WHAT SELF-AWARE LEADERS KNOW…THAT OTHERS DON’T
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Multi-Generational Leadership Shifts|Carey Nieuwhof
Shift #1 Young leaders work for themselves
No matter who signs their paycheck, gives them their job title, or develops them, young leaders think of themselves as working for themselves. They're their own brand.
Think about the changes you've seen in the last decade.
- Couples getting married now have logos.
- Loads of young people have personal brands that they invest their free time into.
- It seems like almost every driven 20-something wants to be an “Influencer” online.
#2 They want to work for a cause that’s bigger than you
The bottom line is increasingly demotivating to younger leaders.
There's been a huge rise in the demand for ethical businesses, environmentally friendly organizations that support the poor, and businesses that donate a portion of their prophets to a cause.
Young leaders' desire to work in places like that has increased even more.
Nobody wants to work for the senior leader’s ego or for a fatter bottom line anymore.
Insight: Your mission is the biggest motivation you have.
#3 They see a healthy culture as non-negotiable
People don’t quit jobs. They quit bosses and cultures.
A healthy culture doesn’t just mean the absence of abuse or harassment, and it’s not just foosball tables and free nitro cold brews (although that helps.)
What young leaders want is a culture in which people are encouraged, nurtured and grown.
They want to be able to say “I’m a better person and a better leader because I work here.”
Insight: Your culture matters more than you think.
12 SIGNS YOU’RE A SPIRITUAL ENTREPRENEUR |Carey Nieuwhof
So you’re building your team—you’re even assessing your personal gifting for everything that lies ahead in ministry.
What’s the gift set you’re looking for that in a leader (or in yourself) that will really help move your mission forward, reach new people and prepare for everything ahead?
At some point at the senior leadership level of your church, you’re going to need a handful of what I call spiritual entrepreneurs.
Often these people are misunderstood in the church. For the most part, shepherds and chaplains have run the church. I’m not saying we don’t need shepherds or that we don’t need chaplains in the right place. Not at all. We do.
But what happens when all you have are shepherds and chaplains?
Here’s what happens: the kind of radical change that both the church and the world need doesn’t happen. Instead, leaders hold the hand of a sick church and comfort it while it dies.
I know that sounds harsh, but look around you. Isn’t that mostly what’s happening? I also know enough good shepherds and chaplains to know that they find the hand holding of a dying church deeply frustrating and frightening. They don’t want their church to die, but there aren’t enough leaders around them with the gift set or mindset necessary to turn it around.
SOMETHING’S MISSING…
The missing gift set in the church is spiritual entrepreneurship—something the New Testament calls apostleship. It’s the kind of radical determination, innovation and fierceness the Apostle Paul showed.
As I wrote about here, the church today is filled with shepherds, to the point where shepherds are perhaps over-represented in church leadership. What we need most as we navigate new waters in a post-Christian culture is not more shepherds, but spiritual entrepreneurs.
Whether you call it spiritual entrepreneurship or the gift of apostleship, what we need is a new generation of Apostle Pauls who forge out in new directions. Who experiment boldly. Who dare greatly.
Spiritual entrepreneurs are the kind of leaders who will find tomorrow’s solutions when most leaders can only see the problem.
In a marketplace that’s in love with start-ups and new ventures, we need some leaders who are inclined to spend their lives in the marketplace who will take their God-given talents and energy and throw them full time behind the mission of the church.
Are you called to it? As I write about here, the fact that you have the gifts might be enough of a sign that you’re called.
So what does spiritual entrepreneurship look like?
What are the characteristics of leaders who can forge fresh ground in the church?
And how do you know if you might be a spiritual entrepreneur?
As I meet church leaders who are actually reaching unchurched people in massive quantities, here are the qualities I see among the leaders.
Spiritual entrepreneurs:
1. THINK BIG
Too many churches die of small thinking:
We don’t have enough
It won’t happen
Stop dreaming
That’s plenty for now
Who will pay for it?
Leaders who serve an infinite God should never have their imaginations deadened by small thinking.
Spiritual entrepreneurs aren’t.
They think big. They dream of what could be, not what is, and they see the opportunity in every obstacle.
2. BELIEVE GOD CAN
We serve a God who created amazing things out of nothing. Why do we think he won’t do the same for his church?
Spiritual entrepreneurs believe he will. And they see him do it.
They would agree with Henry Ford who said, “Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can’t, you’re right.”
Before you dismiss this as positive thinking nonsense, remember Jesus couldn’t perform many miracles in his hometown because of people’s lack of faith. Then, moments later, he walked on water and fed 5000 because people in those communities had faith.
Spiritual entrepreneurs believe God can. And they see him do it.
3. SEE ABUNDANCE, NOT SCARCITYSpiritual entrepreneurs see abundance, not scarcity.
Give a dying church $10,000, and they’ll think they’re broke and need to conserve it.
Give $10,000 to a spiritual entrepreneur, and he’ll see it as seed money to start something big.
To a dying church, 5 leaders is defeat. To a spiritual entrepreneur, it’s a start.
Same facts. Different mindset. Attitude is everything.
4. THINK VISION FIRST, RESOURCES SECOND
So what comes first? Vision, or resources?
Spiritual entrepreneurs are very comfortable with the reality that vision precedes resources.
Casting a big vision (a solid, on-mission vision) will often lead to significant resources down the road.
Waiting for big resources so you can have a vision is a recipe for death.
5. INVEST IN PERSONAL AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Spiritual entrepreneurs aren’t crazy spenders, but they see a key distinction between an expense and an investment.
They realize that going to conferences, networking with other leaders, buying books and doing whatever it takes to make themselves and their team better is an investment.
Sure, there are limits, but smart spiritual entrepreneurs will often spend a minimum of 10% of all the money they receive making themselves and their team better.
6. BELIEVE THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU
Of all the criticisms levied at spiritual entrepreneurs, the most common is often that they have big egos and it’s all about them.
Sometimes that’s true.
But most often it’s not.
Big vision does not automatically equal big ego.
The best spiritual entrepreneurs humbly submit to God and are committed to a vision that is so much bigger than they are.
Personal humility combined with big ambition for the mission fosters incredible leadership.
Think about it this way. The reason we’re talking about Paul 2000 years later is that Paul’s work wasn’t about Paul; it was about Jesus and the mission of the church. If your vision is all about you, it will die with you. True spiritual entrepreneurs know that.
7. SHIP FIRST, IMPROVE LATER
Perfectionists make terrible entrepreneurs.
If you haven’t shipped on your vision yet because you’re waiting for ideal conditions or the perfect result, you’ll wait forever.
People email me all the time (usually after going to a conference hosted by a large church with lots of resources) and ask whether a new building or better lighting or a move to a portable location will help them grow.
I always tell them it won’t (here’s why).
Big churches never started big. They usually started very humbly. But because they are led by spiritual entrepreneurs, those entrepreneurs at every stage made the most of whatever they had.
A spiritual entrepreneur can launch a growing church in a dying building with little money.
Then they make all the improvements later as facilities and resources grow.
8. ARE FINE WITH AMBIGUITYAsk a spiritual entrepreneur how they’re going to do it, and the #1 answer is “I don’t know. We’re just going to do it.”
There’s something powerful in that.
If you have it all figured out before you launch it, your vision isn’t big enough.
9. WILL RISK IT ALL WITHOUT GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS
Too many leaders hope for some kind of guarantee.
Risk brings no guarantees because it’s risk.
Spiritual entrepreneurs are okay with that.
Most spiritual entrepreneurs want to die trying. Usually they don’t die trying, but the fact that they’re willing to is crucial.
Ironically, if a spiritual entrepreneur has a solid plan that’s on mission, they usually don’t fail. But you have to be willing to fail to succeed.
10. NEVER WAIT FOR CONSENSUS
Too many churches will only move forward if there is consensus.
That’s a critical mistake.
Consensus kills courage. By the time you have consensus, ideas are so watered down they are worthy of the committee that put them together.
Spiritual entrepreneurs rarely act alone (at least the smart ones don’t). But they’re ready to move ahead with a group of early adopters knowing most will eventually buy into whatever is being proposed once they see it working.
11. LET THE CRITICS TALK WHILE YOU ACT
The critics will always talk.
Spiritual entrepreneurs know this.
They don’t get weighed down by critics who criticize what others do and do little themselves.
How do you respond to the critics?
By acting.
12. BREAK RULES
Quite obviously, you should never break biblical rules. And the great spiritual entrepreneurs never do. Their character is solid.
But you’re going to absolutely need to break some human rules if you’re going to disrupt the status quo.
Innovation always breaks rules. Why?
Because innovation never asks for permission. It just innovates.
Innovation never asks for permission. It just innovates.
So you’re building your team—you’re even assessing your personal gifting for everything that lies ahead in ministry.
What’s the gift set you’re looking for that in a leader (or in yourself) that will really help move your mission forward, reach new people and prepare for everything ahead?
At some point at the senior leadership level of your church, you’re going to need a handful of what I call spiritual entrepreneurs.
Often these people are misunderstood in the church. For the most part, shepherds and chaplains have run the church. I’m not saying we don’t need shepherds or that we don’t need chaplains in the right place. Not at all. We do.
But what happens when all you have are shepherds and chaplains?
Here’s what happens: the kind of radical change that both the church and the world need doesn’t happen. Instead, leaders hold the hand of a sick church and comfort it while it dies.
I know that sounds harsh, but look around you. Isn’t that mostly what’s happening? I also know enough good shepherds and chaplains to know that they find the hand holding of a dying church deeply frustrating and frightening. They don’t want their church to die, but there aren’t enough leaders around them with the gift set or mindset necessary to turn it around.
