How Do Great Leaders Inspire Action?

"People don't buy WHAT you do. People buy WHY you do it. "

Golden Circle = Why you do it -belief/cause; How you do it; What you do

"The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs WHAT you have.  The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe (the WHY)"

"When we communicate from the outside-in, yes, people can understand vast amounts of complicated information like features, benefits, facts and figures.  It just doesn't drive behavior."

"When we communicate from the inside-out we are talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior and we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do."

"If you don't know WHY you do WHAT you do and people respond to WHY you do what you do and how will people ever get to respond to what you do (buy, vote, etc.). Be loyal."

"If you talk about what you believe (WHY) you will attract those who believe what you believe."


Most of us operate from the outside-in = what/how/why

Great organizations and leaders lead from the inside-out: why/how/what

Here is the 5 minute version:

Here is the 18 minute version:

Creating the Culture of the Church Planting Team

I found this to be a helpful article over at the Exponential blog on building a team. Go here for the entire article:

http://blog.exponential.org/2013/10/insights-from-exponential-west-12-ways-to-build-a-great-team-and-keep-it/

Here is a brief qoute from the post:

"CREATING A CULTURE THAT EMPOWERS GREAT TEAMS

Make time for the three S’s. For several years, we have had a weekly ritual with our staff that has been HUGE toward keeping us focused in the same direction. Our entire team meets together every Wednesday, and we spend an hour together doing three things: Stories, Spotlights and other Stuff. Stories: We spend the first 15 to 20 minutes of every gathering sharing stories. We begin the conversation by saying, “Where have you seen God at work in and through the church in the past seven days?” And then it is an open floor. We hear about changed lives in student ministry, small groups and children’s ministry. We find out about the person in Canada who wrote in after watching an online service. We hear about the experience of people who attended for the first time, and the baptism of another who has been away from church for decades. Spotlight: Then we spend time putting one individual in the spotlight. With no warning ahead of time, we ask someone to sit up front and field questions from the rest of the team. We find out about their childhood, likes and dislikes, spiritual journey, spouse, hobbies and history. Then we stop the questions and say, “Now let’s tell [Jill] why we are so glad to have her on the team.” And one after another, we tell her how her life adds joy and meaning to the rest of us. Stuff: The final segment in our meeting is often for sharing inside information. It adds value to the team when they know stuff ahead of time. Sometimes we are talking about stuff that is coming; sometimes it’s merely stuff we’re thinking about and haven’t decided."

What is one thing you can do to grow your team today?

 

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Investing in True Leadership

In your new church, and as you make new disciples, hopefully your goal is to multiple disciples and multiply leaders. I would recommend investing in the following as you move forward together:

1. Invest in COMMUNICATION. Saying it from the pulpit on Saturday night or Sunday morning during the worship service is a good start, but it should not be your sole communication strategy. Communication, in this era, must have multiple platforms to reach all the disciples in the church. Don't let a lack of communication lead to minor misunderstandings which can become major mishaps.
2. Invest in PERSONALIZED training and education. Jesus learned carpentry as an apprentice of his father. Jesus likewise apprenticed those whole followed him as fishers of men. The most personalized approach is always the best approach. However, one size doesn't fit all. Coach according to the unique disciples needs. You can not train or educate from the pulpit. You need to come off the stage and invite disciples to come alongside you, modeling behaviors and beliefs.

As a young church, you have a unique capacity to invest in communication and personalized training/equipping. Start the journey here and you will not be disappointed and you will be moving in the right direction to create healthy leaders.

 

Want to read more? Check out this link: http://westfallonline.com/great-companies-true-leadership/

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Tips for a Healthier you and Healthier New Church

Tips. Everyone has them, few of us listen to them. Consider these tips as you consider managing yourself, your family and your new church, full of new disciples:

1. Mange YOUR SCHEDULE, not just your ministry schedule.
2. Shut down. Walk away from the iPhone, iPad , and constant barrage of emails and text, UNPLUG.
3. Keep learning. Read. Ask questions. Never stop learning.
4. Get your workout in and skip the fast food. Schedule your workouts and plan your meals. They go together.
5. Don't skip meals. Fuel your body and mind.
6. Do Sabbath well ( learn to cease, stop and trust God).
7. Pack a lunch. Budget, balance and health.
8. Have hobbies outside of ministry. Discover your identity apart from how you let ministry define you. Unwind, laugh and have some fun. Meet new people and expand the mission.
9. Find a mentor,
10. Be a mentor.
11. Say thank you. Be grateful, always.
12. Get a good nights sleep. Nothing will change your spirit and attitude as much as this. Recharge with 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
13. Declutter. A cluttered space/desk leads to a cluttered mind and life. Detox and keep the space fresh.
14. Don't eat alone, especially at your desk. Network. Meet some new people and learn a new story.
15. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of WATER. Refilling that water bottle 3x a day will also get you up and moving, if you know what I mean ;)
16. Learn to say NO. Establish boundaries and be strategic. Every time you say NO, you free time to engage priorities helpful to moving the mission forward. HOWEVER, never say NO to God. Walk in the Spirit and obey His every word.
17. Make "To-Do" list. Don't try to remember things you promised or things you want. Write it down.
18. Develop relationship with other staff, other leaders, other new church pastors and especially the new disciples of Jesus in the new church.
19. Build ministry/life balance from the beginning into the DNA.

*this list was adapted from Caroline Eaton, a certified personal trainer and editor of Sticky Marketing. It appeared on the UNDER30CEO blog.

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Three ways to positively step up your personal leadership & engagement

You are going to have incredible opportunities and challenges in your church, church plant, startup, business, etc. During the challenges, the temptation is to disengage. It is easier, instead of stepping up, to step out and pursue the next big thing. Alli Polin of Break the Frame, says:

"Leadership is more than being skilled at driving outcomes, it requires leaders at all levels to engage and bring the team with them on the journey.

Leading for the sake of “getting it done” and “achieving the vision” are far different experiences for both the individual leaders and their team. Pushing actions and solutions, without concern for employee engagement, reduces work to a series of soulless checklists."

He goes on to remind us WE ARE PART OF A TEAM! As a team member and as a leader here are 3 steps you can take to lead and engage during challenges and problem solving:

1. Do Your Homework - not every idea is a great idea. If you have an idea, do,some homework and see if it is a viable solution.
2. Speak Up - share your thoughts an ideas instead of complaining and grumbling.
3. Let Go - Sometimes your brilliant idea, even after you did your homework, will fall flat to a group or the leader. Let it go. Reward yourself for participating, give yourself a pat on the back for "trying" and re-engage your team to accomplish the mission/vision/values of the group.

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Vision of Change

Recently saw this from Lead from Within:

Developing, clarifying, and communicating a clear vision is an important step in the change process.
Developing the vision: Our people look at us as leaders to define a vision and to paint the picture of the future.
Clarifying the vision: Our people look to our guidance as leaders to clarify and identify the direction of change.
Communicating the vision: Our people need to be respected enough for us to communicate a clear, inclusive vision for change—so they, in turn, can help us bring the vision to reality.

Read more here from Lolly Daskal:
Vision

Supported

“Employees in great places to work feel supported.”Amy Lyman Cofounder of Great Place to Work®.  

If you want to create a volunteer system or a top-notch staff, you must develop a significant SUPPORT system.  In my work in the NW, I have never had a big budget to entice the "best" talent or to offer lucarative salaries, BUT I did have the capacity to offer and provide the best support system I could possibly deliver. You can too!

Volunteers and paid staff all need to feel the support of the organization. If you want to maintain the best volunteers and the best staff, a great support system will be the difference between them staying with you or them going to volunteer, serve, or work for someone else.

Here is one TREND the top organizations in America are doing to SUPPORT their employees:

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT!

Invest in the long-term growth of all those who are related to your organization.

Read more here:
http://www.greatplacetowork.com/publications-and-events/blogs-and-news/1632-leadership-development

Consider this resource to help give you some guidance:

Help the Helper

Teamwork just doesn't happen.  You, as a leader, have to create a culture for teamwork.  Kevin Pritchard and John Eliot have written, Help the Helper - Building a Culture of Extreme Teamwork.  Larry Bird had this to say about the book:

“The real lessons of teamwork don’t happen on camera. They happen behind the closed doors of locker rooms and team meetings and practice facilities. Kevin and John open those closed doors. All you need to do is get reading!”  —Larry Bird

From Amazon: “Help the helper” is a basketball motto preached by some of the sport’s legendary coaches, including Dean Smith and Phil Jackson. All good players know they should support a teammate who’s under pressure. But the true greats know how to take it one step further. They fill the gaps left behind when one teammate goes to help another—gaps that are often far from the bas­ket and out of the spotlight. The true greats step up in quiet ways to make sure no subtle holes develop on defense and no opportunities are missed on offense.

