Amos 3:3. “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”
I am a regular at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit that is held every August, broadcast via satellite to sites all over the world. I highly recommend it. Last year I was hit between the eyes when a speaker talked about the importance of the team owning the vision. Before then, I had operated under the idea that it is the leader’s job to identify and articulate the vision, which in turn hopefully guides and motivates the team.
A couple of new ideas started floating around in my head:
– People desire input; they want to contribute on the ground floor to something big; they desire ownership
– People want to see themselves and their personal vision in the bigger vision of the organization; they want to connect their dream to the organization
The verse above poses a rhetorical “no duh” question. The point is simple. If you want your team to follow you (or walk with you), they need to be in agreement with the destination. If you allow them a voice in the process of where to go (not a vote, but a voice!), you gain their enthusiasm and buy-in. People support what they help create.
I bring my Straight Path team to the Summit each year and we all got excited by this. It began a process that lasted over several months and consisted of a number of team meetings to talk about vision. I was a little nervous that they would come up with something different than I had. But the process was great, the resulting vision was better but not significantly different than mine, and everyone was jazzed up. It was truly a big win! Now you go get your team’s input on vision!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Leadership: The Only Thing That Counts
Galatians 5:6. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
This is a good time to press pause. We have been talking about how a good leader starts by following Jesus. The he or she develops a vision, goals and strategies. These are imperative for moving a group of people forward successfully. Defining where we are going, creating tangible indicators of progress, and establishing how to get there are all indispensable. But there is much more.
As Christian leaders, all that we do and how we do it must be rooted in love. If we are followers of Jesus, the scripture above makes it clear that our faith must manifest itself in loving others. This is not a suggestion – it is the only thing that counts, the only thing that has value. 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that all manner of wisdom and talents and works are worthless without love.
So check yourself here. In developing a vision, goals and strategies, are you motivated by love? Is your heart’s desire to help people just for their sake? Can you put your self-interest aside and others’ interests first? Later we will also talk about how you love those whom you lead.
This is a good time to press pause. We have been talking about how a good leader starts by following Jesus. The he or she develops a vision, goals and strategies. These are imperative for moving a group of people forward successfully. Defining where we are going, creating tangible indicators of progress, and establishing how to get there are all indispensable. But there is much more.
As Christian leaders, all that we do and how we do it must be rooted in love. If we are followers of Jesus, the scripture above makes it clear that our faith must manifest itself in loving others. This is not a suggestion – it is the only thing that counts, the only thing that has value. 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that all manner of wisdom and talents and works are worthless without love.
So check yourself here. In developing a vision, goals and strategies, are you motivated by love? Is your heart’s desire to help people just for their sake? Can you put your self-interest aside and others’ interests first? Later we will also talk about how you love those whom you lead.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Leadership: Create Innovative Strategies
Nehemiah 2:6-8. “Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, ‘If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?’ And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.”
So far we’ve talked about developing a powerful vision and establishing specific goals. One of the big questions remaining is How? That’s where strategies come into play. Strategies define how the goals will be accomplished.
As we’ve discussed, Nehemiah’s goal was to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He prayed and then asked King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the wall. He was not sure how the king would react to the request. The king had the power of life or death over his subjects and Nehemiah was “very much afraid” to make his request.
But here’s the cool thing. Instead of fearfully hoping for a “yes” from the king, Nehemiah was already prepared to lay out his strategies in the form of more requests of the king – presuming that the king would answer his initial request in the affirmative.
So in the verses above, we see that immediately after asking permission to rebuild the wall, he gives the king a timetable, a request for an armed escort through dangerous territory, and a bill of materials for the wall repairs. In other words, he had thought through the strategies he would use to rebuild the wall, and which ones required the king’s assistance.
You will need innovative strategies to accomplish your goals. Think about new, unconventional approaches. Think about partners who bring complementary capabilities to your efforts. Identify people with special skills who might join your team. A great vision and clear goals do not mean much without a plan for accomplishing them, so plan on spending some time answering the “how” question.
