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Leadership and Fish Tales

Smart leaders plan ahead for problems and have a plan for dealing with them. A fictional "fish-tale" communicates this principle well.

A young couple decided to start their own business. He was an engineer and she was an advertising copywriter. They wound up buying a small salmon cannery in Alaska. They soon discovered they had a problem. Customers opening a can of their salmon discovered that the fish was gray.

Sales sagged. Investigation revealed that the problem was a result of the way they processed the fish. “This is a technical problem,” said the wife, “and you’re an engineer. You have to find a way to fix this.”

A month later, the husband announced that they would have to replace some machinery and make other changes. It was going to take at least 10 months to do the job and it was going to cost a lot of money. “We have to do something sooner than that,” said the wife, “or we’re going to go under.”

For the next two days she pondered the problem and came up with this solution: There was nothing wrong with the salmon—it tasted fine. The problem lay in its looks. So she changed the label on the can. In bold letters, right under the brand name, the labels thereafter announced, “The only salmon guaranteed not to turn pink in the can.”

Smart and effective leaders have a process built in to deal with changes, disappointments, and simply the unexpected.

Anticipate, look ahead, foresee, and expect problems.  You’re either dealing with a problem right now, coming out of a problem, or about to enter into one. 

Be ready and have a plan. Deal with the problems as they come and do not let them sway you from completing the vision and the task.

 

Baldness, Time, and Managing Opportunities

In ancient Greece statues stood like sentinels around the cities. Some represented famous people and Grecian ideals; others were dedicated to their gods. Paul spoke of one marbled diety in Acts 17:22-23: "I even found an altar with this description:  'To an Unknown God.'"  

Another was called the Statue of Opportunity.  It portrayed a human being with a normal body. The head, however, was unusual. It had long flowing hair in the front and was bald in the back. It was a constant reminder to every Athenian that opportunity was something you could grab as it was coming toward you, but once it passed you by, you couldn’t get hold of it anymore. 

The same is true of time.  

If we lose control of our time, we lose opportunities.  If you and I can steward our time well, we will be ready for opportunities when they arise.

 

Are We Having Too Many Meetings?

In recent weeks I have heard a number of pastor friends bemoaning that fact that they seem to find themselves in endless rounds of meetings. Whether you are in ministry or business, meetings seem to be the bane of our existence...especially if they occur during those sacrosanct evening hours.

But why? Good things can come from meetings: decisions are made, dreams are shared, and goals are set forth and tracked.

Meetings become problematic when they are burdensome, fail to "move the ball forward," and waste the collective time of too many people.

Which set me thinking: What are some signs we are having too many meetings? I therefore venture forth a few questions that I trust will help you assess the productivity of the meetings you are holding or attending.

 1. Are our meetings keeping us from the Main Thing? This, of course, assumes that your church or organization knows what the Main Thing is. And assuming you do, are your meetings helping or hindering in keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing? For example, in church world, if we are keeping our members so busy running from committee meeting to committee meeting, when do they have time to develop relationships with those who need Jesus? When did busyness become a sign of spiritual maturity?

In the game of football, huddles are necessary because the plays are relayed, shared with the team, and then run. Can you imagine having a huddle without running a play? Churches do it all the time.

2.  Are meetings interfering with the Most Important Things? Many things in life are important, but aren't as important as family. Many of us understand that our homes feel like pit-stops where we duck in from time-to-time to re-energize and re-fuel, then we rush back out on the racetrack where we continue to go in circles. At the end of our lives, I doubt any of us will wish we had attended more meetings.

If meetings are coming between me and the good of my family, then something has to give. And I hope we chose our families over meetings - no matter how important the meeting might be. I have found that when I have missed a meeting - whether accidentally or intentionally - that the world didn't in fact stop, and life moved merrily along.

3.   Are meetings losing their focus? It's so easy to hold meetings for the sake of holding meetings. We feel the need to stay "caught up" or to keep our fingers on the pulse. If a meeting does not have a clear purpose, a focused agenda, and accountability to follow-up the former, that's a waste of time waiting to happen.

Leaders, before you call your next meeting, you might first want to ask yourselves these three questions. The answers will help with focus and the health of your people.

