Leadership & Market Place Ministry: December 2016

Monday, December 19, 2016

4 Leadership Courses, 70 Documents, Round Tables, And An Annual Plan For Pastors And 10 Friends

There are two issues in church I see all the time.
Problem #1: The church isn’t growing the way it should. There are lots of possible reasons for this – some of them are spiritual and some of them are organizational.
Problem #2: People aren’t engaged the way you want. Sometimes it’s giving, sometimes it’s serving and sometimes it’s inviting. Seriously, “How do we get our people to invite,” is one of the most common questions I get.
When I was in church leadership, I wrestled with both of those problems.
Now if you’re one of those people who don’t believe we have any part to play in church growth, you can delete this email. It’s not for you.
I think we all want the church to grow. In size, in health, in depth. All of it.
That’s why my friends at Church Fuel have put together a program to address these issues head on. They have spent the last few months making it better, and it’s even more affordable now.
Well, it’s more affordable for the next 8 days but then the price is going up.
The program is called Church Fuel One.
So for this week only, they are opening up registration, including an amazing bonus and inviting you to join the community and I wanted to share it with you.
Here’s what Church Fuel One members get….
#1 – You’ll get ALL FOUR COURSES they’re releasing in 2017. Sure, they will sell these individually for $297 each, but their members will get full access to every one of them. Here’s the release schedule:
How to Recruit Volunteers Across Every Ministry (releases January)
How to Start a Brand New Ministry in Your Church (releases in April)
Preaching Sermons that Stick (releases in July)
Launching Another Service (releases in October)
All of these courses include videos, documents, and 90-day action guides. And as a Church Fuel One member, you’ll get them ALL.
#2 – You’ll get access to the RESOURCE LIBRARY. Right now, there are 70+ documents, templates and examples. Plus, if there’s something you need, all you have to do is ask. This resource library is your go-to place when you need any document.
#3 – You’ll get access to OFFICE HOURS and members only ROUND TABLES. Previously, this was a benefit reserved for premium members. But we’re including it for everyone in 2017. This is when you can jump on a real call and talk to a real person.
#4 – You can add up to TEN PEOPLE from your team. Staff, leaders and key volunteers can get their own login and access to the membership area. This is at no additional cost and available for the first time ever.
And all of this is just $299 for an entire year. That’s not a monthly price…that’s for one full year’s access to all of these resources.
Plus, for the next 7 days, they’re including a resource that can really help your church have an incredible year. It’s called “Creating an Annual Plan” and it’s going to help you get your church on the same page and heading in the same direction.
The course comes with three coaching videos and three powerful templates.
It starts by helping you create a one page ministry plan. It’s like a business plan for your church.
Then they’ll walk you through how EVERY MINISTRY creates their own supporting version. This will get every ministry aligned and focused.
Finally, they’ll put it all together on an annual calendar that will make sure you’re doing the right things at the right times in 2017.
This course is really powerful, and it’s being included right now for everyone who joins Church Fuel One. You’ll get immediate access to this so you can start working on your 2017 annual plan.
So to summarize….
[+] One year of Church Fuel One with access to all four courses, the resource library and office hours.
[+] The Annual Plan course – available right now so you can get your team on the same page for 2017.
[+] The annual price of $299 for everything. (no monthly fees)
All of that is here at this link and this offer is available for the next 8 days. After that, the annual plan course goes away and the price for Church Fuel One is going up to $49 a month. Click he image below to order.

10 Traits Of Organizations That People Admire

“Everyone wants to be told they’re pretty!” – former co-worker

Every leader I know wants to head up a team, department or organization that people admire. We all want to make a significant impact and see our influence increase. The question becomes exactly how do you become an admired organization?
Earlier this month, the Chicago Cubs snapped their record 108-year championship drought in an epic 7-game World Series victory over the Cleveland Indians. They are now the envy of every organization in baseball.
In the November 8th edition of the USA Today, writer Bob Nightengale discussed the Cubs’ success and how others are attempting to replicate it. As I read his article, I gleaned the following are 10 Traits Of Organizations That People Admire:

Organizations That People Admire Are Mimicked By Other Organizations – New York Yankees general manager Mark Cashman said, “Everybody would like to get where the Cubs are now.”
Organizations That People Admire Feel Good About Their Direction – Cashman adds, “the Cubs are sitting on something I know they feel really good about and feel good about everything moving forward.”
Organizations That People Admire Have Young Talent – In one World Series game, the Cubs had six players 25 years old and younger in their starting lineup.
Organizations That People Admire Have Proven Leadership – Of Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, Yankees special assistant Jim Hendry said, “Nobody in this world could have done a better job than Theo. To do it in Boston and then in Chicago, two places where it never happened, Theo has proven to be a cut above everyone.”
Organizations That People Admire Hire Top Talent – Hendry added, “You still have got to make deadline trades that worked out admirably for them and get the right guys in the draft.”
Organizations That People Admire Expect Excellence From Their Employees – New Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said, “There’s an intensity about Theo Epstein and the way he pushes his employees. He demands excellence for them…”
Organizations That People Admire Challenge The Status Quo – Hazen adds, “(He) challenges everything, no matter how small.”
Organizations That People Admire Place High Importance On Small Details – Hazen continues, “Nothing is unimportant to Theo. No detail is unimportant. I think that’s a really positive attribute that he has.”
Organizations That People Admire Must Retain Their Top Talent – Cashman remembered the Yankees dynasty which won four World Series in five years from 1996 to 2000. He said, “We had a nice dynasty…We had a collection of talent, and we were able to hold it together for quite some time. It’s part of our history and something to be proud of.”
Organizations That People Admire Have The Very Best Leaders – Hendry concludes, “These things all go in cycles but the guy running the Cubs is pretty special. And as long as he’s there, they’re not going away. You hear everybody saying they’re going to get the next Theo. Well, it hasn’t happened yet.”

What is one thing from this list you learned which will make you a better leader?

Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!

Are you a Mary or a Martha Leader? Take this Quiz to Find Out

by Charles Stone

One of the most famous stories in the Bible describes Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. The story contrasts two kinds of living and leading: one a frenzied, driven style shown by Martha and the other a reflective style seen in Mary whom Jesus commended. In this post I include a personal inventory a leader can take to discover his or her leadership style.

Greg McKeown who authored the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less captures Mary’s style with his definition of what he calls an essentialist.

“The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless (p. 7).”

I’ve included Luke’s account of Jesus’ visit below and follow it with a 10 statement self-assessment you can take to discover which of the two styles your leadership is most like. I’ve based the assessment from insights I drew from the story.

