How’s your vision?
Confession time. I’m not really big on organizational vision statements. So many I have read seem somewhat clinical. “We exist to...” fill in the blank. I’m not saying they are unimportant. But sitting in a room for half a day and coming up with a vision statement isn’t the solution to an organization's focus needs. It is part of the process, for sure.
What is a vision statement? I gleaned a bit from some church and ministry leaders. Ken Shaffer says it is “a one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term desired change, resulting from an organization or program’s work.” Evan Doyle adds “every church and religious organization needs to communicate what it stands for and where it sees itself in the future.”
So, how do you get to that one-sentence statement that accurately tells others what you, as the leader, see in the future? Our friend and leadership expert Steve Gutzler has some suggestions to get you started. He says leaders can ask these questions of themselves:
- How would I like to change the world?
- What is my dream about this work, this ministry?
- What is my burning passion?
- What drives you to do your very best?
That might bring you to a short vision statement, like one church I know:
Reach people, build lives.
Or it might be a bit longer, like that of Southwest Airlines:
To be the world's most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.
One company that helps folks craft their vision statement gives these steps.
- They should be short – a maximum of two sentences.
- They need to be specific to your organization or ministry and should describe a unique outcome that only you can provide.
- Use present tense.
- Keep it simple enough for people both inside and outside your organization to understand.
- It should be ambitious enough to be exciting but not too ambitious that it seems unachievable.
- Vision needs to align with the organization’s core values you want your people to exhibit as they perform their work.
So... here’s my caution. Leaders are clever, creative creatures. And most feel the pressure to “cast a vision” for the ministry or organization. But how do we get to that vision?
Dr. Henry Blackaby says it MUST come from God, not just thought up by the leader and staff in a conference room. He says what is needed is revelation. Blackaby says:
There is a significant difference between revelation and vision. Vision is something people produce; revelation is something people receive. Leaders can dream up a vision, but they cannot discover God’s will. God must reveal it. The visions that drive spiritual leaders must be derived from God.
If we want to pattern our lives and leadership after Jesus, we must follow His example. Jesus looked to His Father for direction for his earthly activity. He told His disciples:
... I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
So... How’s your vision? Seek the Lord’s direction for your ministry and let that be the driving force behind your ministry and your mission.
God’s best,
Right questions...amazing answers
How are your interviewing skills? Those of us in media often find ourselves asking questions, either for an on-air program or for a prospective team member for our organization. Most of us have discovered there is an art to the process and a skill that can be learned.
Someone asked me how many interviews I have done in my media career which spans over fifty-five years. I haven’t kept count. But I did estimate it one time. I have done over twenty thousand interviews for radio and television. Some were brief 5-minute ones. Some were an hour or more. Most were live on the air, and others were recorded for editing. While that does make me experienced, it doesn’t necessarily make me an expert. But I have learned some things I can pass on. Here are a few tips for broadcast or podcast interviews:
- Know your subject, both the topic to be discussed and the person you are interviewing.
- Have a specific angle you want to pursue.
- Don’t offer the questions ahead of time. You want the interview to be spontaneous.
- If there are some sensitive areas, you can alert the interviewee about the topic and area of discussion.
- Put your interviewee at ease. Visit casually prior to the interview.
- Be kind. Ambush interview questions rarely get good answers. And you stand a chance of the interview being tense and not productive.
- Don’t answer the question as you ask it. “Isn’t it true your organization went bankrupt last year?” The answer you will get is probably “Yes.”
- Listen to the answer from your guest. It may lead to a better question than you had planned.
- Stay in control of the interview. Don’t let the interviewee hijack the time. It is your job to steer them back on the topic and to keep them on track.
- Have a good closing question.
- Smile. It actually helps the interviewee feel more comfortable.
Asking questions in job interviews and general conversation is also an art form. Yet we can learn a lot from those who use this technique often. My friend Bob Tiede has built a ministry around asking questions (Leading with Questions). Bob says anyone can learn to lead with questions in about 30 seconds. He has four questions a person can ask staff or friends to get started. You can memorize these easily.
- What do you think?
- What else?
- What else?
- What else?
The idea, of course, is to get the other person talking, hear their views, and probe deeper into what they think and why.
