On Leading Well

Category: Leadership

  • Self-Leadership in Personal Finance

    The United States economy, as everyone well knows, is experiencing a correction. They say when Wall Street sneezes other markets catch cold. Google advertising has gone flat (still strong, but not growing, which sent the stock value plunging $250 per share) and people are charging less to their credit cards. Some see this as a crisis for a consumer economy driven by fear and greed. Others see wisdom and veiled hope as consumers think twice before opening our wallets. Imagine an entire country rediscovering the notion of personal responsibility….

    Wanna survive a financial crunch? I offer three rules and three links for consideration as Personal Finance 101. We’ve tried our best to live by these rules during 22 years of marriage and they have served us well:
    Rule #1. God owns it all.

    Rule #2. Spend less than you earn. Over time you will be able to do most of what you want to do in life.

    Rule #3. Divide your monthly income into three parts:
    a. Give at least 10%. (Pay God first).
    b. Save at least 10%. (Pay yourself next).
    c. Plan to enjoy life on what remains.

    For very practical wisdom and a knock on the side of the head, check out 10 Things I Know At 40 That I Wish I Knew At 20, everything-you-ever-really-needed-to-know-about-personal-finance-on-the-back-of-five-business-cards, and SoundMindInvesting.com. The last one gives excellent lifelong perspective on giving, saving, investing and diversification.

    Self-leadership lesson: Live by the rules.

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  • Two Quick Thoughts on Life-giving Reproduction

    “Better to give a year or so to one or two men who learn what it means to conquer for Christ than to spend a lifetime with a congregation just keeping the program going.”
    – Robert Coleman in Master Plan of Evangelism

    “A man’s greatest talents are not in how much he has been able to do alone, but in how effective he has been in getting others to work with him. A good leader leads men; a great leader trains leaders.“
    – Henrietta Mears, mentor to Bill Bright

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  • The Art and Science of Dela-gation

    A small handful of leadership behaviors disproportionately affect and accelerate rapid movement growth. Without question, one of the most crucial qualities of effective leaders lies in their willingness and ability to delegate well. Delegation requires those of us who lead others to constantly release key aspects of our work to the next generation of volunteers, employees, or family members.
    My friend Dela Adadevoh distills delegation down into a continuum. At one end is Eyes On-Hands On delegation. Better known as micromanaging, this lame substitute isn’t delegation at all. With rare exceptions (such as the first few days of orienting a new employee), this path usually leads to the cul-de-sac of frustration (for the leader) and deflated confidence (for the worker). Michael Scott, the Dilbert-esque branch manager on the American hit The Office personifies this approach.
    At the other end of the continuum we find Eyes Off-Hands Off delegation. In my experience this results in a sense of abandonment. Most of us say we enjoy having complete freedom to do our jobs. At the same time, if a job is really crucial and thus worth our best effort, our heart longs for someone who’s in charge to take notice. I’ve rarely met a volunteer or employee that will just keep on giving her best month after month with no feedback. Work builds up, motivation sags, and people feel overwhelmed but bored.
    Between these extremes lies a wide swath of Eyes On-Hands Off delegation. Good leaders know how to tread lightly in others’ rose gardens while still stopping to smell – and inspect – the roses. Learning to let go of control while offering constructive feedback, affirmation and correction is an art and science. True delegation begins with the leader’s heart. Bill Lawrence, a friend and long-time mentor, says, “I can teach you everything you need to know about delegating in 45 minutes. But those are just skills. True delegation is a heart issue – a question of the will. Will you delegate?“
    The long-term impact of our leadership may ultimately be determined by a few key factors. John Mott’s counsel on delegation echoes from my last post: “He who does the work is not so profitably employed as he who multiplies the doers. Count the day lost that you do not do something, either directly or indirectly, to multiply the number of unselfish workers.”
    Question for aspiring leaders: How am I doing at multiplying the number of unselfish workers?