Leading

Every effective organization has a leader and there can only be one at the helm. He or she will be most effective if they surround themselves with other capable team members who are called upon to lead from the middle. Always remember that an organization with no head is dead and an organization with more than one head is a monster. How do you help those who lead from the middle? If you are leading from the middle, take heart. God can use you mightily and you can exert great influence. I recently heard that the disposition of a leader is more important than the position. Here are some lessons I have learned about leading from the middle for you to apply or to pass along to team members.

1. It is the leader’s prerogative to have the final word. You will not always agree. He or she will not always be right. But, it is the leader’s prerogative to make the final call. Your role is first to help the leader to make a good decision. Do your research. Share your thoughts. Build a relationship that allows you to say what you think and even disagree because of the trust that you share. Once a decision is made, you should support the decision. That is tough to do sometimes, but that is your responsibility. In the most egregious of circumstances and in the event that you cannot be supportive, you should step aside. I am not speaking to issues of morality or integrity at this point. Always stand for those issues to the end. But, generally speaking, the leader bears responsibility for the final decision.
2. You will never have enough staff. I know what you are thinking. If we only had more staff then we could really move this church or organization forward. I have been on staffs of all sizes from two to two-hundred and we never have had enough. Don’t sit around waiting on additional staff. Use your talents, gifts, and experience to move your organization forward. Progress does not necessarily follow the addition of more staff members. Additional staff members usually follow the progress of the current staff. Focus on your mission and your responsibility. Give greater attention to what you have than to what you wish you had.
3. You will never have enough in your budget. Okay. I admit that some people are blessed and the budget has more than they can spend. You are likely not in that situation. The thinking here is the same as in point number two. If we had more money we could… Never let the size of your budget, determine what you can get done. See large financial resources as a blessing and not as a necessity. I say this particularly for those who serve in ministry. Resources do not necessarily bring you people. Reach people and they will bring additional resources. I am not just speaking of finances. People bring additional talents, time, and strength to the church or organization you lead.
4. You may be doing something different in a couple of years. If your ministry or business grows or succeeds, the roles of the team members will, because of necessity have to change. Enjoy what you do, but understand that what you do will likely need to change in the future. That means you need to grow and to be flexible. This is also good news if you do not enjoy what you are doing. I experienced this for over a year earlier in my ministry, but stayed focused leading the organization to grow, which opened new opportunities for me in a short span of time. It is good to do what you enjoy. It is equally important to learn to enjoy what you do. Work, after all, is a blessing. If you don’t believe me, let me put you in touch with friends who have been out of work for a while.

To respect your time, I will pick up next week. I want to do all I can to help you to maximize your leadership!

Are you “a” leader but not “the” leader? That is the category into which most leaders fall. Great things can be accomplished by those who lead from the middle. They may or may not get the credit. However, credit is not the goal. The goal is faithfulness, progress, success, change, or resolution depending on the situation. It does not matter who gets the credit so long as the job gets done. I love and respect my leader so very much. I also take joy on those occasions where he says or initiates something over which I had influence. We he wins, I win and all of our staff wins. If the organization does well that is good for all who are affiliated. Therefore, I am committed to do my best as I lead from the middle. I shared four key lessons for those who lead from the middle last week. Here are four more that will maximize your leadership.

5. Always be positive. It is the nature of organizations to struggle with communication, perpetual crises, misunderstandings, misalignment of staff, weaker staff members, and weariness. Effective organizations are never satisfied and many tasks are actually unconquerable. The team continually chases its goals, but there is never an end. In the midst of that weariness and frustration the team members can easily fall into the trap of cynicism, (unhealthy) criticism, and complaining. Take heart. Everyone does this to some degree. However, it should not be misconstrued as a spiritual gift. Catch yourself and beware of perpetual negativity. You will not last long and if you do, you will be an anchor on the progress of your church or organization. There is a time to criticize, but there is also a proper way to do so. When all is said and done, a leader who leads effectively from the middle lifts people up with a good attitude that sees the best in most situations instead of automatically gravitating to the worst interpretation. Be positive. Your church or organization likely has enough critics already!