SOMETHING’S MISSING…
The missing gift set in the church is spiritual entrepreneurship—something the New Testament calls apostleship. It’s the kind of radical determination, innovation and fierceness the Apostle Paul showed.
As I wrote about here, the church today is filled with shepherds, to the point where shepherds are perhaps over-represented in church leadership. What we need most as we navigate new waters in a post-Christian culture is not more shepherds, but spiritual entrepreneurs.
Whether you call it spiritual entrepreneurship or the gift of apostleship, what we need is a new generation of Apostle Pauls who forge out in new directions. Who experiment boldly. Who dare greatly.
Spiritual entrepreneurs are the kind of leaders who will find tomorrow’s solutions when most leaders can only see the problem.
In a marketplace that’s in love with start-ups and new ventures, we need some leaders who are inclined to spend their lives in the marketplace who will take their God-given talents and energy and throw them full time behind the mission of the church.
Are you called to it? As I write about here, the fact that you have the gifts might be enough of a sign that you’re called.
So what does spiritual entrepreneurship look like?
What are the characteristics of leaders who can forge fresh ground in the church?
And how do you know if you might be a spiritual entrepreneur?
As I meet church leaders who are actually reaching unchurched people in massive quantities, here are the qualities I see among the leaders.
Spiritual entrepreneurs:
1. THINK BIG
Too many churches die of small thinking:
We don’t have enough
It won’t happen
Stop dreaming
That’s plenty for now
Who will pay for it?
Leaders who serve an infinite God should never have their imaginations deadened by small thinking.
Spiritual entrepreneurs aren’t.
They think big. They dream of what could be, not what is, and they see the opportunity in every obstacle.
2. BELIEVE GOD CAN
We serve a God who created amazing things out of nothing. Why do we think he won’t do the same for his church?
Spiritual entrepreneurs believe he will. And they see him do it.
They would agree with Henry Ford who said, “Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can’t, you’re right.”
Before you dismiss this as positive thinking nonsense, remember Jesus couldn’t perform many miracles in his hometown because of people’s lack of faith. Then, moments later, he walked on water and fed 5000 because people in those communities had faith.
Spiritual entrepreneurs believe God can. And they see him do it.
3. SEE ABUNDANCE, NOT SCARCITYSpiritual entrepreneurs see abundance, not scarcity.
Give a dying church $10,000, and they’ll think they’re broke and need to conserve it.
Give $10,000 to a spiritual entrepreneur, and he’ll see it as seed money to start something big.
To a dying church, 5 leaders is defeat. To a spiritual entrepreneur, it’s a start.
Same facts. Different mindset. Attitude is everything.
4. THINK VISION FIRST, RESOURCES SECOND
So what comes first? Vision, or resources?
Spiritual entrepreneurs are very comfortable with the reality that vision precedes resources.
Casting a big vision (a solid, on-mission vision) will often lead to significant resources down the road.
Waiting for big resources so you can have a vision is a recipe for death.
5. INVEST IN PERSONAL AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Spiritual entrepreneurs aren’t crazy spenders, but they see a key distinction between an expense and an investment.
They realize that going to conferences, networking with other leaders, buying books and doing whatever it takes to make themselves and their team better is an investment.
Sure, there are limits, but smart spiritual entrepreneurs will often spend a minimum of 10% of all the money they receive making themselves and their team better.
6. BELIEVE THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU
Of all the criticisms levied at spiritual entrepreneurs, the most common is often that they have big egos and it’s all about them.
Sometimes that’s true.
But most often it’s not.
Big vision does not automatically equal big ego.
The best spiritual entrepreneurs humbly submit to God and are committed to a vision that is so much bigger than they are.
Personal humility combined with big ambition for the mission fosters incredible leadership.
Think about it this way. The reason we’re talking about Paul 2000 years later is that Paul’s work wasn’t about Paul; it was about Jesus and the mission of the church. If your vision is all about you, it will die with you. True spiritual entrepreneurs know that.
7. SHIP FIRST, IMPROVE LATER
Perfectionists make terrible entrepreneurs.
If you haven’t shipped on your vision yet because you’re waiting for ideal conditions or the perfect result, you’ll wait forever.
People email me all the time (usually after going to a conference hosted by a large church with lots of resources) and ask whether a new building or better lighting or a move to a portable location will help them grow.
I always tell them it won’t (here’s why).
Big churches never started big. They usually started very humbly. But because they are led by spiritual entrepreneurs, those entrepreneurs at every stage made the most of whatever they had.
A spiritual entrepreneur can launch a growing church in a dying building with little money.
Then they make all the improvements later as facilities and resources grow.
8. ARE FINE WITH AMBIGUITYAsk a spiritual entrepreneur how they’re going to do it, and the #1 answer is “I don’t know. We’re just going to do it.”
There’s something powerful in that.
If you have it all figured out before you launch it, your vision isn’t big enough.
9. WILL RISK IT ALL WITHOUT GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS
Too many leaders hope for some kind of guarantee.
Risk brings no guarantees because it’s risk.
Spiritual entrepreneurs are okay with that.
Most spiritual entrepreneurs want to die trying. Usually they don’t die trying, but the fact that they’re willing to is crucial.
Ironically, if a spiritual entrepreneur has a solid plan that’s on mission, they usually don’t fail. But you have to be willing to fail to succeed.
10. NEVER WAIT FOR CONSENSUS
Too many churches will only move forward if there is consensus.
That’s a critical mistake.
Consensus kills courage. By the time you have consensus, ideas are so watered down they are worthy of the committee that put them together.
Spiritual entrepreneurs rarely act alone (at least the smart ones don’t). But they’re ready to move ahead with a group of early adopters knowing most will eventually buy into whatever is being proposed once they see it working.
11. LET THE CRITICS TALK WHILE YOU ACT
The critics will always talk.
Spiritual entrepreneurs know this.
They don’t get weighed down by critics who criticize what others do and do little themselves.
How do you respond to the critics?
By acting.
12. BREAK RULES
Quite obviously, you should never break biblical rules. And the great spiritual entrepreneurs never do. Their character is solid.
But you’re going to absolutely need to break some human rules if you’re going to disrupt the status quo.
Innovation always breaks rules. Why?
Because innovation never asks for permission. It just innovates.
Innovation never asks for permission. It just innovates.
7 ACTIONS HEALTHY LEADERS PRACTICE WHEN LEADING CITY MOVEMENTS READ TIME: 2 minutes
By: Reggie McNeal
Leading effective gospel movements requires leadership that has some very distinct qualities. Here are some of the most prominent characteristics of leaders who demonstrate these signature elements.
1. They operate with a kingdom bias.
These leaders understand that God’s kingdom is his primary activity on planet Earth, his missional agenda for people to experience life as he intended. Kingdom bandwidth stretches across all aspects of human flourishing – spiritual, social, economic, emotional – every part of human existence. This reality pulls them into the breadth of community life to partner with God in the desire that his kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven.”
2. They pray for their city.
These leaders have the city on their heart – and in their prayers. They are burdened by what they see around them and intercede passionately for their community. These leaders often create prayer networks of others who are similarly moved to “seek the welfare of the city” as a spiritual stewardship.
3. They foment dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Most leaders find themselves troubled by particular issues and concerns that get their attention and energy. City movement leaders excel in the ability also to make other people similarly dissatisfied with conditions and situations that they feel need to be addressed. This fomenting is strategic; in other words, these leaders demonstrate political savvy in knowing the right people to engage and how to turn agitation into positive action.
4. They combine social and spiritual entrepreneurship.
Where other people only see problems, entrepreneurs see opportunities. Old problems present windows for new approaches and fresh solutions. The only failure that entrepreneurs cannot accept is the failure to attempt change and progress. Community leaders who create and lead movements that address key societal issues (literacy, human trafficking, economic development, etc.) realize that breakthroughs require the willingness to take risks. Kingdom leaders view seemingly intractable societal ills as opportunities for inspiring hope and faith as they work for a better world. Guided by this kingdom narrative they flip the dominant worldly script of pessimism and anxiety into one of promise and a preferred future.
5. They marry vision with action.
Successful city leader movers and shakers are not content just to paint pictures of what could be. These insightful leaders understand that the dynamic of getting people dressed up with nowhere to go – fired up with dreams but no real plan for engagement – provides a sure recipe for cynicism and increased despondency. Accordingly, they create on-ramps for people to join them in working toward the vision they inspire. People are given options for how they can contribute to solutions, how they can take action to move the needle on issues that capture their interest.
6. They call the party.
Leaders of impactful city movements are not Lone Rangers. They are collaborative in their approaches, preferring a team strategy. Equally important, they have the personal credibility for bringing people together to work on community initiatives. They can put people at the table to work together. Their capacity to do this comes from their having invested in developing relationships with leaders from other domains. Leaders of city movements sublimate their own ego or their need to be the hero to allow other significant players into the effort. Anywhere you find a cross-domain initiative addressing significant community issues, behind it will be a leader or group of leaders who practice high collaborative intelligence.
7. They maintain a (pain-tinged) optimism.
Leaders of city movements demonstrate remarkable resiliency in the face of daunting challenge and inevitable setbacks. Their firm grounding in God’s kingdom purposes enable them to soldier on with hope and faith and love.
This article is excerpted from Reggie’s most recent book, Kingdom Collaborators (2018). Visit www.goodcities.net to see other leadership resources for city gospel movement leaders.
ABOUT THE AUTHORReggie McNeal has served as both a pastor and a church planter during twenty years of church ministry. He currently serves as a city coach for Good Cities, an organization that focuses on "leadership development that advances the gospel of the Kingdom and works toward the common good of the city."
By: Reggie McNeal
Leading effective gospel movements requires leadership that has some very distinct qualities. Here are some of the most prominent characteristics of leaders who demonstrate these signature elements.