I recall the questions Jesus posed during his ministry. To His disciples, Jesus asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” After their responses, the Lord asked, “But who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:13,15 NLT) Questions. Did Jesus not know? Of course, the omniscient God knew. But it started His disciples thinking, and allowed Simon Peter to make that amazing confession, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 NLT)
The art of asking questions can be an amazing process and can yield amazing responses when used properly.
So, what do you think about that?
God’s best,
After a high moment...
If you are like me, you have probably experienced it. God blesses you with a victory, a great ministry experience, or a special time of experiencing the Lord’s favor. Then...the crash. It is hard to believe you can go from such a high, spiritual moment to some sort of pit of despair. But it happens. Have you been there?
Well, you are in good company. Great people of the Bible dealt with such things, too. David, and Elijah, just to name two prominent ones.
Sometimes the despair is self-inflicted, like with David. Psalm 40 is David’s account of what he experienced, probably after his affair with Bathsheba, and the subsequent orchestrated death of her husband Uriah.
I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
Psalm 40:1-2 NLT
Elijah the prophet experienced a crash after his amazing experience on Mount Carmel, humiliating the four hundred priests of Baal and seeing God rain down fire from heaven. Elijah probably felt that was the pinnacle of his ministry. How do you follow that? That kind of thinking can lead to despair and discouragement.
My friend Richard Blackaby writes about this and relates it to the life of Elijah in his book Living Out of the Overflow.
“People need to believe their life has a purpose. When we are young, our youthful vigor and imagination foster eager anticipation. As time passes, our failures humble us. Enemies’ attacks wound us. Disappointment by friends hardens us. It dawns on us that there are more years behind us than ahead of us.... Awakening each morning with nothing to inspire us is demoralizing.”
In Elijah’s case, he dismissed his servants, thinking his ministry days were over. He took himself off the field of service to the Lord. But God wasn’t through with him yet.
Blackaby notes that in reading the story in 1 Kings 19, God didn’t chastise Elijah. He knew his servant’s heart. And second, the Lord didn’t let Elijah wallow in self-pity. God told His prophet to get up and go. The Lord had another assignment for His servant.
There are some good lessons to draw from this small segment of Elijah’s life and from King David. If, after a spiritual victory, you find yourself down in spirit and in the pit of depression, don’t just sit there and do nothing. David cried out to the Lord. Those verses we shared a moment ago tell how God responded to David’s cry. And verse three explains the result:
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3 NLT
Our despair can be turned into the Lord’s victory in the life of others.
In the case of Elijah, God’s new responsibilities included naming Elisha as his successor. This important assignment allowed Elijah, in Richard Blackaby’s words, “...to touch the future.”
Isn't that just like our Lord? He can take our moments of depression and despair and turn them into life-changing moments if we will listen to His voice and follow through with His assignment.
No... God isn’t through with you yet!
God’s best,
I Quit!
Sorry to startle you. Those two words...I quit...are rarely good for a manager or leader to hear. It often sends a business or ministry into a tailspin until another person can be found, trained, and brought up to a level of proficiency for the job at hand.
Our friend Steve Gutzler recently revealed that about 65 percent of the people who quit their jobs do so because of their leader or manager. Ouch. That should give us the desire to look at ourselves and how we are leading others.
Gutzler, who is a leadership expert and mentor, mentions five kinds of leaders whom people have a tendency to quit.
- Leaders who act superior
- Leaders who are inconsistent
- Leaders who lack vision
- Leaders who lack energy
- Leaders who are insecure
If we are honest, we may identify with one or two of these traits at some time in our leadership role. Certainly, acknowledging weaknesses in our leadership is a good first step, but we need to be proactive and do something about these shortcomings if we want to retain the people God has sent to our ministries. Gutzler has some suggestions there, too. Here are a few:
- Level up your leadership. Commit to personal growth.
- Value people. Put a high value on those who will work WITH you...not FOR you.
- Be open for growth. Have a teachable spirit and listen to the input of your team.
- Lead by example. Communicate your culture through your own behavior and actions.
- Create a culture of appreciation. Look for people’s values and express appreciation for them.
That last point is critical. Dr. Gary Chapman, who has been with our MEDIAlliance leaders on several occasions, has written a book on showing appreciation in the workplace. He and his co-author, Dr. Paul White, point out that about 60 percent of the workers in the workplace don’t feel appreciated. That seems to correlate with the 65 percent that quit their jobs because of their boss or manager. Showing appreciation is a critical component of how a worker values their time on the job and their desire to help the organization achieve its goals.