6. Don’t hold grudges. You will be disappointed sometimes. People will make mistakes and will let you down. If you are around long enough, someone will hurt your feelings. You will not always get your way. You will encounter some people whose motives are not pure and their actions will bring hurt to you. What do you do in those circumstances? You must offer genuine forgiveness and let go of the hurts. If not, you will become the cynic and will be unable to accomplish the aims described in the previous point. Buddy Hackett once said that “while you carry the grudge the other guy is out dancing.” What does that mean? It means you only hurt yourself and not only do you become an anchor holding back your organization, but you also become the anchor to your own personal development and effectiveness. You will get hurt and when it happens, you must work through it, learn from it, and then let go.

7. Work hard, but not to the neglect of your family. Effective leaders are by nature hard workers and you should be. However, on this point you should not compromise. Strive to succeed with family and at work. But if you can only succeed with one, make it your family. Jobs come and go, but your family is a lifetime association and commitment. You can do both. It requires skills at prioritizing, establishing healthy boundaries, good time management, and a strong work ethic. Do you possess those four qualities or skills? If not get help because your church, organization, and most importantly, your family need your leadership.
8. Don’t dismiss your critics. I’ll admit it. I do not like to be criticized. But I do like the result of criticism. If you are a leader you will of necessity have to learn to handle criticism. If you are never criticized, it is because you are not doing anything. Even the most gifted and effective leaders get criticized. Jesus Christ came from God, served man, lived virtuously and constantly received criticism. Are you any better? It will happen. Don’t walk into it by constantly exercising poor judgment. But when it does happen, get up, brush yourself off, and ask yourself a question: To what degree is their criticism accurate? “Only one to two percent your say?” Then you have work to do. Address the two percent that they were accurate about and sharpen your leadership. That is what I mean by “liking the results of criticism.” I always seek to as objectively as possible understand what my critics are right about and make changes. John Schnatter once said, “I’ve always found that people who struggle are hard on others, but those who do well in life are hard on themselves.” You don’t have to enjoy criticism. I know I don’t. But you must grow from it if you lead from the middle. That is another way that you maximize your leadership.

I’m not done. I’ll have more to share on this subject next week. Stay tuned and please share with others.

Some leaders are blessed with “gravitas.” They can command a room or an audience by their very presence. People naturally turn to them and tune in to them whenever they are present. I admire their natural and God gifted abilities to influence others with charm, good people skills, compelling personality, and natural born leadership ability. What these type of leaders have cannot be bought and cannot be learned or developed. However, any leader, and you must not be a “natural born leader” in order to lead, can develop their own abilities and increase their ability to influence and motivate others. I’m still working on it and perhaps you are too. Therefore, here are some thoughts that I encourage you to apply as you consider what happens when a leader enters the room.

1. The leader is ordinarily on time. I say ordinarily because there are exceptions to everything. Sometimes there is a necessary meeting before the meeting or a unexpected urgent matter calls for their attention. If they have charge of the meeting you will notice that someone is there in their stead and everything is prepared so that once they arrive there is no further delay. The leader will offer an apology and explanation. However, their late arrival is the exception and not the rule. Why? Because a true leader can be counted on and that is modeled by arriving at the agreed upon time.
2. The leader greets everyone personally if possible. Again you will note the caveat of “if possible.” A gathering of six or eight people and a gathering of six hundred people are not the same. In the first instance, all in attendance will be personally engaged. In a larger setting the leader will seek to engage as many people as possible before and after the event.
3. The leader projects energy and optimism. He or she may not even feel like being there. He may be tired, frustrated, or fighting a cold, but will not tip his or her hand. This energy and optimism does not mean that he is not serious but as a leader, he is there to help find the way forward and confidently helps everyone present to know there are alternatives and hope for the future.
4. The leader is prepared. Preparation may mean providing an agenda, having pre-determined questions, having studied in advance to offer answers to questions or concerns, or preparing a message to deliver. While a leader learns to be extemporaneous, he or she is known for being well prepared.
5. The leader is focused on the people in the room and not electronic devices. I do not object to the possession or use of electronic devices in meetings but you will notice that leaders may use them as a tool but not as a distraction. Their focus is on the people inside the room rather than those outside of it for the duration of the gathering.
6. The leader leaves when they must but never appears to be in a hurry. People have schedules to keep and leaders are no exception. The leader will tend to linger when possible to continue personal interaction with those in attendance but sometimes has to move along to other obligations. He or she will make their way to the exit and though they may be in a hurry will avoid giving the appearance that they are anxious to depart.