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha or Mary Leadership Style Inventory

As you take the assessment, grade yourself in this way.

If the statement is never true of you, give yourself a ‘0.’
If it’s sometimes true of you, give yourself a ‘1.’
If it’s often true of you, give yourself a ‘2.’

The urgent often crowds out the important.
- Martha’s busyness in the kitchen caused her to miss what was most important.

Projects often take precedence over people.
- Martha’s project and busyness to make a meal trumped being present with Jesus. Author and pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, “Busyness rapes relationships. It substitutes shallow frenzy for deep friendship. It promises satisfying dreams, but delivers hollow nightmares. It feeds the ego, but starves the inner man. It fills the calendar, but fractures the family. It cultivates a program, but plows under priorities. (Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns, p. 79)

Everything has to be done perfectly.
- A simple meal would have sufficed for Jesus, but not for Martha.

You feel a nagging feeling of oughtness.
- Martha had to attend to the details that had to be made.

You often show insensitivity and impatience toward other people.
- Martha yelled at Jesus for not sending Mary into the kitchen to help.

You feel resentment about others who aren’t as driven.
- The story reveals Martha’s resentment toward Mary’s lack of helping her prepare the meal.

You convey a demanding spirit with others.
- Martha demanded that Jesus tell Mary to help.

You have difficulty concentrating on one thing at a time.
- The scripture uses the word worried to describe an agitated state of mind which certainly inhibited her ability to concentrate and focus.

Delays easily frustrate you.
- Ditto what I’ve written above about Martha’s response.

You often experience sunset fatigue.
- This term sunset fatigue comes from John Ortberg. He describes it as coming to the end of your day with no energy for important things like being present for your family. Martha must have been exhausted after Jesus’ visit, not because of Jesus’ presence, but because of her misplaced priorities.

How did you do? Here’s the scoring key.

If you scored 0-3, you’re in good shape.
If you scored 4-6, take 2 baby aspirin.
If you scored 7-12, take 2 extra strength Tylenol.
If you scored 12-20, you might need Valium.

If you found yourself more like Martha than Mary, consider three ways to counter a Martha driven leadership style.

Slow down your pace of leadership. Once when the pace got too frenetic, Jesus told his disciples to get away to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6.31). Slowing down involves not just slowing our physical pace, but our mental pace as well.
Reflect more often to discover what is most essential. Martha was in such a rush that she failed to reflect upon what was most important at that very moment, being with Jesus. Jesus preferred her company over her service at that moment. Life will not automatically arrange itself into the correct priorities. We must regularly stop to reflect so we don’t miss what’s most important.
- McKeown tells a story in his book that illustrates this idea. He tells about a man whose three-year-old daughter died. In his grief the dad put together a video of her short life. But as he went through all of his home videos he realized something was missing. He had taken video of every outing they had gone on and every trip they had taken. He had lots of footage. That wasn’t the problem. He then realized that while he had plenty of footage of the places they had gone— the sights they had seen, the views they had enjoyed, the meals they had eaten, and the landmarks they had visited— he had almost no close-up footage of his daughter herself. He had been so busy recording the surroundings he had failed to record what was essential (p. 236).

Put first things first. Jesus told Martha that “One thing is needed.” Sometimes we simply must narrow our choices to put first things first. The word priority kept its singular focus until the 1900’s when we pluralized the term. We often need to step back from the pace of life and leadership to make sure we have prioritized what is truly most important, keeping ourselves moored to Jesus as we lead.

As Jesus said, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What has helped you become more of a Mary leader?
Related posts:

6 Ways to Add Interest to your Leadership Training Meetings

by Charles Stone

There are good meetings and there are bad meetings. I’ve been in and led both kinds. I once attended a webinar lecture that was definitely a ‘good’ meeting. The facilitator used a technique that leaders can use to increase attention and retention in their leadership training meetings. Here’s what she did in that training meeting that you can try to improve yours.

3D render of meeting room with projection screen and conference table

First, some background about my state of mind as the meeting began. Drowsy from a poor night’s sleep and in a brain fog because of too many carbs for lunch, I forced myself to log in for my class. Had I been given a choice, I would have taken a nap instead. My attention level was low. However, the professor used several simple techniques to rouse my attention. As a result, I learned a lot from the lecture.

On one power point slide she printed a single URL. She cued up the slide in this way. She said we were about to do an exercise that required us to focus for 30 seconds on people in the video who wore white shirts and were throwing a ball to each other. We were to count the number of times they passed the ball. She also commented that most people’s attention span lasts only 12 seconds.

Immediately part of my brain alerted other parts to pay attention because something was about to happen. These internal dynamics helped elevate my attention with a shot of norepinephrine, a brain chemical related to adrenalin. In this 30 second exercise she literally used 6 techniques that woke me and helped me learn better.

Curiosity: The exercise woke up the part of my brain that is drawn to novelty. Novel things get our attention more easily than common things.
Challenge: I was drawn into the lecture by the prospect of competition with others and with myself. I now wanted to learn.
Motivation: The 12-second rule motivated me. I thought to myself, I know I can pay attention longer than that.
Relevance: Related to the challenge, not only was I good with numbers but the exercise was relevant to the current topic about attention.
Anticipation: In anticipation I sat up in my chair, opened my eyes wider, and felt my heart rate elevate.
Satisfaction: After the exercise, I felt good because I had beaten the odds and gotten the right answer. This good feeling was due to the increase of another neurotransmitter, dopamine, which makes us feel good when it enters our brain’s pleasure center.

The next time you schedule a leadership meeting, try to use several of these simple techniques to increase attention and thus improve learning.
What techniques have you tried that have helped enhance your leadership meetings?
Related posts:

Want a Crazy Early Jumpstart on 2017?

I’m a little freaked at how quickly 2016 has flown by. Didn’t I just take my Christmas lights down?! This has been the fastest year ever...
Have you had an amazing year of accomplishing all that you hoped for? Or has procrastination, lack of clarity and election fatigue thrown you off course a little?
Our team has been meeting this week working on goals and plans for 2017. My mind and prayers are soaring with the possibilities the New Year holds for life and mission.
I’ll help you prepare for this year in this post and video...
Want a Crazy Early Jumpstart on 2017?
3 Things to Avoid and 5 Treasures to Measure

It is FAR TOO EASY to fall into the trap of not taking the time to be intentional and truly assess where we are at in all of life before heading into the next year...
Here are some things I’ve learned–and I’m relearning–as we turn an eye toward next year: [click here to read more and get my free planning/evaluation tool]
Let’s get started early on this!

