If you want an organization to grow you must develop leaders.  Success or failure of an organization rises and falls on leadership.  I believe it is equally true that the degree of success an organization can attain is directly proportional to its leadership potential.  Those can be scary words, because it means that we must constantly be finding new leaders if we intend to continue to grow as an organization. 

The goal for our church would be that we never have to say, “We can’t, because we don’t have anyone to lead that.” 

Recently I shared these points with our small group leaders about replacing themselves as leaders.  I dug them back out again this week, because I think we need some more leaders…again! 

Here are 10 steps to replacing yourself and find new leaders

1.      Catch the vision of multiplication

If you don’t believe in the system of multiplication then you aren’t as likely to participate in it.  You must recognize that multiplication is a part of kingdom building.  Growth in the kingdom will be greatly impacted by the numbers of leaders you develop. 

2.      Be intentional. 

You must be intentional about finding your replacement and put energy into leadership development. Replacing yourself must become a part of your overall leadership strategy.

3.      Start early. 

A new leader needs time to prepare. You need to get started early in your leadership role looking for that person who might be able to take your place.  With some people bent towards leading you either use them early or you will lose them from your organization as they search for a place of significance.

4.      Invest in your own personal growth. 

You can’t take people where you haven’t been or aren’t going.  The only sure way to lead people towards spiritual maturity is to be heading there yourself.  Live a life worth following.

5.      Humble yourself.

Today’s generation likes honesty, so don’t be afraid to allow your weaknesses, failures and shortcomings to be the catalyst to help your organization grow.  Also, don’t be threatened by others.  They will bring different styles; maybe even be better than you at some things.

Take pride in finding them as potential new leaders. 

6.      Share responsibilities early.

The quickest way to learn something is to do it.  Allow people a chance to grow under your leadership.  Give them a chance to lead.

7.      Identify potential. 

Look for leadership qualities in people that match the character of your organization. 

Here are some qualities we look for in potential leaders:

a. Concern/love for others

b. Not a complainer.

c. Teachable and open to suggestions.

d. Demonstrates a propensity to lead through an excellence in following.

e. Reliability

f. Interest  (in the system, the organization, people in the organization)

g. Character

h. Potential

i. Positive attitude

j. Confidence

k. People skills

8.      Create an environment conducive to produce leaders. 

Leaders don’t develop well under a dictatorship. If people are afraid to have an answer in your organization for fear of being “wrong” they are less likely to try to have an answer.  Give people an opportunity to rise and fall. Leadership is less about managing people and more about enabling them. 

9.      Recruit. 

Don’t use the sign up method. “Raise your hand if you want to be a leader.”  That will get you a bunch of quality people! The best people are often recruited. 

10.  Lead for life change. 

Some people will experience their greatest life change only when they are leading others. 

Think about the blessings people you recruit into leadership will have in their life from serving others.

Peter Block says “Leadership is about developing leaders; not followers.”  Jesus said, “Follow me”, but remember He was perfect.   Even Jesus though was seeking followers who would be unleashed to be leaders.  He sent the disciples out to launch the church. 

Growth of any organization is directly related to its leadership potential.  Who is sitting in your organization that could be a leader?  Who has the skills, probably should be leading, but hasn’t stepped forward?  Your God-given mission may be to move them into a leadership position.  

What do you do with an extra hour in your schedule?  I had an hour in between meetings today and not enough time to go back to the office.  I wondered what to do with my time.  I came up with these options: 

·         Write a blog (Obviously I did this one.)

·         Call my mom.  (She loves when I do, but I’m in a crowded place.  Not sure that’s a viable option.)

·         Pray.   (I have lots to talk with God about.) 

·         Send emails to check on people I’ve not seen in a while.  (I did some of this yesterday.)

·         Read my Bible. (Actually doing some of that.)

·         Dream.  (This is a constant for me.)

·         Work on next week’s message. (I’ve already got 2 pages of notes that I could organize.)

·         View my calendar for the next few months.  (The second half of this year appears much busier than the first.  How could that be?)

·         Interact with strangers here at Blondie’s.  (The strange may come out of me if I do that now, according to who is here.) 

·         Twitter something. (If I can get it to work.)

·         Sing along to the music playing in this place. (Current tune: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley)

·         Get another cup of coffee.  (Never too much caffeine for me!) 

·         Search the web.  (Thank God for filters should I go this route!)

·         Write devotionals.  (www.mustardseedministry.com  needs new material.) 

I’m conducting a very official hygiene opinion poll.  Results will be tabulated and sent to the Harvard School of Family Behavioral Sciences for further evaluation.  (Just kidding…it’s not official.  You didn’t fall for that though did you?) 