1. They operate with a kingdom bias.
These leaders understand that God’s kingdom is his primary activity on planet Earth, his missional agenda for people to experience life as he intended. Kingdom bandwidth stretches across all aspects of human flourishing – spiritual, social, economic, emotional – every part of human existence. This reality pulls them into the breadth of community life to partner with God in the desire that his kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven.”
2. They pray for their city.
These leaders have the city on their heart – and in their prayers. They are burdened by what they see around them and intercede passionately for their community. These leaders often create prayer networks of others who are similarly moved to “seek the welfare of the city” as a spiritual stewardship.
3. They foment dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Most leaders find themselves troubled by particular issues and concerns that get their attention and energy. City movement leaders excel in the ability also to make other people similarly dissatisfied with conditions and situations that they feel need to be addressed. This fomenting is strategic; in other words, these leaders demonstrate political savvy in knowing the right people to engage and how to turn agitation into positive action.
4. They combine social and spiritual entrepreneurship.
Where other people only see problems, entrepreneurs see opportunities. Old problems present windows for new approaches and fresh solutions. The only failure that entrepreneurs cannot accept is the failure to attempt change and progress. Community leaders who create and lead movements that address key societal issues (literacy, human trafficking, economic development, etc.) realize that breakthroughs require the willingness to take risks. Kingdom leaders view seemingly intractable societal ills as opportunities for inspiring hope and faith as they work for a better world. Guided by this kingdom narrative they flip the dominant worldly script of pessimism and anxiety into one of promise and a preferred future.
5. They marry vision with action.
Successful city leader movers and shakers are not content just to paint pictures of what could be. These insightful leaders understand that the dynamic of getting people dressed up with nowhere to go – fired up with dreams but no real plan for engagement – provides a sure recipe for cynicism and increased despondency. Accordingly, they create on-ramps for people to join them in working toward the vision they inspire. People are given options for how they can contribute to solutions, how they can take action to move the needle on issues that capture their interest.
6. They call the party.
Leaders of impactful city movements are not Lone Rangers. They are collaborative in their approaches, preferring a team strategy. Equally important, they have the personal credibility for bringing people together to work on community initiatives. They can put people at the table to work together. Their capacity to do this comes from their having invested in developing relationships with leaders from other domains. Leaders of city movements sublimate their own ego or their need to be the hero to allow other significant players into the effort. Anywhere you find a cross-domain initiative addressing significant community issues, behind it will be a leader or group of leaders who practice high collaborative intelligence.
7. They maintain a (pain-tinged) optimism.
Leaders of city movements demonstrate remarkable resiliency in the face of daunting challenge and inevitable setbacks. Their firm grounding in God’s kingdom purposes enable them to soldier on with hope and faith and love.
This article is excerpted from Reggie’s most recent book, Kingdom Collaborators (2018). Visit www.goodcities.net to see other leadership resources for city gospel movement leaders.
ABOUT THE AUTHORReggie McNeal has served as both a pastor and a church planter during twenty years of church ministry. He currently serves as a city coach for Good Cities, an organization that focuses on "leadership development that advances the gospel of the Kingdom and works toward the common good of the city."
Romancing Your City
by Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson
We want to suggest that the idea of romancing your city — a metaphor first suggested by Michael Frost — is an incredibly useful way of approaching mission with a focus on winning the love of the people we seek to reach, lovingly engaging with those who have no idea how life-changing an experience with God can be.
“We must learn to court those we encounter.”
What does it take to romance a culture well? It’s the same thing it takes to go beyond a first date: finding the keys to the beloved’s heart, to attend, to court, to woo with the intention of marriage, for better or worse, richer or poorer. It requires a willingness to learn about and understand someone else, a willingness to consciously stop talking about ourselves and what only we believe for a moment. And it requires stepping outside of our cultural box and learning to ask questions about the other — simple, genuinely curious questions, not designed to lead someone to your cleverly designed agenda for the relationship, but ones that lead to a genuine understanding of the other. Those who are the worst at romance are those who have not learned how to simply pay attention, listen, and use interpathy (we’ll explain this term later).
The Art of Paying Attention
Jesus said, “The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father” (John 5:19 The Voice). In other words, when Jesus went out on the streets or to the market, he looked for what the Father was already doing, and he subsequently joined the Father in what he was already doing. And we believe this is exactly what we need to do when engaging in any and every context of life.
This means we must pay attention. We must learn to become aware of what God is doing and where he is doing it. Again, in the words of Jesus, “I have not ever acted, and will not in the future act, on My own. I listen to the directions of the One who sent Me and act on these divine instructions. For this reason, My judgment is always fair and never self-serving. I’m committed to pursuing God’s agenda and not My own” (John 5:30 The Voice).
How long had the bush been burning before Moses stopped long enough to notice it? How long did he have to stare at it to realize it wasn’t going to stop? Rabbi Lawrence Kushner writes, “The burning bush was not a miracle. It was a test. God wanted to find out whether or not Moses could pay attention to something for more than a few minutes. When Moses did, God spoke.”³
If Kushner is correct, we have to consider—are we too busy and preoccupied to pay attention to the fact that we stand on holy ground? Do our desires lead us to fill our schedules to the brim, so much so that we fail to notice God speaking to us because we’re too busy “doing ministry”? How long has he been calling without us noticing?
Can we learn the practice of paying attention and apply that rhythm to our lives?
Day by day, year by year, your own story unfolds, your life’s story. Things happen. People come and go. The scene shifts. Time runs by, runs out. Maybe it is all utterly meaningless. Maybe it is all unutterably meaningful. If you want to know which, pay attention.
The unexpected sound of your name on somebody’s lips. The good dream. The odd coincidence. The moment that brings tears to your eyes. The person who brings life to your life. Maybe even the smallest events hold the greatest dues. If it is God we are looking for, as I suspect we all of us are even if we don’t think of it that way and wouldn’t use such language on a bet, maybe the reason we haven’t found him is that we are not looking in the right places. Pay attention.⁴
The Art of ListeningIn addition to the practice of paying attention, if we’re going to move toward a deeper anthropological understanding of culture, we need to listen well. We must learn the rhythm of stopping and noticing burning bushes, absolutely. But we must move beyond awareness and learn the art of listening.
Listening is one of the least-practiced skills among the church (like a bad first date, we love to be the ones talking). And yet, if Jesus’ followers are serious about entering a culture with a story of good news that will change the world, we should probably understand exactly what good news is to its people. If we will listen, they are telling us how to love them—how to bring the gospel to them. As the inventor of the stethoscope, René Laennec, stated, “Listen, listen, listen to your patients. They are telling you the answer.”
Mike Breen tells the story of English missionaries, well-supplied with money and resources, who travel to a slum in a small village in India, prepared to start a ministry, build a clinic, establish a new church, whatever this impoverished village needed. Fortunately, the missionaries were smart enough to adopt a posture of listening. The leaders of the village were very clear what good news was to their people: “What we really need is a PIN [zip] code, a post box, and a post office.”
The missionaries responded with, “Yes, of course. But what about a big-ticket item? What can we build for you? What can we throw our money toward? Please tell us.”
The response of the people was simple: “No, really … what we need is a PIN code. In the poorest parts of our country, if you are considered a slum by the governmental system and don’t have a PIN code, then you don’t exist on a map. There could be 20,000 people living in the village, but without a PIN you don’t exist. We’re not entitled to social services, any forms of structure, or health care. We are invisible. If you are really here to help—if you’re really listening to what we’re saying—get us a postbox. The whole world would open up to us.”
The missionaries listened. It took two years, but the village finally became registered as a recognized neighborhood. It happened partially because the privileged missionaries were able to posture themselves to listen to their “patients,” rather than dictating the particulars of the good news for these villagers.⁵
The art of listening and speaking with people—not just to them—is what makes them feel like they’re not invisible anymore.
The Art of Interpathy
In Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist and narrator, Scout Finch, is a young girl in southern Alabama forced to grow up quickly in the ever-changing world of the 1930s. Her father, Atticus, becomes the attorney for a black man accused of raping a white woman. Six-year-old Scout and her older brother, Jem, are thrust into the middle of the complexities of race and social class and “the other.”
In an attempt to help her understand the social intricacies of the 1930s culture, Atticus tells his daughter “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”⁶ Atticus’ words seem to be instructional wisdom for us as we attempt to tell of the story of God to the world around us.
A term that missiologists use to describe this strong sense of affinity with a group of people, a cross-cultural form of empathy, is interpathy. Interpathy is a sense of feeling with the other, climbing into another’s skin and walking around in it. It describes that depth of relationship when an outsider develops a burden in their heart for a group. It refers to the capacity for an outsider to examine a community’s sense of values, what has hurt them, and where they’re headed. It’s a form of identification so deep that the guest almost becomes one of the tribe … an insider.⁷
The practice of interpathy is key for empathy to cross-cultural boundaries.⁸ “In interpathic ‘feeling with,’ empathy is extended beyond known borders to offer a grace that draws no lines, refuses limits, claims universal humanness as sufficient foundation for joining another in a unique world of experience.”⁹
The story is told of an encounter the French poet Jacque Prévert had with a beggar on the street. The man held a sign that said, “Blind Man without a home.” Prévert approached the man to learn if he was getting any donations.
“Oh, no,” the man replied. “People pass by and drop nothing in my hat, the swines.”
Rather than putting money in the man’s cup, Prévert took the sign from him and altered it. A few days later, he came upon the beggar again and asked if things had changed.
“Oh, yes. It’s wonderful. My hat fills up three times a day.”
Prévert had changed the phrase on the sign to say, “Spring is coming, but I won’t see it.” Now, when people came upon the blind man, they entered into a different story with him. They were invited into the practice of interpathy. They put themselves in his place, crossed a boundary into his circumstance of life. By remembering their own springtime memories, they could understand the great tragedy this man was living.¹⁰
We believe it is possible that practicing interpathy changes not only how someone views the world, but how they respond to it.
