Equipping

2018 has been some kind of year. I write each week to encourage you and to help you grow as a leader. I live what I write about and the past twelve months have tested me, grown me, humbled me, and challenged me as a leader about as much as any year I can ever remember. I served as the interim Lead Pastor in my home church while simultaneously helping the staff of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board navigate the transition of a beloved twenty-five year plus leader transition out and a new Executive Director transition in. In all these circumstances, my leadership has been tested as I have dealt with change, staff anxiety, staff problems, decisions that have a great impact, and the juggling of multiple responsibilities. This is not a complaint. I have been blessed and I am honored to have these opportunities.

 

Writing about leadership has helped me so much through the circumstances that I have experienced. I have often leaned on the lessons that I have learned and taught through these articles. I believe that my next year will be equally as challenging if not more so. One thing that I will have to evaluate as my organization goes through a change and my responsibilities evolve will be how I spend my time. Do I continue to write each week? Bi-Weekly? Monthly? Not at all? You can help me with this decision. As I wrap this year up, take a break from writing for the last few weeks of the year, and enjoy the holidays, I would love to hear from you. Do you have any thoughts on the frequency of these articles? Do you have a testimony to share? Please email me your comments at sparr@gabaptist.org. In the meantime, thanks for reading and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Does the name Babe Ruth ring a bell? The avid sports fan certainly knows who that is. Even the less acquainted are likely aware that he held the Major League Baseball record for home runs for almost forty years before being surpassed by Hank Aaron. During the three years prior to Ruth’s dramatic hitting career, a young pitcher on the same team recorded a 2.28 earned run average as a starter and had a winning percentage of .671. Do you happen to know who that was?  Yes, you sports geeks know exactly who I am talking about. The young pitcher was none other than Babe Ruth. Ruth was on his way to perhaps becoming a Hall of Fame pitcher with stats like those.

However, he did not continue to serve the team as a starting pitcher. The coach determined that he would be more valuable playing every day, going to the plate four to six times per game, to drive in runs and give the offense a punch. He did not know that he would set the record for home runs when the change was made. What if he had balked at the decision? (I could not resist the pun.) You may have never heard of him. Who knows how the rest of his career may have gone as a pitcher. He may have excelled or he may have flopped. We will never know. What if he said, “I don’t want to play every day. I like pitching every fourth game.” What if he liked the spotlight of being before the crowd for every pitch instead of only five or six plate appearances?

What about you and your role? Do you like your position in the organization? You should at least have some affection for it and there is no harm in aspiring to greater things. However, a leader should never have the attitude of “I don’t know what I would do if I could not do this job (hold this position).” A growing leader is capable of holding several different positions with a degree of effectiveness and will excel where he or she is placed in the existing organization or in another organization for that matter. For one to possess the attitude that they cannot thrive in any other position or any other place than where they are is not flattering. Hyper-specialization should not be confused with limited skill sets and lack of personal development. You serve your organization to help accomplish the mission. The mission must be superior in priority to your position. Otherwise, unhealthy internal competition, diminishing competence, and the undermining of your own credibility will result. You will best help those you serve now and in the future by placing more emphasis on the mission and less emphasis on your position. It is commitment to the mission that will get your organization to where it needs to be no matter what your position may be. The mission must take precedence over your position!

Outstanding organizations are known for being fast. That does not mean they are “sloppy” with their work or that they are not deliberate in decision making. But people are drawn to them because they get good service and get it in a timely manner. When I am in a restaurant, I love my meal to be freshly prepared. But, I don’t want to wait three hours in order for that to happen. Being fast is not easily definable but you know when an organization is slow or unresponsive. We are admittedly the victims of a culture that is technologically advanced and has an expectation of quick quality service. Microwave ovens, cell phones, Google, and express lanes are just a few examples of modern technological factors.  Cultural advances have raised expectations and that expectation is growing rather than diminishing. That begs the question: What does it mean to “be fast” in your area of service or ministry?

 

1. It means those who contact you by any means can expect a prompt and timely response. You may not be able to bring their question, concern, or need to a quick resolution, but you can get started on the resolution quickly. In the worst-case scenario, you should respond the next business day. You should strive to make an initial response on the same day you receive contact. The ideal is to get back with them very quick. “But my workload is so great!” you might say. That does not change the expectation of those making contact. Those who contact you for ministry and service are “your work.” You must work with your team to find a way. Remember that a quick acknowledgement of their need and a commitment to follow through will suffice if you are in a crunch. But you must follow up soon.
2. It means that you meet deadlines and that you communicate on those occasions when it is not possible to meet the deadline. I work from a task list and I rarely schedule something to be done the day of or the day before it is due. If something is due on Friday, I put it on my task list for Wednesday (or even earlier if it is a larger project). I am typing this post on Wednesday to go out next week. That builds in a buffer for me in the event of unforeseen demands on my schedule. Meeting deadlines is directly related to your time management skills and that is an area you must always seek to develop given the demanding culture in which we serve.
3. It means that you seek to provide an environment where quick decisions can be made. That is a tall task in a larger organization. Develop relationships and systems that allow for quick decisions to be made so that your team and your constituents can get a timely response to their ministry needs.

That went by fast! Until next time….

 

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Those were the infamous words of “The Captain” (prison warden) in the 1967 classic “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman. It is often repeated by leaders and team members in any organization. Communication is the hub around which all elements of organizational leadership are built. When done well the wheels of the organization turn smoothly and when not, the squeaking sound you hear is the organization steering towards dysfunction. Here are the four key layers that effective leaders always maintain and improve upon.