 

Five Ways to Stifle Emerging Leaders

I often hear or see leaders who complain about the perceived lack of new leaders. "Where are they? People aren't as committed as they used to be. This younger generation is nothing but an entitled bunch of misfits! And the older people are no better!" And on and on it goes, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

With tongue firmly in cheek, here are five ways to keep new leaders from emerging within your organization:

1.  Communicate a complete lack of confidence. Say things like, "We can't find anyone else to do this, and you're probably not the first choice we would normally go to, but we're in a fix, and you're all we've got right now. As soon as someone better comes along, we'll probably go with him/her." Since every new(er) person has never before done the job, it's too easy to portray a hesitant spirit toward them. When the new or younger leader senses your hesitancy, they sense your lack of confidence in them to do the job well.

2.  Give them accountability without authority. Make sure they are held to a very high standard, but don't give them the tools they need to do the job. Hamstring them with no power to carry any of their responsibilities out. The key here is to hold them accountable - no matter what.

3.  Create an atmosphere of criticism. Keep people on edge. Even when giving words of encouragement or praise, make sure they are expecting, "but..." Insure that they think and move in the belief that anything short of perfection is unacceptable. And when they fail to attain it, come down on them - hard - and preferably publicly. 

4.  Emphasize how much pressure they will be under. "The last person in your position couldn't cut it!" Leaders who don't want others to grow and flourish under their leadership assure their subordinates that failures will be summarily fired.

5.  Expect results too soon. "I need you on top of this in a couple of weeks. I'll be back to check on you." Leave them out to dry. Give them no context, no direction, no guidance, and no support. But demand results - and the quicker the better.

And there we have it; now go and do the opposite!

Five Ways to Spot a Potential Leader

The constant cry of leaders everywhere is, "Where do I find more leaders? We have the workers and volunteers, but no one willing to lead them."

Here are five ways to spot a potential leader:

1)   Holds the respect of his or her own family. This is often quickly dismissed but I think it is one of the greatest ways to spot a leader. A family's feelings toward another family member speak volumes. If he or she is not respected by their own family - the people who know them best - they, in the long run, will probably not make an effective leader.

2)  Do they have the attention and ears of others? When potential leaders speak, people listen. If a person already has a following of sorts, it may mean they have leadership potential.

3)  A willingness to assume responsibility. Leadership demands that we step up - step up into a leadership role, step up into responsibility, and step up into accountability. It is exacting and can be demanding, but the rewards are wonderful. The joy of leading a group of like-minded individuals to accomplish a great task - the feeling of adding value to other people - is what leadership is about.

4)  The capability to catch and create vision. Watch to see people's reactions when they are presented with a grand vision. Are they excited? Are they speaking in terms of "we" and "us" rather than "they" and "them"? Once a potential leader hears the vision, do they sense the thrill of the challenge? And can they communicate to others so that others also catch the same vision with like passion?

5)   Past leadership roles. Some of the best leaders I have ever found were because I discovered their past leadership roles. As you get to know a person, inquire about things they have done in the past. Have they led an organization? Did they have oversight of personnel? Did they maintain a volunteer position in a former organization? Reminder: it's been my experience that often, these people will try to fly "under the radar" for a time, especially if they are new to you or your organization. But leaders cannot hide themselves! The leadership flows of out them and they will be caught! Keep your antennae up, listen for verbal cues, observe how a person handles him/herself in a room. You can learn a lot just by observing.

I trust some of these hints may be helpful in your never ending search for quality leaders!

Five Options When Faced with Conflict

I have the privilege of training leaders world-wide and no matter where I go, there is one constant every leader faces on every continent: conflict!

The following are five ways leaders can deal with conflict. I teach these as part of my role as an Associate Trainer with Equip, an Atlanta-based, international leadership organization.

These principles aid us in seeing how we choose to deal with conflict. Jesus was speaking about conflict when He said, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven… For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Here are five options we can choose from when we are faced with conflict:

1.  I'll get them! (Retaliation)

I will strike back. This is often our default setting; our first feeling. Shoot first, ask questions later.

2.  I'll get out! (Escape and avoidance)

This is perhaps the most socially acceptable option, especially in the church.  I’ll go to the first worship service, they can go to the third worship service.  I won't have to see her; she won't see me. We don’t and won't hit the issue that's bugging us head-on, we'll avoid it.

3. I'll give in! (Surrender)

At this option, I basically throw in the towel. I give up because I want so much to avoid dealing with the conflict. "Let him win, then. I don't care." It's avoidance to the extreme. And nothing is ever resolved.

