| Keep your Vision |
[Mar. 11th, 2007|09:26 pm]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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Keep the Vision.
Sometimes we want to quit. But you quitting is not up for negotiation!
Your vision is what gives others sight when you may not see the reason for investing time into their lives.
Your vision is what gives others hope when you may not need hope yourself.
Your vision is anothers direction when maybe youre going along a different route and another course.
Your vision is your imput into another when they may not always appreciate it and not always want it, but because you give it, God will enlarge your capacity.
Keep the vision. Never abort your dream. Dont quit.!
Thanks for letting me be a part of Leading his way.
Paul. |
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| Leadership - Management versus Vision |
[Aug. 10th, 2005|01:45 pm]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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Thought you might enjoy reading this article:
http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=218&artid=4277&expand=1
This is a quote from it:
"Vision is the main difference between leadership and management. Management consists primarily of three things: analysis, problem solving, and planning. If you go to any management course they’ll be composed of those three things. But leadership consists of vision and values and the communication of those things. If you don’t clarify the purposes as the leader, who’s going to? " - R.Warren |
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| VALUES 101 |
[Aug. 10th, 2005|09:26 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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VALUES 101
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
When the legendary John Wooden was coaching basketball at UCLA, he seldom made home visits to prospective players. He did make an occasional exception, however, like the time he went to see an extremely talented prospect who had great potential to help his team.
Wooden had every intention of offering the player a scholarship that night. In fact, all the necessary paperwork was ready and waiting in the pocket of his suit coat. But when he left the player's house later that evening, the scholarship was still in his pocket.
What changed Wooden's mind? His decision had nothing to do with basketball, that's for sure. Rather, as Wooden watched the player interact with his mother, he was troubled by what he saw as a decided lack of respect. He surmised that a young man who spoke disrespectfully to his mom probably wouldn't respect his coach, either. That was enough to keep Wooden from offering him a spot on the team.
When Wooden shared this story with me, he noted that he had often passed on exceptional talent if the player lacked good values. "What I have found is, just because the talent and the giftedness is there doesn't mean you're going to be able, as a coach, to bring it out of them," he said. "But if their values are there—the right ones—you can bring the best out of them every time."
This story is a great illustration of an important teamwork concept: Values—those guiding principles that influence and guide behavior—determine the foundation of the team. When the members of a team are guided by respect, integrity, excellence and other positive attributes, their footing as a group is strong. Their shared values provide stability for their organization to build upon.
That's not all a strong set of values will do for a group of people working together, of course. Let me illustrate with a few word pictures.
Values are like glue. They hold an organization together.
Values are like a ruler. They set the standard for a team's performance.
Values are like a compass. They give direction and guidance.
Values are like a magnet. They attract like-minded people.
Values provide identity. They define and identify the team.
It's easy to talk about values in a generic sense. It takes a bit more effort to identify the specific principles that your company or team lives by, and even more discipline to communicate those values effectively to each person you hire. Sharp new employees will be able to ascertain much of what your organization believes in by watching your team in action. But it's always helpful when you reinforce those nonverbal messages with some kind of structured presentation that explains who you are and what you believe in as a company.
I did this very thing several years ago when I moved my company to Atlanta from San Diego. We hired quite a few people when we moved, and to bring them up to speed on where we had come from organizationally, I gave them a formal overview of who we were and what was important to us.
In this talk, I articulated the following values to my team:
1. Personal growth. It is the responsibility of each individual to grow personally, but it's the leader's responsibility to help facilitate that process. You can grow your organization only as much as you grow your people.
2. Making a significant contribution. I believe every person ought to do something that he or she truly believes is making a difference.
3. Living and working with passion. I don't know about you, but I want everyone around me to love what they do as much as I do. I have no desire to motivate people the people I work with to get passionate about life. I would rather beg them to find another job!
4. Commitment to excellence. As I've written in this column before, I believe each of us should set the bar higher for ourselves than anybody else will.