–Caesar

The Power of Focus

Nov 18, 2016 09:53 am | Mike Glenn

“Pay attention!” “Eyes on the board!” “Where’s your head?”

I heard all of these (and many more!) when I was growing up. I had (OK, have) a very short attention span. Focusing on anything for any length of time has always been a challenge to me. If I’m going to study for a sermon, I’ve got several tricks I use to make sure my attention stays where it needs to. Some days, I’m more successful than I am on other days.
Not paying attention is a growing and dangerous problem in our culture. People drive and text. Others try to carry on conversations while they check social media. Meeting attendees check email and work on other projects while they’re supposed to be paying attention to the meeting they’re in.
One of the places this lack of attention is so destructive is our marriages. Trying to listen to your wife and watch TV doesn’t work. Listening to your husband while you scroll through Facebook actually shuts down communication. It doesn’t enhance it.
We have enough studies to know one thing for sure: we don’t multi-task well. In fact, most of us can only do one thing at a time.
And that is especially true in our marriages. We can only do one thing at a time. We can only focus on one thing at a time.
So, when it’s time to focus on your marriage, put down everything else and focus on your marriage. Turn off the TV, unplug your gadgets, and focus on each other. Look into her eyes and turn your body to squarely face each other. Listen—with your whole self—listen! Listen not only to the words, but to how the words are said. Listen not only to what words are used, but how the way they’re used changes or shapes their meanings.
You notice things when you pay attention. You pick up on small details you had overlooked before. You learn things and discover things that have been there all of the time.
Focus will do the same thing to your marriage. So, pay attention. Focus. Who knows? You may find another reason you fell in love in the first place.
The post The Power of Focus appeared first on MikeGlennOnline.com.
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How To Calculate The True Cost Of Hiring An Employee

For many churches and businesses, their number one expense is their staff. Even if you don’t offer benefits or paid vacation, there are a number of other expenses associated with hiring employees.

Some of these costs include Social Security Tax, Medicare Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax, State Unemployment Tax, Workers Compensation Insurance, etc. Add these to Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life Insurances, Bonuses, 401k, and paid time off, and you can see that the “true cost” of hiring an in-house employee can be a lot more than you originally thought or budgeted for.

That’s why the team at MAG Bookkeeping has designed a simple calculator that can help you get an idea of what that “true hiring cost” might look like.

And we’d like to share it with you for free!

Click Here to Download our Employee Burden Calculator

Also click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!

10 Things You Can Do To Get Out Of Your Boss’s Doghouse

Have you ever been in the boss’s doghouse? I have and if you have lived any length of time, so have you. It’s lonely in the doghouse. It’s depressing and humbling. There are also no invitations for getting out of the doghouse. You must work your way. But how?
I went deep into my personal archives and found a September 12, 2013 USA Today article about how fumbles drive NFL coaches crazy. So much so, it is the quickest way to get in their doghouse. What I enjoyed about the story was the balance between the reality of the consequences of our actions but also ways to overcome our mistakes.
The following are 10 Things You Can Do To Get Out Of Your Boss’s Doghouse I gleaned from the article:

Do Not Make The Same Mistake Over And Over – Nothing gets you out of the doghouse faster than producing positive results. You simply need to improve your performance.
Keep Pressing Forward – Keep working. Keeping grinding away. Minnesota Vikings linebacker said, “It’s not a good feeling, obviously, but something that you can fix…just keep plugging away.”
Stop Hurting Your Team And Start Helping Your Team – Do not put your teammates in harm’s way. Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Parcells would tell his running backs, “This is a declarative statement: ‘If you keep fumbling the ball, you’re not going to play.’ It’s as simple as that.”
Fix Your Problem(s) – This requires humility and a desire to change. Parcells added, “Just because you know what the problem is, that doesn’t mean you can solve it.”
Accept Constructive Feedback – Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Cody Larsen said, “You get The Look. Or you get a play run over and over in the meeting room.”
Stay Positive – There will be brighter days ahead. Ravens tight end Billy Bajema said, “We say things (to teammates in the doghouse) like, ‘Keep you head up.’ Or, ‘When you get your opportunity, you’ll get past this.’ You always want to be supportive, because sooner or later we all know what it’s like.”
Know What You Can Control – Focus your energies. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson said, “The coach told me to remember there are things that I can control.”
Surround Yourself With People Who Will Encourage You – Johnson added, “It’s like you let the team down. The thing that gets you beyond it is when your brothers tell you. ‘Everything’s cool.’ Or the coaches tell you, ‘We’re still riding with you.'”
Make The Most Of The Opportunities You Are Given – Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie said, “You get limited reps in practice.” This is one of the consequences of your actions. But former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Boomer Esiason added, “It’s just a matter of getting angry and making the most of every opportunity you have.”
Be Accountable – Accept responsibility for your actions and for getting better. Former Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Cowher said, “It’s about holding people accountable, and with that comes a little pushing and prodding – and a lot of patting them on the back.”

What is one thing learned from this list that will help you or someone else get out of the boss’s doghouse?

14 Step Process Pastors And Church Leaders Must Take To Regain Trust From Their Congregations

As a member of INJOY Stewardship Solutions, I know the importance of congregational trust when it comes to raising significant resources for new projects or ministry expansion. However, the trust it takes years for pastors and church leaders to build up is not solely limited to capital campaigns. It affects every area of ministry.
Recently, one of America’s leading church online donation services took multiple unauthorized drafts from its members who participate in scheduled giving. This is a potentially harmful blow to any ministry for the following reasons:

Church members could be harmed through bounced checks, interruption of services, overdraft fees and incorrect reporting of their credit.
Recurring online giving has become the #1 way churches avoid summer giving slumps. A lack of confidence in this process would result in significantly decreased participation causing a church to deliver ministry well-below the level it is accustomed to.
Young people primarily give through electronic and online services. You run the risk of disenfranchising an entire generation from the generosity experience.
Leadership takes a lot of time and energy moving people towards online giving. You do not want to waste this investment.
Trust in the overall decision-making of leadership could be lost.
Your already-busy staff must now reallocate their time, energy and resources towards correcting this issue.
The church takes a financial blow by paying countless overdraft charges for their members.