Help the Helper will show you how to put this level of teamwork to work in your business, to build a cul­ture that recognizes and rewards those who help the helper—even when they don’t have sexy statistics. In the process, it will teach you how to de-emphasize the CEO/quarterback/superstar and effectively redefine leadership. You’ll learn, for instance, how to:

• Create a dynasty of unselfishness.
• Manage energy, not people.
• Eat obstacles for breakfast.
• Act like an “unleader.”

Consider how it works in the hospitality industry. In a great restaurant you don’t have to wait for your server to check on you; your needs are taken care of instantaneously, sometimes before you notice them. Everyone from the busboy to the maître d’ has one goal: the success of the team. Such coordination seems complicated for a small eatery, nearly impossible for a large organization. But it’s easier than you think.

For a combined forty years, Pritchard and Eliot have focused on building high-performing groups. They’ve crushed Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-Hour Rule, logging upward of 50,000 hours studying the factors that create champions and dynasties, from the NBA and Major League Baseball to the Fortune 500. Exhaustive testing, scouting, and evaluating have taught them that truly special teams in all fields have one common denominator: a willingness to do what­ever it takes to help the helper.

Drawing on true and inspirational stories from sports to medicine to business, Help the Helper shows what’s behind the curtain that fuels great team performance. "

Order it here:

Why You Might Want to Consider a 30-Something-Year-Old Leader

30-Something-Year-Old leaders bring something unique to the table as entrepreneurs and as organizational leaders.  Call them the E's of 30-Somethings:

• Energy 
• enthusiasm
• excitement
• entertainment
• effervescence

You can read the entire article at:  I Am 30 by Robert Craven, Author of Bright Marketing

The Collective Context: Do People Understand Their Context in the Collective Context?

Just because your strategy makes sense to you, doesn't mean it makes sense to others!
It is up to you to create understand of the collective context, so people can

• Put the strategy on a single piece of paper. Let it serve as a strategic framework that drives all work inside the organization.
• Share the strategic framework and ensure your leaders are aligned. Don’t stand for bobble-heads. Give leaders the context behind the strategy so they understand how you got there and ask them to make the strategy relevant for their teams.
• Provide leaders training on how to use the tools. See them in action so you can coach them on how to communicate big-picture messages, along with that all-important personalization. Can your leaders make the strategy relevant to their teams?
• Use the strategic framework consistently in your communications with employees so it becomes familiar to them and they see what’s happening and how it ties to the strategy (they know what’s important when they see and hear it from multiple sources).
• As your thinking evolves about the strategy (quarterly, annually, etc.), update your frameworkand communicate regularly so employees are in the loop and understand the reasons behind decisions.
• Celebrate “wins,” always connecting back to and reinforcing the core elements of the strategy.
• Read more from the Grossman Group here:

http://t.co/Nl88WjON

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Leadership Lesson in Les Miserables

Here are some leadership lessons taken from Linked 2 Lead:

1. Leadership transformation via crucible often makes a leader.
2. On justice, mercy and grace- the tension between mercy and legalism.
3. On leadership and humanity - Indeed, mercy reminds us we are not merely independent individuals, but inter-dependent souls.
4. On integrity and leadership - Making a vow is hard, keeping it is even harder, especially when the stake is high.
5. Keeping a transformation icon - We all need something to hang on to keep us going, when the going gets tough.
6. Happy endings - He experienced such hardship and such mercy that transformed him as a true leader. And he, in turns, transformed many others with his integrity and mercy.

 

 

http://linked2leadership.com/2013/02/05/leadership-in-les-miserables/

 

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93% of Leaders Believe This is Fundamental

What is it?  Leadership development!  Yet, only 23% of leaders are doing an above average of developing leaders.  What are the solutions?  Time? Tools? How?

Communal Morphing can help.....