5. Team leadership. The only way to build a successful organization is by developing a great team around you.
6. Living a life of integrity. Without this, everything else is meaningless.
Finally, the best way to ensure that everyone on your team is guided by similar principles is to examine each prospective employee through the lens of your organization's values and hire only those individuals who share those same values. If their values already match yours, they'll fit in much more quickly and start being productive a lot sooner than they would if you had to help them adapt to your company's mindset. |
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| Equipping: Paul Gives the Tools to Do the Job |
[Jun. 15th, 2005|02:52 pm]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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Ephesians 2:8-22 (New International Version)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
One in Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
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Paul provides some tools for his readers to live in the way God intends for them to live. He informs them they are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8,9) and created to do good works (2:10). The he equips them for these good works with divine tools, explaining how they have been delivered from darkness and transformed into new persons (2:14-16) and a new building (2:19-22).
Paul labored hard to unleash the church and prepare its members for service. If we pursue the same goal, we must embrace the following assumptions:
1.) Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
2.) Everyone needs and responds to encouragement.
3.) People buy into the leader before they buy into the plan.
4.) Most people don’t know how to be successful.
5.) People are naturally motivated.
6.) Most people will move once they receive permission and equipping. |
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| I guess I should intrduce myself too. |
[Jun. 5th, 2005|12:51 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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I'm Josh, I've been here a while and commented on a few things, but just now posted for the first time. I'm 24 and a student at Texas Tech majoring in Natural Resources and Economics. I'm pretty active in my local Catholic Student Association and their various programs. I guess I want to see what people here have to say and how they think the best ways to do things are. |
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| Follow-Up and Confrontation |
[May. 2nd, 2005|09:32 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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Follow-Up and Confrontation
2 Corinthians 2:6-8
It has been said that 2 Corinthians was written with a pen dipped in tears. In chapter 2, Paul has to follow up on the confrontation he first brought up in 1 Corinthians 5. The church had responded well to his advice, and now Paul encourages them to reaffirm their love for their erring brother (2 Cor. 2:6-8).
Paul knew that follow-up has to take place after confrontation. The organization and leadership must live up to their values. When the confrontation is done well, the follow-up can be especially warm and personal. Compare the differences between Paul's two letters to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS
1. Very objective content and character
2. Practical in its approach
3. Deliberate church instruction
4. Gives insight into the church ministry
II CORINTHIANS
1. Very subjective character
2. Personal in its approach
3. Personal life and experience
4. Gives insight into Paul's life |
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| WHERE GROWTH HAPPENS |
[Apr. 29th, 2005|10:59 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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WHERE GROWTH HAPPENS
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
If I asked you to rank your top five favorite leadership responsibilities, attending meetings probably would not appear on your list. It's not that some meetings aren't enjoyable; it's just that there are plenty of other activities that leaders find more thrilling, fun or productive.
That said, there is one kind of meeting that I absolutely love, and that is a creative meeting. For example, I once spent about four hours in a room with 11 people, doing nothing but talking about books. We discussed how to write better books, and we talked about which topics would add value to people's lives. In the process, we challenged each other. We built on each others' thoughts and ideas. We argued. We laughed.
Now I realize that to some of you, spending four hours brainstorming about books might sound about as exhilarating as watching paint dry. But for me, it was incredibly exciting. By the time I came out of that room, it was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. After a marathon meeting like that, a guy my age ought to be getting little tired. But I was charged up and ready to spend the evening writing.
There's just something about meeting with a group of positive, energetic, creative people that stimulates my thoughts and spurs me to greater growth than I would be capable of on my own.
On the other hand, being around negative people—in a meeting, over lunch, at a football game, etc.—just sucks the life right out of me. Talk about a thought buster. Negativity tops the chart when it comes to the forces that can stifle thought, squelch creativity and shut down idea generation.
We all know people who regularly use phrases such as "it will never work," "I'm never going to be able to get that done," "it's too hard," and "there's no way we can do it." These people don't build us up or encourage our development; they drag us down with their incessant complaining and constant negativity. If you place a high priority on creative thought, do whatever you can to limit your time with these folks (unless, of course, you're related to one, in which case you'll have to come up with an alternative solution).
On a more positive note, another step you can take to increase your thinking power is to put yourself in a growth environment. If negativity is a powerful thought buster, a growth environment is an even stronger thought booster. Here are eight characteristics of a growth environment:
1. Others are ahead of you. It's a sad day when you discover that, in every group you're in, you're at the top of your class. Such superiority might be good for your ego, but it's not healthy for your mental development.
2. You are still challenged. It doesn't matter how young or old you are—if you're bored, you won't grow.
3. Your focus is forward. There's nothing wrong with remembering the past, especially if it increases your confidence or helps you to avoid repeating costly mistakes. But growth is impossible if you think your best days are behind you.
