The Better Side of Leadership, part 2

I know what you're thinking...  And, I've been comfronted with the reality again and again: There's so much to do, so much to accomplish, so many roles to play; something's gotta change if I'm gonna get better.  Pat Riley's words can help get our arms around this idea of bettering ourselves: "Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better."  The word "gradual" gives us comfort.  It's the step by step, daily desire and attention that contributes to forward motion.  But, whatever you do...DON'T LET GOOD GET THE BEST OF YOU.  That means you've got to let go of some stuff...prioritize...and surround yourself with more partners.  Let's get practical. 

What do we need to be thinking about when it comes to this better side of leadership?

1.  Concentrate on competing with yourself.  In light of personal potential, measure your accomplishments against what you are still capable of doing.  Wayne Cordeiro wrote, "Potential will always be what you can still do."

2.  Influence your calendar for improvement opportunities.  How much time do you set aside to read, listen to a leadership CD or podcast?  What part of the day is set aside for personal improvement?  When are you headed to that organizational conference?  What gets scheduled gets done!  (Also, a growth plan will help you strategically schedule.  Check out one of my earlier blogs on this subject. http://darrenpilcher.blogspot.com/2011/12/preparing-to-climb-preparing-personal.html)

3.  Learn from someone who's doing better at what you're doing.  The idea here is not comparing yourself with someone else, but rather collaborating with new, fresh and better idea-starters.  Buy their lunch or travel to where they office and eagerly soak up the experience.
4.  Focus on giving your best in the simple things.  If it's cleaning the garage, don't overlook a single piece of dust or dirt.  Work hard to concentrate on details, even if you aren't into that.  Finish that book; organize that shelf; write that letter.  The sense of a job well done is enough to get the momentum of excellence moving.
5.  Journal your progress experiences as they happen.  Some things are frankly difficult to measure, and looking back on what can be measured and projects completed give much needed encouragement.  Take time to write down what God is speaking and doing in and through your life.

6.  Connect with a team of learners.  Join a team and/or form a team.  A book club or a group of conference junkies stirs up the creative juices and can even give opportunity for peer mentoring.  Don't pass up an opportunity to be with other learners.

7.  Contextualize the challenge of excellence.  You know where you are and what you have to work with.  Move forward from that knowledge base and set bench marks for yourself.  Improve today with what you have to work with.

The Better Side of Leadership

Leadership equity is never built on naivety.  We can’t assume others will follow us because of position or past experience.  Leadership is growth in action.  It’s all in what you know today and how it’s helping you connect with current challenges while staying true to timeless values.  In other words, if you’re not growing, you’re not going…There will be nothing forward about your life.

I personally believe that leadership is about having the ability to be one step ahead for the right reasons.  The better side of leadership is…knowing that you as a leader haven’t arrived, you can get better, and having a lifestyle that reflects such a sentiment.  The challenge is this: as a leader, maintaining that one step ahead of those you lead requires constant attention.  Famed psychologist William James said, “Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.  Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked.  We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.”  So, here’s the big question:

Am I giving all I can to what God has called me to do at this point in my life?

Someone sent me an email a number of years ago that said, “Excellence can be obtained if you…care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible.”  My description for excellence is the following:

• an intolerance for mediocrity
• a desire to do things better
• an attention to detail
• a deployment of resources
• a sacrifice of time

DON’T LET GOOD GET THE BEST OF YOU!  More on this later.

A Culture of Honor

I read about a children's cardboard clubhouse where they wrote these words on the outside: "Nobody act big.  Nobody act small.  Everybody act medium."  Honor can be a misunderstood dynamic in any organization.  Many think that when you honor someone you are giving deserved credit or applause for the level of their performance or prestige.  But that can limit the activity of giving honor and can make it one direction.  Honor is meant for all people to experience!  Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.”  And, when our families, churches and organizations do this unreservedly, many positive dimensions can unfold.  The lid is lifted…creativity is given permission to increase…ideas are shared in a safe environment…individual strengths are fanned into focus…diversity is celebrated…teamwork is not just an ideal but a reality…people look forward to being around each other.  That’s positive in any environment!  So, how do you cultivate a culture of honor where you live, worship, work and have fun?

H – Humbly serve every chance you get.  In other words, don’t pass up an opportunity to go out of your way to serve the other person – from top to bottom, bottom to top and every where in between.

O – Offer honest, private feedback.  Feedback is enjoyable and admittedly needed only if it’s given and received in a non-threatening way. 

N – Never criticize openly or behind someone’s back.  Nothing more quickly disturbs and ultimately destroys an honor culture than bringing someone down among others.  Work hard to keep trust high in this regard.

O – Observe the special days of others.  Remember birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays by simple, but sincere acts of kindness.

R – Reward openly, fairly and regularly.  This also has to be deliberate and scheduled in order for it to become part of the culture.  What gets rewarded gets valued and so does the person.

How can honor become culture?  Start somewhere…and keep going.  Work at it, talk about it, publicize it, hold each other accountable, and as the leader, live it on purpose!

Culture is formed by the heart and the happenings, never by accident.

ATTACHED

Could it be that the greatest challenge to your marriage is not financial pressure, conflict management, fear of infidelity, or rebellious children…?