Check out Communal Morphing here and download the LEADIA APP:
Leadia

Succession: God Made a Farmer

Perhaps you saw the game this past weekend.  I think they call it the SUPER BOWL.  It is a holiday of sorts in America.  A time to gather with friends, around a BIG TV with A LOT of snack food, watch the game, the Beyonce Bowl  and the COMMERCIALS.  I loved the Doritos commercials and the Taco Bell commercial.  But one particular commercial struck me.  It made me pause.  It has to do with the title of this post:: SUCCESSION.  It was the DODGE spot with Paul Harvey::God made a farmer.

Here is the video and the words:

"And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."
It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer" (Paul Harvey).

Succession planning is critical in a family business like farming.  It is critical in church planting and the church.  When do you start planning for succession?  Now.  If you are a church planter, it must begin from day one.  You must build into the DNA of your organization and your leadership a plan for succession .  People must see in you, as you model life in Jesus, something to "spend their life doing. "  This is what loving discipleship does.  

Here is where I would start.  Invite some people into your life as a servant leader.  As you LOVE doing life in JESUS, and helping others DO life in JESUS, you invite people into your life.  You show them the life of a Jesus follower.  Make a list of all the wonderful things you do on a weekly basis to serve the faith community.  Then, invite someone to come alongside you to learn the trade.  Bring someone along.  Who are you inviting into your life, who are you bringing along and mentoring to succeed you?  Who is coming alongside you to observe your life in Jesus as a follower, as a servant, and as a leader?  

Next, give some responsibilities away.  What are you giving away?  Not, what do you dislike doing and finding someone else to do it, but; what are you giving away because you LOVE doing it and you want others to experience the joy of "spending their life doing it?"  Who in your faith community are you developing to succeed you in the ONE thing you love doing the most for the people you shepherd?  Be intentional.  Be deliberate.  

Finally, practice a Sabbath on THE busiest day of your ministry week, entrusting to those you have invited to succeed you to experience the JOY of serving.  Sabbath is a grace day.  It is a day for you to TRUST God and to learn to TRUST those you are intentionally, loving, investing in for the sake of the Kingdom.

Succession is scary and hard.  It is working yourself out of a job at just the right moment--a job you love.  Start working yourself out of the job you love so others can experience what you love doing!  Invest in your successors and make the job of the next "search" committee an easy one!

God made a farmer.  God made you.  Enjoy the journey of inviting, giving, and resting in God and others seeing others to follow you in the family business.  

Here are 6 questions developed by Dave and Jon Ferguson from their book Exponential.  Use them to guide the time you have with your successors:

1) “How are you?”Remember at the heart of effecting coaching is a relational investment.  It may sound cliché, but it’s still true:  “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  We begin every coaching conversation by checking in to see how the person we are coaching is really doing.  

2) “What are you celebrating?”Every meeting at Community begins with some form of this question.  Often it’s stated like this:  “Where are you/we winning?”  Whether it’s a one-on-one meeting, a group meeting, a staff meeting, or a temporary task force, we begin by celebrating how God is at work in our life, ministry, and church. Moving from “How are you?” to “What are you celebrating?” keeps the tone of the meeting very relational and positive.  It’s tempting to quickly focus on what’s not working or what is broken.  This question keeps the conversation focused on where the leader is feeling successful.

3) "What challenges are you facing?"You might be thinking, “Finally we get to something productive.”  Yes, the previous questions are very relational, but if it helps any, remember that when it comes to coaching the relationship really is the task.  This question gives your leader an opportunity to talk openly about the things that aren’t going very well in his group or team.  

4) "How will you do about those challenges?"
Once a leader has disclosed some areas where he or she may be experiencing some challenges with his life, group, or team it is tempting to quickly move into “fix-it” mode and tries to solve the problem for him.  There are times when a leader will need your insight and wisdom.  However, the best way you can serve a leader is to help them tap into the wisdom and insight God has already given them to deal with whatever situation they are facing.  It is the coach’s role to draw those answers or solutions out of the leader.  

5) "How can I help you?"Finally, the question we’ve wanted to ask.  This is an important question, but if you never get to this question because the 
leader has already come up with an action plan as you walked through the previous questions, considers yourself an extremely effective coach. There are times when a coach needs to step in and offer whatever assistance is necessary to help a leader in need.  One of the three tasks that flow out of the relational investment is “serving”, and one of the ways you can best serve a leader is to help them through a tough situation.