Like Falling in Love for the First TimeUltimately, all these examples and practices should lead us to a wi(l)der appreciation of God, his story, and his world. Adopting these rhythms will help us grasp what truly sounds like ravishingly good news for people in all spaces of life and faith … something that will make their hearts sing. When we are able to discern what good news looks like in each context, we will find the key to an individual’s heart and, by extension, the heart of their community.
May we give the gift of news that is greater than our wildest imaginations—news that means death doesn’t carry the same weight anymore and that the gospel isn’t just about where you go when you die, but about the chance you get to truly live right now.
The good news comes knocking on doors that we didn’t even know we had; it flings open the curtains on windows we didn’t know existed to reveal the rising sun flooding the room with glory when we had imagined that all light came from candles; it woos our cold hearts and awakens them, like someone falling in love for the first time, to a joy and fulfillment never before imagined.¹²
Notes:
² Much of the “romancing” language and thinking comes from Michael Frost, Exponential Conference, main session, 2011. Also here: Michael Frost, “Romancing the City,” August 27, 2012, in Exponential Podcast. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/exponential/id194168324
³ Lawrence Kushner, God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know it: Finding Self, Spirituality and Ultimate Meaning (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2016), 27.
⁴ Buechner, Secrets in the Dark, 183.
⁵ Mike Breen story, told by Mike Frost at Exponential Conference, main session, 2011.
⁶ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (New York: Popular Library, 1960), 34.
⁷ Frost and Hirsch, Shaping, 88.
⁸ Eric Fromm, The Art of Listening (New York: Continuum International, 1994), 192–193.
⁹ David W. Augsburger, Pastoral Counseling Across Cultures (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 31.
¹⁰ John Wood, “David Ogilvy’s Copywriting Technique That Made a Homeless Man’s Cup Runneth Over…”, American Writers & Artists Inc., February 2013. https://www.awai.com/2013/02/david-ogilvys-copywriting-technique/
¹² Wright, Simply Good News, 154.
SOME SIMPLE PRACTICES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SPEAKING BETTER
By Carey Nieuwhof
If you speak with any regularity, you know the pressure that comes with staring at a blank screen with a deadline approaching.
And if you communicate regularly within the context of the local church, like I do, you quickly discover that Sundays come around whether you’re ready or not.
I get asked regularly what I do to prepare for my messages, and there are a few things I practice and that I’ve seen other leaders do that I think can gain any communicator an edge.
They’re not talked about that often, but they work for me and for other communicators I admire. But even more than that, it took me years to get there.
Here’s to shortcuts. Five of them actually—for every communicator.
1. FOCUS INITIALLY ON THE QUALITY OF YOUR THINKING INSTEAD OF THE QUALITY OF YOUR WRITING
So how do you get to a killer message, article or post? You think your way there before you write your way there.
Look, I admire great writers and communicators. They can make anything sound interesting, fun or even meaningful.
But I appreciate great thinking even more.
So will your audience.
A great idea adequately expressed is worth more than a bad idea eloquently expressed.
If you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.
A great idea adequately expressed is worth more than a bad idea eloquently expressed.
If you’re trying to develop fresh angles, perspectives, and insights, time is your best friend. I often start thinking through a sermon series or book a year or two in advance. I’ll keep notes in Evernote and just let the ideas simmer, refining them or adding to them regularly.
If time is your best friend, change of venue is your next best friend. I personally find that ideas get better not when I’m sitting at a computer keyboard, but when I’m doing something else: cycling, cutting the grass, washing the car, listening to a podcast or music or even cooking. Something in the back of my brain will connect dots I didn’t think connected.
When that happens, all you need is a place to record the idea. Again, Evernote is so handy. I have recorded dozens of voice files in Evernote during bike rides. It’s a convenient way to save key ideas I don’t want to lose without stopping.
This approach may not get you to next Sunday or your Wednesday deadline, but don’t get discouraged.
Instead, this week, why not start keeping notes on future series, articles and posts? Use whatever system you want, but just write your ideas down and let them gestate.
If you keep notes like this and refine your thinking over weeks and months, you’ll develop a catalog of great ideas that can be put into use at any point in the future.
A good idea gets better over time. A bad idea gets worse over time. So give yourself time.
When you jot down your ideas and revisit them as time passes, you’ll have a much clearer sense of which is which, and the pressure to get to Sunday disappears. Plus you can keep refining them and making them better.
A good idea gets better over time. A bad idea gets worse over time. So give yourself time.CLICK TO TWEET
2. SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON A FEW KEY WORDS OR THOUGHTS
When you’re keeping your journal of ideas and concepts for the future, keep them simple.
My notes look like a series of key phrases and ideas that I keep refining until they resonate.
If your thinking is strong (see #1 above), then the next most important thing is to phrase your thinking so it’s both memorable and impactful.
Many communicators I know and respect summarize their thinking in a bottom line: a short, memorable statement that outlines the main point of the message you’re delivering.
Here are some examples of bottom lines I’ve written:
Changing your mind can change your life.
Moral compromise compromises you.
God doesn’t run away from runaways.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but you can’t make both.
God is bigger than your circumstances, and he’s better than your than your circumstances.
The best sex life is a surrendered sex life.
It can take me weeks or months of letting an idea simmer to reduce to a simple statement like the statements above, but it’s so worth it.
I find that once I have a key idea stated as simply as that, the message becomes relatively easy to write because the statement has so much pre-loaded into it.
Why is this so important? It’s simple. If you’re not clear on what your message is about, no one else will be either.
If you can’t state the main point of your message in a simple phrase, then you don’t understand it well enough to deliver it.
If you're not clear on what your message is about, no one else will be either.
3. TEST YOUR KEY IDEAS ON A TEAM
I personally do a lot of my writing alone, but I employ a team at key stages.
Some of my favorite writing moments happen when I walk a rough draft of the bottom lines and a short summary of the talk or series I’m working on into a meeting and bounce them off my team.
Three things happen when I present my outline to a team:
1. I learn which ideas resonate and which don’t. Better to find this out now than when giving the talk.
2. The team will frequently offer better ways to phrase key ideas than I’ve developed on my own. This makes the message or talk far better.
3. Verbally processing my ideas in front of a team often helps me discover better ways to say things than I would have discovered on my own.
I like to walk ideas into a meeting like this a month or two before I need to finish the message.
Then I go back and finish up the talk on my own, sometimes checking back in, but sometimes not if the talk or piece is now resonating well.
4. THINK MORE ABOUT GOD AND YOUR AUDIENCE THAN YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF
When it comes to delivering the message, most of us naturally over-focus on ourselves. Here’s why you’ll think about if you don’t stop yourself.
Will:
I Deliver this well?
People laugh at my jokes?
I knock it out of the park?
I have those thoughts too. But when I focus on them, I tend to do less well than when I focus on two other elements: God and my audience.
A sermon is not really about how you ‘did’ as a communicator; it’s about God’s interaction with his people.
A message isn’t about how you ‘did’ as a speaker; it’s about whether you helped your audience meet Christ. So don’t focus on how well you did as a preacher, focus on how well you brought Jesus.
Put a filter on your thoughts about you.
For sure, you need some personal elements in your talk…some stories, and maybe even some humour. But even while those elements are about you, they’re not. They’re about God using you and about your audience.
When you take the focus off of yourself, your insecurities lessen their grip. You begin to serve God and serve your audience through your communication, and you find you actually help people far more.
Don't focus on how well you did as a preacher, focus on how well you brought people to Jesus.
5. FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING YOUR MESSAGE, NOT MEMORIZING IT
This one’s for speakers. How do you memorize a 45 minute talk?
I have no idea. But I regularly give 45 minute talks without using notes.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received on how to ‘learn’ a talk is this: don’t memorize your talk, understand it.
Think about the next conversation you have today at work or with your family. You don’t memorize what you’re going to say before you say it. Instead, you understand what you’re trying to accomplish (I need to talk about the third quarter results, or what we’re doing for dinner.)
A talk is obviously more complex, but not much more.
If you do this, all you have to remember is the big idea of what fits in each part of the talk. Sometimes it’s as simple as thinking “How do I get to the main point again? Right, the story about last summer’s vacation!”
Personally, I will write out some stories and key phrasing in detail, but I don’t write a full manuscript anymore.
I just write enough so I understand what I’m going to say.
That takes the pressure off of you as a communicator, because if you forget something the only person who knows is you. And the talk is shorter, so everyone wins.
8 Ways Leaders Delegate Successfully
Deborah Grayson Riegel
In their book, Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, authors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Charles O’Reilly claim that there is mounting evidence that delegating more responsibility for decision making increases productivity, morale, and commitment, all of which impact company culture. A 2015 Gallup study of the entrepreneurial talents of 143 CEOs on the Inc. 500 list showed that companies run by executives who effectively delegate authority grow faster, generate more revenue, and create more jobs.According to John C. Maxwell, author of Developing the Leaders Around You, “If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
Yet, for many leaders, delegating feels like something they know they should do, but don’t do. And the roadblock often begins at the top. Senior leaders often struggle with knowing what they can delegate that would actually feel helpful to them, or how to delegate responsibility and not just tasks, or what responsibilities could serve as a learning and growth opportunity for others below them. In addition, senior executives (like others in the organization) may not have had role models along the way to show them how to delegate successfully. And, of course, there’s a perceived reputational risk. Will delegating make them look like they don’t know their stuff, or like they’re slacking off themselves?
When the senior leaders of an organization can’t or won’t delegate, the culture suffers. In his book, The Art of Being Unreasonable, author, philanthropist, and billionaire CEO Eli Broad writes, “The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems I see with managers at all levels.”
