Results

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.

“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!

I serve in an organization that is going through a “big” transition. A beloved CEO of more than twenty-five years is retiring, and the name of the next CEO has been announced. The transition began five months ago and will not be completed until four more months have passed. I want to invite you to look over my shoulder as a model of how to assist your team if you are going through a big change. Here is the actual communication going out to our staff from me this week and it is followed by an eight-minute video that will encourage you if you find yourself in transition. I trust you will also glean from me some assistance in shepherding a staff through big changes. Here is the full email to the staff followed by the link to the video…

 

“I cannot imagine that you have not heard the news by this time. We now know the person that will be nominated to serve as the next Executive Director. Congratulations to Thomas Hammond. It is certainly good to have the answer to one big piece of the future puzzle, but some questions remain unanswered. While we know that any new leader will bring a fresh vision, new ideas, potential reorganization, and dare I say it, “change,” there is still a degree of uncertainty about the future.

Since the time that Dr. White announced his retirement, I have personally sought to provide encouragement, instruction, and to instill confidence in each of you as we look to the future. You may recall that during the June webinar I shared a brief leadership lesson I called “Why You Can Be Confident in the Future.” I believe that it is worth a second view or if you missed it, even more importantly, a first view. You can be confident in your future, not because you know the name of the next Executive Director, but because God knows you and has a plan for your life and ministry. Please take a few minutes to view this segment again.”

How is your team (staff) doing? Over the years I have had some great teams and some great seasons of ministry with people that I love and enjoy. The team I lead today is not the same one I led thirty years ago, or twenty, or ten. There have even been changes in the last five years. I also understand as the organization that I serve goes through changes in leadership that future changes are inevitable. Some of the people I love and respect the most will not make the journey. That is not necessarily a bad thing but simply a reality. For some, their future opportunities will propel them to places of great joy and success. Admittedly, others will go through painful transitions. In John Maxwell’s book, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, he points out three reasons that some team members do not stay with their team or organization during times of change.

1. Some team members simply do not want to take the journey. They know that change is coming and either does not want to make changes, fear the forthcoming changes, disagree with the changes, or use the transition as an exit ramp to do something else. This is not a negative. The exit is positive both for the individual and the organization. It may be that you will miss them, but why would you want to work alongside anyone who does not want to be there?
2. Some team members should not take the journey. In some circumstances, an organization has very talented and competent team members who have a different vision or agenda. Their view on leadership, direction, goals, priorities, doctrine (in a Christian setting), or strategy is in such contradiction to the leadership and direction of the organization that they are like oil in the water. They simply do not mix. They are capable but likely will not continue with the current organization. Those who find themselves in such circumstances who have integrity will graciously remove themselves over the course of time, and that’s best for both them and the organization.
3. Not every team member can take the journey. Oftentimes team members get locked into a position and do enough to get by but not enough to make a great difference. They are not incompetent (though some may be) but they have lost their passion, or they have lost their effectiveness. It may be that they need a new mountain to climb. A new opportunity can be the impetus to renew their growth and to give them fruit for their labor. However, they may have disqualified themselves in the current role or organization because they allowed their growth to be stunted. Ideally, a graceful exit will be arranged but they are not likely to make the journey of change in the current organization.

Enjoy your team…and enjoy your next one too. However, don’t be taken off guard by the changes. Enjoy the seasons of stability and embrace the seasons of change. They are both a part of the journey as you seek to maximize your leadership.

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. No doubt you have heard that analogy in the past. Every member of a team brings unique levels of experience, ability, intellect, and passion to the group. The ultimate aim is to have a team with no weak links. Ideally, everyone is growing or at least being “coached up.” Obviously, in a worst case scenario, a team member who is so weak that the team is being hindered or restricted must be removed. You are not that weak link, are you? You are growing personally, aren’t you? You are inspiring the other members to grow also, right? Here are three things that you and each team member should do to keep each link of the chain strong.

1. Each team member should have a mentor. A mentor is someone who has greater experience, stronger ability, excellent intellect, and exceptional passion who is willing to give some of their time to help others to be more effective at what they do. The mentor should have experience in the same field of responsibility, a track record of success, and a willingness to pass on his or her wisdom to others. Who is your mentor?
2. Each team member should have a personal growth plan. Growth can happen by osmosis sometimes, but it is not ordinary and less likely as you rise to higher levels of leadership. Growth comes as you read, experiment, pilot new methods and strategies, fail, collaborate, listen to others, subscribe to podcasts, attend seminars and conferences, pursue degrees, “bend the ears” of other skilled leaders, submit to accountability and self-evaluate. That is not an exhaustive list but simply examples of actions a leader or team member can take to grow. What is your plan?
3. Get out of your comfort zone. I personally am not a fan of stress, but I have learned that if I am not stressed I am not really growing. Some reading this already think that number two is not possible for them because it will put stress on their schedule. Welcome to leadership! I am not speaking here of unnecessary stress but of strategic stress. You must be stretched to grow, and you will rarely find it comfortable. It may finally become comfortable with time and experience, or it may not. I continually find myself in uncomfortable situations because I expose myself to situations that test me and make me stronger. How are you getting out of your comfort zone?

Don’t be the weakest link. Don’t be a weak link at all. Commit to continue your growth and you will be on your way to maximizing your leadership!