My family is divided on a hygiene issue.  Let me explain.  Jeremy, our oldest son, moved out a few weeks ago to live at the fraternity house near the college he attends in our city.  He came home this past weekend to be here.  We have better food than the fraternity house.  He forgot to bring his toothbrush.  Of course the fraternity house is a good 4 miles from our house, so it would have been much too far for him to drive to get it, so in lieu of having his own toothbrush (Apparently as you will see, we are a weird family in that everyone has their own) he decided to use mine.  When I realized this I threw up (vomited). 

I confronted my family about this serious health violation and we were split in our opinion on the wrongness of this act.  Cheryl and Jeremy think this is an okay thing to do if you need a toothbrush.  They seem to believe you can share germs and bacteria if you are related.  (“Just run some hot water on it”, they said.)  Nathaniel agreed with me saying, “That is the grossest thing I’ve ever heard of.”  In an attempt to break a tie vote I asked Jeremy’s girlfriend her opinion.  I was sure she would agree with me.  She didn’t.  She responded with the same “Run hot water over it” answer.   

I need your help.  Will you agree with me that using someone else’s toothbrush is WRONG?  Don’t you think it would be better to brush your teeth with your finger than to use someone else’s toothbrush?  

In the meantime, I have purchased new toothbrushes and all their handles have been wrapped with masking tape.   I’ve warned anyone who touches them that they face cruel and unusual punishment. 

Being 17 is an awkward, life-altering, figuring out who you are time of life.  As parents we try our best to help them through these days, giving the best advice we know to give.  Yesterday was an example of one of those delicate times in the life of our 17 year old (formerly known as Nathaniel funny sometimes jerky son Nate, ). Let me explain. He was going to see a movie with some friends.  He was concerned it might sell-out before he got there, so he asked me to purchase his ticket online.  I was hurrying out the door for an event and so I quickly purchased the ticket.  This morning my accountant wife sent me this email.

Ron,

I don’t know if you know but when you purchase tickets for the movie online they charge a few.  The ticket last night cost $9.50.  Don’t think they charge fee when you purchase it from kiosk.  I know he didn’t want to chance them selling out or have to stand in line, but just thought you would want to know how much those tickets costs.

Love,

Cheryl

I simply forwarded her email to Nathaniel so he would have it for future reference.  Here is his reply: (As the title of this post indicates, this movie ticket purchase mistake has caused him to deal with some very serious spiritual stuff.)

heeew, thanks for the heads up. Next time I’ll try and consult you guys beforehand. I’ve been thinking and praying, and I feel like God is telling me that yesterday I really just blew past a life altering decision without giving Him a chance to offer his insight. He says that my life is too short just to make every decision on the fly, and that a life that truly glorifies Him is a life that challenges me to live by the Word and see what the Bible would say about life situations. Obviously in 1 Cor 10 we are to do EVERYTHING to the glory of God, and I’m really sorry that God’s glory was sacrificed here because of the extra $1.50 we spent at the movie. I’m going to try and do so much better when it comes to online shopping because as you know I spend way too much time wanting to buy things online. This is probably the biggest struggle I’m facing right now and I just want you to be praying for me in that area. Thank you for your guidance as a parent and I
 understand if you think I should stay home the next few nights and think some more about what I’ve done. May the Word penetrate my heart and character!
Nate
nateedmondson.com

Thankfully, the conviction of sin still leads to repentance.    

I hate to push my own kid, but this is too good not to.  Read “The Female”, which is my 17 year old, called to ministry, funny guy son number 2′s latest post.  This is good. 

www.nateedmondson.com

Pastors, this guy needs to be on your radar screen.  I’m not kidding. 

News that Wal Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is giving itself a new image via its logo fascinates me.  From what I’ve been able to tell online the new logo isn’t much different than the last, but to logo experts, I guess it’s a pretty big deal.  The bigger deal for me is that they are changing it at all.  They remain Wal Mart.  The giant, mega-sized corporation that no one seems to be able to fully compete with doesn’t appear to need the help of a more modern symbol to represent its supremacy.  Or does it? 

The king of retail has faced challenges on numerous fronts in recent years from employee lawsuits and threats of unionizing to more challenges than ever to locating in certain areas.  Some don’t want the giant retailer in their neighborhood, and, not accustomed to being told no, Wal Mart is now losing the battle in some communities they have tried to enter.  Reports also indicate that Wal Mart hired an outside public relations firm several years ago to look at ways to improve their image among workers and consumers.  Perhaps this new logo is a product of their work. 

As a church leader, I think this teaches me more than just to be looking for a new symbol when I need bargain toilet paper (or whatever else I need).  I think it reminds me that if Wal Mart must continually evaluate things as simple as logos (really not so simple), then surely we do in the church. 

