Leadership & Market Place Ministry

Thursday, March 17, 2016

9 Tips for Leaders in a Growing Business

Sometimes growth can take your breath away—like it does for these new parents:

I remember a few years ago helping a company that was growing from single digit millions in revenue to triple digit millions in revenue in a short 24-month period. This breathtaking growth left the leaders feeling pressure and scrambling to respond well. This hyper-growth phase is often called the “pull” season rather than the “push” season.

If we exclude start-ups and companies in need of reinventing themselves, there are really only two main types of companies out there—healthy mature companies and high-growth companies. Mature companies are stable, efficient, and generally have some measure of predictable growth.

But then there are companies or organizations that are in high or fast growth mode. I can’t tell you the standard growth rate percentage because there are so many variables from industry to industry. But one thing is very clear—these companies are riding a big wave of growth and momentum.

I am not inferring that this company is more valuable or impactful than a mature stable organization or company. I am just making the case that a high-growth company requires a few things different from its leadership.

When forced to choose, pick health over growth. The environmentalist Edward Abbey said, “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” How healthy is your organization? Like a machine running at full throttle, the tiniest frayed wire can cause an explosion. Where are you sticking on band-aids? In the area of cash flow? HR? Market analysis? Ethics? Take the time to remove the band-aid and focus on health. The taller the building, the stronger the foundation must be.
Remember that rapid growth can wreak havoc. Oftentimes, it is the growth itself that is causing the poor health. Rapid growth puts pressure on the joints of your business. Your employees are struggling to keep up. Your culture begins to get watered down. Your cash is being consumed like pizza at a 14-year-old boy’s birthday party. Chaos and mayhem are common elements that appear during fast growth.
Minimize hierarchy. Maximize culture. Your culture can be one of your greatest assets during high growth. The “dot-com-ers” have been using this tool for years. Since culture is at risk during high growth, you’ve got to figure out ways to let it seep into every corner of the company. To do that, there can’t be an “us and them” mentality. It’s what Google is known for—a creative culture that extends across a flat organization.
Stay humble and smart. Sam Walton was famous for his humility and camaraderie with employees. His 1992 Los Angeles Times obituary told a typical story of one night when he couldn’t sleep, so he hopped in his pick-up, grabbed some donuts, and went to a distribution center. Talking and eating with the dockworkers, he learned that they needed more shower stalls. Walton took care of it. Through acts like these, he established a culture that valued and rewarded knowledge sharing. Even in hyper-growth, Walton learned from people because he didn’t think himself bigger than them.
Aim for agility over efficiency. High growth wars against efficiency because efficiency is a by-product of control, and control is the one thing you don’t have. It’s like Steve Martin, with no efficiency in this high-growth family. In a high-growth company, you’re moving too fast to not “waste” resources. The solution? Worry less about efficiency and more about pivoting. In other words, run fast and break things. Just remember where the broken glass is and move around it.
Know what you’re measuring. Someone once said, “Speed is only useful if you’re running in the right direction.” Measuring the right things tells you if you just took a wrong exit and need to hop back on the interstate before you end up at the wrong destination. Your revenue may be growing but what about your ROI? Your profits may be growing but what about your customer base?
It’s up to you to manage you and keep life in balance. A few years ago, I released a short book called Managing Me because I’ve found again and again that high-performance leaders often ignore the gauges in their own life to keep them airborne. High growth will tempt you to ignore those gauges. Never forget it is up to you to manage you. You can’t outsource or delegate it. You don’t get to successful in order to stop managing yourself. And there will never be easy time to do it.
Make sure everyone is in the people-development business. Keeping up with talent is usually an Achilles’ heel of high growth. Don’t depend on HR to keep people motivated and engaged. This 2014 Inc. article points out that employee engagement cannot be a one-size fits all approach. Every level of the company has to be thinking about engaging its people. I love the Google approach to this.
Cover for each other. High growth will inevitably mean more work and will likely leave team members with plates that are too full. Expect to jump in and help each other on projects. Employees will be more engaged as they see that they’re part of a team. No one wants to be just another cog in the wheel.

