On Leading Well

Year: 2007

  • Power Under Control

    Today Ann and I have been dealing with international shipping companies, talking to export car brokers to deregister our Kia (for cash back from the Singapore government), and trying to figure out how to transport a different used car we bought via auction from Dallas to Houston, Texas. All in a day’s work for a family in transition. Of course there’s no closure in any of this, which is why God gave us electric guitars.

    That’s me and buddy John Burke jamming. Years ago we were in a rock band – MYST – in high school. John played drums, I played keyboards. Neither of us played guitar.

    Now we’re both involved pretty heavily with people everyday. And we both have Fender Stratocasters. A Strat is a piece of artwork you can wield. Its design remains fundamentally unchanged since its birth 50 years ago. Plug it in and you might hear anything from mellow jazz to overdriven blues to pop rock to scorching, juicy distortion.

    I’ve played guitar for over 25 years now. But I just began learning electric guitar a few years ago. There’s one key difference between playing an acoustic guitar and strumming a Strat. That difference is POWER. Like most new electric players, in the beginning I used way too much power. Distortion sounds cool and appears to cover bad technique, at least for awhile. Too much power grates on people’s ears, though. Mature artists use far less distortion and power, and when it is used, it’s used well – for support, for accent, to build a crescendo, or to punctuate with a solo line.

    The same seems to be true of leadership. Many young leaders try to use too much power – to drive the sheep, to solve problems, to get people in line, to make things happen. But too much power grates on people. Seasoned leaders seem to have a knack at playing in tune, on time, and using the right amount of power the situation demands in order to support, accent, build or punctuate.

    Lesson for us: Just like playing a fine instrument, the art of leadership requires intentional practice and mastering the fundamentals of bringing power under control.

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  • Wu Ping’s Amazing Nail House

    Every nation has a handful of underdog heroes. Israel had David. The British (and 21st century American evangelicals) claim William Wilberforce. The Scots had William Wallace. Texans had Travis at the Alamo. The Chinese now have Wu Ping. Her home (in the center of the picture) stands as a monument amid rapid urban redevelopment in Chongqing.

    Chinese bloggers have elevated Ms. Wu Ping to virtual national hero status in her fight for personal property rights — rights which were recently passed as law by the Chinese government. The NY Times article says that her “nail house,” as many here have called it because of her tenacity, is like a nail that cannot be pulled out. She remains the most popular current topic among bloggers in China.

    Something in our hearts resonates when people stand up for what is right, even in a losing cause. Col. William B. Travis gave his life defending the Alamo and people’s right to be treated fairly by their governing leaders, but his courageous legacy also gave my son his name.

    I confess my money’s ultimately on the Chinese bureaucracy in this battle for real estate. Wu Ping will most certainly lose her home, but she will have gained something far more valuable in the process. Her conviction and tenacity have given thousands of other underdogs hope to persevere.

    Lesson for us ordinary mortals: There may come a time when we must lose what seems most valuable in order to gain what is most truly valuable.

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  • Leading Through Transition

    Leadership transitions can be fast, slow, smooth or brutal. All of them bring about change. And change always makes the people affected by the change a little bit scared about the future.

    I’m currently immersed in two leadership transitions. One involves helping my successor begin well with his new team. We’ve done this, in part, through a five-day “New National Team School” that wrapped up today. The other involves me trying to lead a team 10,000 miles away through a change process. Yea, it’s been hard but good for the heart.

    My good friend Kok Hiang is about 9 months into a leadership transition for the Singapore ministry. He’s hit a few bumps and grown a larger heart for God and people through the process. So, it seemed like a good idea to take the new team I’ve been coaching this week down to have a little team-to-team field trip. KH oozed with wisdom as our team asked questions and took notes (see pic) on some of his nuggets. The short version:

    “Two keys to leading well through transition are 1) Timely communication with all the key stakeholders in the vision, and 2) To keep asking “What is God doing in my heart in the midst of the changes?

    “Well-led change involves five Re’s:

    1. Re-kindling. Our hearts must grow with the vision.
    2. Re-prioritizing. Realignment, refocusing, and reclarification of our direction.
    3. Re-newal of leadership. Injection of new blood (hopefully not a complete transfusion).
    4. Re-structuring. Leveraging our critical resources in light of strategic moves forward.
    5. Re-source generation. Tapping new sources of innovation, tools, people and money.”

    Thanks, KH, for the wise counsel.
    Lesson for anyone in the change process: Consider KH’s advice.

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