Before leaders can successfully and effectively delegate, they need to understand their own resistance. In Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization, Harvard Graduate School of Education professors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey suggest that leaders state their goal and then describe the behaviors that are stalling their efforts. For instance, a senior sales leader might want to delegate follow-up calls to big customers to his sales team, but realizes that he hasn’t updated his notes in the CRM database, or he might simply be in the habit of making the follow-up calls himself before members of the team can get to them.
Kegan and Lahey then suggest that leaders examine these behaviors and ask themselves how they’d feel if they did the opposite. What if updating the CRM database in a timely manner meant pushing off other, more important activities? What if not calling customers meant that they felt ignored or disrespected, and they took their business elsewhere? These concerns activate the “emotional immune system,” which tries to ward off feelings of fear, overwhelm, loss of control, and disappointment. For the senior leader to start delegating and stick with it, he needs to address these feelings, challenge his own assumptions about “what if,” and try small, low-risk delegation experiments to see whether his assumptions are rooted in the truth or in his desire for safety. In addition, team members to whom tasks are delegated should undertake a similar process in order to identify their concerns and challenge their own assumptions about what might happen if they take on new tasks, roles, and responsibilities.
Once a leader has begun to shift his or her mindset, it’s time to start shifting behaviors. In my own work as a leadership coach, I have identified eight practices of leaders who delegate successfully:
Deborah Grayson Riegel is a principal at The Boda Group, a leadership and team development firm. She also teaches management communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
Deborah Grayson Riegel
In their book, Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, authors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Charles O’Reilly claim that there is mounting evidence that delegating more responsibility for decision making increases productivity, morale, and commitment, all of which impact company culture. A 2015 Gallup study of the entrepreneurial talents of 143 CEOs on the Inc. 500 list showed that companies run by executives who effectively delegate authority grow faster, generate more revenue, and create more jobs.According to John C. Maxwell, author of Developing the Leaders Around You, “If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
Yet, for many leaders, delegating feels like something they know they should do, but don’t do. And the roadblock often begins at the top. Senior leaders often struggle with knowing what they can delegate that would actually feel helpful to them, or how to delegate responsibility and not just tasks, or what responsibilities could serve as a learning and growth opportunity for others below them. In addition, senior executives (like others in the organization) may not have had role models along the way to show them how to delegate successfully. And, of course, there’s a perceived reputational risk. Will delegating make them look like they don’t know their stuff, or like they’re slacking off themselves?
When the senior leaders of an organization can’t or won’t delegate, the culture suffers. In his book, The Art of Being Unreasonable, author, philanthropist, and billionaire CEO Eli Broad writes, “The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems I see with managers at all levels.”
Before leaders can successfully and effectively delegate, they need to understand their own resistance. In Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization, Harvard Graduate School of Education professors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey suggest that leaders state their goal and then describe the behaviors that are stalling their efforts. For instance, a senior sales leader might want to delegate follow-up calls to big customers to his sales team, but realizes that he hasn’t updated his notes in the CRM database, or he might simply be in the habit of making the follow-up calls himself before members of the team can get to them.
Kegan and Lahey then suggest that leaders examine these behaviors and ask themselves how they’d feel if they did the opposite. What if updating the CRM database in a timely manner meant pushing off other, more important activities? What if not calling customers meant that they felt ignored or disrespected, and they took their business elsewhere? These concerns activate the “emotional immune system,” which tries to ward off feelings of fear, overwhelm, loss of control, and disappointment. For the senior leader to start delegating and stick with it, he needs to address these feelings, challenge his own assumptions about “what if,” and try small, low-risk delegation experiments to see whether his assumptions are rooted in the truth or in his desire for safety. In addition, team members to whom tasks are delegated should undertake a similar process in order to identify their concerns and challenge their own assumptions about what might happen if they take on new tasks, roles, and responsibilities.
Once a leader has begun to shift his or her mindset, it’s time to start shifting behaviors. In my own work as a leadership coach, I have identified eight practices of leaders who delegate successfully:
- They pick the right person — and it isn’t always about who can do it. Who needs to develop these skills? Who has capacity? Who has shown interest? Who is ready for a challenge? Who would see this as a reward? Successful delegators also explain why they chose the person to take on the task.
- They’re clear about what the person is responsible for and how much autonomy they have. In Drive: The Surprising Science About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink writes that people often want autonomy over task, team, technique, and time. Successful delegators let their team members know exactly where they have autonomy and where they don’t (yet).
- They describe the desired results in detail. This includes setting clear expectations about the outcome (“what it is”), how the task fits into the bigger picture (“why we’re doing it”), and criteria for measuring success (“what it should look like when done well”).
- They make sure that team members have the resources they need to do the job, whether it’s training, money, supplies, time, a private space, adjusted priorities, or help from others.
- They establish checkpoints, milestones, and junctures for feedback so that they neither micromanage nor under-lead.
- They encourage new, creative ways for team members to accomplish goals. It’s important for delegators to set aside their attachment to how things have been done in the past, so that they can invite, recognize, and reward novel approaches that work.
- They create a motivating environment. Successful delegators know when to cheerlead, coach, step in, step back, adjust expectations, make themselves available, and celebrate successes.
- They tolerate risks and mistakes, and use them as learning opportunities, rather than as proof that they shouldn’t have delegated in the first place.
Deborah Grayson Riegel is a principal at The Boda Group, a leadership and team development firm. She also teaches management communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
10 Hallmarks of a Leader of Leaders
By Brian Houston
“Some leaders attract followers—others attract leaders.”
Some leaders attract followers—others attract leaders.
And still others have the uncanny ability to turn followers INTO leaders.
So, what kind of leader are you? Test yourself with this list of qualities that I consider to be signs that you are a ‘Leader of Leaders.’
#1 Leaders are INSPIRED by your LIFE.
If you are a leader of leaders, your apparent success may be inspiring; but even more inspiring is your life! Leaders are not only impressed by what you’ve built, but by your demeanor (your attitude, consistency and character) during the building. Your wisdom—when confronted with overwhelming and perplexing circumstances—along with your attitude toward others, your marriage and family, and the ongoing fruit of your life, will all challenge others that they too can live their lives well. You stretch and inspire other leaders through your big capacity. They believe that If you can absorb the pressure, stay healthy and continue to grow, so too can they.
#2 Leaders are STRENGTHENED by your CONSISTENCY.
If you are a leader of leaders, it means that you have kept turning up, and proven resilience against impossible odds. You have never allowed the difficulty, opposition or pain (of leadership) to poison your spirit. You’ve truly modeled longevity and just as the apostle Paul put it in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘having done all, you are still standing.’ You inspire others that they too can hold fast in the battle with an unquenchable spirit—a spirit that has weathered the storms, but remained un-weathered.
#3 Leaders are CURIOUS about the ‘secret’ to your SUCCESS.
A leader of leaders sparks curiosity and people want to know…how do you do it? What makes you tick? Why do you do it that way? People will travel from afar to come and see it for themselves, or to get one opportunity to quiz you over a coffee. There’s just something a little different about you. Of course, if nothing you do stands out from the rest, then you will never spark curiosity. But an innovative leader has ideas, peculiarities and methods that make others inquisitive. It is my observation that curious people attract curious people. As a kid, my siblings always called me “nosy” because I was always asking questions—I always wanted to know! That nosy-ness has helped frame the way I still live and lead today. My experience with other leaders is that a true leader of leaders will ask the most questions and are the most curious.
#4 Leaders are ENVIOUS of your ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Perhaps we all define success differently, but your accomplishments are not something to be ashamed of. Only insecure or mean-spirited people are critical of genuine God-breathed success. Not all envy is evil. In fact, the Amplified bible translates ‘blessed’ as ‘happy, fortunate and to be envied.’ This is not the type of envy or jealousy that eats people up on the inside; but a righteous envy that inspires others toward greater heights, and compels them to live their own lives of significance.
#5 Leaders are ASTOUNDED by your OPENNESS.
If you are a leader of leaders, then you are not ‘guarded’ but have a healthy mix of wisdom about when to speak and when to hold your peace. You avoid the gossip train and don’t try to prove your leadership by having to know everything about everyone. You have nothing to hide and your authenticity makes you easy to follow. You are a locked vault when it comes to confidentiality, but an open book when it comes to accountability and transparency. Other leaders can follow someone who is genuine, unguarded and at times can even laugh at themselves. Such leaders are not ‘precious’ and over sensitive. People do not have to tip toe around you, and you are more likely to put a room at ease than to stiffen everybody up. You often lead with your smile and are quick to show gratitude to those who serve.
#6 Leaders are WARMED by your HUMILITY.
As a leader of leaders you are not filled with your own importance and your feet are still firmly placed on the ground. You have a quiet confidence that emanates a well-rounded security; yet you are self-effacing and aware of your own humanity. You have time for people. And though you have clearly matured, are more seasoned and perhaps your time is now in higher demand—to those who have known you a long time you are still the person they always knew. When people meet you in a cafe or on the street, they are impressed with just how down-to-earth you are. You are consistently and quietly generous and polite to waiters, or those who serve you in the gas station and supermarket. Other leaders will follow ‘real-deal, genuinely humble leaders’ quicker than a know-it-all who is filled with their own importance. Prominent people need to be wise about security, but bodyguards or an entourage is never as impressive as a highly successful leader who simply carries theirself with genuine confidence, humility and authenticity.
#7 Leaders are SECURE about your MOTIVES.
It is appealing to others that your commitment to them goes beyond building your own world, and that you are genuinely committed to enhancing their world. You encourage others to dream big dreams, and your interest is clearly not for the sake of ‘building empires.’ While you may be fiercely committed to your own God-given vision, and clearly intentional in your own call, your commitment to other leaders is unselfish and unfettered by personal motive or agenda. Many may want to join your network, come under your umbrella or lean into your leadership and vision—but they can sense that your interest in them goes far beyond yourself.
