Leading an organization is just like driving a car…

Okay, it’s not exactly like that, but leading an organization is hard work, regardless of the size of the organization or even the strength of a team. It is often difficult to think through all the issues that the leader should be considering. I have found it helpful at times to compare organizational health and success to other things I may understand even more; things I do everyday. For example, I can consider the health of the team in an organization by comparing it to the dynamics of family relationships. This type exercise helps me clarify principles of organizations I might not otherwise think about and create a paradigm of leadership that hopefully makes leading easier. It’s simply a tool to help you brainstorm.

Recently I thought about how organizations have a great deal in common with the road system most of us use everyday. I began thinking how leading an organization can at times be like driving a car and it helped me process some issues relative to our organizational health.

For example, any organization has:

Freeways - Sometimes the organization can proceed quickly, with limited interruption. (We like those times.)

Potholes - Small things often slow the organization down, but progress continues. (We should take time to address potholes before they become major road damage.)

Detours - Often the organization is still heading for the same end goal, but may be forced to go at it from a different direction. (Too many times, instead of detouring we change our destination.)

Speed bumps - There are times we need to slow down, reflect on where we are, adjust our speed, and continue forward. (We can’t always keep the pace of the freeway, so we consider when a speed bump is in order.)

Exits - These provide a safe way off the freeway to refuel, relax, and readjust the direction. (We shouldn’t wait too long to find the needed exit, even if it’s for a short bathroom break! I learned that one from my wife )

Accidents - Accidents can be our fault or the fault of another, but they often set us back for a period of time. (See what needs repairing, what needs replacing, and when to call it a “total loss”.)

Flat tires – At times, team members can be injured by simply wearing out, a serious puncture wound, or damage caused by another. (Leaders should always be watching the health of the tires.)

Road signs - In every organization, there are signs which the leader needs to learn to recognize…when momentum slows, when people are stressed, or when the vision needs refueling. (Don’t ignore the directional or the warning signs.)

The list of these imageries could continue much longer. You could attach ideas to things such as stop lights, reverse, neutral, intersections, road rage, etc…anything that helps you think, but by now you should have the idea I’m working with…what other road illustrations could you make as they relate to organizational success?

You can carry these thoughts even further than I have, with how to address each issue, how addressing them with your travel would relate to how you address them in the organization, and how each one impacts you safely reaching your destination. Again, this is just a framework by which to help you think through more complex organizational issues about which you may not otherwise think.

Can you see how an exercise like this can be helpful in thinking through organizational health and success?

Most people who know me well know I like to run…

I have lots of other runners around me…

I get many invitations to run with other people…

I occasionally do, and have enjoyed the conversations…

But I generally prefer to run alone…

Why?

Running is my down time…

It’s where I think the best…

It’s where I unwind most…

It’s where I’m freed of technology, and conversation, and stress…

It’s where God sometimes chooses to speak to me…

I run alone because it one way I’m made a better person…

What is that one thing you do best alone?

Healthy teams have some things in common with other healthy teams.

Healthy teams:

Evaluate – Healthy teams are willing to think critically, without getting their feelings hurt, in order to continue to improve things.

Encourage – Healthy teams make a concerted effort to encourage others on the team.

Construct – Healthy teams build a solid foundation together so the vision is completed beyond the span of a team member.

Challenge – Healthy teams challenge each other when there is a need, in an effort to hold one another accountable, and keep the team healthy.

Cooperate – Healthy teams learn to get along, even when they don’t agree with each other, for the good of the vision and the team.

That’s my list…

What would you add?

Okay, I have to be honest, I’m just being curious with this post…

I tweeted yesterday about the royal wedding and the response was huge. It must be a pretty big deal. In full disclosure, I’m a fan of royalty. Over the years, I’ve followed and studied the monarchy. I’m fascinated by it and in my public management degree I learned a lot about how that form of government works. Royalty is in full attention now, because apparently there are many very interested in the wedding of Prince William and Kate. There’s even a website for complete information HERE (Possibly a few more websites mention the wedding…I don’t know.)

Some have called this the wedding of this century.  Apparently, this is a couple truly in love.

So, with a royal wedding this week…I have some questions:

Do you care?

Are you following this event?

Will you wake up to view it live?

Could you care less?

Are you a fan of royalty?

What advice would you give the royal couple?

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I often encourage our staff to volunteer somewhere in our community…

Outside the church…

It could be coaching a ball team…

Serving on a non-profit board…

Picking up trash…

Visiting a nursing home…

Working with a para-church ministry…

Joining a civic group or community leadership program…

I do this personally and believe in it because…

It allows us to get outside the walls of the church…

Actually allows us to meet people…

Be a part of and show support for our community…

Learn more about the people we are trying to reach…

And…

If we are going to ask others to serve…

We need to set an example they can follow…

Some of us get paid to serve in the church…

Where do we volunteer?

Does your staff volunteer in the community in which you live?

Do you agree or disagree?

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, Luke 10:41 NIV

I’m confident that wasn’t the response Martha was looking for. Didn’t Jesus care that Mary refused to cut the pies or set the table? Couldn’t He see that Martha had so much to do if they were still going to eat by noon? Shouldn’t Jesus have told Mary to get up and get busy?

There was work to be done. If Jesus was going to get His fill of fried chicken, someone had to fry it! Martha was tasked with everything. The Lord was coming to dinner. Didn’t He deserve the best? Poor Martha! Left to do it all!

Do you ever feel like that?

Mary was just ‘hanging out’ with Jesus! Sitting at His feet, listening to His teaching, she had forgotten all about making the iced tea. She was busy, too!

