only reflecting “possible” changes, it does not capture the heart of most Americans. I had recently posted on my blog about the need for us to respect the office of president, whomever America elected.  I read numerous similar blog posts the week of the election.  In a culture that is embracing diversity and respect for differing opinions, this letter does more to alienate non-believers than attract them to our faith.  I am also reminded that “God’s kindness lead towards repentance.” (Romans 2:4)  

Those outside the faith (and inside) have increasingly seen Dr. Dobson as more of a politician than they have a minister.  Although to my knowledge he never claimed to be a minister, he does lead one of the largest Christian ministries in our country.  I do not believe ministers or those who lead them are to abstain from speaking on politics, but I believe Dr. Dobson’s greatest impact at bridging the gap from the ministry to the world is what he can add to the family, not to the halls of Congress.  His insight and expertise in raising a family is still among the best I have ever heard.  Most Americans can agree on what he offers families, but he is easily divisive when it comes to politics.  While he may energize many in the “Christian right” and while I may usually agree with his political stance; I believe he alienates many more people than he inspires. 

Recently I caught the first part of the radio broadcast and overheard Dr. Dobson explaining that they are eliminating over 200 jobs through non-hires and layoffs.  The website says the 2009 budget is $22 million less than in 2008.  I hate to see any ministry suffer and I hope Focus on the Family recovers all the donations it has lost in this economy, but I cannot help but wonder if the struggles at Focus on the Family have more to do with current direction and “focus” than they do with the economy.  It is just my opinion.  I honestly hope I am wrong.    Nevertheless, I encourage Focus on the Family to return to its roots of placing all energies into helping families succeed.  It is only there the ministry will find its broader support again.

What do you think? 

{When I began putting my opinions into a blog (and these are my personal opinions and mine alone) I decided that I would not shy away from a topic just because it might be controversial. Even with that, I have delayed this post several times and actually held off until a new year, in an attempt to not hurt the ministry further.}

Who are you as a leader?  Determining the type leader you are is often as important as the leadership you provide.  Every leader needs to understand his or her individual strengths and weaknesses, and the skills he or she has and does not have.  It is also important to understand the style of leadership you aspire to and what you expect of followers and would think they expect of you. 

The following are some questions to help you think through your own personal leadership strategy.

·         What type of leader are you going to be?  What is your definition of a team?  (See previous posts on this subject HERE and HERE.) 

·         What are you personal strengths and weaknesses? Are you willing to staff to your weaknesses?

·         Who is counting on you to lead them?  What are strengths and weaknesses do they bring to the team? How can you help them succeed? 

·         Are you more of a leader or a manager?  (See the difference.)

·         Where are you hoping to lead the organization?  What are your goals?  What do you want to accomplish?

·         How will you replace yourself?  Could the organization function without you?  (See previous post.)  Are you willing to invest in others?   (See this post.)

·         What will you do when everything is seemingly falling apart and everyone is looking to you?

·         Can you laugh at your mistakes?  Do you have a good sense of humor? (The best leaders need one.) 

·         If you had a leader like you, would you want to follow him or her?

·         Do you encourage creativity or would you prefer people follow your inspiration?  

Help me with this list.  What questions would you ask me to help me develop my personal leadership strategy?