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The Vision...

A Biblical Small Group Within Walking Distance of Every Person on the Planet.


03.22.2013

5 Undeniable Reasons Leaders Should Say No to A Great Idea

 
 
Church leader, if you’ve assembled a great team, you are bombarded by great ideas. It seems every person on the team brings fantastic suggestions to you. You find yourself juggling whether or not to bring someone’s idea to the team for consideration. There really are reasons to graciously set aside a great idea. Five of those are listed below.
 
1. There's a better idea.
 
2. It undermines a non-negotiable and essential principle and/or practice you've instilled in the followers you lead.
 
3. Timing... It's not the right time for this idea to be embraced, encouraged, and carried out.
 
4. It contradicts a biblical principle and/or practice.
 
5. You are certain those in authority over you will not be on board with the idea.
Leadership
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03.21.2013

8 Necessities for an Optimally Efficient Team Meeting

 
 
When a group of volunteers gather for a meeting with a church staff member or the senior pastor, they want to be certain there time isn’t wasted. Many of them have come directly from work to the meeting or are giving up precious family time to be in attendance. A great church leader is careful to do whatever it takes so that every team member leaves the meeting feeling as though something important has been accomplished in as little time as possible.
 
In order to have an optimally effective team meeting, the eight necessities below may be helpful.
 
1. At least a week before the team meeting, if a team member is going to lead a part of the meeting, he/she is made aware of that, told what the goal of their time will be and how much time they have to accomplish that goal.
 
2. At the very least, a few days before the meeting all team members have received the meeting agenda.
 
3. Prior to the team meeting each team member is praying about each agenda item and preparing to bring their best thoughts into the discussion.
 
4. A list of material needs are given to the team leader and are in the room and in place upon arrival. i.e. white board, markers, notepads, pens, etc...
 
5. The team leader starts the meeting with a prayer and/or devotional thought followed by talking the group through the agenda and telling the group what must be accomplished by the end of the meeting.
 
6. As the team discusses each agenda item, the person leading that section of the meeting keeps the group focused and on task accomplishing the goal for their part of the meeting in the time allotted for that part of the discussion.
 
7. At the end of the meeting the group reviews decisions made, assigned tasks, and the due date for each assigned task to be accomplished.
 
8. All pray for God to aid them as they leave to accomplish their assigned duties. 


You May Also Want to Read...
How to Run a Problem Solving Meeting by Seth Godin
Recruiting Team Members/Volunteers

Leadership
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03.20.2013

6 Non-Negotiable Attributes of a Biblical Leader

 
 
Some say, “Leadership principles are leadership principles.” They then go on to demand that any great leader is someone we must learn from and practice the practices that they utilize to lead the organization they are leading. But, oftentimes there’s a difference between leadership built on practices that are biblical and those that are not. Below you’ll find a quick list of 6 practices that a follower of Christ, no matter if they have oversight of a car wash, a bank, or a church may need to cling to.
 
A biblical leader…
 
… Has fully embraced the responsibility God has given them
 
… Realizes the authority they have been given must be utilized in such a way that it brings glory to God
 
… Is willing to sacrifice his/her life and/or lifestyle to accomplish the vision he/she has been called to
 
… In realizing the responsibility is beyond human ability, a biblical leader prays much
 
… Treats those willing to follow his/her leadership as Christ would treat them
 
… Doesn't perceive himself/herself as superior to the others working to make the dream a reality, but views the others as equals who voluntarily allow them, the leader, to lead them
 
… Allows biblical leadership principles to trump business leadership principles each time they contradict one another


You May Also Want to Read...
Five Leadership Books That Have Influenced My Leadership Style
Five Characteristics of Great Team Leaders
I'm Embarrassed When Church Leaders...


Leadership
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03.19.2013

6 Reasons Many Small Group Gatherings Aren't Transformational


 
The goal of a small group meeting is to see those in the group transformed into the likeness of Christ. This demands that the leader allow the Holy Spirit to be at work, the Gospel to be the centerpiece of the conversation, and Jesus’ story to invade and transform each group member’s story.
 
Some group meetings miss the mark. There are at least six reasons why that may be so.
 
1. The group leader spent too much time preparing for the meeting and too little time praying.
 
2. The conversational Bible study was allowed to be hijacked by an overly talkative group member.
 
3. When a transformational moment was about to occur, the facilitator of the group wasn't sure how to handle the emotions that surfaced so he/she quickly moved on.
 