To rectify this problem and rebuild trust in the online giving process for its members, the following are the steps one church took. It provides a great 14 Step Template Pastors And Church Leaders Must Take To Regain Trust:

Admit A Mistake Was Made – Admit you had an issue and be specific about what happened.
Identify Those Affected By Your Mistake – Quickly identify those affected by the error.
Immediately Contact Those Affected By Your Mistake – In most cases you can send an email or text letting people know an error has occurred. However, to regain trust, this is only the beginning.
Follow Up With A Personal Contact – Just sending an email or text is lazy in these type of situations. You must take every step necessary to follow up your written communication with a phone call or personal contact.
Explain What Happened – Facts are your friends when regaining trust. Walk people through the details of the error.
Recognize The Impact Of Your Mistake – This shows empathy. Communicate you are very aware of the complications and possible consequences of your error.
Apologize – This is the biblical mandate we have as Christians. This also shows humility.
Immediately Fix The Issue – Advise you are working diligently on getting an immediate solution.
State Your Value For The One(s) Affected – Let your people know they matter deeply to you and are valued members of your church community.
Make Restitution – For an electronic funds mistake, you would compensate for any overdraft fees or returned checks. Restitution would look different for another issue but restitution is needed to regain trust.
Protect The Reputation Of The One Affected – To regain trust you must take public responsibility for the error. In the case of overdrafting someone’s account, the church should issue a letter if needed for clarification to any creditor.
Create Opportunities To Rebuild The Relationship Through Continued Conversation – Provide all contact information to a person at the church if additional assistance or support is needed.
Offer Time – Depending on the offense, give people as much time as needed to process the error.
Deliver Great Performance – Christians should show more grace than anyone else because they have experienced God’s grace for their sin. However, the best way to regain trust is through excellent performance. This demonstrates you took the first 13 steps seriously. Actions speak louder than words.

Pastors and church leaders, is there someone you need to regain the trust of today?

23 Things Exceptional Leaders Do Every Single Day

No one wants to be average, nondescript, or invisible. Every leader I have ever met who is worth following wants to be exceptional. Exceptional leaders want to live a life of meaning and have a positive influence on as many people as possible. And there are practices they do every single day to accomplish this.
For a peak into the behaviors of exceptional leaders, let’s take a look at some of college football’s top coaches. The following are 23 Things Exceptional Leaders Do Every Single Day I gleaned from their appearances on several episodes of ESPN’s College Gameday. Listed first is the practice followed by the supporting quote.
ESPN College Gameday – October 1st

Exceptional Leaders Create Healthy Cultures – “What ignites the atmosphere (at Clemson stadium) is what happens on the field.” – Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney
Exceptional Leaders Set High Standards – “At Clemson ‘Best is the Standard.'” – Swinney
Exceptional Leaders Track Progress – “The best we can be right now is 4-0 and that’s exactly what we are.” – Swinney
Exceptional Leaders Are Results-Oriented – “This ain’t a beauty pageant. This is about finding a way win.” – Swinney. Former LSU head coach Les Miles said after getting fired, “They wanted more production. They wanted more wins.”
Exceptional Leaders Deal With High Expectations – “I have dealt with high expectations, enjoyed them, tried to coach and surpass them.” – Miles He added, “We judge ourselves…If we won a championship, what’s your graduation rate, how can you help these young men?…I could give a damn who judges us or who judges me.” Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich said on the October 15th Gameday regarding expectations of his coaching, “The players 50 years from now.”
Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Thinking About What’s Next – “I’m not a guy that bemoans history and history played out.” – Miles
Exceptional Leaders Keep Things Simple – “Tackle him (Lamar Jackson). It’s not really anymore difficult than that.” – Swinney

ESPN College Gameday – October 15th

Exceptional Leaders Focus On What Is Important – “First, it’s good players…You only take 70 guys. You take away all the concerns about tickets and you know, parades.” – Ohio States Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer on playing well on the road
Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Creating New Opportunities – “Every year is a new year.” – Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze. Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst added, “We know the challenges but those are great opportunities.”
Exceptional Leaders Make Proper Adjustments – “We’re trying not to do too much. Just take what’s there and make good adjustments throughout the game.” – Swinney
Exceptional Leaders Are Constantly Worried About Little Details = “There’s a 1,000 of them (little details). If you get 997 correct, it’s the 3 you don’t get right that decide the game.” – Helfrich
Exceptional Leaders Have A Positive Attitude – “We have to be a positive force in this deal because there’s plenty of negativity.” – Helfrich on the team’s subpar year.
Exceptional Leaders Hate Losing – “We’ve lost four in a row and that’s not good enough by anyone’s measure.” – Helfrich
Exceptional Leaders Know Facts Are Your Friends – “You are what your record says you are.” – Helfrich
Exceptional Leaders Honor Others – “He’s (J.T. Barrett) always worried about the Barrett name, his mom and his dad, and that’s what makes him so special.” – Meyer

ESPN College Gameday October 22nd

Exceptional Leaders Play To Their Strengths – “I’m happy you said strength on strength…We’re going to have use some strength…We are who we are.” – Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin
Exceptional Leaders Know Their Greatest Ability Is Their Availability – “Our starters we really need to get healthy and get strength.” – Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn
Exceptional Leaders’ Character Is Revealed During Hard Times – “Who are you when things get tough. A lot of guys show their true colors.” – Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley
Exceptional Leaders Embrace Challenges – “You get yourself in the Top 20 you get some notoriety but I think that makes my job harder.” – West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen

ESPN College Gameday October 29th

Exceptional Leaders Are Resilient – “Players are resilient. We’re resilient as coaches. We get over it and move on. You better get over it fast.” – Meyer
Exceptional Leaders Take Care Of Business – “Do the little things right. Strain and take care of your business.” – Meyer
Exceptional Leaders Place Great Value On Preparation – “During practice I really like to be involved, just try to be energetic and make sure our tempo is right…it’s a good feeling that you accomplished what you set out to do that day in practice.” – Malzahn. He also adds, “Every kick (in practice) is a game rep.” – Malzahn
Exceptional Leaders Want To Control Their Own Destiny – “We control our destiny and that’s where we want to be.” – Swinney

College Gameday November 5th

Exceptional Leaders Embrace Big Moments – “Fans remember the games in November.” – Louisville Cardinals head coach Bobby Petrino
Exceptional Leaders Make Their Teams Better – “We had some sickly youngsters last week. We have to build their immune systems. More pushups. More whole milk.” – Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh
Exceptional Leaders Know Success Is A Process – “You’re trying to win championships it’s one (game) at a time. It’s not about talking about a championship a month out.” – Washington Huskies head coach Chris Peterson

What is one thing from this list you can begin doing today to become an exceptional leader?