Was Jesus saying that we shouldn’t prepare for our family and friends? Was He saying that we shouldn’t have a complete meal, because we need to invest all our time into meditating on His word? Is He asking Martha not to finish rolling out the biscuits?

Of course not! I’m quite sure Jesus would soon join Martha in the kitchen. He quite possibly might even have whipped up some mashed potatoes and gravy a little later. What Jesus was trying to tell Martha was to slow down and to set her priorities. Maybe they didn’t need to have three choices of vegetables that day, because Jesus was in the house.

If you and I are to mature as followers of God, we must give Jesus the time He deserves. I’m the classic Martha type. If there’s work to be done…I’ll do it. In the process, I’ve often missed some of the best opportunities for time with my Savior.

Are you like me at times?

Has your life become so crowded that you have forsaken your time with Jesus? Maybe you are worried and upset about too many things.

Take a break at the foot of Jesus. Let something go for a minute…even good things…so you can choose what is most important…choose Jesus!

Just curious…are you more like Martha or Mary most days?

Be honest!

I need your help. If you regularly read this blog I’d love to hear from you. Even if you’ve never commented before, consider doing so on this post.

I’ve been active online for over 15 years now and I see what I do here as an extension of my calling in ministry  I’m consistently encouraged by the professionals…bloggers, pastor friends and book publishers…to define my life focus. Supposedly if I do I can write a book about it. Currently I simply post what’s most current on my mind or heart, usually involving leadership, church, or family issues, but I always want to improve.

I can look at the analytics of the posts I write, but honestly they don’t tell me much, as there doesn’t seem to be a pattern to any certain theme of posts I write and page views.

So, I need your help. Could you answer a few questions for me?…You don’t have to answer all of them…just allow them to fuel your thoughts…

• Why do you read my blog?
• What subjects of posts do you enjoy most?
• What brings you back to this blog?
• What would you miss if it disappeared?
• Topically speaking, would you say is my greater strength and focus?

I’m not asking for pats on the back. I’m asking you to help me further define my voice, my ministry focus and this blog. I want to write what people want to read…and if there is a book out there…who knows?

Thank you in advance.

We recently sold our house and purchased a new condo.  It’s been over 10 years since we made a real estate transaction, so this was quite an experience.  Apparently much has changed in the housing market, since we were last participants. (Understatement!)  We learned that purchasing any real estate is more difficult now.  We learned that purchasing a new condo can be especially difficult.  Along the way, we continued to hear from real estate agents, bankers, attorneys and appraisers that the amount of regulations added to real estate transactions has tremendously increased the potential for difficulty in the process.

My question: Has the government overreacted to correct a problem…to the point that they have made it unnecessarily difficult to purchase a new home?  Could this be one of the reasons for a continuous sagging real estate market?

I realize there was a problem…banks were giving loans they shouldn’t have given….something needed to be done…but the problem wasn’t as much in my city.

I wonder though, if this reaction…or overreaction…isn’t representative of what we do as churches, organizations, and individuals.

Sometimes one person is the problem, so we create a policy that impacts everyone. One department may be the problem, but we change the rules for everyone.  Often there is one complaint raised, so we change our structure to appease an individual.  Sometimes we have a couple of bad months…or even one unusual Sunday…and we react…or overreact…like the trend is permanent.  Our children make one mistake and we react like it’s who they are…rather than like it’s a mistake…one they can learn from…

Have you ever overreacted to correct a problem?  Do you have any examples to share with me of when you’ve seen this?  When is a time we tend to overreact in the church or as individuals?

(I realize some will be far more schooled on the housing issue than I am, so feel free to educate me.  I simply know what I experienced and what I was told along the way.)

I’m in Chicago this week.  What a week to come to Moody Founder’s Week!  I’ve been numerous times before, but this is a unique week.

Each service is different than what I experience each Sunday now, serving in a more contemporary setting, but I love the Bible teaching and even the traditional worship.  This conference is especially appealing to me these days, because I have a son who attends Moody Bible College.  Nate is a sophomore here and studying to be a pastor.  I love attending the events this week with him.

This week is unusual also, because I’m getting to experience the blizzard of 2011.  It’s been an amazing day watching the city prepare, then watching the storm arrive.  Many restaurants are closed, people are stranded on the roads for hours, and the visibility is near zero.  I’ve never experienced a “whiteout” before now.  Sadly, even as I type this, there are people calling into news programs who are stuck on Lake Shore Drive. Schools are closed tomorrow for the first time since 1999.

I’m safe in a hotel, and I’ve stocked up on some food to get me through a while, but pray for this city.  It is snowing 2 to 3 inches per hour and supposed to snow throughout the night.  It’s lightening and thundering, which seems weird during a snowstorm. They are comparing this storm to the storm of 1967. They have said this storm could be one of the top 3 or 4 snow storms in all history for the Chicago area. Wow! I’m concerned for people, but the adventuresome side of me is glad I’m here.

Are you ready for Summer?  Do you have a snow/blizzard story to share?

The first sermon of the new year at Grace Community Church was a difficult one, because I encouraged our people to let go of some of the burdens they had been carrying in 2010. We wanted to start 2011 with a clean slate and make it a better year. I challenged people to write the one issue they wanted to leave behind on an index card. We captured those, and though they didn’t have names on them, we recorded the general issue to see what people in our church were dealing with this year. For me personally this is helping to shape the way I preach.

Here is a graph of the over 1,000 cards we collected:

You can view the sermon from that day here:

What would you have written on that card? Does this graph represent some of your struggles?