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Category Archive: leadership
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Leading versus Managing
OK – this is not a new topic by any stretch of the imagination. If you Google the topic, you will get a bajillion results. Ultimately it comes down to how you relate to the people that are in your area of influence. I had a great conversation with a church leader the other day on this topic. We talked about people that think they are Leaders, but are really Managers. And of course, there are people who think they are Managers, but they really are Leaders. So what makes the difference and does it really matter?
Yes.
It matters because some of the people that you are leading/managing can work for one, but not the other. Here is what I mean.
There are people that need a large vision cast that captures their attention and motivates them to look for ways to make that vision into a reality. They will ask general questions to see what the boundaries are for the task, and then make things happen. They need to be checked on through out the project but given lots of room to make it happen. Give them a “Why” and watch them do incredible things.
There are other people who really don’t care about the big picture, but simply want to know exactly “what” it is that you want them to do. They want very specific instruction with a list if possible. They want feedback on each and every step.
This first person needs a leader.
The second needs a manager.
Look at the people that work for you and seem to be very content with how you lead/manage them. If they are in the first group—congratulations, you are a leader. If they fall into the second group — congratulations, you are a manager.
So which is more important to a church or organization? The one that is effective.
Church Leadership is Boring (sometimes).
I recently sent out a tweet that said “Sometimes, Church leadership is boring”. It got a lot of reactions!
Here’s the deal. Every job is boring on occasion. There are no exceptions. Even when you are serving the most Holy and Awesome God.
When you think about it, you know that it is true. “Bored” is literally a state of mental being. I have been in incredible places with my boys, where opportunity and adventures abound – and I still hear the phrase ” I’m bored.”
I have met with some incredible, cutting edge, type “A” leaders in both the church and business worlds and heard the phrase “I’m bored.”
Tagged boring, challenges, leadership
Tough Leadership Decisions
There is a great story (probably true) about a leadership decision that Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church made several years ago. The church had been meeting for worship in a gymnatorium kind of space and as the church grew, so did the quality of the worship service. That quality was one of the big draws for people who attended.
As many churches do, Ginghamsburg decided that it was time to build a large “state-of-the-art” worship center. When they were in the meeting to finalize the blueprints, as the story goes, Mike Slaughter took a step back and made a tough call. “We have always said that we will focus on youth and children. This expensive building does nothing for them. We need to abandon this project and put up a youth center instead.” And that is exactly what happened.
Tagged challenges, Difficult decisions
Follow us on Twitter: @SwineFlu
The words swine flu (H1N1) generally bring one of two reactions; a roll of the eyes or a look of fear. This past week my church has been dealing with a handful of possible cases of H1N1 that originated on a youth trip to Florida. Fortunately, it has turned out to be a quick recovery for those who were sick.
The old saying that “there is no such thing as bad press” does not really apply to the church. The church, as compared to many businesses or organizations, uniquely relies on how people feel. Those feelings translate into invitations to attend and involvement within. For the church to do its’ vital work, people must have a positive view and feeling about the church.
Tagged communications, social media, Swine Flu
Change in the Church
I spend the majority of my time working with leaders of local churches. Talk about a group that struggles with change!! One of the most significant ongoing “challenges” that these leaders face is that they have experienced success with something in the past, and are having trouble adjusting to the currently reality.
Churches have a great deal of trouble distinguishing between their “methods” and their “work”. No product or service delivery “method” is effective forever, but the “work” of the church never changes. When it is being effective, suffering is being relieved, people are finding hope, and lives are being changed for the better. It is vital that the church finds ways to be effective.
Tagged challenges, change, Leading change, vision
21 Rules of Innovation… numbers 15-21
15. A good team is always an active learning team.
16. Be aware of the balance and flow of polarities that exist for your team. Remember that too much team can be just as bad as not enough. Allow for individual self-expression within the team. Teams are not problems to solve, they are a mass of polarities to manage (see Bruce Johnson’s “Polarity Management”)
17. Your team is a strong as its weakest link. A good team makes efforts to cover, improve, or strengthen its deficiencies. Read “The Goal” by Eli Goldratt to understand more about the “theory of constraints.”