#8 Leaders are COMMITTED to your PROTECTION.
If you are a leader of leaders, you will naturally attract loyalty. Though opposition may come, you will forever be surrounded by people who have got your back. However, not everyone is going to like you—just like not everyone liked Jesus. Religious people were in fact the most outspoken against the Savior. And while that still might be true for you and me, and even while the silence of some of your peers may roar loudly; there are plenty of leaders who will stand with you in the trenches, and protect your credibility and character. You never have to demand respect or honor, because you naturally attract it and you carry it with dignity and class. You also honor those above, beside and below you—always recognizing that honor is a two-way street. You attract loyalty because you’ve always lifted the ceilings for others and are quick to recommend and promote their cause, as well as your own.
#9 Leaders are BETTER because of your INFLUENCE.
Leaders of leaders leave an imprint on others and many will testify that they are better leaders simply because of you. Those who lean into you and your leadership have ‘caught’ your spirit and the fruit of that can be seen in and through their endeavours. The impact of your life on others has sparked health, momentum and growth; and while you don’t always need the credit, your imprint and influence is clear to see.
#10 Leaders are TESTIMONY to your LEGACY.
“Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom YOU shall make princes in all the earth.”
Psalms 45:16 (my emphasis).
Of course, a true leader of leaders does not only attract other leaders, but they have a long-proven track record of raising up even more leaders. They become a spiritual ‘mum’ or ‘dad’ to others who may even surpass them in stature and measure—and their ‘ceilings’ becomes another generation’s floor.
You see, the greatest testimony to a true LEADER OF LEADERS, is found in the honor of watching your leadership legacy lived out by the next generation of leaders of leaders.
Brian Houston
In 1983, Brian saw a need in Sydney's north-western suburbs for a contemporary, life-filled, Bible-based church, and started Hills Christian Life Centre in the Baulkham Hills Public School hall on Sunday 14 August 1983 with just 45 people. It is now Hillsong Church, which comprises four major worship centers (Baulkham Hills, Waterloo, Southwest and Brisbane) plus a citywide network of connect groups, extension services across the city, and growing congregations in London, Kiev, Cape Town, Paris, Stockholm and Moscow.
By Brian Houston
“Some leaders attract followers—others attract leaders.”
Some leaders attract followers—others attract leaders.
And still others have the uncanny ability to turn followers INTO leaders.
So, what kind of leader are you? Test yourself with this list of qualities that I consider to be signs that you are a ‘Leader of Leaders.’
#1 Leaders are INSPIRED by your LIFE.
If you are a leader of leaders, your apparent success may be inspiring; but even more inspiring is your life! Leaders are not only impressed by what you’ve built, but by your demeanor (your attitude, consistency and character) during the building. Your wisdom—when confronted with overwhelming and perplexing circumstances—along with your attitude toward others, your marriage and family, and the ongoing fruit of your life, will all challenge others that they too can live their lives well. You stretch and inspire other leaders through your big capacity. They believe that If you can absorb the pressure, stay healthy and continue to grow, so too can they.
#2 Leaders are STRENGTHENED by your CONSISTENCY.
If you are a leader of leaders, it means that you have kept turning up, and proven resilience against impossible odds. You have never allowed the difficulty, opposition or pain (of leadership) to poison your spirit. You’ve truly modeled longevity and just as the apostle Paul put it in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘having done all, you are still standing.’ You inspire others that they too can hold fast in the battle with an unquenchable spirit—a spirit that has weathered the storms, but remained un-weathered.
#3 Leaders are CURIOUS about the ‘secret’ to your SUCCESS.
A leader of leaders sparks curiosity and people want to know…how do you do it? What makes you tick? Why do you do it that way? People will travel from afar to come and see it for themselves, or to get one opportunity to quiz you over a coffee. There’s just something a little different about you. Of course, if nothing you do stands out from the rest, then you will never spark curiosity. But an innovative leader has ideas, peculiarities and methods that make others inquisitive. It is my observation that curious people attract curious people. As a kid, my siblings always called me “nosy” because I was always asking questions—I always wanted to know! That nosy-ness has helped frame the way I still live and lead today. My experience with other leaders is that a true leader of leaders will ask the most questions and are the most curious.
#4 Leaders are ENVIOUS of your ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Perhaps we all define success differently, but your accomplishments are not something to be ashamed of. Only insecure or mean-spirited people are critical of genuine God-breathed success. Not all envy is evil. In fact, the Amplified bible translates ‘blessed’ as ‘happy, fortunate and to be envied.’ This is not the type of envy or jealousy that eats people up on the inside; but a righteous envy that inspires others toward greater heights, and compels them to live their own lives of significance.
#5 Leaders are ASTOUNDED by your OPENNESS.
If you are a leader of leaders, then you are not ‘guarded’ but have a healthy mix of wisdom about when to speak and when to hold your peace. You avoid the gossip train and don’t try to prove your leadership by having to know everything about everyone. You have nothing to hide and your authenticity makes you easy to follow. You are a locked vault when it comes to confidentiality, but an open book when it comes to accountability and transparency. Other leaders can follow someone who is genuine, unguarded and at times can even laugh at themselves. Such leaders are not ‘precious’ and over sensitive. People do not have to tip toe around you, and you are more likely to put a room at ease than to stiffen everybody up. You often lead with your smile and are quick to show gratitude to those who serve.
#6 Leaders are WARMED by your HUMILITY.
As a leader of leaders you are not filled with your own importance and your feet are still firmly placed on the ground. You have a quiet confidence that emanates a well-rounded security; yet you are self-effacing and aware of your own humanity. You have time for people. And though you have clearly matured, are more seasoned and perhaps your time is now in higher demand—to those who have known you a long time you are still the person they always knew. When people meet you in a cafe or on the street, they are impressed with just how down-to-earth you are. You are consistently and quietly generous and polite to waiters, or those who serve you in the gas station and supermarket. Other leaders will follow ‘real-deal, genuinely humble leaders’ quicker than a know-it-all who is filled with their own importance. Prominent people need to be wise about security, but bodyguards or an entourage is never as impressive as a highly successful leader who simply carries theirself with genuine confidence, humility and authenticity.
#7 Leaders are SECURE about your MOTIVES.
It is appealing to others that your commitment to them goes beyond building your own world, and that you are genuinely committed to enhancing their world. You encourage others to dream big dreams, and your interest is clearly not for the sake of ‘building empires.’ While you may be fiercely committed to your own God-given vision, and clearly intentional in your own call, your commitment to other leaders is unselfish and unfettered by personal motive or agenda. Many may want to join your network, come under your umbrella or lean into your leadership and vision—but they can sense that your interest in them goes far beyond yourself.
#8 Leaders are COMMITTED to your PROTECTION.
If you are a leader of leaders, you will naturally attract loyalty. Though opposition may come, you will forever be surrounded by people who have got your back. However, not everyone is going to like you—just like not everyone liked Jesus. Religious people were in fact the most outspoken against the Savior. And while that still might be true for you and me, and even while the silence of some of your peers may roar loudly; there are plenty of leaders who will stand with you in the trenches, and protect your credibility and character. You never have to demand respect or honor, because you naturally attract it and you carry it with dignity and class. You also honor those above, beside and below you—always recognizing that honor is a two-way street. You attract loyalty because you’ve always lifted the ceilings for others and are quick to recommend and promote their cause, as well as your own.
#9 Leaders are BETTER because of your INFLUENCE.
Leaders of leaders leave an imprint on others and many will testify that they are better leaders simply because of you. Those who lean into you and your leadership have ‘caught’ your spirit and the fruit of that can be seen in and through their endeavours. The impact of your life on others has sparked health, momentum and growth; and while you don’t always need the credit, your imprint and influence is clear to see.
#10 Leaders are TESTIMONY to your LEGACY.
“Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom YOU shall make princes in all the earth.”
Psalms 45:16 (my emphasis).
Of course, a true leader of leaders does not only attract other leaders, but they have a long-proven track record of raising up even more leaders. They become a spiritual ‘mum’ or ‘dad’ to others who may even surpass them in stature and measure—and their ‘ceilings’ becomes another generation’s floor.
You see, the greatest testimony to a true LEADER OF LEADERS, is found in the honor of watching your leadership legacy lived out by the next generation of leaders of leaders.
Brian Houston
In 1983, Brian saw a need in Sydney's north-western suburbs for a contemporary, life-filled, Bible-based church, and started Hills Christian Life Centre in the Baulkham Hills Public School hall on Sunday 14 August 1983 with just 45 people. It is now Hillsong Church, which comprises four major worship centers (Baulkham Hills, Waterloo, Southwest and Brisbane) plus a citywide network of connect groups, extension services across the city, and growing congregations in London, Kiev, Cape Town, Paris, Stockholm and Moscow.
10 BEST PRACTICES OF SUPER HEALTHY LEADERS
By Carey Nieuwhof
What do you need to become a super healthy leader over the long haul?
Too many leaders get discouraged, drained and defeated over the long haul in leadership. None of them set out to end up that way, but without careful attention to important disciplines, it happens.
That question can seem difficult to answer until you realize that leaders who do well in the long run, all seem to adopt common habits and practices that help them thrive, not just survive, in leadership.
After two decades in church leadership (with a few more to come…I hope!), here are ten things that leaders who are thriving these days almost always have in common and almost always have in abundance.
And, conversely, leaders who are missing most of these generally don’t survive in our changing culture.
The good news is you can thrive—not just survive—in today’s church culture if you pursue the right things.
Here are ten best practices I see super healthy leaders embrace.