And here’s one final tip: enjoy your growth. It may be hard to imagine, but don’t get so overwhelmed that you don’t pause and enjoy it. You’ll look back on this season with more than a bit of nostalgia and “Wow.” Be the skier going down the black slope who might crash, but who’s also thinking, “This is crazy fun!”

As Andy Rooney said, “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs when you’re climbing it.”

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Skinny Jeans And A Scarf Does Not Make You Creative

Many businesses and churches are making a critical mistake. They hire a millennial wearing skinny jeans and wearing a scarf and say, “Let’s put him on the creative team!”
Well, skinny jeans and a scarf does not make you creative. Khaki pants, a tucked-in blue pullover, and a ball cap makes you creative. Don’t believe me? Let me introduce you to Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, the most creative man in all of college football.
Coach Harbaugh reminds us that creativity is not coloring outside the lines. Creativity is coloring inside the lines differently than everyone else.
Last week, he took his players on a five-day, four-practice trip to sunny Florida. College teams have traditionally always practiced on their campus. Not Harbaugh who cares little of how things have always been done. He decided his players would rather put their toes in sandy beaches rather than six inches of snow.
What is even more unique – he team setup their satellite campus at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. IMG is the #1 high school football powerhouse in America. Though they could not interact with the players, potential star recruits saw a weeklong infomercial of the coolest/hippest/most relevant/trendy program in the country.
Senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst told the USA Today, “Coach Harbaugh is an innovator. He’s always going to try to find something new, a loophole to help us get better. He told me he’s going to top the Signing of the Stars (more on this later). I don’t know how you top that.”
The maverick coach also seems impervious to complaints from fellow coaches who are put off by Harbaugh’s completely unique approach to recruiting. He said, “I think my favorite one so far was the comment that this was a circus, like a big circus. This and the Signing of the Stars, like, ‘What a circus. As a youngster I remember the circus coming to town, looking forward to it, saving my pennies and dollars because the circus was coming to town and I couldn’t wait. Every circus I ever went to, I left feeling really great about it. It was a lot of fun.”
Signing Of The Stars has now been mentioned twice. If you are unfamiliar with this event, on National Signing Day, Harbaugh paraded a cascade of stars in front of 3,500 fans as they introduced the team’s newest recruits. These stars included Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Desmond Howard, Lou Holtz, Todd McShay, and yes, the Nature Boy Ric Flair. WOOOOO!!!! For a video of this groundbreaking event, watch the video below.

The celebrities did not stop there. Dick Vitale made an appearance in Bradenton. All in all, over 5,000 people attended the team’s Florida practice.
Former season ticket holder for 31 years Debbie Fielder said, “It’s exciting they’re here in Florida, it’s exciting to see the new players and he makes it so fun for the kids.”
In addition to being fun, Harbaugh’s creativity is also building team unity. Hurst added, “Normally we go on spring break with a bunch of teammates anyway; now we get to come all together as a unit.” The fun included beach time, movie nights, batting practice and countless meals together as a unit.
Harbaugh concluded after the trip, “It was a great thing for everyone involved, most importantly the fellas. Let the guys play. Let the fellas play, let them have fun. What’s wrong with that?”
One final question – what’s also wrong with khaki pants, blue pullovers, and ball caps. This is what creativity now looks like.

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 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!

9 Ways Clarity Benefits Leaders

by Charles Stone

Several years ago I entered into a coaching relationship with seven other pastors through Will Mancini’s organization, Auxano. It was a great experience that helped me get clear about vision strategy. In the training and in Will’s seminal book on how to capture and lead through vision, Church Unique, he describes these 9 benefits of being clear as you lead your church.

How clarity benefits leaders.

Clarity makes uniqueness undeniable.
Clarity makes direction unquestionable.
Clarity makes enthusiasm transferable.
Clarity makes work meaningful.
Clarity makes synergy possible.
Clarity makes success definable.
Clarity makes focus sustainable.
Clarity makes leadership credible.
Clarity makes uncertainty approachable.

How would you rank your clarity in your ministry using these 9 as benchmarks?

