Seven Disciplines that Make Leadership Development Stick

by: Michael McKinney

0

Tweet

Leaders don’t always finish well or finish what they start. Leadership development sustainability isn’t easy. Given the fact that we all know leaders that haven’t finished well, it’s surprising how many of us have no plan in place to consciously and specifically improve our leadership abilities. Most of the time we wing it.

Leadership sustainability is about the commitment to change and growth that is consistent with shifting requirements, not just individually but for the organization as a whole. In Leadership Sustainability, authors Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood have defined seven leadership practices that instill sustainability. It begins with “recognition that what matters most is the impact of the leader’s actions on others—not just the actions themselves or the rationale behind them.” Yet that’s not something that we often feel we have time to consider. Our leadership is experienced in our actions and not our intentions.

In brief, the seven disciplines to incorporate into your leadership plan to help make your best intentions stick are:

Simplicity. Focus on what matters most. Tells stories with impact. Leadership sustainability requires that we find simplicity in the face of complexity and replace concept clutter with simple resolve. It entails prioritizing on the behaviors that matter most.

Time. Manage your calendar to reflect your priorities. Put desired behaviors into your calendar. Employees see what leaders do more than listen to what they say. Leadership sustainability shows up in who we spend time with, what issues we spend time on, where we spend our time, and how we spend our time. Recognize routines and modify as necessary.

Accountability. Take personal responsibility for doing what you say you will do and hold others accountable as well. “We see too many leadership points of view that are more rhetorical than resolve, more aspiration than action, and more hopeful than real. Leadership wish lists need to be replaced with leadership vows.” Be consistent with personal values and brand.

Resources. Leaders dedicate resources in order to support their desired changes with coaching and infrastructure. Use a coach. Get coaching and institutional support to become a better leader. “Leaders acting alone, even with great desire and good intentions, are unlikely to sustain their desired changes.”

Tracking. Move from general to specific measures. Measure what’s important and not what’s easy. Tie to consequences. Unless desired leadership behaviors and changes are operationalized, quantified, and tracked, they are nice to do, but not likely to be done.

Melioration. Leadership sustainability requires that leaders master the principles of learning: to experiment frequently, to reflect always, to become resilient, to face failure, to not be calloused to success, and to improvise continually.

Emotion. Know why you lead. Connect change with personal and organizational values. Recognize your impact on others. Celebrate success. “Some leaders work to hide their feelings and avoid becoming too personal with others. These leaders end up distancing and isolating themselves. Leaders who are emotionally vulnerable and transparent will be more likely to sustain change.”

The authors have provided videos, tools and assessments on their web site to help you to achieve leadership sustainability.

Read more from Michael here.

Tags: Leadership Development, Michael McKinney, Staff, Staff Development

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

Facing Criticism as a Leader: 3 Responses

by: Mac Lake

1

Tweet

One of the things young leaders are often unprepared for is the amount of criticism they will face.  Their enthusiasm and optimism lead them to believe everyone will be just as excited and committed to their mission as they are.  Unfortunately it doesn’t take long until their idealism collides with criticism.  This can be a defining moment for a leaders character, confidence and ultimately their credibility.

There is nothing like a small dose of criticism to stir your emotions, disfigure your self-esteem and get you off track from pursuing the thing God has called you to do.  That’s why it’s essential we process and respond correctly when criticism comes our way.  There are basically three options we can choose from.

• Submissive leader – The submissive tends to be a people pleaser.  They have a mentality that “the customer is always right and I must please them to keep them.”  When faced with criticism they cower, wiggle and accommodate in order to keep everyone happy.  The submissive leader truly loves people but his love for people can cause him to put people’s preferences above what God’s called him to do. Some signs you might be a Submissive leader include: seeking unanimous agreement, shying away from conflict, suppress your feelings or opinion about a matter, and putting peace keeping above truth telling.  REMEMBER THIS- People pleasing creates a confusing culture where there’s no clarity or conviction around the mission.
• Aggressive leader –The aggressive leader tends to be very decisive and passionate.  They have a mentality that “I’m on a mission and my way is the right way.”  When faced with criticism they react without forethought, become defensive in order to prove they are right. The Aggressive leader truly loves the mission but his defensiveness can prevent him from hearing from wise counsel that God may be sending to bring greater depth to the mission.  Signs of an aggressive leader include:  they come out swinging when they’re opposed, push people out of the inner circle when they sense disagreement, failure to listen to others input, and they respond first and process later.  REMEMBER THIS – When you fight to win someone loses and ultimately the mission is the one that suffers.
• Assertive leader – The Assertive leader understands that criticism is a natural part of leadership.  They have disciplined themselves to process before responding so they can respond in way that honors God, others and the mission.  They possess a mentality that says, “People’s perception is their reality, so I can serve them and the mission better if I first listen, strive to understand and speak the truth in love.” Signs of an Assertive leader include:  Practice active listening, sees criticism as an opportunity, uses differing opinions to discover new insights, seeks to understand before seeking to be understood, stands boldly for what’s right while speaking the truth in love.  REMEMBER THIS – Assertive leadership requires spiritual maturity and patience and protects the integrity of the mission and the people who are carrying it out. 