One expert said about this important leadership element, “Appreciation is most impactful when communicated regularly, delivered personally, and perceived as authentic.”
The apostle Paul was good about sharing praise for his fellow workers in God’s vineyard. And he communicated that to others.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 NLT
Then Paul followed through by giving thanks and praise to others. A good pattern for us.
The Lord has placed valuable people on your team. Do all you can to lead and encourage them in a way that both pleases the Lord and keeps those valuable people excited to be serving alongside a great leader.
God’s best,
Is money a blessing?
I had to think deeply about what I was reading from the late business leader and spiritual mentor Fred Smith. Not only for me personally but for our ministry work. Let me explain.
In a recent blog of some of Fred Smith’s writing published by his daughter Brenda, Fred talked about money, and some of the misconceptions people have about it. He often taught his children that “Money is option. With it, you have a multitude of choices. Without it you are limited.” Smith went on to say, “...money does not bring with it the sense of responsibility needed to choose the right options. When we get into trouble, it isn’t money that is the cause, but irresponsibility and poor decisions. The best use of money requires character.”
OK, so far, I am with Fred Smith. But here is where I had to give some deeper thought. Smith says that money is not a blessing. In fact, he goes on to say he is suspicious of those who say they are “blessed” with money. He believes those people think they are at least partially responsible for that blessing, and that they “congratulate” God on His choice of someone to receive His blessing. I know I have often referred to financial blessings both personally and for the ministry.
So how should we think about the financial resources God places in our hands? Yes, we are blessed when someone gives to our ministry, but Fred Smith says there is a better way to think about these resources. “The person who refers to money as a stewardship with which they are entrusted is more likely to use it more wisely and unselfishly.”
I like that. Jesus had parables about those who are stewards of funds. He greatly commended and rewarded those who were good stewards. Jay Link at Taylor University writes, “When you are a faithful steward of someone else’s resources, there is nothing more appropriate for you to do than to routinely examine how effectively you are carrying out His responsibilities.”
Being a steward is a recognition that all our resources belong to God. If He chooses to leave some of them in our hands, we need to have the mind of a good and faithful steward of those resources. In one of those parables of Jesus, the Lord spelled out what would happen when a good steward did his job with others in mind.
A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
Luke 12:42-43 NLT
As I think about the financial resources we are entrusted with, we can acknowledge that we have received a blessing. But we should quickly move on to our responsibilities as good stewards of those resources. Shift our focus. God will reward it. And He reminds us there are responsibilities that go with the blessing. Jesus concluded His parable with these words:
When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
Luke 12:48b NLT
Let’s work at being responsible stewards. Believe me, the Lord will notice.
God’s best,
Say YES to NO!
I remember those years. Good things were happening in ministry. Others were excited about what they saw. And requests would come in to do this, speak there, meet with these folks, lead this workshop, serve on this committee...and on and on. Most of the time...I said YES. It was as if the word “no” wasn’t in my vocabulary.
To be honest, I haven’t progressed too far down the road, but I have learned there is nothing wrong with saying no to something that is not a priority. It isn’t easy. And it is even harder to do without guilt when it is a good friend or colleague who is asking.
It’s a good thing for us to talk about at the start of this new year.
A while back, my friend Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth helped me better understand the whole concept of saying no in a devotional from her book, The Quiet Place. Your own to-do list is usually augmented by the to-do list others have for you...especially if you are in leadership.
“There will seldom be enough time in a twenty-four-hour day for you to do everything that is on your to-do list. For sure, there will never be enough time for everything that is on everyone else’s list for your life! You can’t spend time with every person who wants to talk, read all the books you’d like, and tackle every project you’re interested in....”
So, what is the secret? How do you prioritize things that all seem like a priority? The answer is in the life of Jesus. He didn’t do everything others wanted Him to do. He didn’t heal everyone, feed everyone, calm every storm, or raise every dead person to life. So... what was His guiding principle? Jesus did what His Father had for Him to do. He had God’s to-do list...His priority. In Jesus’ priestly prayer to His Heavenly Father found in John 17, the Lord said:
I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
John 17:4 NLT
Did you see that? Jesus said He did what His Father gave Him to do. Great insight for us today.