4 Things Every Church Planter Should Know

At my home church, Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA, Associate Pastor Tim Beard provides leadership to the Fellowship Bible Church Planter Residency Program. The men who go through this year-long program learn from some of the greatest Christian leaders in the world including our senior pastor Dr. Crawford Loritts.
Recently, I had the privilege to spend time with these heroes of the faith and teach on leadership as they launch their ministries.
Because what they were already exposed to such high quality information Crawford, Tim and others, I wanted to share with them principles they may not hear in mainstream learning environments. The following are 4 Things Every Church Planter Should Know:

Focus On Self-Leadership. The toughest person a church planter will ever lead is themselves. If you have to choose between character or competence, pick both but go with character. Character promotes personal holiness over personal freedoms. Character avoids anger. I am seeing an epidemic of angry pastors and it is destroying their influence. The only difference between anger and danger is a “d”. Characters measures success properly. Character ensures you will be a prophetic voice in your community and not a self-help guru who sprinkles in Bible verses. There is no more important moment than when a church planter begins their day with an open Bible and quiet time. Make a covenant with your eyes. Beware of girls, gold and glory. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life will destroy your church. And finally, place your family first. They will love you no matter how well you preach or lead.
From The Very Start Put Systems Into Place, Not Silver Bullets. Institute an annual funding plan so your vision can become a reality. Institute an annual preaching calendar so your church gets a balanced diet of God’s Word. Institute a volunteer attraction, training, on-boarding, appreciation and evaluation system.
Speak To Business Leaders. When you look out at your congregation, who is out there? Business leaders. They are either business leaders, working for business leaders, studying to become business leaders, related to business leaders, retired business leaders, or transitioning from one to the other. Churches should disciple people to have a biblical framework in that which they do more of than anything else outside of church.
How To Pick Elders. Start with the biblical requirements found in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. Then, pick people who first love Jesus. Secondly, they love their pastor. Thirdly, they love their church. In that order. Then find people who understand church leadership. There is a natural tension between business leaders and church staff. Business leaders focus every day on transaction. Church staff focus every day on transformation. There is a natural tension. Pick people who understand both. Pick people who can connect budgets and tasks to the fulfillment of vision. And finally, only pick people you like. Chemistry matters. You will be fighting hell together for several years. Don’t pick people who will not have your back at all times.

It was an absolute joy to invest in these dear brothers. If you want to know more about the Fellowship Bible Church Planter Residency Program, email Tim Beard at tim.beard@fellowshiproswell.org. He is amazing!!!
This program will surround you with people who love you and will position you for success as well as any program out there.

2 Things Pastors Should Know When Talking To Muslims

Nine years ago, Lead Pastor Naeem Fazal planted the Mosaic Church in Charlotte, N.C. This multi-ethnic, multi-generational congregation with three services now sees hundreds of lives transformed for Jesus Christ each year. Pastor Naeem is one of America’s great pastors.
Recently, my good friend Randy Ongie of MAG Bookkeeping interviewed Naeem on The Fully Engaged Church Podcast about the release of his new book Ex-Muslim. Their conversation was fascinating and will help Christians better understand how to build bridges with their Muslim friends. Check out a portion of their interview below:
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You don’t hear about many former Muslims in the media, and you especially don’t hear about former Muslims who are lead pastors of churches in the South. But those two things are true for Naeem Fazal, our most recent podcast guest.
Naeem talks with MAG Bookkeeping president Randy Ongie about how he came to faith, why he documented the journey in his book, Ex-Muslim, and what pastors should know when talking to and working with Muslims.
As a Pakistani who grew up in Kuwait, Naeem lived a conservative Muslim lifestyle with his family as a child. In 1992, after the Gulf War, he had the chance to come to the United States, and he says his life and the lives of several family members were radically changed. Naeem had an experience with Jesus that rocked his world and led him into ministry, and eventually to planting Mosaic Church in Charlotte, N.C., nine years ago.
This history is just part of what the book is all about. There are stories about immigrants and religious refugees in a new country, assimilation, and relearning what it means to engage with God.
“My purpose in writing was to remind myself and others that God continually pursues humanity in supernatural ways. There are people who are far away from God, but there are no God-forsaken people,” he says. “He moves in the midst of people, tribes and cultures.”
Although the book is a great read and very enlightening for Christians, it isn’t really written with a Christian audience in mind. Other Muslims or non-believers are the real focus, and they are invited to ask Jesus to reveal himself to them.
Naeem says the response so far has been awesome. He has heard many stories from people who were expecting the book to be about the differences between Islam and Christianity. They were surprised though, because the book isn’t about that as much as it’s filled with real-life scenarios that build a bridge between the Christian world and everyone else.
Naeem says there is a gap there and things pastors and church leaders should know about Muslims, including these two things:

Muslims are insecure. In the U.S., Muslims are a minority, which Naeem says they are very aware of all the time. Pastors often think they need to know how to debate with a Muslim on religious topics, but it’s important to understand that a Muslim counterpart may feel just as insecure debating a pastor. Muslims can be very sensitive about this, and their insecurities may come out in a very passionate or standoffish way.
No Muslim is the same. Naeem is Pakistani, but he was born and raised in Kuwait.Those countries are extremely different, which means that his experiences as a Muslim are very different than those who live or have lived in other countries, like Syria, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. The way they practice their religion and how sensitive they are to it differs. So when talking with Muslims, there’s no one right answer to give them.

Naeem says that the way we approach issues like those described above could create walls to divide us or it could unite us.
As he has continued through his faith journey, he says he’s learned so much about how to worship, interpretations of the Scriptures, and the different kinds of churches. He has a very unique perspective, which is part of what makes his book so interesting.
For more about Naeem, listen to the full podcast and check out Ex-Muslim.

When Pastors Lead from their Lizard Brains

by Charles Stone

The brain fascinates me and what happens in it profoundly impacts life and leadership. I even wrote a book about it, Brain-Savvy Leaders: the Science of Significant Ministry and earned an executive master’s degree in the neuroscience of leadership. In this post I briefly explain how God organized our brain and how leaders and pastors sometimes lead from their lizard brains.

Closeup view of a wild iguana in a sunnay day

Imagine a tootsie roll pop with two centers. Pretend the inner center is a sweet tart surrounded by the gooey tootsie roll that in turn is surrounded by the hard outer candy. Our brains include three parts, like our imaginary tootsie roll pop.
The inner core, called the reptilian brain regulates such functions as circulation and respiration. It’s on automatic pilot. Let’s say you’re sensitive to criticism about your preaching and in a conversation one of your leaders makes this comment. “I sure wish you’d go deeper with your Bible teaching. I’ve talked to a lot of people who are thinking about leaving because they aren’t getting fed.” I don’t think I’ve ever met a pastor who hasn’t heard a comment like that. If you’ve allowed chronic anxiety to build up inside, you might immediately react without thinking by sarcastically blurting, “I’m doing my best and if they want to leave, I’d be happy for them and me.” Such a comment threatens you and you adapt to this threat from the automatic process of the reptilian part of your brain.
The second part of our brains (the gooey tootsie roll part), the mammalian brain, regulates other functions such as bonding, playing, nurturing and expressions like shock, sorrow, and rejoicing. It also plays a role between pleasure and pain, flight and fight, and tension and relaxation. It serves as the seat of emotion. However, instead of maintaining balance between our reptilian brain and the third layer (the seat of rational thought), sometimes this part of the brain goes haywire. A pastor who enjoys preaching and has seen fruit from it, after enough critical comments, might face a depressive funk that his ministry is fruitless and that he should quit.
Both the reptilian and the mammalian parts of our brain compose about 15%, operate on automatic pilot, and have many connecting brain cells called neurons. However, our cerebral cortex, the outer brain, encompasses 85% of our brain. At this level God has given us the ability to think, process, gain insight, and choose. It is the seat of intentionality whereas the other two parts are the seats of instinct.
In summary, these three brain parts compose our Brain.