So, consider these questions: What does your organizations current logo say about you? Is it still saying what you intend it to say?  Does it adequately communicate your vision?  Is it warm, inviting and reflective of the organization you are today?  Is it time for a change?  More importantly, what about the image of your organization that your logo represents?  Could it use an overhaul?  Finally, and this is a hard question, if a fancy PR firm, the kind only Wal Mart could afford, told you that people think you stink, do you believe in success enough to humble yourself and change?   

I like these quotes and observations from Fortune Magazine’s article on America’s Most Admired Companies: (March 17, 2008) My question in reading these snipets about each company is what can the church learn from corporate America, especially successful corporate America?  You make your own conclusions, but to me some of the applications are very obvious.

Berkshire Hathaway

Said of Warren Buffet’s success: His key to turning today’s problems into tomorrow’s profits: “An absence of any regard for short-term results”

Google

Google’s philosophy:  Google believes “what’s good for the web has always proven to be very good for Google.”

(That sounds like a Kingdom principle many churches should learn.)

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson responded to the uncertainty in the health-care markets by “narrowing their focus”.

Goldman Sachs

The company posted record profits in 2007, in a year when Wall Street was struggling to hold their own.  Reason: “Its results are a testament to its culture, and impossible-to-replicate mix of extreme aggression, deep paranoia, individual ambition, and robot-like teamwork.”

Target

In a year when retail sales were in a slump, including at this retailer, they continued their tradition of giving away $3 million a week back to the community.

UPS

The company may be 100 years old (I had no idea), but they act much younger. They are known for their “ability to combine cutting-edge technology with its own brand of ‘human engineering’ to great effect.”

3M

Known for being a mega-sized company ($24 billion a year), but still managing to generate new ideas each year.  William McKnight, Chairman, says, “Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative.  And it’s essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow.” The moral, according to Fortune, “Don’t tell employees how to do their jobs — let them innovate. “

I don’t know about you, but there are lessons here for me.  Thanks Fortune for a great article.

Which comment jumps out at you most from this list?

Much of the wisdom I have in life (not much, but the little I have) was learned by a mistake or hard circumstance in my life. I have learned a lot from failure and that experience has been used so many times to help others who are staring at failure. (2 Cor 1:3-7)

What are some lessons you have learned from failure? Are you allowing God to use the low points in your life to help others with their struggles?

I recently read these tips for dealing with failure in a FORTUNE Magazine article (June 9, 2008). These are worth repeating. (The article point in bold is from the article. Comments after are mine.)

1. Keep taking risks. Don’t give up just because you have failed. We all fail.

2. Don’t let the doubters get you down. Someone is always going to try and steal your joy. Many people love to kick you when you’re down.

3. Seek a purpose. We should never, ever, ever, stop dreaming. Have something to aim for and pour your best energy into it. (Obviously family and relationships should be tops on your purpose list.)

4. Visualize your next big win. Winners think like winners. Don’t let losing keep you from anticipating a big win. The mental attitude you bring to the game is 1/2 the battle.

5. Learn from your mistakes. Many people credit failure as the thing that drove them to seek more success. Failure, if you allow it to, can be your best friend by causing you to work harder, take a new risk, or go in a direction you might never have pursued.

6. Remember: Failure can be temporary. The best of the best have had tremendous times of failure. Research people like Abraham Lincoln and you’ll find many failures before they stumbled on great success.

Your road to great victory may be through failing greatly!

We are not in a good city for running. Most roads are too narrow and we have few sidewalks or running trails. I run down a main road near my house that does have a sidewalk. Cheryl likes that because she feels I’m safer. The problem on the main road is that cars are constantly pulling in and out of businesses along the busy stretch of road.

Today I was approaching a business entrance and a jeep was pulling out. The driver was on her cell phone but at the time couldn’t pull out because of heavy traffic. I thought we made eye contact, so I went to run in front of her. About that time an oncoming car turned on his blinker to turn into the same business entrance. When the jeep saw the blinker she took off quickly (The kind of take-off that would normally squeal tires) to pull in front of the other traffic. The only problem was that I was now in front of her car.

It all happened so fast, but basically as the car went to hit me I jumped up and towards the hood of the car. I don’t know what motivated me to do so, but had I not I would have been knocked backwards into oncoming traffic or run over by the jeep. As I landed on the hood of the jeep I obviously scared the driver half to death. She slammed on her breaks, I jumped off, stumbling to my feet and twisting my ankle, but I was able to somehow keep going.

I never stopped and neither did she. I’m sore tonight with a slight headache, but otherwise seem to be okay.

http://www.christweb.com/MustardseedThoughts/FacingFear3.html