8 Ways to Maximize Christmas Outreach at your Church

by Charles Stone

I’m an American serving as a lead pastor at a great church in Canada after serving over 30 years in the U.S. Canada is a great place to live and minister and I’m learning how to leverage key outreach events. Christmas Eve is by far the most attended service of the year, even surpassing Easter. This year Christmas Eve falls on Saturday which means Christmas Day falls on Sunday. As a staff we’ve spent considerable time planning how to maximize Christmas outreach. You might want to consider some of these ideas.

Magnificent colorful Christmas tree outdoor in a snowy night with a shooting star in the sky, for the perfect Christmas mood

How to Maximize Christmas Outreach at your Church

Provide multiple services.
- Our church is one church with three unique language services. In addition to English, we offer a Spanish service and a Mandarin service, all at the same time on Sundays. We’ve tried doing a Christmas Eve multi-lingual service. We found, however, that some English speakers opted out of coming on Christmas Eve. This year we are offering four different services, three at 5 pm (English, Chinese, and Spanish) and one at 7 pm (English only). Although we probably could cram all the English speakers into one service (our auditorium seats 800 and we have space for the Spanish and and Mandarin service in other areas), parking would be an issue. And, multiple services provides options for families with special family gatherings on Christmas Eve.
Pay special attention to families with kids.
- This year for the first time we are providing a kids program through grade 2 during the 5 pm service. We usually include all kids in the service but during the last two years we’ve had some screamers and runners which made it difficult to keep people’s attention. We are also providing two options for families on Christmas Day. We will hold our regular 10.30 am service, although shorter and with no childcare. We also will provide packets of materials for parents who may want to have a family service at home on Christmas Day instead of coming to the church facility. We will make those available the Sunday before Christmas and at our Christmas Eve service.
Distribute invite cards.
- The past several years we’ve designed an attractive card that we mail to our community and put into the hands of our attenders two weeks prior. We encourage everyone to invite one to three friends using the invite card.
Do a live nativity.
- Our children’s ministry holds a live nativity in front of our building on Christmas Eve. That may sound old school, but people from the community actually come just for that. They and their kids visually see the Christmas story. We hire a company that provides live animals. The company also brings some smaller animals kids can pet. The highlight last year was a baby kangaroo. We even provide a petting zoo on Easter which is a huge draw. Kids (and adults) love animals.
Design a special bulletin.
- Each Sunday we hand out a standard format bulletin which highlights events at the church. But for Christmas Eve we design a bulletin targeted to the unchurched attender. We highlight programs and ministries that might interest them.
Promote a felt-need sermon series.
- In the U.S. I never saw many returnees to our felt-need series after Christmas Eve. However, some pastors in Canada say that they’ve seen unchurched people return to such a series. We’re going to try that this year.
Recruit a special greeter team.
- We use regular greeters and ushers each Sunday. Those greeters and ushers will be on duty Christmas Eve as well. But this year we are recruiting a special team of greeters who will wear a shirt that says, “Ask Me” on it. Their sole purpose is to mingle in the atrium to meet new people and to be available for questions new folks may have about our church.
Begin Christmas planning in September.
- If you are just now planning Christmas, you may not have enough time to implement some of these suggestions. In the past couple of years it seemed that Christmas simply slipped up on us. Now, however, we have visually scheduled onto our staff wall calendar to begin planning for Christmas each September. We are in great shape for this year.

What innovative things are you doing this year as you prepare to reach out this Christmas?
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10 Black Friday Ideas For Pastors, Staff And Christian Leaders

The Black Friday and Christmas shopping season is upon us. If you have money left in your 2016 ministry budget or you are looking for Christmas gifts for the leaders in your life, the following are several resources which will help you have a successful 2017. Check them out and order these. You will give your leader a very, Merry Christmas!

Chasing The Light: 90 Devotions & Photos To Grow Your Faith by Dave Adamson. The perfect gift for your home or office. I first introduced Aussie Dave to this audience in the post The #1 Christian Leader Everyone Should Follow On Instagram And Why. But what do you do when your youngest daughter loves God and the Bible, but struggles with dyslexia? Dave, a former magazine editor and TV sports reporter, decided to use his passion for photography to help his little girl. He started using photos he had taken around the world to teach her the Bible . . . and watched her face light up! Now thousands of faces light up each because of Dave’s work.
Church Fuel One – If you want to get better as a pastor or ministry leader wanting to grow a healthy church, no monthly subscription service is more broad-based and better than Church Fuel One. This is like a seminary degree on church leadership.
FREE Sermon Series From Mark Batterson – Based upon his new book Chase The Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small, Mark is providing you sermon outlines, promotional and multi-media materials to help you reach more people.
Fully Funded – For a sheer ROI, no product is better than Fully Funded. If you are looking for a coaching resource which increases weekly giving, this one is for you.
How Champions Think: In Sports And Life by Dr. Bob Rotella. This is the best book I read this fall. Dr. Rotella is a sports psychologist with a primary focus on golf professionals. The applications here are profound for any leader regardless of their profession.
Ministry Download End Of Year Resource Bundle – Terrace Crawford is selling over $500 of resources for only $49. This includes multiple teaching series, done-for-you documents, games, graphics, leadership assessments and much, much more. Click HERE or the image above for a full listing. Incredible value!
Unreasonable Churches: 10 Churches Who Zagged When Others Zigged And Saw More Impact Because Of It by Rich Birch. In an era when 94% of churches are losing ground against the growth of the communities they serve, there is a new breed of churches who buck the trend. This book tells to stories of 10 churches who stopped copying the models of other churches and tried something new. You’ll be inspired to consider how your church could see great impact by blazing new trails!
Vanderbloemen Academy – Conducted by church staffing expert William Vanderbloemen, this tool helps you learn the best practices of culture building, church staffing, leading millennials, staff meetings, developing leaders, and more.
Volunteer Rocket – With their ABCDE approach, I do think think there is a better resource available for helping you create a successful volunteer ministry.
Finally as a bonus, it may be slightly self-serving but my book 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader is the perfect gift for all your volunteers and staff this Christmas. It has special pricing to be purchased in bulk. Order 10+ copies at $7.19 per copy and you will also get FREE shipping and a FREE study guide with each book. This is perfect for developing your church’s or business leaders in small group or one-on-one environments. Electronic copies can be purchased by clicking HERE. Hard-cover and study guides can be ordered by clicking HERE.

Happy shopping and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

Click HERE or on the image to the left for a FREE copy of my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!