What criticism are you facing?  In what way is it impacting your character?  Confidence?  Credibility?  What next steps do you need to take to process it correctly?

Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Engine, Mac Lake

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

5 Ways to Invest in Next Generation Ministry Leaders

by: Center for Creative Leadership

0

Tweet

Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Engine, Staff Development

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

Are Your Young Leaders Getting Reps?

by: Mac Lake

1

Tweet

Are the young leaders in your organization getting the reps they need to truly sharpen their leadership skills? Coaches understand the importance of their players getting reps in practice.  In baseball each player gets time in the batting cage to get swings at the plate.  In basketball each player spends countless hours shooting multiple free throws.  In football each player runs through the same play over and over again to ensure they know their assignment.  It’s these reps during practice that give each player a higher probability of doing well in the game.

What areas do your young leaders need reps?

• Communication – find various platforms inside and outside organization to give your young communicators the opportunity to get more speaking reps.
• Decision making – put your young leaders in meetings where significant decisions are being made, allow them to have a voice, share their opinion and exercise their decision-making muscles.
• Leading teams – give your young leaders an assignment to lead a task force or project team.  Allow them to get the practice of getting results through others.
• Developing leaders – Challenge your young leaders to identify, recruit and train up new potential leaders. Ask them on a regular basis who they’re raising up and what that individuals next step is in their development.

Giving them reps accomplishes three things for these young leaders

• It develops their competencies
• It strengthens their confidence
• It enhances their credibility

What’s your next step and getting your young leaders more reps?

Tags: Leadership Development, Mac Lake, Staff Development

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

5 Things Smart Risk Takers Do Well

by: Michael McKinney

0

Tweet

Doug Sundheim’s book, Taking Smart Risks, isn’t really about making your next risky decision smarter or safer; it’s about pushing all of your choices to be riskier, but smarter on a daily basis.

We tend to view our choices as risky or safe. Safe is good while risky is well, risky. You’re taking a chance with a risky choice; it could lead to ruin. Sundheim says that view doesn’t capture the essence of what taking a risk is all about. Taking a risk is “exposing oneself to the possibility of loss or injury in the hopes of achieving a gain or reward.” It’s really the reason we would consider taking a risk rather than just playing it safe. It’s not an either/or proposition—safe or risky. But because we perceive it that way, we tend to do all we can to avoid risk and stay in our comfort zone.

Sundheim lists five common dangers of playing it safe for too long:

• You don’t win.

• You don’t grow.

• You don’t create.

• You lose confidence.

• You don’t feel alive.

Are you caught in the comfort zone? Here’s a thought we can all relate to:

Being caught in the comfort zone doesn’t mean that you’re sitting around doing nothing. It’s more nuanced than that. You could be making progress, but not quickly enough. You could be taking chances, but not boldly enough. You could be going out on a limb, but not far enough, and the extra push is what will make a difference.

What Sundheim is advocating is a change in our mindset regarding risk. Rather than perceiving risk as negative (“Things may not be perfect now, but they’re not all that bad. If I make a move, things could end up worse. I’d better not risk it.”), we should view it as a balanced focus on both the downside of taking risks and not taking risks (“I’ll regret it if I don’t pursue this thing. I’ve got to find some smart ways to take risks to move it forward.”). A limiting mindset versus a liberating mindset.

The shift from limiting to liberating is “a move from needing total security before moving forward to understanding that you can’t have total security before moving forward.” Between safe and risky is the smart-risk zone.

Smart risk takers consistently do five things well to disrisk whatever they’re up to:

1. Find something worth fighting for. It is what all smart risks have in common. It must be simple, stir emotion, lend itself to a story or narrative, and inspire action.
2. See the future now. Ask questions, understand concerns, test the concept behind your ideas, and predict as many fail points in advance that you can. Have an open, honest conversation with trusted people around you to determine what is the worst that could really happen.
3. Act fast, learn fast. Start before you know where to start, fail early, often, and smart—build learning into everything, and stay humble. Accept that you have to live with failure—since it is an inevitable by-product of taking risks, even smart risks. Failing smart is the best way to learn.
4. Communicate powerfully. Expect communication to break down and plan accordingly. Share thought processes, meet regularly, and don’t avoid difficult conversations.
5. Create a smart-risk culture. Define a smart failure—the acceptable boundaries within which it is okay to fail. Reward both the successes and these smart failures.