6) "How can I pray for you?"The best way to wrap up a coaching conversation is to ask the leader how you can be praying for him.  It is also a great opportunity for the coach to ask the leader to be praying for her.  This is one way a coach can help the leader know that this relationship is mutually beneficial.  After the leader has had a chance to express some areas where he is in need of prayer, take a few moments to pray for the leader and reassure him that you will be praying for him regularly. 

The dream of God is not for the church to be led by a one-man show, but that it would be a great team led by great coaches.  Our role is to equip and empower the people of the church to do the work of ministry.  When the game is on the line and the final point needs to be scored, the ball will be in the hands of our leaders and those leaders need to be coached to take the winning shot.

Here is a related link on APPRENTICESHIP



Read here for more ideas on how small businesses can approach succession:
http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2012/are-you-ready-for-succession-planning-in-your-family-business/

Tips for Creating a Leadership Culture

One of the important lessons I learned early on in ministry was leadership development. In a ministry where you are trying to mobilize and send leaders away (to start other ministries, plant other churches, pastor, serve as missionaries, etc.), you ALWAYS have to be about creating a leadership pipeline.  Here is how one company created a Leadership University:

1. Assign a point person. Burkhart attributes success to assigning someone as a “head of talent.”
2. Think of your talent like a baseball team. In baseball each team has dozens of players working to improve in the minor leagues. Make sure you always have a “class” of people in line to be leaders, and give them the tools to get there.
3. Adopt a lengthy “trial period” where leadership candidates perform some functions of the job so you can assure it’s a good fit.
4. Have the employee perform all of the jobs they will be overseeing. H.Bloom will put candidates in the design studio, in the sales office, and in other departments to assure they grasp the full operation.
5. Everyone may not be able to commit an in-house university, but every one at your company has knowledge to share. Burkhart suggested scheduling occasional brownbag lunches where stand-out team members share knowledge and hone their leadership skills.
6. Combine operational and classroom training. H.Bloom’s in-house program has classes on topics like “how to hire” and “how to give feedback” complete with teachers and tests.

What would this look like in your context?

Read the article here:
https://admin.openforum.com/articles/how-one-startup-created-an-in-house-leadership-factory/

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Inspire Others this Monday Morning

"You make a difference by inspiring others to make a difference. Here’s how: 1. Stop fixing. If your passion for excellence and success drives you to constantly fix people, stop it. Problem centered fixers invite self-protective restraint in others. Compassion wins. The pursuit of personal gain and glory doesn’t inspire, it....."

Read more at Leadership Digital here:
Dan Rockwell (Leadershipfreak):
Seven Proven Ways to Inspire Others by @leadershipfreak Weekly Best in leadership http://t.co/1UlWCEig

http://ping.fm/cx0uX

retweet of @leadershipdgtl tweet

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25 Mistakes Leaders Make

We all make mistakes. Are you learning from yours? Here is a great list of the top 25 DUMB mistakes leaders are guilty of in their organization. Read the list. What would be your top 3? What would you add to the list? What 2 or 3 mistakes could you begin addressing to change the trajectory of your leadership and the organization?

Take some time to REFLECT, REFOCUS, and find the appropriate RESOURCES to become a better leader.

Dan Rockwell (Leadershipfreak):
#1. Creating complexity. Can you guess #2 and #3? Read on to discover the Top 25 Dumb Mistakes Leaders Make

http://t.co/NKDbUc0 leadership

http://ping.fm/mIM4m

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Team-building Lessons Learned from the Garden

Tanveer Naseer (TanveerNaseer):

4 Lessons On Team-Building I Learned From My Garden

http://t.co/F1Djmkh leadership teamwork via @TanveerNaseer

http://ping.fm/goDEf

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ResonateOrDie (ResonateOrDie):
You have to be clear on what you are blowing up before you can properly rebuild it. leadership ministry

http://ping.fm/IqlY1

retweet of @KerryBural tweet

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COURAGEOUS LEADERS

Dan Rockwell (Leadershipfreak):
Gutless leaders dodge honesty with questions. More: http://tiny.ly/EwiR (classic) leadership

http://ping.fm/ev2T1

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The Don't and Do of Leadership

Dan Rockwell (Leadershipfreak):
Gutless leaders talk too much and listen too little. More: http://tiny.ly/EwiR (NEW) leadership

http://ping.fm/jRQaY

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