And pray! Nehemiah spent “some days” fasting and praying when he first heard the news of Jerusalem’s sorry state. We learn that he did not approach the king with his requests until four months later (from Kislev to Nissan) – suggesting that he spent much time praying and planning. So must we pray and plan!
So far we’ve talked about developing a powerful vision and establishing specific goals. One of the big questions remaining is How? That’s where strategies come into play. Strategies define how the goals will be accomplished.
As we’ve discussed, Nehemiah’s goal was to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He prayed and then asked King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the wall. He was not sure how the king would react to the request. The king had the power of life or death over his subjects and Nehemiah was “very much afraid” to make his request.
But here’s the cool thing. Instead of fearfully hoping for a “yes” from the king, Nehemiah was already prepared to lay out his strategies in the form of more requests of the king – presuming that the king would answer his initial request in the affirmative.
So in the verses above, we see that immediately after asking permission to rebuild the wall, he gives the king a timetable, a request for an armed escort through dangerous territory, and a bill of materials for the wall repairs. In other words, he had thought through the strategies he would use to rebuild the wall, and which ones required the king’s assistance.
You will need innovative strategies to accomplish your goals. Think about new, unconventional approaches. Think about partners who bring complementary capabilities to your efforts. Identify people with special skills who might join your team. A great vision and clear goals do not mean much without a plan for accomplishing them, so plan on spending some time answering the “how” question.
And pray! Nehemiah spent “some days” fasting and praying when he first heard the news of Jerusalem’s sorry state. We learn that he did not approach the king with his requests until four months later (from Kislev to Nissan) – suggesting that he spent much time praying and planning. So must we pray and plan!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Leadership: Focus on a Few Goals
Nehemiah 2:17. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’"
Goals help leaders focus their vision. Goals lay out what the leader specifically wants to accomplish. Vision inspires people; goals tell them exactly where they are headed. A lack of focus generally means resources get spread too thin among multiple competing priorities, and nothing significant gets done. So focus.
Nehemiah lived in exile when he heard a report that the people remaining in Jerusalem were “in great trouble and disgrace.” The wall was in ruins, but as we learn from Nehemiah’s prayer, there were even bigger issues, as he acknowledged the wickedness and disobedience of God’s people, and recognized God’s judgment on Israel. We might say that Nehemiah’s vision was the restoration of a right relationship between God and his people.
Nehemiah was able to take that vision and develop a very specific goal: rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. As we read later in the book, the people of Jerusalem worked together to accomplish this goal and in so doing their hearts were softened and they yearned to be restored to God. There is a beautiful picture in chapter 8 where Ezra reads the book of the law, and the people weep.
So take your big, bold, exciting vision and focus on some specific goals whose attainment helps to realize your vision.
Goals help leaders focus their vision. Goals lay out what the leader specifically wants to accomplish. Vision inspires people; goals tell them exactly where they are headed. A lack of focus generally means resources get spread too thin among multiple competing priorities, and nothing significant gets done. So focus.
Nehemiah lived in exile when he heard a report that the people remaining in Jerusalem were “in great trouble and disgrace.” The wall was in ruins, but as we learn from Nehemiah’s prayer, there were even bigger issues, as he acknowledged the wickedness and disobedience of God’s people, and recognized God’s judgment on Israel. We might say that Nehemiah’s vision was the restoration of a right relationship between God and his people.
Nehemiah was able to take that vision and develop a very specific goal: rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. As we read later in the book, the people of Jerusalem worked together to accomplish this goal and in so doing their hearts were softened and they yearned to be restored to God. There is a beautiful picture in chapter 8 where Ezra reads the book of the law, and the people weep.
So take your big, bold, exciting vision and focus on some specific goals whose attainment helps to realize your vision.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Leadership: Develop a Vision
Proverbs 29:18. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
We talked last time about finding your passion, your “holy discontent.” Having a just cause to pursue is vital, but pursuing it to what end? If God blessed your efforts to make a difference, what would the result look like?