Lizard brain (reptilian): on automatic pilot that acts without thinking. Lizards eat their young. and some churches eat their pastors.
‘Puppy’ brain (mammilian): the seat of emotions, also somewhat on automatic pilot.
Main brain (neocortex): the place where we think, analyze, choose, create, symbolize, and observe.

God gave us our entire brain, including the two lower brain levels. Those parts aren’t inferior, but limited. The neocortex can’t ignore them or else life would be rather dull. However, the neocortex allows us to “reflect on what is happening (insight) and plan for what might happen (foresight).”[1]
When anxiety overwhelms us (we lead from our lizard brains), we often react and these processes take over.

Impulse overwhelms intention.
Instinct sweeps aside imagination.
Reflexive behavior closes off reflective thought.
Defensive postures block out defined positions.
Emotional reactivity limits clearly determined direction.[2]

Here’s a personal example when I lead from my lizard brain.
Several years ago in an elder’s meeting at a former church one of the elders made a statement that implied I lacked a certain competency in my role, indicated by something he said I did. I didn’t even remember the specific issue, but I clearly remember my reaction. When he made that statement, I impulsively blurted, “I do not do that (whatever it was)!” He retorted, “You do it all the time.” I immediately jumped out of my chair, stomped over to the sink area behind me, and in anger said, “I never can please you. Everything I do is just not enough for you, is it?”
For the next ten minutes we went back and forth with great emotion and it took the finesse of another elder to cool us down.
What happened? I had experienced chronic anxiety toward this elder for some time. And, our elder meetings had not gone that well. When I felt attacked, my lizard brain often took over. My emotional reactivity came out as impulsive defensiveness. It happened without me even thinking.
In retrospect, I should have paused and allowed the thinking side of my brain to rule instead of my emotional side. My emotions acted faster than my thinking and I didn’t handle my feelings responsibly. I lost objectivity and civility. My unhealthy drivenness to please this leader caused an unnecessary conflict. In reality, his comment probably carried at least a grain of truth in it. Had I been more thoughtful, self-aware, and less anxiety filled that I had disappointed this leader, the conversation could have turned in a constructive direction. Fortunately, we both cooled down later and I apologized for my reacting.
When you are under stress, how does your lizard brain show up?
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10 Benefits To Pushing People Forward Rather Than Pulling Them Along

Make dust or eat dust. This was one of the first leadership axioms I ever learned. And its truth is timeless. As a leader, you want people who are always moving forward, always advancing, always making dust.
For my 50th birthday my in-laws purchased for me some top-of-the-line luggage. In the past, I always traveled with an average pull-along suitcase. This was never a problem. I was perfectly content.
But then I got to travel with the American Tourister 1000 suitcase. With its four spinning wheels I now have the ability to either push the suitcase or have it right beside me as I walk through airport terminals and hotel parking lots.
As I walked through the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport this past weekend, I was reminded that as leaders it is so much easier to push things rather than pull them. This is especially true for the people you are called to lead.
The following are 10 Benefits To Pushing People Forward Rather Than Pulling Them Along:

Pushing people forward allows you and the organization to go at a faster pace. Pulling people slows you and the organization down.
Pushing people forward allows you to always being looking towards the future. Pulling people forces you to always be looking backwards into the past.
Pushing people forward takes more work but it is worth it. When you lead leaders they put up a fight. This better quality suitcase is sturdier and heavier. Pulling people feels easier. The suitcase was smaller and lighter. But there is no way it would last as long.
Pushing people forward makes you more flexible, nimble and have more options. Pulling people means you are only going to go in one direction.
Pushing people forward allows you can carry a heavier load. Pulling people forces you to carry a less.
Pushing people forward gives you as the leader more confidence. Pulling people gives you less confidence.
Pushing people forward sustains your leadership. Pulling people limits your length of leadership.
Pushing people forward means they still go forward even when you stop pushing. People who are pulled immediately stop when you quit pulling.
Pushing people forward allows you to leverage additional energy in other areas of the organization. Pulling people requires all your energy.
The people you push forward are indispensable to your team. The people you pull are not indispensable to your team.

Therefore, surround yourself with high-energy people who are always moving forward. They will help you accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible.