Stop Complaining!

My daily Bible reading led me through Numbers 11 this morning.  Numbers 11:1 says, “And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.”  The story goes on to tell us why they were complaining, they were tired of manna and wanted meat.  In the end, they got just want they wanted, “You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’”

We are also reminded in Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without grumbling…” 

It seems that we rarely realize that our grumbling and complaining are an affront to God.  Grumbling and complaining says several things to God that I don’t think we really want to say:

1.  It says, “God, your provision is not good enough.”  This was Israel’s problem with the manna.  They wanted more.  They felt that God had somehow slighted them.

2.  It says, “God, I know better what I need than you do.”  Again, Israel wanted meat, not manna.  Sometimes we just have to trust that God knows what we need more than we do.

3.  Complaining fails to realize that we are in the midst of a journey.  Israel had left Egypt (apparently forgetting what it was like to be in slavery) and they were headed for the Promised Land.  One problem, they had to go through the wilderness to get there.  Because they failed the “test of the wilderness” they never saw the Promised Land.

As we live our lives, and as things don’t seem to go our way, let us remember this:  God is in charge!  Accept God’s provision as adequate.  Accept the fact that God knows better what you need than you do.  And last of all, do not forget you are on a journey and the things you are facing now are preparing you for your “promised land.”  Be patient, trust God, and don’t fail the “test of the wilderness.”  Things will get hard at times but remember, you are a work in progress and these trials are shaping you for God’s best plan.

S.I.M.P.L.E. Leadership - Final Installment

 

Encourage Your Leaders Along the Way

I have trained, equipped, and launched my leaders, now what?  Things would certainly be easier if the answer to that question was, “sit back and watch them go.”  However, things are rarely that simple.  Leaders will need continued training, continued encouragement, and yes, even accountability. 

I have spent the last three years of my life closely examining the art of leadership.  I hate to boil things down too simply, but I really have come to the conclusion that the difference in a good leader and a great leader is one’s ability to hold others accountable.  Having a vision for the organization you lead is pretty common.  Wanting to be a success at what you do is even more common.  However, the difference in those who reach greatness and those who don’t will come down to whether or not the leaders within the organization are held, and hold others, accountable.

Accountability is little more than encouraging people to do the right thing.  People sometimes need reminded, sometimes they need encouraged, and at other times they truly need questioned as to why they did not fulfill their obligations.  Here are a few principles to keep in mind when encouraging others to excel in their area of responsibility:

1.  Give them an opportunity to self-correct.

When a task is not accomplished or not accomplished well, ask the individual responsible what happened.  Once they share their insight as to what happened, ask them what could have been done differently.  A good follow up question would be one related to how the situation will be handled next time.

2.  If there is no self-correction, offer a preferable approach for the next time.

There are times that people will not understand what went wrong.  This is the time that you, as the leader of leaders, must step in and suggest both what went wrong and what could have been done differently.

3.  If direction is not received gratefully, or is repeatedly needed, then it may be time to remove the individual from leadership.

There are people who love the title of “leader” or “manager,” but actually leading or managing is not high on their list.  These are people who have sacrificed the right to be in that position.  If the leader of leaders will remove someone from their post, it will send a powerful message as to the level of expectation to the rest of the team.  If someone is allowed to maintain a leadership post that does not truly lead, the morale of the whole organization will be impacted.  Make sure that the leaders who lead well are honored.  One way to honor them is by not allowing poor leaders to remain in their positions.

S.I.M.P.L.E. Leadership - Part 6

 

Launch your Leaders into Leadership

Every leader faces the point at which the potential supporting cast has been selected, the job description has been made clear, the potential role has been modeled for them, they have been prepared to take on a leading role, and it is time to launch them.  I’m not sure that this launch will ever take place without a certain amount of apprehension, but they must be launched.  When launching new leaders there are a number of things that must be kept in mind:

1.  You MUST launch.

People will be more than happy to go through the process of preparation.  In fact, they will welcome the preparation because they will want to succeed.  However, there is a point that preparation will become frustration.  The ability to discern one’s readiness must be developed.  Launch them too soon and they will fail.  Hold them too long and they will grow frustrated and discouraged.  Make a decision to launch, and then do it.