4. The atmosphere is affirming. Think of how you felt the last time someone affirmed you when you were struggling with a difficult assignment or situation. I'm sure you'll agree that encouragement is a powerful motivator, especially in the midst of challenging circumstances.
5. You are out of your comfort zone. It's much easier to stick with what you know, but nobody ever achieved greatness by doing that. This is one of the benefits of working with creative thinkers—they stretch you and force you to look for answers outside your normal frame of reference.
6. Failure is not feared. You may be hesitant to venture out of your comfort zone because you're afraid you'll fall flat on your face if you take a risk. But as Henry Ford once said, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
7. Others are growing. Yes, growth can be a group activity. It's often precipitated by less-than-ideal circumstances—increased competition, an economic downturn, the loss of key players, etc. But from a leadership standpoint, few things are more rewarding than watching your team become stronger through adversity.
8. There is a willingness to change. In a growth environment, you'll never hear anyone say, "But we've never done it that way before." Not everyone embraces change with the same level of enthusiasm, but people who are committed to growth don't try to run away from it.
If you are not currently working in a growth environment, I encourage you to do what you can to make it one. Take the lead, and others will follow. When it comes to growth, there's definitely a trickle-down effect. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 28th, 2005|10:47 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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| [ | Current Mood |
| |  curious | ] |
I have a general question for those of us in this community:
As Christians, how should we handle conflict in our workplaces? I am of the mind to confront people directly, but some people prefer to glaze over the issue and never call a spade a spade. In dealing with these kinds of people, how can we resolve an issue?
In my workplace, I am encountering quite a bit of strife. It is an ELCA Lutheran church, which, if you've never heard of it, is a particularly liberal brand of Lutheranism. Here are some of my major issues with this church:
They say they believe God is our Father, but they refuse to use the pronoun, "he." Read the section:
God As God Is http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=28
They also have no stance on homosexuality (which is like saying it's okay...)
Same Sex Unions http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=19
They believe the Bible is errant.
http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=16 , http://www.elca.org/co/brief.html#thebible
I can't find this link, but I remember reading about their lack of stance on how long it took God to create the world as well. They believe it was created, but they don't know if God used evolution or just created it Himself. They also ordain women, which I do not agree with.
Anyway, someone was trying to find out about how much education I have and found this journal and found this post from me.
They are now in discussion as to whether or not I should work there... having secret meetings and not confronting me about issues. I am confused how to handle this situation and it is getting harder and harder to go to work. This is particularly hard because it has to do with my faith.
Any suggestions? |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 28th, 2005|10:46 am]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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| [ | Current Mood |
| | curious | ] |
I have a general question for those of us in this community:
As Christians, how should we handle conflict in our workplaces? I am of the mind to confront people directly, but some people prefer to glaze over the issue and never call a spade a spade. In dealing with these kinds of people, how can we resolve an issue?
In my workplace, I am encountering quite a bit of strife. It is an ELCA Lutheran church, which, if you've never heard of it, is a particularly liberal brand of Lutheranism. Here are some of my major issues with this church:
They say they believe God is our Father, but they refuse to use the pronoun, "he." Read the section:
God As God Is http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=28
They also have no stance on homosexuality (which is like saying it's okay...)
Same Sex Unions http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=19
They believe the Bible is errant.
http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=16 , http://www.elca.org/co/brief.html#thebible
I can't find this link, but I remember reading about their lack of stance on how long it took God to create the world as well. They believe it was created, but they don't know if God used evolution or just created it Himself. They also ordain women, which I do not agree with.
Anyway, someone was trying to find out about how much education I have and found this journal and found <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/rogersink/50538.html">this</a> post from me.
They are now in discussion as to whether or not I should work there... having secret meetings and not confronting me about issues. I am confused how to handle this situation and it is getting harder and harder to go to work. This is particularly hard because it has to do with my faith.
Any suggestions? |
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| *waves* |
[Apr. 25th, 2005|05:47 pm]
Leading His Way - Leaders for Christ
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| [ | Current Mood |
| |  good | ] |
My quick introduction:
My name's Brianne (or "Faith" at work)...I go by either. :)
I'm a volunteer youth leader at my church. Right now, it's just me and a friend helping. It's a new youth group, still sort of small...but the greatest blessing of my life so far! :) |
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