As married couples, life doesn’t seem to get any better than when “the air is clear” and romance is alive. However, pressures and stresses have the potential of causing us to drift apart.  You’ve heard it from other couples before or you may have said it yourself: “We’ve just grown apart…”  Therefore, the most significant aspect to your marriage is staying attached to one another!  And, the Originator and Creator of husband and wife intended for that to be the case: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, ESV).  They are meant to “hold fast” to one another in every way -  spiritually, emotionally, socially, sexually.  So, the mission of every marriage is to honor the biblical description by maintaining that attachment.  I believe this is lived out as a couple in four particular areas:

1. Conversations – How you talk with each other can create a relational and emotional bond for your marriage.
2. Convictions – What you stand for as a couple serves as safeguards for your marriage.
3. Connections – Who you connect with can encourage or stifle your growth as a couple.
4. Conclusions – Where you are as a couple at the end of the day can add strength and longevity to your marriage.

Analyze your marriage and seek to improve at least one of these areas immediately: schedule a setting for quiet conversation; work together with your spouse to articulate what's of value to your home; take time to write an appreciation card as a couple to someone who has impacted your marriage positively; end the day in kindness to your spouse.  Staying attached takes daily on-purpose effort and must be laced with the sincerity of heart.  Go for it...and God will back you up!

Oar what?

So, what if I don’t need anyone’s help?  What if I can just do it myself?  DON’T!

Several years back I took at trip to Colorado with some men from our church on an adventurous rafting experience.  I will never forget the words from our guide that went something like this:  We are going to have fun today.  The waters are high, which makes for a bumpy ride.  But, this will not only be a fun ride, this is a serious ride.  Everyone must follow instructions, listen to my voice and do exactly what I say.  If one of you does not do what you are told to do, your slothfulness will affect the rest of your rafting crew.  We must work together!

Do you know what I’ve found out about church life and other organizations…?  The people that complain the most about the direction or decisions are those who don’t have an oar.  Those who do have an oar contribute to the mission and speed of the vehicle.

I shared that analogy in a teaching at a church I pastored.  A certain man approached me the next week carrying a weathered, well-used oar.  He said I know what you mean… With a slight speech impediment, he shared his story of difficulty and triumph over throat cancer.  He continued by saying that it was a team, his immediate family and church family, which saw him through that challenging time.  And when the doctor said that he wouldn’t be able to lift his arm for months after the surgeons removed the cancer, soon after the surgery he set out for his planned rafting trip. He conveyed to me that he knew exactly what I was saying…that it takes the team.  And, then he gave me that oar. (Today, I have it displayed in my office at work with the words engraved: PARTNERSHIP.)

There are not many big plans that can be carried out without a team. Frankly, there’s gonna be some projects that we can do on our own within the church or the organization.  The challenge is to think bigger and broader: what benefits would come out of soliciting other ideas and participants?  And, be challenged not to assume that much can be done without the participation and ideas of others.  We are always smarter than me!  Oar what?  What gives you better results than diverse thoughts and differing opinions? Give people a piece of the project by handing out the proverbial oars, and let’s get this thing movin!

Is Your Church Ready for the World?

Abortion…  Violence…  Poverty…  Hunger…  Materialism…  Abuse…  Fraud…  Idolatry…  Aids…  Relativism…  Tolerance…  Alternative lifestyles…  Humanism…  So, is your church ready for the world?  Sounds more like a defensive posture…  Maybe there’s a better way to couch this challenge: What is your local church’s actual responsibility to Christ-followers?  This seems to be almost optional in numerous minds among the church world.  But is any part of the church’s mission ever meant to be optional or relative?  I’ve been privileged to pastor two churches and this subject has confronted me in both locations and cultures.  And, the big question was always this: how can we as a church make an impact in this community?  It’s not a matter of the local church being missional more than individuals learning to be missional and practicing it in their world.  Our society can be intimidating with all of its pressures and perversions.  The last thing a believer needs to be is fearful of such environments.  The courage to face, counter and influence the decline around us starts by what is intentionally taught in church life and how practically it is contextualized within a Christ-follower’s heart and mind.  Ministry among neighborhoods as much as among nations must be indigenous. 

Paint that Outrageously Inspiring Picture

One of the many aspects of pastoring that I miss is getting an opportunity to cast a vivid vision and watching people take hold of it.  Now, I have the privilege of celebrating with pastors and church leaders when their audacious vision for the new year and/or season in the church is caught.  But I can’t keep myself from remembering the most exciting experience for the last church I led: our vision banquet.  It was the most energetic evening of the year as we praised God for the past year’s victories and projected a bold and beautiful plan for the future.  And, we all left that experience enthused and equipped to take hold of it.

If I know leaders like I think I do, there is frankly nothing more fulfilling than having the ability to launch a vision, seeing people unite around it and actualizing the reality of that courageous plan.  Where ever you serve and lead, you really can paint that outrageously inspiring picture…with the right tools.  Here are eight helpful aspects to presenting that critical canvas:

(1)   Sense the calling of a cause that’s bigger than you.  It’s got to take team effort if others will embrace it.

(2)   See it vividly before you share it.  It’s essential that you be thoroughly prepared to cast the plan.  Consider getting around some story-tellers to help you share it effectively.

(3)   Communicate a problem that can be solved together.  Help your organization see their part in the big picture.

(4)   Present testimonials of how working together is essential.  Personal testimonies of teamwork can show how doable the vision can be.

(5)   Make the vision visual by props and media.  Without going overboard, include tools to make the vision come alive.

(6)   Immediately recruit participants.  Nothing communicates the urgency better than having a place to sign-up for particular teams!  (And, maintian the integrity of the vision by quickly following up on all who sign-up.)

(7)   Leave them with a symbol of the vision to help them remember their part.  Something that they can put on their refrigerator, key chain or desk can be stimulus to action.

(8)   Talk about it every week of the year.  Vision leaks.  So, keep it before the people visually and vocally.