Communication is a critical element of each of these stages. “At every stage of any risk, improving the way in which you discuss thoughts, plans, and actions is the single most effective way to derisk the risk, that is, to make it smart.”

Tags: Innovation, Leadership Development, Michael McKinney, risk

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

Pay the Price for Growth

by: Mac Lake

0

Tweet

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t have a desire to grow. We know that growth increases our sense of joy and contentment. It increases our self-confidence and sharpens decision making.    And it produces a depth of wisdom and understanding that impact the quality of our relationships.  With all these benefits who wouldn’t want to grow?

The problem isn’t the lack of desire, it’s the lack of discipline.  Typically most people don’t grow until they are forced to by tragedy, loss or pressure. When life is good, or at least tolerable, it’s easy to put our personal development on hold.  The truth is growth always requires surrender and sacrifice.  If I want to grow in my relationship with Christ I must surrender the will of my flesh to pursue the desires of the Spirit .  If I want to grow as a leader I must sacrifice having an abundance of leisure time for the sake of having adequate learning time.  When I refuse to surrender or sacrifice I won’t have the margin to grow to my greatest potential.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:23, “Buy… wisdom, instruction and understanding.” Solomon is implying that  growth is never free, we must exchange something we value for wisdom, instruction and understanding. Growth will always cost you something: time, money, energy, pain or greater humility.  And the funny thing is when you pay the price you value it even more.

What do you need to give up in order to grow up?

Read more from Mac here.

Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Engine, Mac Lake

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

“Yes” is Great, But at Times “No” is Even Better

by: Michael Carroll

0

Tweet

At work, we want our jobs, assignments, projects and “stuff” to move along smoothly: achieving objectives, getting promoted, winning contracts. It’s almost a twitch reflex to want our jobs to behave themselves. And if we are honest, sometimes we may even secretly wish that the workplace could deliver a continuous, uninterrupted “yes”—“yes” I got the plum job; “yes” the budget was approved; “yes” the redesign has been accepted.

And not only do we want “yes” from our jobs, we also want to deliver “yes” in return – especially when results are expected: “yes” we can deliver doubled digit growth; “yes” we’ll exceed the deadline and come in under budget; “yes” we can close the deal.

But, as we all know, work doesn’t behave this way. It’s far too unruly: deadlines are too tight, salary increases are too small, business deals wither. And often instead of saying hello to “Yes”, we find “No” at the front of the line offering personnel conflicts, career disappointments and project derailments. But rather than treating “no” as an annoying intruder on our journey to “yes”, maybe we could take a different approach—maybe “no” isn’t such a bad guy after all—maybe “no” is exactly what we’ve been looking for. And here are three reasons why.

Emphasizing “yes” can dull our edge

When we impulsively look for “yes” from our subordinates, colleagues, vendors and others, we tend to emphasize harmony over clarity; convenience over excellence; perception over results. Such seeming harmony can dull a team’s creative edge and mask issues that need our attention.

Are we emotionally confident enough to hear the facts rather than a “managed narrative”?

Do we rush past problems in order to get to a solution or can we linger and explore difficulties thoroughly?

Do we invite “no” from others when we sense that it is being held back?

When we appreciate the importance of “no”, convenience becomes irrelevant, our intelligent “edge” is permitted to clarify problems and getting a realistic picture takes priority.

Avoiding “no” represses candor and causes team problems

It is typical for team members to test boundaries and try to form reliable relationships and inevitably, such testing creates friction where individuals say “no” to certain group demands and limits. We all know what this looks like: Why does Sally get to lead this effort, why not me? Those budget estimates are way too low, but no one listens to me. I authored the sales plan, why can’t I present it? When we are uncomfortable with the emotions accompanying such conflict, we may tend to avoid the required candor, hurrying toward a false “yes” of familiar routines and politeness. When teams choose avoidance over candor, we can end up repressing feelings that later arise as simmering frustrations or at times active resistance. Too often, by avoiding “no” we disguise problems rather than solve them.

“No” creates much needed psychological space

Finally, when we are constantly chasing “yes” — trying to become smarter, faster, cheaper, and more profitable — we can at times speed past the very things that need our attention. Such speed to succeed can blind us, but “no” can slow us down and offer some psychological space:

Can we describe the top three difficulties our customers are having with the new release 4.0?