18. Effective teams engage in constructive disagreement around content with a ‘yes and not a ‘yes but’ attitude.
19. Listening is key.
20. Know thyself – what you can contribute to the team and what others can contribute that doesn’t come naturally to you.
21. In teams, seek to ‘pull in’ the outliers, the mavericks, those who we tend to exclude. Everyone has something important to offer the team – find it.
Tagged Innovation
21 Rules of Innovation…numbers 8-14
8. Trust is not blind. The more you seek to understand the motives of your team members, the better.
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9. All teams go through rough patches. As Dean Kamen says, if you don’t encounter big problems or surprises, you’re not innovating. When it “hits the fan”, be an example in keeping the faith and remaining positive.
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10. Vince Lombardi won a lot of championships by focusing on, and repeating endlessly, the most basic plays and fundamentals. Basic fitness and clarity of jobs and roles were the rock he built his teams on. So, when in doubt, return to the basics.
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11. Sometimes a person simply shouldn’t be on a team. Be very careful in making this judgment, because sometimes the mavericks are exactly who you need. Still, sometimes people can’t be brought into the fold and focused on the goal at hand. If you are dead sure, cut out the “cancer”. It’s a very tough call, but when you make it you are often thanked for doing it by other team members.
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12. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. Celebrate victories, even the small ones, and celebrate learning even in failures or setbacks. Edison was of the philosophy there is no failure; be like Edison.
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13.Kick-off’s are important. Do them with energy and style.
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14.Communicate unselfishly, share your knowledge, and share honestly in a way that the person can hear.
Tagged Innovation
21 Rules for Innovation..1-7
Greg Fraley wrote this list, with the assistance of Kim Greene, for the 2009 CPSI Team Building participants. They had made the request for a bit of “real world” content (imagine!).
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1. A strong bold initiative and vision inspires teams. It has the right people wanting to be involved.
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2. If you are the organizer/leader know that Who is on the team may have more impact then any other choice you make. As they say in golf, all bets are made on the first tee.
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3. If you can’t choose who is on your team, clarity of roles and task fit, are very important choices.
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4. When a team member leaves or a new member comes on board, don’t forget you have work to do in reforming the team. Really, it’s a whole new team.
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5. Don’t forget the fun element… “if it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right” (JFK). Try to integrate an element of fun in all the team does.
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6. Regardless of who is on your team, overt appreciation of strengths and diversity is a good place to start. Starting with positives is always a good idea.
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7. Build trust all the time. Make deposits to the “savings account” you have with each team member. You can, and will need to, “withdraw” from that account in difficult times (thanks Stephen Covey). A key to building trust is rigorous integrity around your word. Do what you say you will do. If you don’t, or have a problem, come clean on it ASAP.
Tagged Innovation
Blogging vs Tweeting
For the past month or so I have been on the Twitter bandwagon. By the way – this came about a week after I told a good friend that Twitter was not worth using, and I would never spend my time on it. Oh well.
It has been an interesting experience to see how people are using Twitter. Some people (very well known) give you updates on details of their lives. Others give great quotes or insights. Still others are doing what always happens – spamming. Only 2 of the above are of any interest to me personally. Reading all of that has shaped how I plan to use my Twitter account.
Tagged blogging, communication, social media, Twitter
Church Planting vs Church Growing
I had the opportunity today to be a part of a Church Planters “Boot Camp”. Planting is a very different process from growing a church.
Most of the work that 218Consulting does is with churches that have been around for a while, and are looking to accelerate the effectiveness of their ministries. It has been great to rethink a few issues from the planters needs vs the established churches needs.
One of the topics today was on the importance of having a connection to a denomination. While I have said before that denomination means less to people than ever before, there is a time that it has great value.
As the new church starts, it is important to have credibility that you are providing a safe place. The denominitional tag gives that assurance. Over time, the church builds credibility on its own merits – and the denominational “brand” can be reconsidered. This is usually a 5- 7 year process. In some cases, you may decide to keep it – or you may find that it is a hindrance. Either way, you need to really take time in making that decision. Start by asking those people who are joining your church about the issue- they will give you great insights.
Tagged Church growth, church planting, discipleship