How to Pull out of a Leadership Lull

by Charles Stone

Every leader at some time in his or her leadership will face multiple leadership lulls. We have a down Sunday. A new ministry doesn’t take off. Someone expresses disappointment in us or criticizes us. A seasonal program doesn’t bring as many new people as we expected. Sometimes those lulls can push us into a downward spiral from which it becomes difficult to pull out. Understanding what goes on in our brains offers insight on how to pull out of a leadership lull.

Our brains actually contribute to downward cycles. When we feel disappointed, a brain chemical that helps us feel positive, dopamine, drops which causes us to operate more from an emotional mode rather than from a thoughtful mode driven by the thinking part of our brain (the pre-frontal cortex). This decreases our performance because we enjoy our ministry less which in turn leads to decreased confidence. The spiral continues downward as our decreased confidence dampens our mood which further drops dopamine.

When we face such scenarios, five simple steps can help us move from a downward spiral to an upward spiral. God created our brains to provide doses of dopamine which makes for greater well being in our leadership and in our lives. This in turn can improve our performance which in turn opens us to fresh spiritual and leadership insight. As a result we receive a confidence boost about the future. Thus, we move from a downward spiral into an upward one.
Consider these five ideas to try the next time you face a leadership lull.

Take some time to read a few uplifting portions of Scripture about hope, God’s grace, and joy.
Write down the expectation that was unmet. Was it unrealistic given the current circumstances? Can you adjust the expectation downward to bring it more in line with current circumstances or with what God is telling you?
Think of something unusual or outside-the box that could apply to this situation. Is there a unique or novel way to frame or modify your expectation? Novelty helps boost brain chemicals that help us gain perspective and think more clearly.
Take a small step to accomplish something related to this goal or focus on another goal. Make the goal one that you can accomplish rather easily and quickly. After you do, take another small step. Each successive accomplishment will boost your confidence as it boosts dopamine. Accomplishing even small tasks from our daily to-do list has been proven to boost dopamine.
Call a friend you trust who can help you think through the situation. Often we simply need fresh perspective from an objective friend.

The next time you face a leadership lull, try one or two of these simple steps and see what happens.
What have you found that helps pull you out of a leadership lull?
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There’s No Such Thing As Business Leadership Principles

Recently, I was in a meeting with several world-class leaders discussing how to better build bridges between local churches and the business community. It was an incredible time together in which my mind was significantly stretched by the leaders in the room.
One of the topics discussed was what was the meaning of the term “spiritual leadership” and how business leaders (many unchurched) would receive the term. I gave my off-the-top-of-my-head definition which was, “Spiritual leadership is using biblical principles to help a person expand their influence and impact more people for Jesus.” I was actually proud of that spur-of-the-moment thought:-)
During the discussion one high-capacity leader mentioned he always associated spiritual leadership with leadership in the home. This was not an indication it was limited only to the home but that was the primary application was there, not necessarily the office. I have thought a lot about what he said.
Here is what I want you to know and I write these words with as much love and grace as I can – There is no such thing as business leadership. There is no such thing as athletic leadership. Or non-profit leadership or private sector leadership or governmental leadership. This is tough for many people to understand but there is only spiritual leadership.
The reason is because all truth, even leadership, comes from God’s Word, the Bible. Some people simply stumble upon quality leadership practices in the dark but all truth comes from the Bible. And it applies in every area of your life – home, work, church, and play.
The Bible is greatest leadership book ever written. For me and my job, the Bible provides the framework for the following:

How I treat my co-workers and clients.
How I yield to and exert authority.
How I manage my finances.
How I distribute assignments and tasks based upon workload and capacity.
How I communicate personally, electronically, and in written form.
My public speaking style.
How I manage my time and organize my workday.
How I relate to vendors and network.
My thoughts on diversity.
My conduct on the road.
Long range planning.
How I handle success and failure.
Discipline and coaching.
Dealing with conflict. I’m still working on this. I hate conflict.
Etc., etc., etc….

Once again, there is no such thing as business leadership principles. There is only spiritual leadership principles which are then applied to business situations. And to take an idea from Andy Stanley, following Jesus and reading the Bible has made the business I am a part of better and made us better at business.
For examples of applying the Bible to business practices, click the following:

Why Leaders Associate With The Most Evolved Human Beings On The Planet

Birds of a feather flock together. Bad company corrupts good morales. Your salary will be the average of the 10 people you hang around most. These are all old sayings, Bible verses, and principles showing the importance of carefully selecting your friends. The great Michigan Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh often quotes his father Jack when saying, “You are with whom you associate. And to take that a step further, let’s associate ourselves with the most evolved human beings in the world.”
In a November 24th ESPN.com article, writer Dan Murphy took a look at some of Coach Harbaugh’s most evolved friends and what he has gleaned from them:
Judge Judith Sheindlin aka Judge Judy
Judge Judy said, “I’m a fan of people who have great spirit. I’m not a huge football fan. I don’t understand the game, but I understand spirit. I was so impressed with the spirit of these two men, father and son. They had a joie de vivre and excitement about them that was infectious. It really is.” Harbaugh learned from her no one comes back from a lie.
Phil Hellmuth, 14-time World Series of Poker winner
Harbaugh learned from Hellmuth “the incredibly subtle details of body language that Hellmuth studies to try to read his opponents.” He then uses this information to help his lineman understand the opponent and anticipate their movements.
Rev. Joe Uhen, Priest at Santisimo Sacramento Parish in Piura, Peru
Harbaugh learns biblical leadership principles from Rev. Uhen who noted, “He really liked the way Elijah, kind of, well, I think the right word is trash-talked these priests (of Baal) that could not get it done.”
Brad Keselowski, Two-time NASCAR champion driver
These two discuss the power of sponsorships and how they can be used to helps better resource their respective teams. Keselowski says, “I think Coach Harbaugh understands there is a certain celebrity aspect that helps you perform. He’s a team guy by choice and desire. He’s a celebrity because it helps.”
Bobby Kotick, President/CEO of Activision Blizzard, the video game company responsible for titles such as ‘Call of Duty,’ ‘Guitar Hero,’ ‘World of Warcraft’
These are simply two leaders coming together and making each other better. Kotick says, “When we have conversations what comes up is those kinds of ideals. He’s not bashful about soliciting advice and looking for support. Part of being a great leader is that recognition of how to find capable people who have perspectives and insights that will improve your ability to remain committed to excellence.”
Justice Elena Kagan, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Having a friend like Justice Kagan helps Harbaugh maintain perspective and remind him what is really important.
David Turnley, Pulitzer Prize photographer
He helped Coach Harbaugh learn more about “the value of preparation when working in a dangerous, hectic and unpredictable battle.” Tunley has his own unique collection of friends which has included Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali. He noted about Harbaugh, “I’ve seen it with Ali. I’ve seen it with Mandela. They always look you in the eye, very direct. Everything about Jim Harbaugh’s presence is compelling. When he walks into the room he inspires with his presence. People talk about that with [military] generals, I think he more than anyone I’ve ever met has that quality. When he walks in a room he assumes the position of leadership. You can literally see the highlight in the eye. It’s twinkling out of the eyeballs, there’s so much energy.”
Michael Jordan, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and the greatest professional basketball player ever
Harbaugh had Jordan speak to the team. Among the many things he discussed were playing through pain, high-pressure situations, trusting your training and getting better by challenging one another.
And I have not even mentioned other associates like Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and Ric Flair.
Michigan athletic counselor Greg Harden pointed out about Harbaugh, “I think it’s a rare bird that can see people in different venues and extract from them what’s working.” Some examples were when Harbaugh collected a notebook full of ideas after visiting the White House. Or learning efficiency by watching a police officer direct traffic for 30 minutes. Or this practice technique from the Navy SEALS – winners in Michigan practice sessions are rewarded with extra wind sprints. While unconventional, he states this is “because they’ve earned the right to get better.”
So what has been the impact of these relationships on the actual on-field product at Michigan? Heading into the final regular season game of the year against Ohio State, Michigan opponents average 10.9 points per game (1st in the nation), 20.9% on 3rd down conversions (1st), 245.6 yards per game (1st), and 44.1% of their plays gain 0 or negative yards (also 1st). Michigan is dominant.
So the question begs, who are your friends and what impact are they having on your leadership?