What is the employment turnover with our key sales folks and should it be lower?

What are the three main motivators for our medical affairs physicians and are we focusing in on them? These and hundreds of other similar business questions require us to slow down in our relentless pursuit of “yes” and consider “no” as an ally. And when we make friends with “no”, we discover psychological space and time to reflect, not just on where we are going but, as importantly, on how we are getting there.

So, in the end work is very much about “yes” — “yes“ I can take that stretch assignment; “yes” I’ll work extra hours; “yes”, the project is on track. But if work is all about “yes”, chances are we are avoiding some vital issues, and we may need to make friends with “no”.

Read more from Michael here.

Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Engine, Michael Carroll, Staff

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

The Transition from Idea to Change

by: Sam Rainer III

0

Tweet

All leaders have ideas, but not all ideas lead to change. What separates the dream from reality? Businessweek recently reported on the history of the bar code. It sounds mundane, but there is something to learn about change implementation from the story.

In 1948 two graduate students at the Drexel Institute of Technology overheard a supermarket executive discussing a key problem: the need for an automatic system to read each product item. Working together, the two students helped change the way retailers do business. Before the bar code, supermarket clerks had to punch numbers into a keypad. It was slow. The process was prone to keystroke errors. After the bar code, everything is scanned swiftly and with minimal errors (and thank goodness for the self check-out sections—impossible without the bar code).

We experience the change to the bar code system almost every day. It’s ubiquitous. But how did the idea transition to reality? What can churches learn from this process?

Simple with obvious benefits.

Ideas that transition into changes are typically simple and have obvious benefits. How many times have I said, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The best ideas are simple. The best ideas have obvious benefits. The bar code was simple—just a bunch of lines inspired by the dots and dashes of Morse code. And yet the benefits were profound.

Are the ideas you’re floating your church leaders simple? Are the benefits obvious? Not every idea needs to be simple. Indeed many changes in the church are complex, involving a cultural shift among the people. But the ones most quickly adopted are simple with obvious benefits.

Standard process

The great Wally World of Bentonville gave the bar code a boost. As Wal-Mart grew (along with other large grocery chains), so did the use of the rather efficient bar code, which became a critical part of retail distribution systems. Critical mass was achieved, however, with the adoption of a standard system. The scanners were expensive to retailers. Manufacturers had to change systems to put the labels on all the products. Without a standard, each retailer would have its own system and each manufacturer its own label. When the National Association of Food Chains chose the UPC bar code as the standard, enough companies jumped on board to make it a reality.

If you’re mulling through an idea that will be a different reality for different groups in the church, then you’re less likely to see the idea transition into change. If the change effort is not standard for the entire church, then people are likely to be confused. For instance, having two discipleship processes for two groups is likely to produce misunderstandings and misperceptions. To give another example, if you’re leading a multi-site church with individual systems for each site, then you’re less likely to institute changes across all sites. The more a leader can make a new idea relevant to the entire church, the likelier that idea will transition into change.

Flexibility

The bar code went through several phases. The original design was a circle. But designers soon discovered during printing the ink would smudge in the direction of the running paper. So the linear form we know today was created. The original creators of the circular bar code could have scoffed at the proposed change, but they were flexible. The idea was not about shape or form but rather use.

If you’re working through an idea for your church, then make it simple, standard, and. . . flexible. Neither simplicity nor standards should become so rigid that—as the change implementation begins—an idea cannot evolve over time. A good idea becomes better through the multi-workings of the people in the church. As the leader, most changes will begin with your ideas. But your ideas are not the endpoint. The best vision for a church combines the simplicity of a leader’s idea with the involvement of the people. As a leader, you must be flexible with your ideas in order for the entire congregation to make them their own.

It’s fun to dream up new ideas. The hard work begins in attempting to implement new ideas. Change occurs most smoothly when ideas are simple, standard, and flexible.

Read more from Sam here.

Tags: Change, Leadership Development, Sam Rainer

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

A Personal Conviction About Change

by: Ron Edmondson

0

Tweet

I had a convicting experience recently. It was one which will actually help me in the current church work I am doing, but also in the future as I implement change.

One Saturday night during December I went to three church Christmas parties. Cheryl was out of town, so I made a quick pass through each of them. I was watching a football game before I left home and didn’t turn off the television. When I returned home I entered to find a Christmas show on that I had never seen.

It was something called “Frosty Returns.” I apologize if that is your Christmas favorite, but in my opinion…it stinks.

Sorry. Not trying to be rude to the people behind the show, but that’s how I saw it.

