HOUSTON, WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM
You might remember this line from the movie Apollo 13. The space craft was in the verge of disaster and so were the lives of the astronauts inside it.
It was in this framework that Dr. Howard Hendricks mentioned the problem in leadership we have in the church.
There is a lack of leadership in the church that eventually spills out into society.
The greater problem he presents is that unfortunately, we have people who are in positions of leadership yet one thing is lacking – CALLING.
Houston, we really have BIG problem.
Dear leaders, this is a moment for us to assess why we are where we are today. If we are in ministry today because we don’t have anything else to do or we feel stuck because we thought this is what we were supposed to do and realized we while be somewhere else, then something has to change.
We need to ask ourselves certain questions.
1. Do I remember a specific moment when God clearly spoke to me about His call in my life?
I don’t mean an audible voice like with Moses and the burning bush. I mean a real sensing in your heart that you just know it was God who was speaking to you.
Career is what you’re paid to do. Calling is what you’re made to do.
2. Do I still have the fire as I used to have?
Passion is hard to explain yet easy to spot. You just know.
Bill Wilson once said, “If people don’t know what your passion is, then you probably don’t have one.”
3. Do I know where I’m headed?
No one really knows exactly. Abraham left Ur without really fully knowing where he was going. However, there was a sense of direction and confidence that I am going the right way.
Vision. Passion. Direction.
If we have none of that, then we need to go back to Houston for some recalibration.
SECOND REASON WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW
The first reason is found here.
Gallup Poll made a research and surveyed 10,000 people. They asked these 2 questions: “What leader has the most positive influence in your daily life?” and “Can you list 3 words that best describe what this person contributes to your life?”
The second reason given was COMPASSION.
Around 10 million people were surveyed and responded by saying, “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.”
These same people agreed with this statement:
- are significantly more likely to stay with their organization
- have much more engaged customers
- are substantially more productive
- produce more profitability for the organization
ON LEADERSHIP: WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW
Gallup Poll made a research and surveyed 10,000 people. They asked these 2 questions: “What leader has the most positive influence in your daily life?” and “Can you list 3 words that best describe what this person contributes to your life?”
You would expect the ‘usual suspects’ like purpose, wisdom, humor, humility, vision.
But it seems that the people gave a clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives.
Here’s the list:
1. Trust
2. Compassion
3. Stability
4. Hope
Trust was on the top of the list.
One of the people that were interviewed said, “The truth is your bond- you die keeping your promises. If you send the message that your word is not worth much, you’ll be paid back on that.”
The research revealed that “the chances of employees being engaged at work when they do not trust the company’s leaders are just 1 in 12.”
In stark contrast, the chances of employees being engaged at work are better than 1 in 2 if they trust the leadership of the organization.
Trust increases speed and efficiency in the workplace. As Steven R. Covey would say in his book, “Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust.”
Best Buy’s Brad Anderson says “the key to building trust is being authentic, even if that means letting people see his flaws. As a leader, he feels no choice but to be very candid – even when delivering difficult news – because that’s the only way to build trust. It is the most cherished and valuable commodity in a work environment.”
More on the other 3 in my next post.
ON TAKING RISKS
Part of leadership is taking risks.
When the clock is winding down, you gotta take the shot. Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
A couple of attitudes why people find it hard to take the risk…
1. “We’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.”
Maybe it was wrong timing? How about the wrong set of circumstances? Or not the right team? There may be reasons why it didn’t work it the past but that doesn’t mean it won’t work this time.
2. “We’ve never tried that before.”
How will we know if it will work or not if we don’t try?
A key thought from Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World Resort …
“There are only two kinds of decisions in life: those that are reversible and those that aren’t. Asking these questions has helped give me the confidence to take risks; I lean toward saying yes to risks when the decision is reversible and am more careful, exercising all due diligence, when it is not. The reversible-irreversible test has enabled me to say yes more often than no when people make suggestions, and leaders who always say no find that their teams stop coming to them with fresh ideas.”
ON BUILDING TEAMS
A fantastic insight on building teams…
“…when leaders do recruit for strength, they all too often pick people who act, think, or behave like themselves, albeit unintentionally in most cases. It’s an age-old dilemma. How is a company supposed to grow, adapt, and change if a domineering CEO continues to pick people who agree with him and who have a similar background and personality?” (Tom Rath)
Key lesson: Try to get team members who don’t necessarily think and do things they way you would.