2.  Trust your people.

You have invested time, energy, and money preparing these people to lead.  You would not have done this if you did not see something promising in them in the first place.  Accept the fact up front that they will not do it the way you would.  They also will not do it the way you pictured it being done, but give them a chance.  If you had the time or energy to do it yourself, you would have.  Give your leaders some leeway.  Give them a chance to do it their way.  Who knows, they just might do it better than you could have.

3.  Give your people some room.

There will be those people who need constant monitoring.  However, these are not your leaders.  Leaders are self-starters.  Leaders are dreamers.  Leaders are people who are constantly taking stock of what is at hand and how it can be done better.  Nothing will frustrate a leader faster than someone constantly looking over their shoulder.  If people have proven that they can be trusted, then give them room.  If they have proven that they cannot be trusted, then remove them from leadership.

4.  Expect big things of your people.

I remember taking a class in college called “The Psychology of Teaching.”  In this class we learned about a concept that was called “a self-fulfilling prophecy.”  In short, the idea is one that states people will perform as you expect them to perform.  If you expect them to fail, they will.  If you expect them to succeed, they will.  As the leader of leaders, you must have high hopes, high expectations, and a high faith level in your people.  If you think they will fail, you will inadvertently treat them in a way that brings about the feared failure.  Think success, expect success, and you will get success.

5.  Listen to your people.

The people who are on the front lines will have perspective that no one else has.  They experience things and see things that others don’t.  Often these experiences inform their performance.  Such understanding often allows them to discover methods and approaches that will work better than those that were initially developed.  A leader is wise to listen to those on the front line.  Pride can get in the way of the success of the organization.  Don’t let this happen to your organization.  Dispense with the pride and listen to those around you.

6.  Brag on your people.

Bragging on your team will not make you look smaller or indispensable.  In fact, it makes you look stronger and more secure.  People need affirmation.  In fact, people who work hard deserve affirmation.  It is important that the leader be quick to take blame and even quicker to share praise.  If your team knows that you appreciate and brag on them, they will work even harder for you.  Don’t let your pride keep you from getting the best from your team.  They deserve your recognition.

7.  Support your team.

It is imperative, that as the leader, you give the people around you what they need to succeed.  Certainly there will be times to deny request, but not when it comes to getting a job done and done correctly.  View yourself as one who clears the way for others to succeed.  Sometimes this will mean clearing road blocks and sometimes it will mean providing the necessary resources.  Whatever the case, make sure your team has everything they need to succeed.

S.I.M.P.L.E. Leadership - Part 5

 

Prepare Your Leaders to Lead

An individual who is equipped to perform a task with a high level of competency is not necessarily ready to lead.  Excelling in a certain area and being prepared to lead are two entirely different things.  One of the tasks that you should be committed to as a leader is to develop leaders around you.  The more leaders that are trained and equipped within an organization, the greater the level of effectiveness you will reach.  Leaders within the church are reminded of this in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

Scripture clearly states that the leadership within the church is there, not to carry out the ministry themselves, but to train and equip others to do so.  This means that the leadership of the church, or in any organization for that matter, should be focused on developing others to carry out the mission.  It is when leaders forget this fact that problems begin to happen.  When leaders forget this principle there is no multiplication of leadership or mission.  Soon the organization is limited to what one or two people are capable of doing and everyone else sits on the sideline and watches. 

As leaders, we must develop other leaders.  We must train, equip, and coach those around us.  As we teach them to do the same, a multiplication factor is put into action.  Soon, there are a number of people engaged with a team of leadership around them.  This will always be more effective than one person trying to assume all of the leadership for himself/herself.

