Faith Venture

During my reading recently the phrase, “What should a leader do?”, sparked my imagination. What a great question. Especially for someone like me who is starting a couple of new initiatives in my life.

I thought that I would begin by looking at Jesus. He started a mission that toppled the Roman Empire–something that no one at his time would have ever contemplated.

Here are some characteristics. He definitely had a deep background in studying the Scriptures and other writing. He also thought deeply and originally about what he read. He spent time in prayer and meditation to get God’s leadership both for his study and his activities.

He definitely engaged in people development. He gathered many people, then chose his future leaders. He provided teaching about what is important. Then, he provided training so that they know how to act in a variety of situations. He provided opportunities to do the work. Then he provided feedback (assessment, mentoring) for improvement.

He spent time in personal development by reading/studying, listening, and prayer.

What should we do as leaders (of whatever we lead–especially ourselves)?

• Learn
• Seek guidance
• Think
• Develop qualities in others
• Provide others (and ourselves) opportunities to develop skills
• Assess performance and provide feedback designed to help growth and development

Can someone lead without passion for what they are doing?

Managers can, and do, manage without passion. Everything becomes a number. There is no real feel for the product. Or the outcome. Or the people. Or customers.

I worked for a company where everyone was proud of the product. It was the best in the industry i our eyes. We all were committed to making it perfect. We thought about the customer. How they would use the product. This was everyone–executive, assembler, accountant.

Then the influx of MBAs and Consultants began. Manage by the numbers. Customers are just a number on the spreadsheet. Products are just a number on the spreadsheet.

Passion drifted away. With the caring people.

I’ve seen it in business. I’ve seen it in church.

Wrong focus. No passion for what you’re doing for people. Just numbers.

If you’re picking leaders, don’t persuade someone to take on a task. Ask, “What do you want to do?” Find places for people where they can contribute according to their passion. Help them develop and grow as a leader.

First, you’ve got to care. You must think of the people you’re serving. You must believe that you’re making life better for them.

Follow your passion. Sometimes it takes a period of time. It took me years to find my niche. But the time in preparation was not wasted. It just prepared me.

• Find what you care about.
• Pray intentionally to bring people into your life that will help you.
• Feed your passion by connecting to God and the people you wish to serve
• Find people with similar passions so that you can all mutually feed the fire.
• Tell everyone about what it is that lights your torch.
• Go out and do.

Have you ever had that overwhelming feeling that you are not ready? That your preparations are not adequate

I did not set out in January with the plan to travel every week in April. Things just happened. It was all good. But just busy. There was no normal routine. No daily morning run and Yoga strengthening and flexibility.

Now, here we are. In seven hours I am giving a presentation. I’ve thought about it for months. Revised the slides three times. Written and outlined the talk. But I don’t feel ready. Was my preparation adequate? I should have rehearsed more.

In three days I am participating in the only 5K run that I do every year. I’d rather be chasing soccer players than just running. But that’s just an excuse. I know I didn’t prepare. My time will be ugly.

The same is true in all leadership. You need to make your preparations before you meet the team. Or go to that meeting. Or lead that class.

Sometimes you have made adequate preparation and are just nervous. That is good. You need a little nervous energy to perform well.

Sometimes you have just failed to prepare. Then you live with the consequences.

Someone was recently talking with me about leadership in an organization. “Problem is,” he said, “that too many only know how to work on their own. They can’t build teams.”

This is part of Jesus’ leadership legacy. He had a mission. He recruited disciples (people who shared that mission and wanted to learn and contribute). He taught them about the mission and how to do it. He created teams. They almost always went out in groups.

later, when he was gone and they were in charge, they still worked as teams. Paul even worked as part of a team. He just wrote individually.

Part of growing a team is common purpose. Part is trust. Part is having roles where each team member fills a role and the team succeeds. There is a humbleness like I have talked about where people think about the others. Yet each excels.

I have formed a few teams in my career. When they succeed, it is a beautiful thing. They are easy to destroy, though. They take work. But the result is worth it.

For some reason, I’ve been contemplating servant leadership. Several years ago I met a company president who proclaimed that concept. He supposedly followed a book by that name. The model was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. He often gave gifts of a model of a sculpture from that scene.

I met the author of that book at a conference once. To be blunt, he left me a bit cold or put-off. That president? He didn’t look very much like a servant leader when he sold his company and promptly disappeared without telling anyone at the company that they were most likely all going to lose their jobs.