1. CULTIVATE A FEW GREAT FRIENDS WITH WHOM YOU CAN BE 100% HONEST
Ministry is hard. Isolation is harder.
When you’re transitioning a church (and these days, we’re ALL transitioning churches because change is so rapid), it’s important you have a trustworthy few with whom you can be 100% honest.
You can’t publicly or even privately complain about the situation you’re facing with the people you’re leading. It’s bad leadership.
You do need a few people who understand your situation and who can empathize, pray with you and correct you (you’re not always right and your attitude needs adjusting from time to time).
In this respect, I usually find I connect best with peers who hold a similar position and responsibility in another city. They get what I’m struggling with, and I can play the same role for them.
2. RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEADERS WHO ARE ONE OR TWO STEPS AHEAD
Having a few friends with whom you can be 100% honest is different than finding a few leaders who are one or two steps ahead of you.
The first group functions as friends and colleagues, the second as mentors.
You don’t have to piggy back your leadership on someone famous. Too many leaders hold out for that opportunity to be mentored by Andy Stanley or Perry Noble, and decide they can’t settle for anything less.
Guess what? That will probably never happen. (It was also one of the reasons I started my leadership podcast, so you could be mentored by leaders like Andy, Perry and Craig Groeschel, even virtually. Best of all, it’s free).
But nothing is stopping you from finding a pastor or church leader who is just one or two steps ahead of you. Maybe you’re trying to break the 200 attendance barrier and he’s got a church of 300. Ask to go for lunch and come with great questions and an open notebook.
Maybe you’re looking to handle more volunteers than you’ve ever handled? Find the ministry leader who’s handling twice the number you are and ask her for lunch. You’ll learn a ton.
Mentors are closer than you think and more accessible than you think.
3. SPEND MEANINGFUL TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO GIVE YOU ENERGY
This group isn’t necessarily people with whom you can be 100% honest. They’re not even mentors. It’s different.
This group is about people you personally find energizing.
I frequently ask ministry leaders, “When was the last time you went out for dinner with a couple who left you feeling completely energized and replenished?”
The blank looks and the looks of shock and disappointment on leaders’ faces tells the story.
We don’t do this nearly enough.
Ministry is giving. And because ministry is giving, it can be draining.
Your leadership is like a bank account. You can only give so much without becoming overdrawn. Be overdrawn long enough and you go bankrupt.
Go find some friends who energize you. Then, hang out!
Leadership is like a bank account. Be overdrawn long enough and you go bankrupt.
4. A BULLET-PROOF DEVOTIONAL ROUTINE
You got into ministry because you love Jesus. But far too many leaders fall out of love with Christ while in ministry.
Why is that?
Too often we let doing the work of Christ destroy the work of Christ within us.
The best way I know how to keep your passion for Christ fresh and alive is to develop a bullet-proof devotional routine.
By bullet-proof, I mean it needs to work at home and when you’re on the road, when you’re busy and when you’re on vacation, when you’re at your most stressed and when you’re at your most relaxed.
5. EXCEPTIONAL CLARITY AROUND HOW AND WHEN TO SAY NO
The enemy of great leadership is not lack of opportunity; it’s the overabundance of opportunity.
The more successful you become, the more opportunity you will have. At first, your temptation is to say yes to everything. After all, you’ve waited your whole life for a crack at some things.
But saying yes to something good means you’ve likely said no to something potentially great.
Doing a few things extremely well always trumps doing many things adequately.
If you’re struggling with how to say no (and most of us are),
But saying yes to something good means you’ve likely said no to something potentially great.
6. REGULARLY SCHEDULED WORK-ON-IT TIME
The problem with most of our jobs is that they are largely reactive unless you decide they won’t be.You can spend an entire day answering emails, responding to messages and attending meetings you didn’t call only to hit 6:00 p.m. and realize you didn’t move the mission forward one iota. Long terms, this will kill your ministry.
Realize that in a post-Christian culture, momentum doesn’t come naturally.
The most effective leaders always budget significant blocks of time to work on their ministry, not just in it.
The most effective leaders always budget significant blocks of time to work on their ministry, not just in it.
7. A DIVERSIFIED LEARNING MENU
The challenge for many of us in church leadership is that we listen to the same voices over and over again.
You become a fan of a certain preacher, a certain theologian and you read and listen to only them.
I find I often learn the most from people who are least like me.
Sometimes the answers to your problem lie outside your discipline, not within it.
Sometimes the answers to your problem lie outside your discipline, not within it.
8. A GREAT MARRIAGE OR HEALTHY PERSONAL LIFEI
t’s hard to lead well at work and at home. Usually one suffers at the expense of the other.
You either use your best energy at work and have none left for home.
Or you use all your energy on your personal life and have little left for work.
As a result, married leaders who excel at work often end up with a less than ideal family life, and single people who pour their heart into their ministry end up with a much reduced personal life.
Neither is a great scenario.
If you pour the level of intentionality into your life that you pour into your leadership, you will have a better life.
[tweet”If you pour the level of intentionality into your life that you pour into your leadership, you will have a better life.”]
9. A HOBBY THAT TAKES YOUR MIND OFF THINGS
One of the challenges of leadership in ministry is that it requires both your mind and your heart. And the great leaders always throw their heart and mind fully into it. Which means it can be hard to turn things off when it’s time to go home. I talk to too many leaders who just can’t seem to turn it off.
Which is why having a hobby or something else that takes your mind off of work is one of the best things you can do.
What works? Anything that will take your mind off of your day job. That can be cycling, cooking, woodworking, hiking, art, or watching a movie. Anything that gives your mind a break.
10. ENOUGH FINANCIAL MARGIN
If there’s one thing the future will require, it’s more sacrifice.
This seems a bit tough in an era in which many church staff are underpaid and many are bi-vocational.
But developing financial margin is critical. Having no margin severely limits how you can respond to the opportunities in front of you.
I think more of this margin will be required in the future than in the past as church budgets struggle and as governments inevitably take away tax savings from churches and church staff.
The bottom line is this: the more margin you have, the more opportunities you can seize.
The less margin you have (as a person or as a church), the more those opportunities will pass you by.
The more margin you have, the more opportunities you can seize.
By Carey Nieuwhof
What do you need to become a super healthy leader over the long haul?
Too many leaders get discouraged, drained and defeated over the long haul in leadership. None of them set out to end up that way, but without careful attention to important disciplines, it happens.
That question can seem difficult to answer until you realize that leaders who do well in the long run, all seem to adopt common habits and practices that help them thrive, not just survive, in leadership.
After two decades in church leadership (with a few more to come…I hope!), here are ten things that leaders who are thriving these days almost always have in common and almost always have in abundance.
And, conversely, leaders who are missing most of these generally don’t survive in our changing culture.
The good news is you can thrive—not just survive—in today’s church culture if you pursue the right things.
Here are ten best practices I see super healthy leaders embrace.
1. CULTIVATE A FEW GREAT FRIENDS WITH WHOM YOU CAN BE 100% HONEST
Ministry is hard. Isolation is harder.
When you’re transitioning a church (and these days, we’re ALL transitioning churches because change is so rapid), it’s important you have a trustworthy few with whom you can be 100% honest.
You can’t publicly or even privately complain about the situation you’re facing with the people you’re leading. It’s bad leadership.
You do need a few people who understand your situation and who can empathize, pray with you and correct you (you’re not always right and your attitude needs adjusting from time to time).
In this respect, I usually find I connect best with peers who hold a similar position and responsibility in another city. They get what I’m struggling with, and I can play the same role for them.
2. RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEADERS WHO ARE ONE OR TWO STEPS AHEAD
Having a few friends with whom you can be 100% honest is different than finding a few leaders who are one or two steps ahead of you.
The first group functions as friends and colleagues, the second as mentors.
You don’t have to piggy back your leadership on someone famous. Too many leaders hold out for that opportunity to be mentored by Andy Stanley or Perry Noble, and decide they can’t settle for anything less.
Guess what? That will probably never happen. (It was also one of the reasons I started my leadership podcast, so you could be mentored by leaders like Andy, Perry and Craig Groeschel, even virtually. Best of all, it’s free).
But nothing is stopping you from finding a pastor or church leader who is just one or two steps ahead of you. Maybe you’re trying to break the 200 attendance barrier and he’s got a church of 300. Ask to go for lunch and come with great questions and an open notebook.
Maybe you’re looking to handle more volunteers than you’ve ever handled? Find the ministry leader who’s handling twice the number you are and ask her for lunch. You’ll learn a ton.
Mentors are closer than you think and more accessible than you think.
3. SPEND MEANINGFUL TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO GIVE YOU ENERGY
This group isn’t necessarily people with whom you can be 100% honest. They’re not even mentors. It’s different.
This group is about people you personally find energizing.
I frequently ask ministry leaders, “When was the last time you went out for dinner with a couple who left you feeling completely energized and replenished?”
The blank looks and the looks of shock and disappointment on leaders’ faces tells the story.
We don’t do this nearly enough.
Ministry is giving. And because ministry is giving, it can be draining.
Your leadership is like a bank account. You can only give so much without becoming overdrawn. Be overdrawn long enough and you go bankrupt.
Go find some friends who energize you. Then, hang out!
Leadership is like a bank account. Be overdrawn long enough and you go bankrupt.
4. A BULLET-PROOF DEVOTIONAL ROUTINE
You got into ministry because you love Jesus. But far too many leaders fall out of love with Christ while in ministry.
Why is that?
Too often we let doing the work of Christ destroy the work of Christ within us.
The best way I know how to keep your passion for Christ fresh and alive is to develop a bullet-proof devotional routine.
By bullet-proof, I mean it needs to work at home and when you’re on the road, when you’re busy and when you’re on vacation, when you’re at your most stressed and when you’re at your most relaxed.