There are three things involved in launching new leaders:

1.  Potential leaders must be trained.

This can be done a number of ways.  There is no shortage of leadership books available today.  The literature that is being produced on the topic of leadership these days is incredible.  Add to that the number of credible and quality leadership blogs and literature readily available on the internet and you will conclude that there is really no reason for us not to equip the leaders around us.  Pick a book and read through it with your leadership team.  Select some articles and have your team discuss them in staff meeting.  Select a leadership conference to attend and take your leaders and potential leaders with you.  However you accomplish the task, train your leaders.

2.  Model leadership for your team.

Leadership is hard.  There are tough decisions to make.  There are difficult people who must be dealt with.  There are unpopular directions that must be pursued.  Quite honestly, it is easier to avoid such leadership calls at times and that is why so many organizations are ineffective; their leaders have chosen not to lead.  Do not let this be true of yourself or those around you.  Show them how to make tough decisions.  Show them how to deal with difficult people, in grace.  Show them how to get others to follow even when the best direction is difficult.  Be a model for your team to follow.

3.  Coach your leaders.

No one is good at leadership instantly.  Even those who have strong gifts in the area of leadership will need coached.  Once you have launched your leaders, keep a close eye on them.  Provide pointers as to how they might be more effective.  Provide correction when needed.  Provide encouragement when they are down or feel overwhelmed.  Hold them accountable to delegate when necessary.  And encourage them to develop yet another tier of leaders. 

In my opinion, at least in church life, the biggest failure of leadership is in the area of developing other leaders.  On the front end it takes a lot of time.  Things that could be done in a moment take longer because you are developing others to do it.  However, the long term benefits cannot be measured.  Not only will it lighten the load of the organizational leadership, it will also secure the long term health of the organization as a multitude of leaders allows for continuity.  So, take the time, invest in others.  Those around you will thank you for helping them become better.  And, most of all, you will than yourself for making these moves.

S.I.M.P.L.E. Leadership - Part 4

 

Model Your Expectations

The greatest amount of clarity that a leader can convey comes not from what is said, but what is done.  It is imperative that the leader model his expectations for those around him.  You can teach, coach, encourage, and even rebuke, but nothing will speak louder than the example you set.  No one in scripture was more aware of this than the Apostle Paul.  In 1 Corinthians 11:1 he says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”  And again in Philippians 4:9 he says, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Paul had put himself in an incredible position.  Not only was he able to make his appeal based on the things he had said, but on the example he had set.  This is certainly the position in which every leader will want to put himself.  The leader will want to model expectations in two ways.

First of all, as the leader of an organization seeks to launch someone into a role of leadership, he will want to model the task at hand for her.  He will want to teach her all there is to know about successfully reaching the goals that lie ahead, but he will also want to model such a performance for her.  This means that the leader not only brings people in to teach them, he also will work side by side with them for a time.  It is one thing for a leader to say, “Do it this way,” it is all together another thing for the leader to say, “Here, let me show you.”

If the leader does not take time to model a task for those who work with him, then he has no one to blame but himself if they fail to perform as he expected.  Make no assumptions as to what people know and how they will perform a certain task.  Be very clear as to what the expectations are and take the time to show the individuals of your team exactly what you want.

A second area that a leader models expectations for his team is in the way he performs on a daily basis.  A leader can talk about core values and governing principles all day, but if he does not live up to them himself, then his team will not do so either.  Some of the areas that a leader will want to be very cautious about include:

1.  Tasks that are performed by the leader should be done on time and with attention to detail.

2.  All tasks that are performed by the leader should be completed with a level of excellence.

3.  The leader should always display a genuine passion for the mission at hand.

4.  The leader should always display a high level of integrity.

5.  The leader should maintain a very high work ethic.

6.  The leader should always have a clear vision as to where the organization is going.

7.  The leader should be committed to personal growth.

8.  The leader should have a genuine concern for those around him.

Modeling these values will ensure that the leader has a high performance team around him.  Values of this sort are caught, not taught.  The opposite is true as well.  If the leader slacks in these areas, so will the team.  The greatest teaching tool the leader has is his performance.  The leader’s performance tells the team everything they need to know about the culture and environment in which they find themselves serving.