On Leading Well

Category: Leadership

  • Refocus for Fresh Impact

    OK, take a deep breath. Pause. Evaluate. Focus. Then let it fly.

    That’s leadership in action.

    This summer my schedule allowed me to engage in activities which differed from the usual work fare. I taught a Spiritual Leadership class for a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, stayed home for a month straight, attended the excellent Leadership Summit with a few team members, spent a lazy day on the beach with Ann, prayed daily for my daughter’s 5-week mission to Mexico City, and launched my son into his freshman year at the University of Florida.

    Now it’s time to refocus.

    The laws of physics teach us that impact is a product of mass moving in a specific direction. The same is true in each area of our lives. Whether our challenge is changing stubborn habits or motivating people to accomplish a seemingly impossible goal, focused mass moving in one direction results in impact.

    As I sit down to sift through the stuff of life this weekend, here are some questions I’ll be asking myself:

    Focus. Clear the desk. Shut the door. In light of my calling, gifts and strengths, what few areas demand my focused attention for the next 30-60 days? Answering this question first will help me…

    Prioritize. Amid the blinking lights, exciting opportunities, network of relationships, and lingering “undones,” which people or projects need immediate attention in light of my focus?

    Sequence. Is there a natural, obvious order of who or what needs to come first or second? Would it be better to wait on this until more information comes in? Leaders schedule their priorities, they don’t just attempt to prioritize an existing schedule.

    Follow Through. Put it on the calendar. Make the phone call. Write the thank you note. Set aside the time to dream, think and make connections. Courageously initiate that fierce conversation. Run the 5 miles. Take that nap.

    Real leadership ultimately produces real results.

    Insight for us: What do I need to do next?

  • Mott’s Vital Objective

    Last week Ann and I hosted a long-time friend in the journey for dinner and languishing conversation. Holly Sheldon brought with her two gifts, both first-edition books written by missions statesman John R. Mott. I have been captivated by some of Mott’s observations and inquiries on the state of Christianity among college students in 1923. His answers mirror the same conversations I find myself in week after week, seeking to help others differentiate between Christian ministry activity and Christ-centered movements of God. If you’ve found yourself asking those questions, read on.

    I have searched in vain for a purchasable or downloadable copy of Mott’s Confronting Young Men with the Living Christ. Here’s a morsel:
    “If I might share with you my dearest wish it is that by the time I come to my old age I may have so brought all thoughts into obedience to His marvellous captivity, that whenever my mind comes out of unconsciousness into consciousness it will revert naturally and inevitably to Jesus Christ.
    “Along the pathway of the realization of this vital objective, the confronting of men and boys with the Living Christ, has come to the largest and most enduring fruit…. Expressed otherwise, it may be stated with confidence that this has been the secret of the [Young Mens Christian] Association’s most far-reaching, most deeply penetrating, and most transforming influence in the lives of men and of nations.

    “Mine, as you know, has been a traveling life. It has taken men first and last to possibly fifty different countries, to virtually every one where the Association is planted, and to most of them again and again. There is a certain advantage in having the opportunity to pass from land to land and to revisit at intervals the same fields. It enables one to observe contrasts and trace tendencies. With this as a background let me ask one or two questions.

    “Why is it that when I visit one country the Association reminds me of nature in springtime, with life bursting from the ground; whereas in another country, possibly an adjoining one, I receive no such impression of vitality? It may be that in the latter case the Association has larger numbers, greater financial resources, and a more elaborate organization, but it is not yielding so great a spiritual fruitage. What is the explanation? In the former case, the leaders… are seeking to fix the attention of men and boys upon Christ Himself and to influence them to follow Him; in the latter case the leaders have lost their perspective and have become absorbed with means rather than the vital end.” Emphasis mine.

    Question for aspiring leaders: Toward what vital objective are we leading others?

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  • Blogference Wrap: Do What We Know

    Kudos to Brian Barela for putting legs on a fantastic idea – the Blog-ference. Well done, Brian. Thanks for inviting me into the conversation. I’ve learned a lot – for free. I’ve been impressed with DJ’s discussions on contextualization, Brian Virtue’s thoughts on servant leadership, and Shane’s crazy ideas for people in the mission. I appreciate everyone who took time to read and comment on my thoughts. Thank you for the gift of focused attention.

    To close the week, I am considering Jesus’ last 6 hours with his men, the night before he was arrested and taken away. The apostle John allots 5 chapters out of 21 to these special moments. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, he wrapped a bow around three years of life-on-life discipleship by his actions, sharing his heart, and praying for his men to change the world.

    “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17).

    This verse has been a guidepost for me during the past 10 years of my spiritual leadership. No matter what scope of responsibility we’ve been given, leading and serving other people gets complicated. There is always another idea to run up the flag pole, more demographics to research, more needs that I can meet, more teammates to consult, more trends to analyze. Jesus cuts through it all: Do What You Know.

    I can think of no better four-word summary of what change leadership is all about. Change begins with me. If I know it, own it, and act on it, by God’s grace and power, change happens and I am blessed.

    The world is waiting for each generation to show the Way. May we all lead well by loving well. Selah.

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