1. From the leader to the team. This may be the most important layer. Failure here ultimately flows out to the other layers hindering forward progress. The words of “the leader” carry more weight than all others, inspires or discourages, serves as a compass, and can make or break an organization. He or she must speak with clarity, conviction, wisdom, hope, and consistency. How are you doing communicating to your team?
2. From the team to the leader. Do the team members have access to the leader? How quickly can they have interaction? Are they free to ask or say difficult things without fear of reprisal? Is there time designed where team members can speak to the leader? If not, the wheels or your organization will turn much slower.
3. Between team members. Are there standards related to how team members communicate with one another? Is your organization seeking to minimize and eliminate silos between different departments or ministry areas? Is a timely response between members a core value or clear expectation? Are there systematic gatherings that encourage interaction? Are some of the interaction built on fellowship or relationship building to increase trust and enhance peer to peer communication? The answers to these questions can say much about how well the wheels of your organization turn.
4. Between the team and the public. The public could be customers, members, or the community at large. The tools, methods, and strategies are quickly evolving in a fast-changing culture. The reputation of your organization depends on this as well as the level of involvement or sales in a for-profit circumstance.

Are you attending to all four layers? How is it going? What is your next step? Answer these questions and you will be much more likely to maximize your leadership!

The four points are adapted from chapter fourteen of John Maxwell’s The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.

Six Reasons Developing a Team Makes You a Better Leader

There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves. –Lyndon Johnson

I have been a student of leadership for decades and one of my personal missions in life is to develop and equip as many leaders as possible. The word “leader” itself implies an individual and I truly do desire to help you become a better leader personally as I continue to grow myself. However, if we do not have a team to lead then we are not actually leaders. The leader is an individual but he or she stands at the hub of an organization, a team, a community, a business, a church, or some group. The aim of the leader is to move that collection of individuals in a purposeful direction providing inspiration, support, vision, training, problem-solving, and of course “leadership.” While you stand out front you cannot accomplish what needs to be done by yourself.

Gene Wilkes reminds leaders of six reasons that teams are superior to individuals when it comes to accomplishing a mission or task.

1. Teams involve more people affording more resources, ideas, and energy than would an individual.
2. Teams minimize the weaknesses of any individual.
3. Teams provide expanded perspectives that individual insight can rarely capture.
4. Teams share credit for victory and blame for losses resulting in a stronger community and a greater capacity to overcome failures.
5. Teams provide higher levels of accountability.

I will add a sixth;

6. Teams multiply time, availability, intelligence, and creativity exponentially beyond the capability of any individual.

Effective leadership absolutely requires your personal development and strength. But when it comes to big decisions, strategic planning, and moving your mission forward, be certain to tap into the gifts and talents of a team. That will help you to maximize your leadership.

 

Portions adapted from chapter one of John Maxwell’s The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.

 

Much has been written about why people stray from the church. For those who return to church after years of absence, what is it that gets them to come back? Tom Crites and I are conducting a nation-wide study to discover what tangible factors can make the biggest difference. The study targets 25-55-year-olds who grew up in the church, left for at least two years, but then returned. The participants of this confidential short survey (less than 10 minutes) will offer valuable information that will help as we seek to assist church leaders in reconnecting those who have left the church. This is based on the most common question we receive when doing seminars based on our book Why They Stay.  Survey participants will be entered in a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. In addition, those that refer participants will be entered for a $100 gift card as well. Please refer people you know by tweeting, posting and emailing the link to the survey.  Your participation is greatly appreciated! One last thing…this is national and multi-denominational. Please forward this to as many influencers as you know across the USA, as well as to individuals you know who fit this profile.

 

Click here to take the survey.

Leaders who do not invest time in training those who serve on their team take the greatest of risks. What team members do, how they do it, and when they do it is left to their own imagination. Effective leaders take the initiative to equip members, to “coach them up,” to inspire them, and to increase their skills. The result is increased effectiveness and a greater ability to respond to challenges as well as to adapt. But where do you find the time? I have found a couple of ways which I refer to as “equipping in drips.” Check these three ideas and then I will explain.

1. Send a weekly email to all team members to help them develop their leadership. You are experiencing this technique as you read this article. Each week throughout the year I write a brief article for the staff that I lead to challenge them to grow in their leadership skills. I follow up by posting the article publicly so that others may benefit and be influenced.
2. Record a weekly video message for your team. I do this each week for Bible study leaders in the church where I serve as the interim Lead Pastor. It is only five minutes long and is attached to an email. I call my version the “Parr Five” and I use a free software called Screen-cast-o-matic. Watch an example here at ParrFive!
3. Spend one-on-one time with all team members at some time throughout the year. I try to do this by having lunch with each team member. For me, that is about seventy-five who serve on a “consultant level” or higher in our organization. I go with no agenda but more often than not end up discussing issues that make our organization stronger. It takes no extra time for me because I eat lunch every day anyway.

Note that none of these actions are profound.  The first two require less than fifteen minutes of my time each week and the third requires no additional time. However, the combination has the potential to place me (my ideas and mentorship) before a staff member for up to nine or more hours during a year and mostly in five minute “drips.” That does not even include the formal gatherings that you have. It does make a difference. Equip your leaders by any means even if you must do it one drip at a time. That will maximize your leadership!