4. The group embraced personal opinions rather than discovering and embracing what God was saying through His words discovered in the Bible.
 
5. The leader of the group gave full attention to group members gaining head knowledge while ignoring the hearts of the group members.
 
6. There's unresolved conflict between group members. 


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How to Recognize a Transformational Moment
The 4 Most Important Questions a Small Group Leader Will Ever Ask
Small Group Leader, Do Your Group Members Want to Be Healed?

Small Group Leadership
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03.18.2013

The 10 Commandments of Small Group Leadership

 
 
Okay, okay… Maybe these aren’t THE 10 Commandments of small group leadership as they didn’t come from God Himself. But, maybe these 10 expectations of a great leader will help you as you lead and serve your small group.
 

1.Thou shalt serve edible and delicious snacks.
 
2.Thou shalt consistently pray for every group member by name.
 
3.Thou shalt welcome stragglers who stick around after group meetings as the minutes after the group meeting ends is when transformational moments often occur.
 
4. Honor thy coach and thy groups pastor that your presence may be a blessing and not a curse.
 
5. Honor thy apprentice, allowing her/him opportunities to lead the group meeting.
 
6. Thou shalt not kill the overly talkative group member.
 
7. Thou shalt not talk too much.
 
8. Thou shalt not leave conflict unresolved.
 
9. Thou shalt not do all the work but will delegate responsibilities so that other group members are more deeply engaged in group life.
 
Small Group Leadership
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03.15.2013

Thoughts on Leadership IV… Leading the Unleadable

 There are people who have joined a leaders team who are just not leadable. That is, they choose not to follow the direction of the leader, when in a meeting they are unable or unwilling to embrace anyone’s ideas but their own, and they tend to create chaos more often than they produce relational oneness. If you’ve tried to help them but they still seem to be unleadable, maybe the four ideas below will be helpful to you.  
 
1. Don’t give them too much of your time. If they are unwilling to change the way they think or accept your wise counsel, give your time to those who are willing to learn and grow.
 
2. Prior to a decision making meeting, converse with him/her before the meeting gaining his/her thoughts on the matter to be discussed. Assure them that their ideas are important and that others in the group will also have some great ideas for the team’s consideration. By doing this, you’re teaching the unleadable person to honor others ideas and at the same time you’re making them aware that their idea may not be the one the team chooses to utilize. This should keep this person from demanding their idea be embraced making the meeting much more synergistic and non-combative.
 
3. Protect the rest of the team from the chaos the unleadable person creates by putting them on few work teams while assigning them duties they can accomplish on their own.
 
4. Conclude what causes them to be the way they are then aid them in overcoming their self-centeredness. In almost every instance, the person who is unleadable is unleadable due to something that has happened in their past. Perhaps a parent was abusive, maybe one of their mentors demanded perfection and they believe that if they give up control the work will done poorly, etc… Remember, God can redeem all pain and past hurts. If the unleadable person is willing and able, maybe you can set them free and they can become a great team member, the kind of team member you need to accomplish the vision God has given you. 
Leadership
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03.14.2013

Thoughts on Leadership III… 4 Reasons Leaders Need to Be Effective Communicators

 
 
Gilbert Amelio, the President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corporation once said,"Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."
 
Being an effective communicator is a vital characteristic of an effective leader for the following reasons:
 
·      Workers/followers are inspired most potently by a vivid description of the vision the leader has embraced. The leader must be able to communicate that vision very well.
 
·      Great communicators are the best motivators.
 
·      A great conversationalist has the ability to recruit people one person at a time. A great communicator is capable of recruiting the masses through one great speech.
 
·      A leader will often be called upon to give reports to those above them on the flow chart as well as to peers. A leader can gain the respect of those they lead by simply communicating professionally and effectively. On the other hand, a poor communicator will lose the respect of those above them on the flow chart as well as their peers if they have poor communication skills. 


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When You Don't Communicate by Ron Edmondson
Communicating the Personal Vision Within My Head by Ron Edmondson
5 Things I've Learned in Public Speaking by Ron Edmondson

Leadership
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03.13.2013

Thoughts On Leadership II… The importance of Trust in Leadership

 
 
When followers don’t trust their leader, multiple negative outcomes occur.
 
·      Those under the leader’s leadership will not give their best effort.
 