5. EXCEPTIONAL CLARITY AROUND HOW AND WHEN TO SAY NO
The enemy of great leadership is not lack of opportunity; it’s the overabundance of opportunity.
The more successful you become, the more opportunity you will have. At first, your temptation is to say yes to everything. After all, you’ve waited your whole life for a crack at some things.
But saying yes to something good means you’ve likely said no to something potentially great.
Doing a few things extremely well always trumps doing many things adequately.
If you’re struggling with how to say no (and most of us are),
But saying yes to something good means you’ve likely said no to something potentially great.
6. REGULARLY SCHEDULED WORK-ON-IT TIME
The problem with most of our jobs is that they are largely reactive unless you decide they won’t be.You can spend an entire day answering emails, responding to messages and attending meetings you didn’t call only to hit 6:00 p.m. and realize you didn’t move the mission forward one iota. Long terms, this will kill your ministry.
Realize that in a post-Christian culture, momentum doesn’t come naturally.
The most effective leaders always budget significant blocks of time to work on their ministry, not just in it.
The most effective leaders always budget significant blocks of time to work on their ministry, not just in it.
7. A DIVERSIFIED LEARNING MENU
The challenge for many of us in church leadership is that we listen to the same voices over and over again.
You become a fan of a certain preacher, a certain theologian and you read and listen to only them.
I find I often learn the most from people who are least like me.
Sometimes the answers to your problem lie outside your discipline, not within it.
Sometimes the answers to your problem lie outside your discipline, not within it.
8. A GREAT MARRIAGE OR HEALTHY PERSONAL LIFEI
t’s hard to lead well at work and at home. Usually one suffers at the expense of the other.
You either use your best energy at work and have none left for home.
Or you use all your energy on your personal life and have little left for work.
As a result, married leaders who excel at work often end up with a less than ideal family life, and single people who pour their heart into their ministry end up with a much reduced personal life.
Neither is a great scenario.
If you pour the level of intentionality into your life that you pour into your leadership, you will have a better life.
[tweet”If you pour the level of intentionality into your life that you pour into your leadership, you will have a better life.”]
9. A HOBBY THAT TAKES YOUR MIND OFF THINGS
One of the challenges of leadership in ministry is that it requires both your mind and your heart. And the great leaders always throw their heart and mind fully into it. Which means it can be hard to turn things off when it’s time to go home. I talk to too many leaders who just can’t seem to turn it off.
Which is why having a hobby or something else that takes your mind off of work is one of the best things you can do.
What works? Anything that will take your mind off of your day job. That can be cycling, cooking, woodworking, hiking, art, or watching a movie. Anything that gives your mind a break.
10. ENOUGH FINANCIAL MARGIN
If there’s one thing the future will require, it’s more sacrifice.
This seems a bit tough in an era in which many church staff are underpaid and many are bi-vocational.
But developing financial margin is critical. Having no margin severely limits how you can respond to the opportunities in front of you.
I think more of this margin will be required in the future than in the past as church budgets struggle and as governments inevitably take away tax savings from churches and church staff.
The bottom line is this: the more margin you have, the more opportunities you can seize.
The less margin you have (as a person or as a church), the more those opportunities will pass you by.
The more margin you have, the more opportunities you can seize.
HOW TO RAISE THE COLLABORATIVE IQ IN YOUR CITY READ TIME: 2 minutes
By: Reggie McNeal
Giving leadership to city movements requires collaborative intelligence. Unfortunately, most of us have not received collaboration training as part of our preparation for the leadership roles we hold.
Increasingly, however, our effectiveness in those roles is going to be tied to our competency in our capacity to practice collaborative leadership. This is especially the case in city-wide efforts that often involve players from multiple domains of society with diverse backgrounds, values, and agendas.
Here are some fundamental insights for developing and maintaining your collaborative intelligence.
Leadership is personal, not just positional:
In the collaborative world leaders have influence not just because of the title they carry or position they occupy. Their leadership relies on elements far more personal: personality, character, demeanor, likeability, relationship. Effective collaborative leaders nurture their personal connections.
Trust is the currency of collaborative teams:
Player’s credibility sets their line of credit with other members of the team. It takes awhile to make deposits into this account. It takes much less time to drain it. In fact, one move can bankrupt a leader’s trust level. If trust is violated, whether intentionally or unintentionally, leaders must move to address the breach immediately. Honesty, transparency, and responsible accountability must come into play.
Communication is the lifeblood of collaboration:
Collaborations are living things. They are born and nurtured to flourish, or they can be treated in ways that stunt their growth or even cause them to die. What brings life to every aspect of collaborative efforts is communication. Collaborative initiatives require information to survive and to thrive in carrying out their mission. The quality of this information, and the premium placed on developing and maintaining a culture of robust communication, determines the strength of the collaborative venture.
Mission is the key affinity for collaborative efforts:
What binds collaborative teams together is shared mission. This is the “why” of the enterprise. Effective collaborative leaders capitalize on this understanding to build the partnerships and to motivate various stakeholders for mission success. Leaders with high collaborative intelligence focus on the mission imperatives, not the “how to” of command and control approaches.
Accountability must be both championed and practiced:
This accountability must be mutual and equally embraced. In other words, leaders can’t expect others in the organization to adopt degrees of accountability that are not practiced by the leaders at the top of the organization. Collaborative cultures don’t adopt expectations and practices that accept varying levels of responsibility. Top leaders cannot hide behind their mistakes or pin responsibility for failure on others.
Expectations are clear and spelled out:
Effective leaders in an age of collaboration know the importance of developing and operating with clear expectations. These are not taken for granted but are spelled out so that mutual accountability can function properly. “This is what you can expect from me” and “here’s what I expect from you” are critical understandings in any collaborative effort that proves to be a significant community effort.
Roadblocks to collaboration must be called out and addressed:
The list of hindrances to successful collaboration include competing egos, the need of some parties to control the operation, a scarcity mentality that militates against shared success among multiple parties, just to get started. Values clashes, poor communication, breakdowns in execution also challenge the vitality and even sustainability of any collaborative initiative that targets significant societal change or addresses any major community issue. These must be called out by the leadership and addressed, not just for the sake of operational viability, but also to maintain motivational commitment to the cause.
Remember the 3 P’s of collaboration: patience, persistence, and perseverance:
Collaborative efforts typically take longer than expected, encounter more problems than anticipated, and require greater expense of energy and resources than imagined. But leaders of successful city-wide efforts would uniformly agree that the rewards make it worth the commitment.
This article is excerpted from Reggie’s most recent book, Kingdom Collaborators (2018).
By: Reggie McNeal
Giving leadership to city movements requires collaborative intelligence. Unfortunately, most of us have not received collaboration training as part of our preparation for the leadership roles we hold.
Increasingly, however, our effectiveness in those roles is going to be tied to our competency in our capacity to practice collaborative leadership. This is especially the case in city-wide efforts that often involve players from multiple domains of society with diverse backgrounds, values, and agendas.
Here are some fundamental insights for developing and maintaining your collaborative intelligence.
Leadership is personal, not just positional:
In the collaborative world leaders have influence not just because of the title they carry or position they occupy. Their leadership relies on elements far more personal: personality, character, demeanor, likeability, relationship. Effective collaborative leaders nurture their personal connections.
Trust is the currency of collaborative teams:
Player’s credibility sets their line of credit with other members of the team. It takes awhile to make deposits into this account. It takes much less time to drain it. In fact, one move can bankrupt a leader’s trust level. If trust is violated, whether intentionally or unintentionally, leaders must move to address the breach immediately. Honesty, transparency, and responsible accountability must come into play.
Communication is the lifeblood of collaboration:
Collaborations are living things. They are born and nurtured to flourish, or they can be treated in ways that stunt their growth or even cause them to die. What brings life to every aspect of collaborative efforts is communication. Collaborative initiatives require information to survive and to thrive in carrying out their mission. The quality of this information, and the premium placed on developing and maintaining a culture of robust communication, determines the strength of the collaborative venture.
Mission is the key affinity for collaborative efforts:
What binds collaborative teams together is shared mission. This is the “why” of the enterprise. Effective collaborative leaders capitalize on this understanding to build the partnerships and to motivate various stakeholders for mission success. Leaders with high collaborative intelligence focus on the mission imperatives, not the “how to” of command and control approaches.
Accountability must be both championed and practiced:
This accountability must be mutual and equally embraced. In other words, leaders can’t expect others in the organization to adopt degrees of accountability that are not practiced by the leaders at the top of the organization. Collaborative cultures don’t adopt expectations and practices that accept varying levels of responsibility. Top leaders cannot hide behind their mistakes or pin responsibility for failure on others.
Expectations are clear and spelled out:
Effective leaders in an age of collaboration know the importance of developing and operating with clear expectations. These are not taken for granted but are spelled out so that mutual accountability can function properly. “This is what you can expect from me” and “here’s what I expect from you” are critical understandings in any collaborative effort that proves to be a significant community effort.
Roadblocks to collaboration must be called out and addressed:
The list of hindrances to successful collaboration include competing egos, the need of some parties to control the operation, a scarcity mentality that militates against shared success among multiple parties, just to get started. Values clashes, poor communication, breakdowns in execution also challenge the vitality and even sustainability of any collaborative initiative that targets significant societal change or addresses any major community issue. These must be called out by the leadership and addressed, not just for the sake of operational viability, but also to maintain motivational commitment to the cause.
Remember the 3 P’s of collaboration: patience, persistence, and perseverance:
Collaborative efforts typically take longer than expected, encounter more problems than anticipated, and require greater expense of energy and resources than imagined. But leaders of successful city-wide efforts would uniformly agree that the rewards make it worth the commitment.
This article is excerpted from Reggie’s most recent book, Kingdom Collaborators (2018).
Jamie Winship's Amazing Stories
