On Leading Well

Author: Ken

  • Need Clarity?

    How clear is your team on its purpose? Can everyone clearly name the audience(s) you seek to serve? What are the most important results that you must deliver? How clear are you, as a team?

    You might be surprised.

    It’s one thing to have everyone repeat a vision statement. It’s another when an outsider drops in and asks some clarity questions: What exactly is your team trying to accomplish? For whom? How will you know if you’re successful?

    This week the digital strategies team I lead had two different experts drop in for one-hour chat sessions; Mike on Tuesday, Steve on Wednesday. Both are friends of the ministry and leaders of their own companies. Without prompting from me, both of them asked the clarity questions. Both days generated some great discussion. Our team is less than a year old. We do have two primary audiences that we seek to serve, which creates some tension and confusion when allocating scarce time and resources. We’re also in startup phase in the digital environment, so our work involves many new projects, rapid failure/learning cycles, and a lot of iteration. Our larger organization is over 60 years old, continues to maintain a lot of aging initiatives and projects, and has a much longer iteration/change cycle. So, as Steve put it, we’re like a startup company with a tiny office on one deck of the Queen Elizabeth II.

    As team leader, I felt tempted to brush off Mike’s and Steve’s penetrating questions with some trite, canned responses. But that wouldn’t help us fulfill our purpose. I needed to share leadership for the session with outsiders and allow them to exert influence (= leadership) on us. Lesson for me: Don’t fear being humbled and helped by friends who come with fresh perspective on our team processes and products. More clarity helps everyone be more fruitful.

    How clear is your team on its purpose, audience(s) and outcomes? Are you sure about that?

  • Don’t Look Back

    Good leaders learn from the past. They don’t yearn for it.

    Have you ever winced as you’ve listened to respected and successful leaders reminisce about past events … over and over again? There’s nothing wrong with the stories; context guides us. It’s probably more about the proportion of recalling the past compared to living in the present and leaning into the future.

    Two recent experiences have prompted me to reflect on why I shouldn’t long for the past. First, Ann and I are reading through the Bible this year. God gives several negative examples of people who longed for what used to be. The primary example was the nation of Israel, whom God had freed from slavery under harsh Egyptian rule. Even though God miraculously guided them and provided for them, some leaders continually longed for the certainty of Egypt rather than the promising – but uncertain – future God had freed them to seize. The desire to choose slavery over freedom seems ridiculous, which is precisely the Biblical author’s intent.

    Second, our organization shifted email systems from Exchange to Google Apps two weeks ago. Like you, I’m constantly under the email pile and had developed my own systems and shortcuts to speed up my daily workflow. Google’s approach to labeling and archiving email is very different than Outlook’s. I’ve been frustrated as I’ve attempted to use my decade-old habits to process email quickly. I’ve gotten lost in the new menus. My fingers don’t naturally land on the correct keys for shortcuts.  I’ve accidentally deleted a few messages I meant to archive. It’s taking much more effort on the front end to learn the new system.

    To get around this awkwardness, I kept my old Outlook client open for a few days. Even though it felt more comfortable, in the end it just doubled my time and tempted me to yearn for an inferior system. Yesterday I decided to “burn the ships.” I disconnected all old pathways to email, calendar and contacts. I’m all in now. Still learning, all in, and not looking back.

    Where do you find your heart longing to return to the false safety of the past?

     

  • Act!

    If you’re a leader, we need you to act.

    Of course, action can assume many forms. But consistent inaction from you ultimately leads us to wonder if you’re really there; if you really care. Inaction breeds distrust. Action requires faith and builds trust. If you’re stuck, if you’re deciding, if you’re overwhelmed, just let us know. We may feel the same way. Invite us into the chaos and share the leadership load.  That’s why we’re here. Prolonged inaction kills morale, squanders resources, and places our mission at risk.

    Help us see what you see. Maybe there are some really good reasons you’re choosing to wait. Waiting doesn’t necessarily equal inaction. Your choice to wait could be flowing from reflection or a nudge from the Spirit of God.  We need you to think and we need you to pray. Just let us know what’s going on inside your head and your heart.

    Action can include more research, another phone call, some robust team interaction, intentional neglect or a call to fast and pray. We’ll support you. Or maybe we’ll challenge your position with the intent of getting to the best course of action. But whatever you do, please, don’t leave us hanging.

    You’re a leader and we need you to act.

    What regularly causes you to avoid taking action?