There will be many demands on you, your time, your talent, your knowledge, and your energy. Which among them is God’s will for you? Which ones are obviously part of the Lord’s plan for you? More importantly, which ones...though good things to do...are NOT in His will for you? Setting the parameters and priorities according to the Lord’s plan will make saying “no” a bit easier. As Nancy Wolgemuth says, “All you have to do is the work God assigns to you. And believe it or not, there is always time (and grace) to do everything that is on His to-do list for you.”
Hmmm...I think I need to work on that in my own life these days. How about you?
God’s best...and have a happy and meaningful New Year!
Do our words matter?
I like oxymorons. You know, those words that by themselves mean something opposite, but when put together seem to take on new meaning. I know some of these may only work in English, but have you ever ordered “jumbo shrimp?” The word shrimp usually indicates something tiny. So, can you really have jumbo shrimp?
Here are some others you may want to think about. They have become so common in our daily speech that we don’t think of how incongruous they are.
- Awfully good.
- Bittersweet.
- Civil war.
- Definite possibility.
- Exact estimate.
Here are a few more:
- Old news
- Original copy
- Plastic silverware
- Virtual reality
- Working vacation
Those are fun to think about. But here is an oxymoron you probably don’t hear.
Easy sacrifice
The Apostle Paul urged his brothers and sisters in Christ, “...to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1 NASB)
Paul certainly knew what sacrifice was all about. He had been through much in his Christian life. Beatings. Imprisonment. Shipwrecked. Hauled before courts and magistrates because of his faith. Paul would have never put “easy” and “sacrifice” together.
The Lead Like Jesus online devotional recently spoke of sacrifice.
Sacrifice involves doing what is right and best, what honors God, regardless of the cost. Sacrifice says that God and others are more important than me. Sacrifice has a cost, but the goal and benefits are worth it. Jesus sacrificed Himself for the whole world.
I know, it’s not too much fun to think of the kind of sacrifice Paul wrote about. Many Christians today are dealing with sacrifice. In countries like Iran, a high price is often paid for following Jesus. It is getting increasingly difficult in many places in our world for those who are dedicated believers. A few in the United States have had to make great sacrifices to hold to their biblical beliefs.
For most of us, sacrifice for our faith simply means being a bit uncomfortable. It may be an irritation or an inconvenience. That may change.
The devotional I read ended with two probing questions:
- Who is He calling you to sacrifice yourself for?
- What sacrifice is He calling you to make?
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice...His death on the cross...that we might have hope for eternity with God. Jesus’ sacrifice bridged the gap between us sinful beings and a Holy God. And Jesus did it willingly.
Easy sacrifice? Never. Essential for our faith? A resounding “YES.”
God’s best...
What are you willing to do?
You serve the Lord faithfully. You have a measure of success. Yet there is pressure and pushback...and you don’t know what to do. As one of God’s leaders, you may have felt all this and more. You may even begin to question God. After all, you are doing His will. Shouldn’t the Lord watch out for His own, especially His faithful servants?
You are in good company. Elijah went through these feelings and sought answers from the Lord. In his book, Living Out of the Overflow, Dr. Richard Blackaby details what happened to Elijah after his victorious encounter on Mount Carmel when he stood up to the hundreds of prophets of Baal. After learning that Jezebel was out to kill him, he hid for a while. Then he took off to Mount Horeb to seek answers from God. He was feeling all alone.
Though we don’t know for sure, Elijah may have gone to the very cave where Moses had asked to see God in all his glory. Elijah needed to be reassured. He wanted a fresh encounter with God. But he also wanted to complain about his situation. Remember? He may have wondered why no one stood with him. Or why God didn’t take care of evil Queen Jezebel. Or why Elijah’s life was so difficult even after his many years of faithful service.
God asked him one probing question. “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9 NLT) I think God was saying, “Why are you on this mountain and hiding in a cave? Why aren’t you out serving Me? Why are you complaining? Have you lost your perspective on My call on your life? Have you lost your perspective about your God?”
Indeed, Elijah was looking at his circumstances and the reactions of others rather than seeing God’s continued presence and provision.
Can I make a few applications for us as we serve the Lord?
- Don’t let the struggles you may face in ministry or in life get you off track from God’s call to service.
- Don’t isolate yourself when struggles come. Elijah traveled some 200 miles away from where God had him serving. That is probably why God asked him, “What are you doing here?”