If you pursue your passion by yourself, you can wander around without having a clear sense of your desired destination and not do much harm (or much good, either). But if you are leading a group of people, or wanting to influence others to join your cause, you need to be crystal clear in your vision.
A clear vision motivates people. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Those who share your passion want you to tell them what it looks like when that passion is pursued to an exciting end. Hunger ends. Diseases are cured. Relationships are mended. Illiteracy is eliminated. Lives are saved for eternity.
A good vision walks the line between being big and broad enough to elicit a WOW! and being specific enough to not come across as vague or simply wishful thinking. One way to do this is to provide some geographical focus on your vision. Hunger ends in my city.
A good vision almost always comes with a feeling that this could only happen if God makes it happen. A vision is bigger than a person, although a person (the leader) leads the charge.
We have a vision for our church that we summarize as “more grace-changed lives.” We desire to be used by God in his work to reconcile more people to himself. Lots more people. In Hampton Roads and around the world. It’s exciting and motivating!
One of the practical realities of realizing that vision is the need for more space. We own a nice parcel of land (with a big mortgage and a lender who is a bit more conservative now than they were a year ago – like all lenders!) and no funds (yet) to put up a building. And oh by the way we’re in the middle of a bad recession. It is obvious to us that God needs to show up in a big way for us to be meeting in a new building on this land anytime soon. That actually gives us a great deal of peace – the God of the universe, who controls all resources, is in charge of our church and our vision. Who better?
So pray about what your passion looks like when it becomes a fulfilled vision!
We talked last time about finding your passion, your “holy discontent.” Having a just cause to pursue is vital, but pursuing it to what end? If God blessed your efforts to make a difference, what would the result look like?
If you pursue your passion by yourself, you can wander around without having a clear sense of your desired destination and not do much harm (or much good, either). But if you are leading a group of people, or wanting to influence others to join your cause, you need to be crystal clear in your vision.
A clear vision motivates people. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Those who share your passion want you to tell them what it looks like when that passion is pursued to an exciting end. Hunger ends. Diseases are cured. Relationships are mended. Illiteracy is eliminated. Lives are saved for eternity.
A good vision walks the line between being big and broad enough to elicit a WOW! and being specific enough to not come across as vague or simply wishful thinking. One way to do this is to provide some geographical focus on your vision. Hunger ends in my city.
A good vision almost always comes with a feeling that this could only happen if God makes it happen. A vision is bigger than a person, although a person (the leader) leads the charge.
We have a vision for our church that we summarize as “more grace-changed lives.” We desire to be used by God in his work to reconcile more people to himself. Lots more people. In Hampton Roads and around the world. It’s exciting and motivating!
One of the practical realities of realizing that vision is the need for more space. We own a nice parcel of land (with a big mortgage and a lender who is a bit more conservative now than they were a year ago – like all lenders!) and no funds (yet) to put up a building. And oh by the way we’re in the middle of a bad recession. It is obvious to us that God needs to show up in a big way for us to be meeting in a new building on this land anytime soon. That actually gives us a great deal of peace – the God of the universe, who controls all resources, is in charge of our church and our vision. Who better?
So pray about what your passion looks like when it becomes a fulfilled vision!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Leadership: Find Your Passion
Isaiah 6:5 & 8. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Bill Hybels uses the term “holy discontent” in describing the search for your passion. What keeps you up at night? What is just plain wrong? What breaks your heart? What injustice can’t you stand to see any longer? Think hard about this.
Effective leaders have found something that they are passionate about. Passion is crucial for a leader because leaders get attacked and face tremendous opposition at times. Moses dealt with people who felt they would be better off as slaves than living as free people under Moses’ leadership (ouch). Nehemiah faced opposition from his enemies as well as his own people as he led the effort to rebuild the wall.
God opened Isaiah’s eyes to see the sin around him. Isaiah saw the stark contrast between a holy God and a sinful people – “people of unclean lips”. It affected him so much that he cried, “I am ruined!” That produced a passion in him to be used by God to bring a very unpopular message to Israel – basically, repent and clean up your act. Isaiah knew that his career was not going to be marked with a lot of people’s choice awards and big bonuses. But he had a passion and that’s what drove him.
What ruins you?
Bill Hybels uses the term “holy discontent” in describing the search for your passion. What keeps you up at night? What is just plain wrong? What breaks your heart? What injustice can’t you stand to see any longer? Think hard about this.
Effective leaders have found something that they are passionate about. Passion is crucial for a leader because leaders get attacked and face tremendous opposition at times. Moses dealt with people who felt they would be better off as slaves than living as free people under Moses’ leadership (ouch). Nehemiah faced opposition from his enemies as well as his own people as he led the effort to rebuild the wall.
God opened Isaiah’s eyes to see the sin around him. Isaiah saw the stark contrast between a holy God and a sinful people – “people of unclean lips”. It affected him so much that he cried, “I am ruined!” That produced a passion in him to be used by God to bring a very unpopular message to Israel – basically, repent and clean up your act. Isaiah knew that his career was not going to be marked with a lot of people’s choice awards and big bonuses. But he had a passion and that’s what drove him.
What ruins you?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Before You Lead, Know Who Your Leader Is
Joshua 24:14-15. "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
If you check in with me regularly, you will have noticed that I have been MIA for a few weeks. So before I get into some thoughts about Joshua, I ask for your indulgence in my absence which involved a taking nice vacation, playing a benefit for Young Life with my garage band (Guava Jam), and then coming down sick for the last ten days. All things considered, it has been a great month, even counting the sickness. (In all things I will thank God!)
I want to spend a few weeks talking about leadership. Joshua was a great but fairly unsung leader. We remember how he and Caleb spied out the promised land and were the only ones of that group to argue that God’s people should take the land as God directed. 40 years later he was the leader of the nation that entered and conquered the land. Besides being a tremendous military leader, he then went on to successfully govern the new nation.
Joshua always put God first. He always trusted God to deliver. The simple message I’d like us to think about today is who (or what) is really our leader. Most of us have the opportunity to lead, and I define leadership as influencing people toward a desired end. We do this among our friends, in our place of work, at school, in our families, etc.
Good leaders follow God. As he spoke to the new nation of Israel at the end of his life, Joshua realized that the people could easily choose to follow other gods. He told them that they had a choice. Then he told them what his own choice was in those powerful words, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
So think about who or what your god is, especially as you are in positions of influence and leadership. Is your god fame? Money? Power? Prestige? Or is it the one true God, from whom all blessings flow?
If you check in with me regularly, you will have noticed that I have been MIA for a few weeks. So before I get into some thoughts about Joshua, I ask for your indulgence in my absence which involved a taking nice vacation, playing a benefit for Young Life with my garage band (Guava Jam), and then coming down sick for the last ten days. All things considered, it has been a great month, even counting the sickness. (In all things I will thank God!)
I want to spend a few weeks talking about leadership. Joshua was a great but fairly unsung leader. We remember how he and Caleb spied out the promised land and were the only ones of that group to argue that God’s people should take the land as God directed. 40 years later he was the leader of the nation that entered and conquered the land. Besides being a tremendous military leader, he then went on to successfully govern the new nation.
Joshua always put God first. He always trusted God to deliver. The simple message I’d like us to think about today is who (or what) is really our leader. Most of us have the opportunity to lead, and I define leadership as influencing people toward a desired end. We do this among our friends, in our place of work, at school, in our families, etc.
Good leaders follow God. As he spoke to the new nation of Israel at the end of his life, Joshua realized that the people could easily choose to follow other gods. He told them that they had a choice. Then he told them what his own choice was in those powerful words, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
So think about who or what your god is, especially as you are in positions of influence and leadership. Is your god fame? Money? Power? Prestige? Or is it the one true God, from whom all blessings flow?
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