·      Those under the leadership of the leader, when given a responsibility by the leader, will doubt the importance of the work to be done and may believe they’re doing work that is unimportant, maybe even unnecessary. And so, the worker does poor work and/or loses passion for the work being done.
 
·      When leading a meeting or in a meeting the leader’s voice has little impact as those the leader is speaking to doubt the data being shared, the motivational stories being told, or the homework that has supposedly been done in preparation for the meeting.
 
·      Because followers/employees intuitively follow the leader’s lead, when the leader lacks integrity others will also. This opens the door for an environment of gossip and backbiting. Even if followers/employees aren’t verbally beating up on one another, I can assure you, they’re talking to one another about the leader who has proven he/she can’t be trusted. In this environment synergy is nearly non-existent keeping the best ideas and strategies from ever being realized. 
 
·      The leader will find herself/himself in a vacuum with no one willing to give them wise counsel. 

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5 Necessities for Building Trust Between Leaders and Followers
The Difference Between an Elder Board and An Elder Body
6 Statements Many Staff Members Would Like to Say to Their Senior Pastors
Leadership
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03.12.2013

Thoughts on Leadership I… Important Qualities and Skills of An Effective Leader

 
 
Many pastors are great theologians. Many pastors have great relational skills. Many pastors spiritually mature. But a pastor who lacks understanding of the qualities and skills of a great leader will never accomplish all that God has called them to accomplish. Why? Without leadership skills and the qualities of a great leader, people will not follow them.
 
What are some of those important skills and qualities?
 
·      Visionary – Before anything else, an effective leader is a visionary. In the leaders minds eye she/he sees what the end result is to be, recruits a team to see that vision become a reality, creates a workable strategy to see the vision become a reality, then works alongside the team she/he has recruited to make that vision a reality.
 
·      Integrity - An effective leader must be a person of integrity. Integrity is the ingredient that makes people want to follow a leader. A leader lacking integrity may be able to get people to accomplish work but those workers will do the work begrudgingly and without passion which will most likely lead to poor work and will, for sure, create an awkward work environment. Not only that, if the people the leader is leading are volunteers those volunteers will soon bail on the leader leaving that leader without the people resources to accomplish the vision the leader has been given.
 
·      Consistency – A leader who is emotionally inconsistent creates an unstable workplace. Followers don’t know which personality they’re going to be working for day to day because, one day when they share an idea they may be honored for it, the next day they may be attacked for not not trusting the ideas the leader has already espoused, etc… . An emotionally inconsistent leader inhibits synergy which ultimately keeps the leader from getting the best ideas from those they are leading.
 
·      Encouragement – Great leaders are great encouragers. They realize that people who are loved and appreciated do better work than those who work out of fear or obligation.
 
·      Organization – Great leaders are organized leaders. Anyone who has worked for an unorganized leader knows the frustration of needing information from the last meeting and the leader not being able to find it, or anticipating a response to a question asked but never receiving it, or showing up for a meeting on time and the leader showing up 15 minutes late. An organized leader is organized not just so he/she can accomplish much, but so that they can gain the respect of those they lead. But also, an effective leader is organized so that they can stay aware of the many initiatives they are leading. Leading from the top rung of the ladder requires that leader see all aspects of the work being done. If a leader is overseeing the work of just ten initiatives, without being well organized, that leader will lose track of some of the work in progress making it impossible to hold those working on the project accountable for the work and being certain the work is accomplished in an optimally effective amount of time. 


You May Also Want to Read...
10 Ideas for Creating a Leadership Culture in Your Church
Leverage and Leadership
15 Leadership Tweets That Might Create Healthy Inner Tension


 
Leadership
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03.11.2013

Three Leadership Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

 
 
Looking back over my shoulder there are three leadership lessons I learned the hard way. Each of them created a lot of work for me and an immense amount of emotional intensity in me. The emotions and work could have been avoided had I been aware of these three facts.
 
1. If you leave a leadership vacuum someone will fill it. And, in most instances, they’ll fill it with an ideology, strategy, or person that differs from the choice you would have made.
 
2. Only the senior pastor has the clout to get the elders, finance team, and staff to agree to and become engaged in an initiative a staff leader is spearheading.
 
3. The most important influencers in a church are oftentimes people who have no title and are on no leadership team. If you’re going to move a delicate agenda forward you must persuade them to join you in it. 



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Five Characteristics of Great Team Leaders
Living a Life of Leadership, 5 Responsibilities of Senior Pastors Who Get It
Doing Relationships




Leadership
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