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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #033

Staying Mission True

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Mission True organizations understand the Gospel demands excellence in their work!

Tucked away in a corner of America is Post Falls, Idaho. Buck_Knives_logo This area is renowned for its outdoor recreation. It is also the home of Buck knives. In 1902 Hoyt Buck forged his first knife at age 13. Even then Hoyt believed that his Christian faith demanded excellence – “as unto the Lord” he would say.

Hoyt became a pastor and simply tinkered with knives on the side. America entered WWII in 1941 and a call for weapon donations went out for American soldiers. In that moment Hoyt decided to become bi-vocational. He crafted over 2000+ knives and donated them to the soldiers. From that beginning H.H. Buck Knives was born making about 5 knives per day in 1940.

Mission True organizations not only hold themselves to the highest standards because of their Christian identity, but they also recognize their contributions they are uniquely able to to make in the world because of being faith-based.

Consider some of the following examples of excellence –

  • Taylor University – has been ranked number one in the category of Best Regional Colleges five years in a row by U.S. News & World Report
  • Youth For Christ created an anti-bullying program that went national in the school systems of our nation
  • Compassion International sponsors more children that other organizations of the world
  • Prison Entrepreneurship Program program has demonstrated a dramatic decrease in the recidivism rate after teaching ex-convicts with business training
  • Project 1.27, an adoption ministry founded by Colorado Community Church has helped 243 foster children find “forever homes” with Christian familiesMission True OrganizationsThe Gospel of Jesus Christ is integrated holistically into Mission True Organizations. This effort is not an afterthought. The Gospel reorients everything. There are four key facets to consider:

    1. Maintain the highest levels of quality – “Poor quality” and “Christian” should never used in the same sentence to describe your organization. Substandard work is not God honoring. People do not support AVERAGE! Stay focus on the fact that your work is unto the Lord and not human masters!

    2. Celebrate their unique societal contributions because of their Christian identity – Embrace your Christian distinctiveness and the various ways that you can make a unique contribution in the place of your influence.

    3. Integrate the Gospel into al areas of their programs – No area of an organization is left untouched by Christian principles – no subject of operations is off limits to the influence of Christ. Products, goods & services, strategies and physical space is saturated in Gospel principles.

    4. Excellence – Regardless of the type of work that you do, our faith in the Gospel message is too important to settle for mediocrity. Our faith demands “best in class” effort.

    LINKS

    Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

    FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

    Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

    Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Shoot The Pianist or Tune The Piano

Have you ever listened to someone play a piano that is completely out of tune? Remember the sound? Awful! Good notes do not even sound good when the piano is out of tune. pleasedontshootthepianoplayerlarge There are two solutions for solving this problem: the first is obvious, tune the piano; the second is not so realistic, get rid of the pianist.

In 1953 Rene Coty, the former president of France, stated, “It’s a pity to shoot the pianist when the piano is out of tune.” This is a relevant quote for churches and their leaders who are struggling in difficult times. Most leaders value developing strategic plans. The central question; “Have strategies, plans, mission statements, and value statements become window dressing or plaques that we hang on the wall?” If these plans, statements, or strategies do not function in our day-to-day church world, why jeopardize our reputation in our communities?

My experience has been that without functional direction a church may be in trouble. If nothing else you may find yourself in survival mode. That mode leads to cost-cutting of programs and personnel. Here is a question to ponder; “Is it possible that good quality people that we are attempting to reach are not staying because the real problem is a lack of sufficient direction and strategy that affects the daily life of the church? Are we guilty of getting rid of the pianist before we tune the piano?