4. I'll go half! (Compromise)

This, at least, is movement in a positive direction.  It's a little bit better than our previous options. We'll meet halfway. But are we really happy now? No. There is still a sense of unsettledness. Why? Because nothing has really been settled.

5. I'll DEAL with it! (Address the issue)

This is the best of the five options. I will address the issue with courage and forthrightness.  CHOOSE THIS OPTION!!!  Learn the art of healthy confrontation.  Don’t run and hide.

The Best Executive

 

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States

Addition or Multiplication?

God designed us to work in teams, not as maverick renegade lone rangers.  If your mission can be accomplished by you alone, I would go on record by saying that it’s probably not God’s mission for your life or ministry. It's too small.

God-sized visions require teams of people to see them through. Lone Rangers just won't cut it.  

The apostle Paul writes, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries. and the same Lord ... For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ" (1 Cor. 12:4-5, 12).

Christ is the head, we are the body - parts of His church.  We’re all to play a role but not operate independently. A cell in our bodies that decides to operate independently is a cancer cell.  It begins to eat away at the rest of the body.

God desires that we work together ... and good leaders understand that.

In Genesis, we find Noah - with his sons - constructing an ark. They are "ark people" and ark people build good arks - together. They built it so well that the ark survived a world wide calamitous flood.

Nehemiah assembled a team of Jewish men that built the wall in record time – 52 days.  Dr. John Maxwell calls this the Power of Team.

Elijah had a team of men with prophetic gifts that addressed the issues of the day. 

Jesus hand-picked 12 men and equipped them.  After His resurrection they changed the course of the world within two generations.

So what's the best way to see a dream fulfilled or a vision accomplished? Is it by adding to the team, or by multiplying the team? Perhaps a simple math lesson will benefit. You be the judge:

4 +4 = 8
4 x 4 = 16

4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16
4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 256

Leaders understand that by multiplying themselves they can last longer and go farther. And by it, the vision is accomplished and the dream finds fulfillment. Remember: even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!

Leaders Keep the Big Picture in Mind

I once heard a friend of mine share the following true personal account: When he served a particular church as youth pastor, they would allow him to preach - but only on Sunday nights. After one particular sermon when he passionately challenged the congregation to reach out to their local communities with the gospel, he was approached by the stereo-typical little church lady.

She said, "That was a wonderful sermon you gave tonight. Your passion to reach other people is so evident." He demurely thanked her, thinking their conversation was complete. But it wasn't.

She continued, pulling him close to her and whispering, "But we really don't want any more people here. We're happy with things the way they are."

I've learned over the years that many church people actually feel more comfortable in a congregation which has plateaued, or is even declining in attendance ... and they would feel uncomfortable in a growing congregation.

Why do people feel this way? Let me suggest a few reasons:

1.  Constancy. People like the predictable; they like stability. Their church has become for them a comfortable and cocooning environment of sameness.

2.   Continuity. In a church experiencing decline, faces are familiar, sermons are comforting, the order of service hasn't changed since the Eisenhower administration (neither have the song selections), and the leadership is comprised of the same people who have been "leaders" for years. The deck chairs are just being moved around on the Titanic.

3.  Complexity. Church consultant Lyle Schaller writes, "Growth almost invariably is accompanied by an increase in the level of complexity. The vast majority of people prefer simplicity. Life in the numerically shrinking parish usually is less complex than in the rapidly growing congregation."

4.  Commitment. Churches which are championing a high-level of commitment towards its members are generally ones which experience growth. Church in decline generally lower expectations on, and of, their people. And the lower the expectations the greater the perceived comfort (see #1 above).

While keeping in mind that churches have shepherding responsibilities to their people, let us never forget that as long as one person in our town needs to know Jesus, our church must grow by at least one. The proclamation of the Gospel and making more room for more people trumps "We're happy with things the way they are" every time.

Remember: it's the living's ability to change which differentiates it from the dead.

Smart Leaders Are Readers

In his blog post from this past Wednesday, Seth Godin, has a brief, yet poignant reminder of why leaders have to be readers.

He writes, "A guy asked his friend, the writer David Foster Wallace, 'Say, Dave, how'd y'get t'be so dang smart?'

"His answer: 'I did the reading.'

"No one said the preparation part was fun, but yes, it's important. I wonder why we believe we can skip it and still be so dang smart."

What are you reading? Don't ever stop!