I want to add one other note for the Christian leader. Let’s pray for one another for God’s anointing on our lives. My desire is that He would place on me a supernatural and spiritual drawing that makes my leadership, wisdom, and guidance fruitful and compelling to others, not for my own elevation, but that I might be used mightily of God for His Kingdom purposes. How about you?

I confess that I am much more skilled at breaking things than building things. When it comes to the work of a handyman, I can get the job done but I am slow and unskilled. However, I have learned how to apply an important element of the handyman’s work to my leadership. My dad used to remind me of an important principle when cutting wood when constructing or repairing anything. He would remind me before applying a saw to wood to measure twice so that I would only have to cut once. The point is to verify what you already know to be true in order to minimize making a mistake and having to cut again or to waste wood that was not measured correctly to start with.

I am blessed with some administrative gifts, but being far from perfect I have also learned to apply new skills to help in getting my work accomplished. I talk to myself and almost every day I remind myself to “measure twice and cut once.” As I work with an assistant, a fellow staff member, or an employee, I tell them that I would rather you ask the same question three or four times and get it right than to only ask once and let a detail go unnoticed. Understand that the nature of leadership correlates to increased numbers of details and responsibilities. Hopefully, you have a team and/or assistants to help with those details. Remind them and continually remind yourself to always measure twice (check it and double check it) and you will only have to cut once (the task will be done right).

I learned a new phrase recently that I have often repeated to myself from Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. He made a political endorsement that got members of the press in a frenzy. At his next press conference, a reporter ask him about the endorsement. About five or six times, as the question was being asked, he kept interrupting the question with this word: “Seattle….Seattle…Seattle.” The Seattle Seahawks were their next opponent. He was communicating that his focus was on the next game and not on political commentary.

I found myself recently distracted from a task and said out loud to myself….”Seattle….Seattle.” It was my way of refocusing. It may or may not make a difference to you but I find mental devices such as these helpful to keep me focused, attentive to details, and effective in my leadership. There are others. I have mine and you have yours. In any case you should be diligent in developing mental disciplines and exercises to maximize your leadership.

It’s 2-0. 2-2. 4-2. 6-2……..18-14.  “Would you shut up! Are you the scoreboard or what?” Ouch. I was about fourteen years of age playing in a pickup basketball game calling out the score every time a basket was made when that stinging rebuke came my way. I didn’t think much about it but I was always into details and statistics from early on as you can tell. I like to know where I stand. I hate playing a game where no one keeps the score. It is a waste of time in my opinion. I would rather get stomped in tennis than play and not keep the score. I think details are important.

As an example, I will drive past three gas stations to get to a Quik Trip. My reason? Always clean restrooms, a variety of selections, and quick friendly service. Occasionally I am on the road and stop by a random station with dirty restrooms. Yes, details do matter! Maybe some store owners or managers think a clean restroom is an unimportant detail. But I know that Quik Trip has made a few bucks off of me because they always attend to this important detail. That is what outstanding organizations do. They pay attention to the details. There are no little things to the outstanding organization. Everything matters and everything makes an impression. Everything you do compels your followers and/or customers to become more or less loyal. Pay attention. Don’t neglect the details. By the way. My team  won that pick-up game 24-20J

Adapted from Chapter Forty-Four of John G. Miller’s Outstanding; 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional

One year ago, Dr. Tom Crites and I were honored to launch the book, Why They Stay. I hope you are well acquainted with this work by now and I must say that we are delighted at how it has been impacting church leaders and parents alike. Just in case you are unacquainted, the book is based on a national research project of 26-39 year olds who grew up attending church. While much has been written about why young adults are leaving the church, Tom and I took a different approach by analyzing why those who grew up and have remained faithful into their adult lives have “stayed.”

The results of the groundbreaking research revealed 15 major issues that church leaders and parents can tap into that magnify the likelihood that their children will remain committed to church into their adult lives. If that is your heart’s desire, I trust that you have read the book or perhaps this has piqued your interest. For those who have read the book, you can help propel the impact of the findings in a couple of ways. Amazon reviews carry a large amount of influence and Tom and I would be very appreciative if you would take a few moments to personally post one. Larger numbers of reviews lead to larger numbers of readers and larger numbers of readers result in more changed lives. Thanks for taking time to do so.

We are also pleased to announce the release of an eight part video teaching series. It consists of eight- thirty minute teaching sessions along with downloadable leader and participant guides. The videos can be used as a ten week (including an introduction and celebration session) Bible study, or in a retreat setting, or a parent conference. Discussion questions are included. Many thanks to Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, Georgia for embracing this project and funding the professional filming and editing. Did I mention it is free for churches to use? If your church has purchased copies of Why They Stay, you can stream all sessions and download the resources at no charge. This is a great value (about $299) and is our way of giving back and investing in more parents and church leaders in the coming year. Visit www.whytheystay.com to learn more and I hope your church will use these videos with parents and church leaders in the coming months.

For anyone willing to post a formal review on a blog or widely read publication, we would be honored to provide a complimentary copy of the book. Let us know if you or someone you respect would be interested. Researching and writing is one of the ways I seek to maximize my leadership. I hope you are encouraged as I pour into you each week with maximized leadership articles.

Specialist, Consultant, Vice-President, Executive, Doctor, Reverend, Professor, Captain, Chairman, Director…. Pretty impressive, huh? Not really. Having a title does not make one a leader and an effective leader does not get caught up in titles. We all know someone with an impressive title who has little influence and fails to be effective. Titles are not a bad thing and there is nothing wrong with having a title. However, John G. Miller reminds us that “in truly outstanding organizations, it’s not titles that matter, but how well we perform and serve.”

That is actually good news. You can be effective and make a difference from whatever seat in the organization that you are assigned. Perhaps you desire more authority, more “say so,” or more leverage. What can you do? You can serve others, add value to others, and enhance the effectiveness of others from any seat in the organization. Did you notice the pattern in the preceding sentence? Focus on helping others and not only will the organization be more effective, but you will be highly regarded. It is more important to be “highly regarded” by your peers and constituents than to have a title. This attitude is actually consistent with the greatest commandment. Do you recall? The short version; first love God with all your heart and secondly love (care for) your neighbor (co-workers and constituents) as you love (care for) yourself. You may not have the most impressive title or any formal authority, but you sure will make an impression. That is the way you maximize your leadership!

Adapted from Chapter Forty-Five of John G. Millers’ Outstanding; 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional

I hate to make mistakes and I make them all too often.  The good news is that you don’t have to be “mistake free” in order to be effective. You certainly don’t want to make the same mistakes over and over. Outstanding leaders seek to minimize their mistakes and any diligent organization should do likewise. The person who never admits that they have made mistakes commits perhaps an even more egregious error than committing a mistake in the first place.

Russ Gasdia was once ask what he considered to be the three characteristics of an effective leader. He replied, “Humility, humility, humility. Effective leaders know they make mistakes, accept feedback from others to learn, admit that they don’t always know what’s right, and recognize that it is ‘not all about them. When they succeed they are humble. When they fail, they are humble. And lastly, they never think they are more important than their customer.”

Confidence is commendable but I believe we can all agree that arrogance is contemptible. Always do your best and seek to minimize your mistakes. However, you may have noticed that some leaders get “a pass” when they make mistakes and perhaps you can too. Those who get through the errors and continue to thrive have these qualities in common:

1. They have established a pattern of excellence and effectiveness while big mistakes are the exception rather than the rule.
2. They have focused on building relationships and therefore people know their motives are pure even if the outcome sometimes falls short.
3. They tend to make long-term commitments and don’t quickly move from place to place.
4. They tend to exercise grace themselves when others make mistakes.
5. They are always purposefully progressing in their skills and leadership abilities.

Do not misunderstand the intent of this message. Egregious errors and moral failures, while they can be forgiven, will result in the forfeit of leadership opportunities. But effective leaders find a way to be strengthened by mistakes rather than crippled by them. Examine yourself in light of these five qualities and apply them to strengthen your leadership even amidst occasional mistakes.

*Paragraph 2 taken from chapter 2 of John G. Millers’ Outstanding!