Tuning Tips For Leaders

  • The majority of leaders meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail. Be certain you have clear functional goals. One of the primary manifestations of being out of tune is that people and departments are not on the same page. If the church’s plans are inadequate or incomplete, the whole church will be confused.
  • There is a direct correlation between low morale and defective planning and goal-setting in a church. Constantly communicating your goals is essential! Having a plan is important – communicating that plan is IMPERATIVE!
  • It is a fact that when people know the plan of action, enterprise energy increases, even if the outside world looks dismal. People like to know what to expect. Knowledge provides motivation, camaraderie, and encourages them to put their shoulder to the wheel.
  • As Pastor, you are the Master Tuner. Some pastors do not know their church is out of tune. Whether it is a lack of understanding, or ego, or pride, these leaders believe that everyone is on the same page with them even when others believe otherwise. When pastors are not receptive to the voices of others, problems are compounded.
  • If the church is playing the wrong music, getting rid of all of the piano players will not make lasting improvements. It is important for pastors to have more than one source of information – one source is too narrow. Albert Einstein stated; “The consciousness that created the problem cannot be the same consciousness that solves it!”

The educated ear that sings in perfect pitch – The pastor must be the motivator of the plans that God stirs. The pastor leads from the “middle C” on a piano, attempting to keep harmony with his leading. When the leader gets out of pitch or constantly changing the song altogether, confusion is sure to be the result!

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #032

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Do You Measure What Matters?

Nordstrom’s teaches us that in order to achieve the full mission purpose of your organization you have to be deliberate in what you evaluate. The old business mantra, “What gets measured gets done,” is still true! We might to that mantra; “What is not measured slowly becomes irrelevant!”

If your organization is going to remain Mission True, then we must take serious our definition of success and the tools by which we gain our information. There are no “absolute” tools available. All have some problems on some level.

A study was done on the missionaries of Haiti. The missionary newsletters were collected and various ministries that were working throughout the country. What they discovered from these newsletters was that the entire population of Haiti would be saved every three years.

Something was obviously wrong in the measuring of success!

Mission and Measurement Go Together

What happens to your organization concludes that close enough is good enough? In the same way that a home has structural beams that frame a home, metrics show the soundness of the structure.

A key issue is “Are asking the correct questions that reveals that our activity is mission driven or driving us away from our purpose. In order to comprehend this thought an evaluation of how our metrics are being structured to assist us in the measuring of important data.

Paul Penley of “Excellence in Giving” a philanthropic advisory firm has established some basic YES/NO questions to begin measuring what matters.

YES/NO Self Analysis

1.Have we translated our mission into specific and measurable goals?

2.Are we asking those we serve whether programs are effective and having an impact?

3.Are we measuring program outcomes against benchmarks or averages?

4.Have we completed independent evaluation of program outcomes?

5.Do we use an internal scorecard to track key performance indicators?

Mission True Metrics

To start this segment we must give credit where credit’s due. Growth should be filled with gratitude for what God is doing. God is the one that makes it grow!

Here is a simply four-step process to keep balance in our reporting and measuring.

1.Make an effort to measure more than the easy stuff. Holistic measurements are more meaningful to the people that are assisting us.

2.Identify ways that measurement can lead you away from mission purpose.

3.Believe that measuring something is better than measuring nothing.

4.Admit it is a TEAM effort – not a solo production!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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12 Principles of Leadership Communication

 

So why would I need 12 principles on leadership communication?[1] Consider the new realities of communication: George-Bernard-Shaw

  • The speed of modern communication is on a global scale today;
  • The increased channels of communication, there are more options than we have ability to engage them;
  • There is a rise of consumer/citizen power of influencing dialogue without complete factual understanding of the issues;
  • There is a rise of expectations for all stakeholders that need a “speedy” response;
  • New formations of communities of interest that is being enabled by digital technology and a new sense of empowerment;
  • Increasing regulations and the resulting need for new communication requirements;
  • The aggressive pursuit of informational journalism and the “tabloidization” of business reporting;
  • Declining levels of trust in business that is being accelerated by financial difficulties in today’s marketplace.

Armed with this new reality, a leader is faced with a daunting task on how to stay ahead of the communication curve to LEAD in the context of these new realities as opposed to reacting. Add to this reality this probing question; “When was the last time that you invested in yourself to enhance your communication skills?” Beyond Toastmaster’s or a Dale Carnage course, where would you go to learn more on effective speaking? Intentionality is the one key word that we postpone. The danger is that postponing anything in our life assumes that we are in control of our tomorrows. Reality states that we have only this moment and that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step – TODAY!

 

For the most part all leaders are clear that leadership communication is about inspiring others to achieve great things. Author Murray sets forth 12 principles of communication:

  1. Learn how to be yourself, if you aspire to being a better leader and communicator.
  2. Give voice to a compelling mission and powerful set of values.
  3. Combine this with a vivid picture of the future, which you communicate relentlessly to drive behaviors in the present.
  4. Keep your people focused on the key relationships that your organization depends on for success and make building trust in those relationships a priority.
  5. Make engagement a strategic goal, and use conversations to engage.
  6. Become a fanatic about understanding audiences before trying to communicate with them.
  7. Listen in new and powerful ways, and learn to ask the right questions.
  8. Prepare a potent point of view to communicate your messages.
  9. Use more stories and anecdotes to inspire the right behaviors.
  10. Be aware of the signals you send beyond your words.
  11. Prepare properly for public platforms – your reputation is at stake.
  12. Learn, rehearse, review, improve – always strive to be a better communicator.

Would you take a minute and leave a response below to the question; “What is the most important communication lesson you have learned?” I am eager to learn myself and you can help teach me!

[1] Kevin Murray, The Language of Leaders. Kogan Page: Great Britain, 2012

 

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #031

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:50 — 20.0MB) | Embed

Follow The Money

It is said that Andrew Carnegie single-handedly changed the face of modern education. With ten million plus dollars to donate, He stated in his letter of gift that institutions that required adhering to a prescribed doctrinal statement or were under religious governance would be excluded from receiving any money.

It is amazing how organizations will rationalize their purposes to be the recipient of large donations. Brown University was the first university to break ties with the Baptist association in order to receive money. Dartmouth University would be the next in line to get their check. Even Oberlin College where Charles Finney served as President for decades would receive the money. Charles Finney was the evangelist of the 2nd Great Awakening that led thousands of converts to Christ.

Financial incentives are a powerful force in allowing Mission Drift to occur.

Consider the “Feed My Starving Children” charitable fund that drifted away from their Christian roots and began to soft-pedal their faith in hopes to gain more donors. With an annual budget of $830,000 and a hand full of staff they knew they were headed in the wrong direction. They acknowledged they had a work that was good, a model that worked, and there was a demand for their service. But in a board meeting they declared they did not have God.

They declared an open dedication service for renewal and recommitment to Christian values a purposes. Within 9 years they went from $830,000 to $35 million.

Money is not everything if it causes you to sacrifice the core of your faith foundations.

Mission True Donors

Mission True organizations need donors who have complete buy-in. God can do amazing things with and through people who link themselves to support important causes. There are five things to say about Mission True donors:

1. Are explicit in their expectations – by creating clear guidelines and a plan for your giving you “memorialize” your values and intent.

2. Plan Ahead – Estate planning and bequests open up important family discussions and intent for family legacy.

3. Keep “Mission Strings” attached – keep missional purposes and intentions in mind and build safe-guards around that giving.

4. Do Your Giving While You’re Living – while you are still alive and in control is the best time to give.

5. Pray and Encourage the Organizations That Are Important

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Finishing Well

Listen Up Leaders! Forewarned is Forearmed!

Dr. J.Robert Clinton in researching the almost 800 leaders in the Bible discovered that about 1 in 3 of these leaders finished well based upon the biblical evidence. fw2_webDepending on who you read some have suggested this ratio to be too generous. The truth of the matter is that many are not finishing their life work and call well. A review of biblical leadership illustrations  reveals four observations that are worthy of reflective time.(Dr J. Robert Clinton’s 1989 research).

  1. Few leaders finish well
  2. Leadership is difficult
  3. God’s enabling presence is the essential ingredient of successful leadership
  4. Spiritual leadership can make a difference

If research suggests that biblical leadership is difficult and few are finishing well, this begs the question what does “Finishing well” look like? here are some observations.

  • A vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ is maintained to the very end of life.
  • There is a thirst for learning from various sources – especially life experiences.
  • Christ-like character is ever on display as evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit’s activity in their lives
  • Truth is lived out in their lives in such a manner that convictions and promises of God are seen to be authentic
  • They leave behind one or more ultimate contributions of leadership either through coaching, public speaking, teaching, or trail blazing
  • They walk with a growing awareness of a sense of destiny and live to see much of fulfilled

This is certainly not meant to be an all inclusive list. Perhaps your observations would yield a different list. If that is the case I would urge you to share your findings so that we all may grow and learn together. Leave a comment, share this post with your social media connections. Start a conversation or better yet, plan your finish!

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #030

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True Leadership

Mission True leaders set the cultural tone for the organization.

  • A few years ago Dr. J. Robert Clinton, Fuller Seminary Professor revealed some shocking information regarding biblical leaders.
  • He found that only one in three maintained a dynamic relationship with God and did not abuse his/her power.
  • Proverbs 4:23 comes to mind; “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
  • The heart of the leader is not only a wellspring of life, but the wellspring of organizational health. There is no faster way for an organization to get off mission or lose it’s credibility than through a fallen leader.It could not happen to me!Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary interviewed 246 individuals who had committed sexual immorality within a two year period of time. Dr. Hendricks sought to determine key factors that led to this behavior. All 246 individuals believe they were incapable of committing their moral failure.
    • If you believe that you are immune, then you are most vulnerable. All 246 individuals had stopped their daily tie with the Lord. None had an accountability partner.
    • Even if a leader does not fall publicly, a leader whose heart is not rooted in Christ and actively growing can be just as devastating to a ministry. Jesus stated; “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Not, you can do a little bit. The emphasis is on nothing.
    • Leaders that are not grounded in prayer and spiritual disciplines are leaders that are susceptible to Mission Drift.
      • You know that you are headed for trouble when you declare, “I’ll spend more time with Christ when my INBOX is empty.”
      • Incremental, slow, personal mission creep often leads to organizational mission creep.
      • Mission True leaders not growing in Christ lead their organizations with feet on shaky ground.
      • Author Brennan Manning of the Ragamuffin Gospel, stated that the greatest idol within leaders is AMBITION. The desire for success and growth can lead to some pretty dangerous situations for both leader ad organization.
      • Jim Collins of How The Mighty Fall, states that a company’s destruction is “hubris born of success.” Pride can lead to the wrong definition of success.
      • Collins would write that self-centeredness may lead to short-term success but it often undermines an organization long-term.

Mission True Leaders

1.Admit vulnerability – Never forget your own sinfulness – the stakes are too high

2.Invite others in – Allow people in your life to speak frankly and candidly. These leaders welcome the challenge of accountability

3.Create safeguards against impropriety

4.Remain connected to Christ – with Him you can do NOTHING!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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If Nothing Changes, Nothing Is Going To Change

The Bout Effect

What is the Bout Effect? In simple terms the more you repeat a behavior, the less it impacts you because you have become accustomed to it. This concept is usually discussed in the exercise arena. It would seem that the more you do the same thing over time there is a diminishing return. However, if you change the routine from light to heavy there is a noticeable change of improvement as well as decreasing soreness.

Consider the following:

  • When you have not done much strength training, doing 30 pushups will improve strength. However after a few months an extra 30 pushups will not make that much difference in strength.
  • When you drink your first cup of coffee there is a noticeable caffeine spike, However, after months of drinking coffee little is noticed in terms of a caffeine spike.
  • When you start eating smaller portions you will loose weight. After the first 10-15 pounds are lost your smaller portion becomes your normal portion and weight lose stalls.

Failure to understand the Bout Effect will lead us to declare:

  • This always happens to me. I make a bit of progress and then I hit a brick wall and plateau.
  • I am working out every week and nothing seems to be happening.
  • I have tried everything. Exercise does not work for me

Actually it did work. The initial exercise accomplished what it was meant to accomplish – RESULTS. Now you have a new baseline by which to measure a higher level of success. If you desire to accomplish a higher level then you need to add something new to the mix. Consider these three insights  on improvement.

  1. By doing light amounts of work consistently will reduce the pain of difficult sessions in life.
  2. The amount of work that you need to do to reach your maximum potential and output is greater that what you are doing presently. There is always room for growth! New levels of achievement require new levels of effort.
  3. Deliberate effort is critical for long-term success. Doing the same type of work over and over again is a strange form of laziness. New skills will take you to new places of achievement.

Marshall Goldsmith says in his best selling book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, suggests that doing the same thing over and over again, even if it worked for a long time will eventually plateau. If nothing changes, nothing is going to change.

Write three goals that you can accomplish in the next two weeks. Once these are mastered, then add something to the mix that challenges you to the next level. Keep the BIG MO moving in your favor.

 

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #029

Face The Drift - Build Safeguards

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6 Safeguards To Remain Mission True

1. Remain mindful of cultural trends – Recognize cultural shifts, become a student of trending. This will give insight to guardrails that you need to build.

2. Do not assume successor’s will inherit the founders vision – Founders must be diligent in training and educating the next generation. You cannot afford to assume anything.

3. Attend to the details in constructing safeguards – Keeping procedures as simple as possible. Simplicity tends to outlive even the founders. Complexity is impressive but can cause a number of deviations from the original intention.

4. Know why you exist – If you cannot articulate in writing your reason for existing, you are only day-dreaming about who you are and what your purposes are.

5. Be able to differentiate between means and mission – Know the boundaries on what you will concede and what you will not.

6. Change only to strengthen the core mission – Change for the sake of it is not a good reason to do anything. Only pursue change when it will assist you in strengthening the core mission and its implementation.

Keeping The Board Mission True – 5 Considerations

1.Recruit Prayerfully and Carefully – In the show notes I am providing a sample nomination form to consider future potential board members.

2.Hold the Chief Executive Officers responsible for the mission of the organization and maintaining the core of the mission.

3.Follow standard Board Practices – The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is a great starting point to protect the missional direction of the organization.

4.Create Policies and Safeguards that tie the hands of successors to the core distinctives of the organization and why they are important.

5.Remember the mission – not only should the history be reviewed from time to time, but the officers need to live out the principles and core values of the organization.

LINKS

SAMPLE NOMINATION FORM

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Faith Does Change Everything

Is My Story Worth Telling?

“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die” is a statement that we have heard many times. This gives expression to the reality there is nothing beyond what we have, caution-god-at-work1 so we ought to enjoy it to the fullest. Moses would give a different expression; “We live at best to be seventy years old, maybe eighty, if we are strong… They go so quickly. And then we fly off.” (Psalm 90:10).

LIFE IS SHORT! We know that, don’t we? So many times we are searching for something that will outlive our brief appearance on this earthly stage. We might be so bold as to call it “leaving a legacy.” Benjamin Disraeli stated that the legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. The problem here is that memory is not always accurate and greatness is left open for interpretation.

The real issue is that we attempt to turn this temporal life into something that is lasting or permanent or even immortal. People have donated millions to have their name chiseled into granite monuments for generations to see what they have accomplished. As is the case with so many things in this life -we will forget! When faith opens our eyes as believers we see that we are living as immortals – “if this same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwell in you…” C. S. Lewis said it this way, “You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal and their lives is to ours as a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with , work with,marry snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

Our souls are what will live on forever. From God’s perspective, how futile all of our quests to achieve immortality through this temporary stuff must seem to Him. What story are you attempting to tell?