I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM… OR HER…
Strengths Based Leadership is an awesome book.
It validates my hunch that while I’d like to become like the leaders I look up to, the truth is, I can’t. Why? I’m not them… and they’re not me.
I’ve fallen into this trap over and over and over and over again. I’d like to be like Steve. I want to be like Joey. I desire to be like Manny or Ferdie. Or maybe like Jun.
He made me who I am because He knew exactly what He has planned for me with the skills, abilities and quirks that I have.
Being secure with who God’s made you to be is key to being the leader God wants you to be. If He wanted you to be the leader you’re admiring, then He would’ve made you that person.
“If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.” – Tom Rath
MAKING TOUGH DECISIONS
Part of leadership is making the call. Decision making is inevitable. When you don’t make decisions, there are repercussions. Making a calculated risk is better than not making any. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Here are a few things I try to do when I’m faced with a decision:
1. Ask God for help.
This would be on the top of the list. Obviously, I am not omniscient. I can’t see the end from the beginning. But I know He does. So getting wisdom from Him would be a good idea, don’t you think so?
2. Weigh your options.
Listing down the positives and the negatives will be necessary. You don’t want to dive into a decision without knowing the consequences of either options. You may not see all the pros and cons (which is why #1 is important) but you need to do your best to find them out.
3. Seek others’ perspectives.
I’ve always said that I can’t work without a team. How come? I know that I don’t have the monopoly of all the ideas. I do have blind spots. So do you. You’ll need to ask people’s guidance, advice, experience on the matter you’re facing to help you make an intelligent decision.
4. Once you’ve made a decision in your mind, figure out how to communicate it.
This is where a lot of people make a mistake. They decide and it doesn’t matter what happens, who gets hurt or how the pieces land. As long as I’ve made the decision, then that’s it! Wrong. You have got to navigate through certain circumstances, emotions, issues and possible consequences. I try to rehearse in my mind and sometimes even aloud how I will communicate the decisions I’ve made and pre-empt the question “why”.
5. Go for it.
When I’ve done all these, I go for it. With much prayer, after doing my homework and seeking counsel, I go for it. Sometimes, delaying things make things worse. An indecision is actually a decision – to not do it at the time when it’s best to do it.
Hope this helps.
We can gather our thoughts, but the LORD gives the right answer. Commit your work to the LORD, and then your plans will succeed. We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. (Prov. 16:1,3,9, NLT)
THE OPPOSITE SPIRIT
I was tucking my 10 year old daughter, Janina to sleep tonight. Tucking your kids to bed is always a good idea. That’s when the day winds down and all the things that happened within that day flashes back and the things lodged down deep in your kids’ hearts come to surface.
“What do you do if a girl is told that she is mayabang (proud) by one person and many of us don’t really think she is? What can I tell her?”
I told her that we are told by the Bible to always go the opposite spirit. Proverbs tells us that a gentle answer turns away anger. Jesus says to bless those who curse; to pray for those who persecute us. Hebrews tells us to repay evil with good.
“It is possible that your friend is being misunderstood,” I told her. “She can have 1 of 2 reactions. She can get back at that person for misunderstanding her. Or she can look inside her heart to see why seemingly she is being perceived as mayabang.”
And if the person is being mean to her, she can respond by going the opposite direction. When something negative is done, she can respond by doing something positive. It surely can be a hard thing, but God’s grace is more than sufficient as we come to Him for help.
I thought, “kids issues are not much different from grown ups.”
It just seems more ‘sophisticated’ and ‘complicated’ but the principles remain the same.
HAVING PRIORITIES IS A PRIORITY
Priorities are a priority.
Not having them will someday prove to be a disaster. It’s cool to hear from people say that they just go with the flow. It’s fun to hear that they are spontaneous. Unfortunately, when we don’t prioritize, certain things, namely relationships can get left out.
Listen to what Wayne Cordeiro, a pastor from Oahu, says in his book, “Leading On Empty.”
“One day after years of ministry with a wonderful congregation, I will say my good-byes, pack my bags and , with many tears, walk out of the church. But when I walk out of the church, there’s only one place I can walk into.
Family.
If you miss building the home base, you will have nowhere to go when ministry days are over… Too many have sacrificed marital harmony and family on the altar of success. It’s not worth it.”
It’s not worth it. Those words don’t ring in our heads until it’s too late.
What’s worth it? Your family is.