Category: Leadership

Successful Ministry Partnerships

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Roy Smith of the Norfolk Area Baptist Association wrote this in the NABA newsletter for September 2011:

Doug M. Carter shares some key principles of partnership in his book, Raising More Than Money. Doug is the Senior Vice President of EQUIP, which was founded by John Maxwell. Doug’s book is for everyone who desires to give generously, joyfully, and strategically for maximum kingdom impact. These principles will enable any partnership (or association) to engage in world-impacting ministry.

  1. Partnerships are about multiplication: Partnerships multiply skills, energy, creativity, resources, and results.
  2. Partnerships must be based on trust: To establish and maintain trust, each partner must exhibit both competence and flawless character. Once trust exists, often a handshake will mark the launch of a partnership. Integrity must remain at the heart for any partnership to last.
  3. Partnerships are formed to accomplish a shared goal or mission: They should meet real needs in the lives of the people they serve.
  4. Partnerships are always in process: Building trust and establishing structures and guidelines for ministry together will not happen instantly.
  5. Partnerships are formed around the strengths of each partner: One partner complements the other, bringing needed expertise and/or resources to the table.
  6. Partnerships have conditions: Effective partnerships require long-term commitment, open and regular communication, generosity, flexibility, and a focus on the big picture. The solidity of a partnership is conditional upon a dedication to these issues.

Ministry partners must do five things exceedingly well:

  1. Consecrate – commit to God and one another.
  2. Concentrate – focus on the mission.
  3. Communicate – connect frequently. Silence, not distance, separates us.
  4. Cultivate – invest in the relationship and learn to serve each other.
  5. Celebrate – rejoice with one another, always sharing credit for the victory.

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Levels of Leadership

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I was able to participate in the Chick-fil-a Leadercast back in May 2011. John Maxwell opened the conference and talked about his new book that is coming out this fall, 2011, on the Levels of Leadership. I am a note-taker, so here are the insights I gained from Maxwell’s talk:

Maxwell has said before that everything rises and falls on leadership, and that leadership is defined as influence. Since we all have influence on other people (some more than others) we are all in essence, leaders. He emphasized that leadership is not a noun, it is a verb, it is active. Here are the five levels of leadership:

1) The Position Level: this has to do with rights. People follow because they have to; they follow because that person is the boss. The positive part is that you are able to shape and define your leadership skills. The negative is that people give you the least amount of effort. It is tough being in a position where people don’t want to follow you or like you. On this level, clearing the desk at the end of the day is the best part of the job. Do your people back into their parking space so they can get away quicker? Do people prepared to leave the office on company time (visit, rest room, change shoes)?

2) The Permission Level: this level deals with relationships. People follow you because they want to; they like you. It is much easier to lead when people actually like you. There are three good things about the leader in this level: He listens well, observes well and learns with an attitude of servanthood.

3) The Production Level: this level has to do with results and effectiveness. This leader will produce by example because people do what people see. Travel agents send people all over the world, where they have not personally been; a tour guide brings people with them. The law of magnetism tells us that we attract who we are, not who we want. Maxwell challenges us to develop momentum rather than just solve problems. Momentum solves problems. Hitting a five foot thick wall with momentum is better than a one inch wall without it.

4) The People Development Level: this is about recruiting. Leaders recognize that their greatest asset is their people. If you grow your people, you will grow your company. Development of personhood is better than accomplishment of the task. I can be a better coach when I have better players. It’s about getting the right people on the bus, then having the right people (recruiting) in the right seats on the bus (position). Successful people know their strengths; successful leaders know the strengths of others. Imagine a team of first string players, all playing in new positions, taking on a team of second string players in their positions. The right person, position and skills equal equipping. You do it, get someone to do it with you, you watch them do it on their own.

5) The Pinnacle Level: this level has to do with respect. This leader has done it so long and so well that people will follow you because of who you are and what you have done.

The truth is that we are not always on the same level all the time. With some people you are on one level and with others you are on a higher level. One key is that higher levels require higher commitment.

Essentials of Leadership

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John Maxwell always has great leadership insight, but this week I discovered an article by Rick Warren that is worth digesting. It is primarily written for pastors, but it is applicable to all of us:

Leaders are always defined by self-imposed standards. I’m not talking about standards set by other people, but standards they set for themselves. Great leaders always expect more from themselves than they do from their followers. They put forth more effort as well. That’s leadership.

If you were to look through the New Testament for the phrase “make every effort,” you’d find it six times. They represent six important vows we need to make as leaders. I believe these six vows will lead to an effective and productive ministry.

1) Vow to maintain integrity

“Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14).

God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. No one is perfect. To be spotless and blameless means to live with integrity. How do you maintain integrity if you’re not perfect? You need to be transparent. A person of integrity is not claiming to have it all together in every area. On the contrary, the person of integrity is willing to be open about their strengths and weaknesses.

Having integrity also means living what you say you believe. You model what you teach. And you tell the truth, even when it’s tough. All leadership is built on trust. And trust comes from having the reputation for living out what you believe and for telling the truth. As a pastor and leader, people must trust you.

2) Vow to forgive those who hurt you.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up” (Hebrews 12:14-15).

Leaders forgive those who hurt them. You will be hurt in ministry. It’s going to happen. It’s a given. You will be hurt both intentionally and unintentionally. You will be hurt by those who recognize what they’re doing and those who don’t. You cannot be in ministry without being hurt. If you call the shots, you’re going to take the shots.

But you’ve got to be willing to forgive those who try to take you down. If you allow bitterness to build, it will choke your heart for God and your love for people until your heart just shrivels.

3) Vow to relax and trust God.

“Anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter into God’s rest” (Hebrews 4:11).

If you’re going to be in ministry, you’ve got to learn to relax. You need to be concerned about the people around you, but at the same time, you’re not God. You can’t bear everybody’s burden all the time.

How do you release those burdens? First, you’ve got to pray. Ultimately, God is the one responsible for your flock. He’s the one responsible for the growth of your ministry. Share your burdens with him in prayer.

Then you need to spend some time in God’s Word meditating on his promises. Remember what God has done in the past – in God’s Word and in your own life. God has a good track record of taking care of us. Remember what God has done for you when you’re tempted to let the stress of your ministry position overwhelm you.

4) Vow to be an encourager.

“Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

As a Christian leader, you should build people up rather than tear them down. God has called you to be an encourager, not a discourager. Take the time to look beyond the problems and look at the potential of those you lead. People get discouraged in life; you need to be a source of encouragement.

As pastors, we are dispensers of hope. That’s what it means to be a Christian leader. You bring the hope of Jesus into a hopeless situation. You help people who seem to be helpless. You let them know they can do it.

5) Vow to be a peacemaker.

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

Leaders are called to make every effort to reduce conflict. Our society is filled with conflict. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” How do you make peace in such a fragmented society?

You’ve got to deal with different points of view. Not everybody is like you in your church. And that’s good. Everyone has something to contribute. The perspective of those who see the world differently can add something indispensable to your ministry.

At Saddleback we value unity, not uniformity. You can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue. God can overlook lack of programs in your church. He can overlook a lack of ability. But God will not bless a divided church.

That means one of your most important jobs is to promote unity. Ten times in the first five chapters of Acts, the Bible says the church was unified. When you have the unity of Acts, you will have the power of Acts.

6) Vow to never stop growing.

“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

Learning is the lifestyle of leadership. The moment you think you know it all, you’re dead in the water. You must never stop growing. Growing ministries require growing leadership. You’ve got to train yourself continually.

Keep reading. Get a mentor. Solicit feedback. Ask questions. Always look for ways to keep growing in your character and your skills. The very nature of leadership is tied to growth. You’ve got to grow if you are going to lead others to grow.

Take a regular look at yourself. Where do you need to grow? What do you need to learn? What’s the best way to get the training you need? Make a learning plan every year. Your future leadership depends upon it. Will you commit to keep growing as a leader and as a person?

Leadership is About Modeling

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I suppose that when someone mentions modeling, the image of a too-skinny woman swaggering down a runway might come to mind, but I submit to you that modeling is what we do as Christians. We are to live out what we say we believe.

As a minister of the gospel, and an employee of a local congregation, leadership is a defining quality of whether one is doing a good job or not. I have always believed that if I am to do a good job, I should work myself out of a job; and that involves building up other people.

If you want to be a people builder, you have to start by giving people an example to follow. Paul and Peter wrote about this (Acts 20:35, Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Timothy 4:12, Titus 2:7, 1 Peter 5:3). Leadership begins with you and with how you live. At its most basic level, leadership is about being a model for others.

Why? I believe that you can only take a person as far as you have gone yourself. People can go beyond where you are, but you are not going to be the one leading them there. You can’t teach what has not already impacted you, and has already changed your life.

One problem is that we don’t always know the difference between being a leader and a boss. Dictators demand. Leaders model. You don’t lead by telling people what to do; you lead by example. The Bible says, “Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care but lead them by your good example.” (1 Peter 5:3 NLT)

Jesus never asked anybody to do anything he hadn’t already done, wasn’t already doing, or wasn’t willing to do. The Bible says in John 13:15, “I’ve given you an example to follow. Now do as I have done to you.” Jesus said he did it, now you do it. In this particular case, he had just washed the feet of the disciples and modeled servanthood. Now he expected his followers to do it. He modeled it first.

Application: Men, in what ways are you modeling for others? How are you serving others? How can people follow your lead in different areas of life? Paul gives us five particular characteristics of leadership in 1 Timothy 4:12:

  1. Speech – How do you talk to people?
  2. Life – How do you live your life?
  3. Love – How do you really show love to other people?
  4. Faith – How do you really trust God?
  5. Purity – How do you live a life of integrity?

Are you modeling those behaviors for your family? Are you modeling them for our congregation?

Leadership is a choice. The role of the leader doesn’t come automatically when we’re given a title. There are plenty of people in leadership positions who aren’t leaders. But you can be a leader. It starts by making choices that other people choose not to make, and providing an example to others.

Anyone can be a leader; John Maxwell says that leadership is influence. Think of all the people over whom you have influence. Now go lead them.

Leaders and Decision-Making

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The organization is paralyzed with an indecisive leader. Indecision is caused by one thing: fear. In leadership, passivity is not an option.

Steps to decision-making:

  1. Take time to see the impact of the decision.
  2. Procrastination can be avoided by setting a self-imposed deadline; nail it down.
  3. Write it on the calendar and be ready to pull the trigger.
  4. Gather options, then gather more options. 90 percent of making the correct decision is gathering information.
  5. Train your team to bring you several solutions, not just the problems. Options and walking through worst-case scenarios can help eliminate fear.
  6. What do your guiding values tell you about this issue? (Golden Rule, ethics). Don’t let your principles change, change your processes.
  7. Who are the people impacted by the decision? Don’t be a respecter of persons; treat kings and sinners alike.
  8. There is a way to minimize risk by making bite sized decisions; test before a full launch.
  9. What are the financial implications of the decision? Never go all in and bet the bank.
  10. Decisions are liberating because you don’t have to carry the burden of questions.
  11. Decisions are a form of confrontation and sometimes instigate confrontation. Confrontation is best served fresh and get it over quickly.
  12. Principled people are forced to recognize evil, inequity and integrity problems, and act against evil.
  13. Ask the experts (someone who has done it lately, not someone with an opinion); find several people who know more than you.
  14. Ask your spouse.
  15. All else fails, write yourself a report describing the problem, the solutions and time-line.

Never quit when God calls you:

As a boy, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was told he would never amount to anything. If he quit, we would all be speaking German right now. His “never give in” commencement speech in October 1941 (see the closing remarks).

Opening Remarks: Almost a year has passed since I came down here at your Head Master’s kind invitation in order to cheer myself and cheer the hearts of a few of my friends by singing some of our own songs.

Body of the Speech: The ten months that have passed have seen very terrible catastrophic events in the world–ups and downs, misfortunes, but can anyone sitting here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of our country and of our home?

Why, when I was here last time we were quite alone, desperately alone, and we had been so for five or six months. We were poorly armed. We are not so poorly armed today; but then we were very poorly armed. We had the unmeasured menace of the enemy and their air attack still beating upon us, and you yourselves had had experience of this attack; and I expect you are beginning to feel impatient that there has been this long lull with nothing particular turning up!
But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough. It is generally said that the British are often better at the last. They do not expect to move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble chance of war; but when they very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months – if it takes years – they do it.

Another lesson I think we may take, just throwing our minds back to our meeting here ten months ago and now, is that appearances are often very deceptive, and as Kipling well says, we must “…meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same.”

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.

Closing Remarks: But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period, I am addressing myself to the School, surely from this period of ten months, this is the lesson:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.

Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.

You sang here a verse of a School Song: you sang that extra verse written in my honor, which I was very greatly complimented by and which you have repeated today. But there is one word in it I want to alter – I wanted to do so last year, but I did not venture to. It is the line: “Not less we praise in darker days.”

I have obtained the Head Master’s permission to alter darker to sterner. “Not less we praise in sterner days.”

Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days, the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.

Quotes:

  1. Aristotle said there is only one way to avoid criticism; do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
  2. Carl Jung said that error is just as important a condition of life’s progress as truth.
  3. Ask yourself, “is this something Jesus would do?”
  4. Get the opinion of someone outside the problem. If you can’t see the forest for the trees, call a lumberjack.
  5. Where there is no counsel, the people fail (Proverbs 11:14).
  6. God will guide with his counsel (Psalm 73:24).
  7. Jim Rohn said that indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity.
  8. A double-minded man is unstable in his ways (James 1:8).
  9. Fear of decision will get you killed, think of that squirrel in the road.
  10. Seth Godin said that when you fall in love with the system (religion) you lose the ability to grow. He also said that the secret to being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong.

Team Addition and Subtraction

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Proper hiring creates a good team; and a good team lowers turnover. Team members leave or are let go because they should not have been hired in the first place. Take time to fill positions. Turnover is expensive in lost productivity and morale within the team.

When posting jobs, give enough information for candidates to rule you out before wasting your time. Word your posting in such a way to attract the personality and character you want. Never sell the job, always have the opportunity that is available; people desire work that matters.

If the person is all about money and benefits, they won’t last long on your team, you will never satisfy them. Listen more than speak. Never hire with only one interview. Working for a Christian company is not a code for lazy.

Twelve Steps to Hiring:

  1. Pray – God must send the right people.
  2. Key Results Area – describe what winning looks like in your company.
  3. Resume – they’re useless, unless you use them to start a conversation.
  4. Personality test – DISC is a good tool.
  5. Do you like them? Lot of talent is not good enough.
  6. Do they light up when they talk about the position?
  7. Compensation calculation, policy, benefits review.
  8. Personal budget – so they know they can live on the salary you are offering?
  9. References – they are useless, unless you do the phone interview.
  10. Spouse interview – this will change your life.
  11. Mission statement (company and personal) – Dave’s company doesn’t sell books, they sell hope.
  12. 90-day probation for the company and the person.

When team members fail:

Team members have to perform in the company or they have to leave.

Determine the root of the performance failure:

  1. If the problem is your leadership, fix it.
  2. Did you hire someone who didn’t fit the position?
  3. Were they given the tools to win?
  4. Were you there to mentor them?
  5. Were the objectives clear?
  6. Were conflicts unresolved?

When the problem is personal: quantify (child with the flu is different from child with cancer).

  1. Can you tolerate the poor performance until the problem passes?
  2. Do you need to bring in a professional to help?
  3. Does the personal problem put the company in jeopardy?
  4. Does the team need extra support while the recovery occurs?
  5. There must be incremental progress or they need to go.
  6. Make errors on the side of giving too much grace.

When the problem is incompetence:

  1. Use the Golden Rule, treat them gently.
  2. Incompetence is not evil; we are all incompetent at something.
  3. Can incompetence be solved with mentoring or education?
  4. Is the incompetence a character issue?
  5. Is there an integrity issue?
  6. Is the character issue laziness?

Steps toward resolution:

  1. Is a reprimand in order? This is a frank discussion of the performance shortfall and your analysis of the lack of performance.
  2. A good reprimand is short, uncomfortable for everyone, the problem is attacked (not the person), done in private, and is gentle.
  3. One Minute Manager: sandwich method (praise, hit, praise).
  4. Attack the problem but reaffirm the person.
  5. Deal with conflict or it will build.

Firing:

  1. They will be asked to leave immediately when there is a moral or integrity failure.
  2. Deal with them carefully, prayerfully, over time and never in anger.
  3. The issue causing you concern should be the subject of frequent reprimands.
  4. Reprimands should become increasingly formal with clearly defined changes required.
  5. The last reprimand must be in writing with deadlines of performance.
  6. It must never be a surprise as to why someone was fired.
  7. Some people will become aware that they do not fit the organization, and they leave on their own.
  8. Sanctioned incompetence demoralizes the rest of the team.
  9. You must have the courage to pull the trigger when it is time for someone to leave.
  10. Seth Godin says, “defending mediocrity is exhausting.”

The Finances of an EntreLeader

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Financial Peace University is mainly for individuals and families but the principles apply to business as well. There must always be a budget, and money is kept in separate accounts (personal vs company). At least 25 percent also must be set aside for taxes, in a separate account that will not be touched.

Debt: The borrower is always a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7)

  1. Borrowed money always increases risk.
  2. Borrowed money always magnifies mistakes.
  3. Borrowed money always hurts and even destroys cash flow.

Myths about Finances, Debt and Credit:

Myth: Borrowed money is needed to start or expand a business.
Truth: Starting or expanding gradually increases cash flow and reduces risk. Dave reminds us that the tortoise always wins. Build your business with a crock pot rather than a microwave.

Myth: A line of credit is needed to cover cash flow fluctuations.
Truth: Cash flow fluctuation can be predicted with forecasting and budgeting, and having cash saved will help cover your needs. If you have a seasonal business you can plan for fluctuations in cash flow, and still not go into debt.

Myth: A credit card is needed for online and phone purchases and travel.
Truth: A debt card will do everything that a credit card will do, except create 18% debt.

Myth: A credit card will help me keep my expenses organized.
Truth: Use an accounting system, so a debit card does the same thing.

Myth: Large purchases require a business to use a credit card.
Truth: Avoid risk and mistakes by renting, outsourcing, buying used and paying cash.

Kids and allowance? Children learn about welfare with an allowance but they learn about a paycheck when they work. When the son comes to you and says he needs money, Dave says that he doesn’t need money, you need a job.

Never by anything that is not designed to make a profit. Don’t rationalize your wish list. Never purchase anything because you think you need a tax write-off. It’s a myth.An item that costs $10,000 that is an allowable deduction saves someone in a 30 percent tax bracket $3000 in taxes. So buying something that isn’t needed is like trading $10,000 for $3000. If your CPA suggests buying something you don’t need purely for the write-off, fire them.

Dave says that 60 percent of all small businesses start up with $5000 or less. Never make your decisions based on fear. Caution is OK, because that can bring peace.

In Good to Great, the author advises that we get the write people on the bus, then get the right people in the right seats on the bus.

A worthy goal in business is to shamelessly make money to benefit others. Churchill said that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. In a book called, Thou Shalt Prosper, the author says that business is serving; work is a higher calling.

Dreams, Visions and Goal Setting

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Dreams are wishes that seldom happen. Life does not hand you your dreams. Dreams can only become a reality when they become a part of your vision. The leader must do something about his dreams and vision. You must also cast your vision to others if your vision is big enough. If there is no vision, the people scatter (Proverbs 29:18).

Helen Keller said the most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision.

Vision that is ready to go to work is called a goal. A great Scripture on reaching your goal is 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25. Dave Ramsey says that opportunity knocks at your door wearing overalls.

From your vision and goals to have long-term positive impact, they must include goals for: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Family, Intellectual, Physical, and Social. Imagine each area as a piece of the pie. Ziglar calls it the wheel of life.

Gossip: talking to someone about something or someone who is not in a position to fix it.

Plan on problems: you are employed to solve problem, or you are not needed.

Goals are bite-sized visions: Goals convert vision into energy. You cannot be vague with your goals. Do the activity that brings the results (like a salesman making 30 calls a week is the base line). You cannot reach the goal if you do not do the work.

Goals work SMART if they are:

  1. Specific: create precise behaviors and outcomes, linked to rate and frequency. Each objective must have only one desired outcome.
  2. Measurable: too “improve” is far too vague, mention steps toward the desired outcome.
  3. Achievable, and yours (not someone else’s goals): stretch, but make it reasonable.
  4. Results oriented: and in writing
  5. Time bound: when will the results be expected?

Break everything down into smaller parts and time frames.

For your team to have goals, you must have goals. Sharing goals and selling goals is called casting a vision. Shared goals create communication and unity. A positional leader pushes you into goals (go make your quota), while a servant leader pulls you into goals. Goals for a team are shared when they are developed together. Individual team members cannot have goals dictated to them; instead, help people to develop their own goals.

Management by objectives: when team members set goals within general company guidelines. Coach Carter (the movie) said that if you have no vision to college, you cannot win a national championship. Napoleon said that leaders are brokers of hope. Ziglar said that if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.

We can spend a ridiculous amount of time avoiding the things that are outside of our comfort zones. The movie, Castaway, shows us there is a sin of losing time. Steven Covey (the 7 Habits guy) has an interesting matrix on establishing priorities:

If you don’t do Q2, you will always move to Q1. Recognize that you are being productive when you are in Q2. Scott Peck said that “until you value yourself, you cannot value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything about it.” Good verses (Proverbs 16:9, Isaiah 30:1). If the leader must ask “where do I start?” you have not broken the goal into measurable action plans (like if I want to drive home, what do I do first?).

Leaders and Entrepreneurs

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I was able to participate in a one-day Dave Ramsey event back in November 2010; held at Regent University here in town. I wanted to pass on a few of my notes, which by the way, helps me to review and remember all that great information. If you have ever been to a Ramsey event, he is high energy and quite entertaining.

It Began with Definitions:

  1. Leader: Servant, humility, integrity, ethical, visionary, communicator, mobilizer, inspiring, perseveres, mentor, consistency, compassionate, faithful, confident, and decisive.
  2. Entrepreneur: Visionary, organized, inspired, mobilized, committed, focused, student/learner, bold, driven, creative, ambitious, risk taker, responsible, and tenacious.

A good leader brings others on board to cover over one’s own weaknesses. If you are not all these thing mentioned above, you suck as a leader. High quality people will follow a high quality leader.

  1. Leader: the one who rules, guides and inspires others.
  2. Entrepreneur: a person who organizes, operates and assumes risk for a venture.
  3. EntreLeadership: the process of leading to cause a venture to grow and prosper.

Organizations and teams are never limited by their opportunity; they are limited by their leader. The enterprise will never outgrow its leader. An organization is limited only by the leader’s capacity, intelligence, education, character, ability and vision. John Maxwell calls this the leadership lid.

To lead, the boss needs to understand the difference between positional power and persuasive power. The traditional model has a triangle with the point at the top, with a positional boss. The servant model has the point at the bottom with a servant leader. The servant-leader inspires and casts a vision while the other has authority because he “writes the checks” and “because I said so.” Anyone can be a boss, but not everyone can be a leader.

Patrick Morley states in The Man in the Mirror, that we as leaders should:

  1. Take divinely inspired risk.
  2. Depend upon God.
  3. Take responsibility.
  4. Expect opposition.

Passion: the one with passion cares deeply about the outcome. The most untutored person with passion is more persuasive than the most eloquent without. The movie Braveheart embodies the essence of passion; they fought with passion, and that no one could take away their freedom. He learned about leadership, it is not about the position. “They will follow you, not the nobility or leaders with the title.”

Zig Ziglar said that you get what you inspect, not what you expect. Upward mobility is dependent on downward availability.

The Conductor Illustration: A concert is not about the conductor, it’s about the music. The conductor doesn’t make a sound but makes it all come together. He empowers others to do what they were trained to do. Leaders must awaken the possibilities in other people, brighten their shining eyes. Success is defined by how many eyes are shining around me. Who am I if those around me are not shining?

The Christian Life is to be Shared

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I love the stories found in the book of Nehemiah. He was a brilliant example of leadership, devotion, prayer and faith. In the midst of difficult times he was able to motivate people in the direction that led to peace, strength and security. After inspecting the situation and seeing the city of Jerusalem in ruins, Nehemiah addressed the people:

But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” (Nehemiah 2:17)

Did you notice the words we and us in this verse? In order to motivate the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, Nehemiah had to personally identify with their problem, their need, and their future. It was no longer their problem;  Nehemiah saw the broken wall as our problem. Imagine the kind of response Nehemiah would have received if he had said, “You folks have gotten yourselves into a bad mess. You know what you need to do? You need to rebuild that wall. If you need me, I’ll be in my office. After all, I wasn’t part of the problem. You people will have to get busy and do the work. Let me know how it turns out.”

Identifying with the problem encourages motivation.

When Lee Iacocca became chairman and CEO of Chrysler at the height of the auto giant’s problems in 1979, he knew he would have to ask employees to take a pay cut to keep the company out of bankruptcy. Although he persuaded Congress to guarantee the company loans, he was still deeply distrusted by Chrysler’s union members. He knew that he had to find a way to persuade these workers that he had Chrysler’s best interests at heart.

Iacocca called a meeting of key management and union executives. He announced that for the next year his salary would be $1. The plan worked. By sacrificing his own salary, Iacocca proved that he placed the welfare of the company over personal gain. He identified with the workers. He was saying, “We are in this together, and together we can make it through.” He knew that people will accept a lot of pain when everybody is going through the trial together. If the followers know that the leader is in with them, together they can move a mountain or, in Nehemiah’s case, rebuild a wall.

So Nehemiah did it right. Did you know the meaning of his name? Nehemiah means, “Yah (or God) comforts or encourages.” I see that the best leaders are not the ones who tell others what they need to do for the leader, but are able to inspire others to get done what is best for the people.

Not everyone was happy. Trouble arose from without and from within. Sanballat and his friends tried to stop the work, but without success (Nehemiah 4:1, 2, 7, 8, 16, 17, 20). Trouble from within was economic. Building the walls caused a labor shortage; farms were mortgaged, and high rates of interest were charged (Nehemiah 5:2, 3, 4, 5). Nehemiah said, “The thing you are doing is not good” (Nehemiah 5:9). He corrected the problem and even gave financial aid to those in need (Nehemiah 5:10, 11, 12, 1518, 19). Again Sanballat and other non-Jews made several attempts to lure Nehemiah away from the job and shut it down, but they failed (Nehemiah 6:2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14). Nehemiah proved to be a person of strong will and unusual boldness. “So the wall was finished… in fifty and two days” (Nehemiah 6:15).

Application: In what ways can you identify with the people you lead? How can you say to them, “We are in this together?” Have you come to terms that not everyone will be happy and excited about your leadership? But notice that Nehemiah remained connected to God in the midst of trouble (Nehemiah 1:5-7, 8-11, 2:4, 4:4-5, 9, 15, 6:9, 12). He was a man of prayer and faith. The Christian life is to be shared, all of us are in this together. Leaders and followers are in this together. That is what the Bible calls koinonia, which is fellowship, or sharing a common life.

I like the model of leadership that Ken Blanchard has promoted all over the country, the Lead Like Jesus model, he says, “Great leaders lead like Jesus.” The essence of this style of leadership is servanthood; we are to be servant-leaders. I will be leading a small group on this in the spring of 2011.

Leadership is an influence process – any time you influence the thinking, behavior or development of another person, you are demonstrating leadership behavior. So if you are a parent, CEO, pastor, Sunday School leader, electrician, accountant, then you are a leader and following the greatest leadership role model only makes sense. We should desire to be a Jesus-like leader, where God is glorified, people are served, and organizations are more effective in impacting the world for the Kingdom of God.

Commercial: Over the next eight weeks, Skip and I will facilitate a John Maxwell video series called, “Developing the Leader Within You.” It is designed for all of us to become the leader that God intends for his children. We all have influence over others at some point throughout the day, let’s become the best leaders we can be. Click Here to get more information.

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