16 Practices Of Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus

There are a number of people from all walks of life who make me better leader every time they speak – Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, Willow Creek Community Church senior pastor Bill Hybels, author Simon Sinek, professor and researcher Jim Collins, marketer Seth Godin, former quarterback Peyton Manning, sociologist Malcolm Gladwell, business consultant Patrick Lencioni, and others.
But there is one leader whose words and life impact me like no other – my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was reminded of this again today as I read the text from Mark 4:35-41. First is the lesson learned followed by the supporting text:

Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Proactively Build Relationships With Their Teams – v. 35 – “He said to them” Leadership is about people. You must get out of your office and engage them. Stop by their desk and actually have a conversation with your team members.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Do Things In The Context Of Community – v. 35 – “Let us” We can do more together than we ever can individually.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Move People Out Of Their Comfort Zones – v. 35 – “cross over to the other side.” Smart leaders are always putting their teams in positions which will stretch and grow them.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Understand The Importance Of Solitude – v. 36 – “Now when they had left the multitude” Leaders must spend some time alone to think, plan, strategize and recalibrate.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Are Leaders Are A Pleasure To Be Around – v. 36 – “they took Him along in the boat as He was.” How does your team feel when you walk into a room or they see your name on their cell phone? Does you team want to spend time with you or get away from you?
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Have Ever-Increasing Influence – v. 36 – “And other little boats are also with Him.” Successful leaders stewards influence well. It is always increasing or decreasing. Smart leaders know which way it is trending and adjust accordingly.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Are Prepared For Sudden Crisis – v. 37 – “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that is was already filling.” Leadership exists for crisis situations. It is crisis which reveals the mettle of a leaders.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Bring A Sense of Calm And Self-Assurance – v. 38 – “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.” When everyone else is insecure and panicked, leading like Jesus means bringing assurance, security and perspective to your teams.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Are Accessible – v. 38 – “And they awoke Him and said to Him” Jesus has the ultimate open-door policy in the person of the Holy Spirit. In this specific text, we learn the disciples knew Jesus was available and could be waken up. How accessible are you?
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Are Often Misunderstood – v. 38 – “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Simply put, leaders have information and insights others do not. It is part of the responsibility of being a leader. As a result, people often do not understand why you make the decisions you do.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Have Great Body Language And Presence – v. 39 – “Then He arose” I have often wondered why Jesus even bothered to get out of bed to rebuke the wind. He did not have to. Jesus could have spoken “Peace, be still” from the comfort of his comfortable bed and soft pillow. I think He stood because He understand the dramatic impact His physical presence would have. Many times, a leader’s body language speaks louder than their words ever could.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Solve Problems – v. 39 – “and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!” A leader’s value is directly tied to his/her competence and ability to solve problems.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Deliver Results – v. 39 – “And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” What makes this a meaningful story is when Jesus spoke, the wind actually did cease. The storm was over. Great leaders deliver great results.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Take Every Opportunity To Coach Their Teams – v. 40 – “But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'” Jesus used this incredible event to teach the disciples about their faith. In victory or defeat, smart leaders are always looking for ways to impart wisdom.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Are Deeply Respected – v. 41 – “And they feared exceedingly and said to one another” As a leader, would you rather be liked or respected? This is an age-old question but the answer is “Both”. People have to be able to help you. But people must also want to help you.
Leaders Who Lead Like Jesus Rely On Jesus – v. 41 – “Who can this be, that even the wind and sea obey Him!” No matter how great a leader you may be, there is still a gap between your abilities and what God wants to do through you. Only Jesus can fill that gap.

What is one thing you learned about Leading Like Jesus in this passage which will make you a better leader?

5 Barriers Preventing Organizational Change

“Communicating change by email, for instance, is a big no-no.” – Bryan Miles
No one likes change but a baby. So therefore, navigating change in your organization is a skill all successful leaders must master. This is why I want to share with you the thoughts of MAG Bookkeeping’s owner and CEO Bryan Miles on the topic. MAG Bookkeeping helps both churches and businesses with virtual bookkeeping assistance. I cannot recommend this organization enough. They do amazing work and Bryan is an incredible. Check out his thoughts below:
My wife Shannon and I have lead our team through some exciting evolutions since we started our company back in 2010. Many of our changes have happened organically as we have grown, but others have been intentional changes spurred by big dreams.
We are in the midst of a big change now (more on that later), and while any kind of change is hard, intentional change is the hardest. In fact, some experts say that 70% of these kinds of change initiatives fail.
I know of only two ways to avoid failure (1) keep climbing, no matter what (2) avoid common pitfalls. I can’t help other leaders with the first one, but I’ll share what I’ve learned about the second.
Here are 5 common barriers that will hijack your company’s ability to see organizational change.