It wasn’t “Frosty”. It was “Frosty Returns”. Bad, bad, bad idea. Bad sequel to the original.

I immediately thought…

The audacity. They messed with Frosty. Frosty the Snowman. The classic. The one I watch every year. You can’t improve upon that. You make a mistake as soon as you waste time thinking that you can.

And, why did Frosty need to return anyway? Take a chance on melting again. Take a chance on losing that magic hat.

Who would mess with the original? What’s this world coming to?

How could you possibly improve upon the real thing?

Okay, maybe a little over dramatic…but you get the point. I couldn’t understand the need to change from what has worked for so long.

Then, in the middle of my disgust, it hit me.

Conviction. Between the eyes.

I’m pretty sure it may have been a “gentle whisper” moment.

I’m new in my current church. A 100 plus year old church. Some people in this church have been attending the church longer than I’ve been alive.

We are revitalizing. Transitioning. Making changes.

Not all of them are popular. Change is hard. Absolute change is hard absolutely.

We need change. I am convinced we won’t be a vital church body 20 years from now without some change.

I don’t believe in “blowing up DNA” kind of change, so I’m taking things slow. Or, at least, it seems slow to me.

But, the conviction?

The way I felt about Frosty….

That’s the way many seniors in my church feel everyday.

Sure, you sang “Amazing Grace”, but you didn’t sing it my way. The audacity. They messed with Amazing Grace. Who would mess with the original? How could you possibly improve upon the real thing?

What about the committees? What about the policies? What about the way we’ve always done things?

Why would you mess with the originals?

I understand.

They messed with my Frosty.

I’m not trying to be cute or funny. It was conviction. It was a teaching moment for me.

We do have to change. If we only do church the way it’s always been done…we will only reach who we’ve always reached. And, frankly, I want to reach multiple generations. Even people my children’s age.

Frosty had to change. Not sure how well they did, but to reach a younger audience, there needed to be some changes. My boys are okay with Frosty, but they’d rather watch “Elf”. I can wish they liked Frosty more, but if I want to make sure I get to hang out with them…I’m willing to sit down to watch “Elf”.

(Interesting, I shared this with a friend and he polled his twin 16 year old sons. They prefer “Frosty Returns”. I don’t understand kids these days.)

Change is a part of life.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

I understand that even better now. Understanding how someone feels…or why they feel that way…helps you plan your approach. It helps you respond to their uncertainties, even their disappointments about change. They aren’t necessarily trying to be difficult. We just can’t expect everyone to immediately think the change is good, needed, or welcomed.

Because, did I tell you?

They messed with my Frosty. The audacity.

Read more from Ron here.

Tags: Change, Leadership Development, Ron Edmondson

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >

Why We Find It Hard To Change Our Behavior

by: Michael McKinney

0

Tweet

We know every behavior begins with a thought. So if we want to have lasting change, the beginning point has to be our thinking.

Behavioral change is only surface change if we don’t first change the thinking behind those behaviors. And it won’t stick. It will keep coming out in so many ways we won’t be able to keep up with it because we haven’t changed the thinking behind it.

When we look at our behavior we have to understand that there is a thought going on in our heads that is tripping us up. And we have to change that first. Or we’re working on the wrong thing.

The question becomes, “What thoughts do I need to change to make my behavior change?” New behavior will automatically follow a change in thinking. One right thought can correct a lot of bad behavior.

What am I thinking that isn’t allowing me to see things as I should? As human beings, we latch on to certain ideas and assumptions and they blind us from seeing other options and responses to what life throws at us. We get ideas in our head that can literally block us from seeing other perspectives.

Change doesn’t happen in a moment. We’ve had these patterns of thinking and behavior for a lot of years. We have to unlearn some behaviors and then learn and put into practice the new thinking and resulting behaviors. And it just takes time.

It’s right thinking over time that brings about lasting change. It’s a process. It’s a long history of repeated behaviors in the same direction that builds character.

We have to wake up every day and know that we have a tendency—not just because of our life experiences, but also because of the way that we have chosen to respond to them—to repeat a certain set of behaviors over and over again. We’ve got to remember that and change the thinking that supports these behaviors.

We’ve got a lot of set patterns in our heads that we want to return to, that we have become comfortable with, that we can justify, that we can blame on something someone else did.

That’s why we have to make a point of reflecting on our behaviors and on the impact we have on the people around us. And learn from it. And then go to work on the thinking behind the behaviors we want to change.

It’s not what you do that needs to change, it’s what you think that needs to change. 

First change your thinking. The behavior will follow. It all starts with a thought.

Read more from Michael here.

Tags: Change, Leadership Development, Michael McKinney

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Leadership >