This was perhaps the wrong model, anyway. People probably don’t want that type of leadership in the extreme.

Let’s take two other examples.

Moses had a mission. God told him to take the leadership of moving the Hebrews out of Egypt. They had been there a long time. It was all they knew. Moses had a mission and a vision to change that.

So, they left Egypt. One day in the desert, Moses’ father-in-law showed up. He saw a huge queue of people waiting to get a few minutes of Moses’ time in order to settle various complaints. Jethro says, in effect, “Moses, you’ve forgotten your job as a leader. You keep the people focused on the mission and train other people to handle all these details.”

Jesus started a mission. He recruited and attracted disciples to help carry out the mission. He trained them through teaching, having them observe him, and then also providing practical experience.

I have seen far too many so-called leaders who have no clue about all this. Either they are ego-driven (and thus not thinking of others which is the foot-washing example) or they are, especially in the business world, totally driven by numbers. Church people and educators get driven by fads and programs.

The leader reminds people constantly about the mission. Maybe it’s providing a product or service that people need. Maybe it’s about giving people meaning in their life. Or maybe it’s about serving people with food and comfort.

The leader then recruits a team. Teaches them, guides them, reminds them constantly of the mission.

A leader cannot afford to get lost in the weeds. A leader must remain firmly focused on the mission. There is a mission. A team forms. They change the world.

I’m in Hannover, Germany. My room overlooks the beautiful Machsee (a little lake) with the sunrise streaming over the lake. Beautiful morning. I’ll probably be walking several miles at the famous Hannover Fair (Hannover Messe) with about 23 buildings on the fairgrounds filled with exhibitors talking about the latest technology for industry. Always cool.

My meditation this morning included the latest Andy Stanley leadership podcast. This one on trust.

There are at least two points-of-view to look at the trust issue.

Trust is essentially doing what you say you’ll do. Living up to your commitments.

Do you say you’ll make the 9 am meeting, yet you don’t arrive until 9:15 or 9:30? Or you say you’ll be somewhere and then fail to show? Or you promise a report by end of day Wednesday, yet when Friday rolls around, no report?

In this gap between expectation and reality, how do those affected react? Do they suspect your motives, or do they give you the benefit of the doubt.

Suspicion is one real problem in an organization where there is often this gap.

Have you ever worked in an organization where people are suspicious of others’ motives? Constantly?

I have. Many times. I’m sure you have too. It’s never healthy.

A leader needs to perceive and deal with this attitude quickly. Have a conversation. Do some fact finding. Discover the cause of the gap. Deal with the facts. And if the facts are that the individual just cannot perform or be relied upon, then deal with that.

If you are the one who creates the gaps, transparency is your friend. Address the gap before anyone else has a chance to react. Let people know that you are aware and will change.

Suspicion in a church or any organization is like a cancer. It starts small and then it eats away at its health. Stop it before it can start.

Leadership in the past age.

I just picked this image yesterday a little at random while surfing the Web. But it seams to represent the old “command and control” leadership developed with the industrial age.”

Churches have that, too. Catholics have had that a long time–although not without bumps along the way. Protestants thought they got away from it a few hundred years ago, but they just have fewer levels of hierarchy.

It’s still often a one-to-many style. There is a place for a good teacher who can teach to many. I listen to a few of these people every week–Bill Hybels, John Ortberg, Andy Stanley. They keep me grounded.

But even among Catholics, the idea of entering the “full-time Christian ministry” as a profession is weakening. They are consolidating some parishes in our area due to lack of priests. Seminaries are hurting all over the country. The high price they charge is seldom seen worth the reward. I look at some of the curriculum from time to time and cringe. Not from a liberal v conservative v fundamentalist v whatever point of view. More from a “they’re charging this much money for this type of class!?” point of view.

Leadership mentors promising people. Providing education as the need arises.  But also practical work of helping others–either in ministry or missions (inward to the brothers and sisters or outward to the world).

Except for those teaching times, that picture should be more like all blue and one grayed out.

• Empower people to do ministry
• Develop teams
• Collaborate on projects
• Mentor others (or seek a mentor)
• Get out of the building
• Do ministry and mission you’re passionate about
• Be passionate in living with-God every day
• Leaders say, “How can I help you”