A Company Culture That Doesn’t Support Change
As leaders, we need to create a culture that allows anyone to initiate change, beta-test and suggest solutions. If we create a culture that values hierarchy and routine over innovation, chances are change isn’t going to stick. A culture that allows anyone to effect change is more open to change and actually quite a bit more innovative.
Lack of Planning for Shifting Sands
Lasting change is about more than operational changes and new org charts. Planned changes affect our people. It’s important to take into account the emotional response to change. We have to plan for, and take the time to listen to our team as they process changes … and have the tough conversations where needed to level-set expectations. Otherwise, we risk a growing resentment from our team.
No Feedback Loop
At some point, you have to make decisions … however, the more you can involve your employees in a change initiative, the more likely it is to stick. Even the most loyal team members can get turned off when they feel their input isn’t valued. Create a feedback loop to allow employees to feel involved in the process. This also allows us a chance as leaders to provide more information and resources supporting change.
No Awareness of Current State
This is a big one. It’s impossible to make big change stick without a current health assessment of your organization. If your team suffers from a lack of morale, inspiration or work-overload, you must first understand and address those problems before rolling out a big change. If you don’t do this, expect a hot mess.
A Narrow Communication Plan
How you debut an organizational change is key. Communicating change by email, for instance, is a big no-no. Communicating big change has to allow for discussion. Your people will want to understand why a change is being made. Make a point to share key information about what’s driving the change, ideally in person. The more they know, the less they will fear … and the easier it is for them to hop on board.

Do you see the common thread? Organizational change is about more than a step-by-step process… it’s about our team. It’s about our people. Leaders must lead with both confidence and empathy.
Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter – @bryanmiles

Do You Problem Solve too Much as a Leader?

by Charles Stone

Good leaders help team members solve their own problems with their own insight. Average leaders tend to solve their team members’ problems, thus truncating their opportunity to grow themselves. So, how do we help our team members learn to problem solve on their own? In this post I begin with a story and then suggest ways to problem solve in a balanced way.

Archimedes was a brilliant Greek scientist. He lived 250 years before Christ and is best known for inventing a method to determine an object’s volume. A goldsmith had forged a crown of gold for the Greek king, King Hiero II. The king was concerned, however, that the goldsmith has substituted the cheaper metal silver for some of the gold. He asked Archimedes to find the truth without melting the crown.
This stumped Archimedes until a flash of insight hit him. One day as he took a bath he noticed the water level rise as he stepped into the tub. Suddenly he realized that by making a few mathematical calculations he could use water volume displacement from the crown to determine if it were made of pure gold. In his excitement, so the story goes, he ran into the streets naked crying, “Eureka, Eureka!” which means in Greek, “I have found it.”
Thus, we use the word “eureka” for personal insight. Through this insight he discovered that the goldsmith had indeed substituted silver for some of the crown’s gold, a not-so-good discovery for the goldsmith.
Leaders tend to be tellers.

We cast vision by telling.
We communicate goals and strategies by telling.
We recruit leaders by telling.
We manage staff by telling.
We teach by telling.
And we tend to solve our team’s problems by telling.

When a team member comes to us with a problem, it’s often expedient to give a quick answer if we see the solution. We tend to be more experienced so it can be easy to see the solution. But when we solve their problems too quickly, we can create other problems.

We can inadvertently foster dependency on us to solve their problems and diminish their motivation to follow through because people are less likely to act on somebody else’s ideas.
We can rob them from learning how to problem solve, an important leadership quality.
We can diminish opportunities for them to experience the joy of those ‘eureka’ moments.

I believe this is the key to helping your team learn to solve their own problems: ask questions.
Jesus often asked questions when he wanted to teach important concepts. The Gospels include 135 questions Jesus asked. He asked questions to create readiness to learn and to get his listeners to think for themselves.
Consider five compelling reasons to ask your team more questions.

Questions help your team see reality more clearly. One more well-placed question may surface an important issue about their problem they are trying to solve that they otherwise might have missed.
They help foster innovation. Questions can spur new ideas and solutions to problems.
They help your team self reflect. Telling someone an answer may stifle her need to thoroughly think through the answer for herself.
They provide perspective. A good question can open up a fresh perspective to a perplexing dilemma.
They help your team focus on the real issue.

Asking good questions can become a potent team development tool to put into your leadership toolbox.

Asking good questions can become a potent team development tool to put into your leadership toolbox.

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An interesting brain process occurs when we get a eureka insight.
Several different brain waves course through our brains every day. During sleep, your brain produces delta and theta waves. When we’re awake and our brains are at rest (i.e., during daydreaming), alpha waves occur. When we are awake, alert, and focused on something, the beta wave is most prominent. But the fastest wave is called a gamma wave that sweeps through our entire brains over 40 times per second through a process called synchrony. Similar to what happens to an orchestra when a conductor raises his baton and brings the whole orchestra to attention, the gamma wave sweeps through our brains and brings it to attention when we experience a eureka insight. Several benefits occur from the gamma wave.

New brain maps get formed in the eureka moment.
The brain’s right hemisphere which processes information intuitively and holistically increases its activity by making subtle connections. This fosters insight by connecting disparate bits of information which otherwise may have seemed inconsequential.
The brain produces the feel good neurotransmitter dopamine. As a result, a eureka insight actually feels good which makes us want more insight experiences.
The solution to the problem, the eureka insight, gets stamped deeper into our brains creating greater ownership to the solution and more motivation to follow through on it.

So what can you do to ask more and better questions to foster eureka insights in your team. Consider three suggestions.

Practice the art of the W.A.I.T.
- WAIT is an acronym for this question. “Why Am I Talking?” In meetings and conversations with others when you sense you may be dominating, mentally ask yourself this question. It has helped me listen more carefully and talk less.

Ask the question, “What do you think?”
- This handy question helps when you sense a team member wants you to solve his problem. You may immediately know the answer, but if you answer it too quickly you may foster unhealthy dependency on you that you want to avoid. So when a team member asks you to solve his problem, first respond with, “What do you think?” Remember, self generated insights create better buy-in than quick answers.

Use the AWE question.
- Michael Stanier suggests this question in his great book, The Coaching Habit. AWE stands for, “And What Else?” He suggests we use this question 3-5 times in a coaching or problem solving conversation. He calls it the best coaching question in the world. It helps pull out insight from a team member that might be missed if you end the conversation too soon.

Try one or more of these suggestions when a team member wants you to solve his or her problem.
What kinds of questions have helped you develop your team?
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