- Don’t let other people’s opinions move you from God’s assignment and His vision for you.
- Don’t let your struggles blind you to the many who are faithfully serving the Lord. Elijah thought he was the only prophet left. God had 150 other faithful prophets.
If you found yourself in Elijah’s sandals and God were to ask you, “Why are you here?”, what would you say? Some might say, “I’m bitter. I’m being persecuted. A lot of important people don’t like what I am doing. And I feel that You, God, have abandoned me.”
Don’t let circumstances cause you to become disoriented to God and His call on you and your ministry. God is still God. He is still all-powerful. He still has that important assignment for you. And He is with you...right now. Are you willing to do what it takes to be the Lord’s faithful servant despite the circumstances?
God’s best...
I have a question...
My friend Bob Tiede loves questions. He’s built a whole leadership ministry around questions. And he actively looks for others who put questions to good use. I’m still trying to learn from Bob and others how to effectively use questions in leadership. I’m more prone to tell others what to do than lead them by asking them key questions.
Recently Bob highlighted questions by Courtney Sargent, a graphics and web designer and successful entrepreneur. He recently put out a whole list of questions that can change your leadership, your ministry, and your life. Here are a few to consider and ponder:
- What is it that is keeping you from being great?
- What is your purpose and are you fulfilling it?
- What are your values?
- If you knew you would be successful, what would you do?
- What is your “why?”
- Who did you make better today?
- What would you want people to remember about you?
Those are great questions to spend time with, maybe even write out answers for. And not short essay answers, but long paragraphs, maybe pages. And they are great questions to ask some of the key people on your staff. You may be amazed at the answers, and you may learn things about your team that you did not understand before.
One set of Courtney’s questions caught my special attention:
- What did I learn today?
- Who did I help?
- What made me laugh?
Asked at the end of a day, those questions can help us summarize our day. We all should be learning, leading, and laughing. God reminds us in His Word that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” And Paul instructed us to “rejoice in the Lord always....” Jesus often used phrases and told parables that should bring a smile to our face, if not outright laughter. The Lord used zingers about people who strain out gnats and swallow camels. He said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Imagine those scenes and try not to smile.
Maybe another question might be, “Who did you make laugh today?”
God’s best...
Funny sayings...eternal truth
Funny sayings are, well, funny. In college my roommate put the following on our dorm door:
Be sincere, whether you mean it or not.
Someone once moaned, “Life is a bowl of soup...and I’m a fork.”
Maybe you’ve heard a person say, “I’m very humble...and proud of it!” Along those lines, I know a church media team that was passing out awards at an annual dinner. They called up one person and presented them with a pin for humility. I asked them, “Do you actually wear the pin? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the award?”
All kidding aside, humility is a key trait for a Christian and for an effective leader. Paul’s letter to the Philippians gave strong instructions outlining what was expected of them as Christ followers:
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3 NLT
An article from the Baptist Mission Association focused on humility as a key component of any effective leader. Here are some of their points:
- A humble leader is focused on God - A humble leader remains close to the Lord in order to have a clearer perspective of who God is and who you are not.
- A humble leader is teachable and ready to be molded by God - You are the clay in the potter’s hands and that means you are moldable, pliable, and totally surrendered to His will and His ways. You are not irreplaceable because none of us are.
- A humble leader is friendly - You focus on serving others and you always desire to make their day better with a smile and being more concerned about their well-being than you are your own.
- A humble leader is appreciative - You know that you could never make it alone and it is your practice to say “thank you” often and to many.
- A humble leader is empowering - Humility means that we do not have to be in control and every idea does not have to be ours.
- A humble leader is realistic - Humility causes you to realize how much you desperately need the Lord and how you also desperately need others to make this faith journey with you.
- A humble leader is forgiving - You realize that everyone makes mistakes, including you, and grace is practiced daily.
Pride is one of the most insidious sins that Satan uses against Christians. It sneaks into our minds easily and must be combatted with true humility. Solomon understood this. That’s why he spelled out what happens to the person who is filled with pride versus the one who is humble before the Lord:
Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2 NLT
Again, James speaks about humility and what it shows others:
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:13 NLT
Jesus said it best as he taught His disciples:
“Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
Mark 9:35 NLT
What can you do today to show the true humility that the Lord is seeking in His servant-leaders?
God’s best...