Tag: Leadership
I Know I’ve Been Changed
I’m starting at a new church soon and the feeling is completely different than any other beginning. I’ve seen churches that give new meaning to the words I shall not be moved; refusing to consider any infusion of change, or newness. I’ve also seen at churches on the other end of the continuum—filling the calendar with exciting activities with very little impact for the kingdom of God. I’m excited for this opportunity mainly for one specific reason. It’s not the new building from which to launch exciting ministries. It’s not the youthful exuberance with which I have been embraced so far. It’s not even the fact that the church leadership identifies with my journey and is willing to partner with me as we move in God’s will. I’m thankful that the aforementioned attributes are true and reasons to be excited. I’m mostly excited, however, for this opportunity because I know I’ve been changed! I’ve been at this for over 23 years and while my ministry may be considered successful to some—I have yet to experience the impact I envisioned for the kingdom of God.
I have encountered enough barriers in ministry to write a series of books! The difference, however, today is that I have a new appreciation for barriers in ministry. I know I’ve been changed! God has transformed me for the sole purpose of having the anticipated impact in his work. Transformation doesn’t come without some adversity. Consider the story of a boy who found a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. After watching it for hours he decided to cut a hole in the cocoon and watch the butterfly crawl out. The only thing that butterfly ever did was crawl. Like the butterfly, without the emerging struggle, we fail to reach our full potential.
If your ministry has yet to take off the way you believed it would, if you thought by now you would have reached your full potential, if you thought by now you would have emerged from the cocoon to fly high above the trees. Take some time to thank God for the cocoon. Breaking from it is a process which God gives as a gift so we can experience the kind of change in our life required to glorify him. That’s why I am excited about my new ministry. I know I’ve been changed!
I will be installed as the pastor of the Cedars of Lebanon Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chesapeake, VA on January 16, 2016. Please follow me on twitter as I share the joys of leading in pastoral ministry @drgbanks.
How to Boost Your Leadership Confidence
Do you lack the confidence about the effectiveness of your leadership? Are you constantly looking back to see if anyone is following you? I’m sure you’ve heard the Afghan proverb, “If you think you’re leading but no one is following you, you are simply taking a walk.” People want to be led by people who are about something real! People want to know that what you stand for matters! They listen to what you say and measure it against what you do. So how does a leader communicate what you are all about? It’s not easy but I think Mike Figliuolo can get you started. His book, “One Piece of Paper,can go a long way for the leader who is finding their way through the maze of leadership. I have never read a leadership book that has raised my confidence like One Piece of Paper. It teaches a practical method for identifying a leadership philosophy and the importance of communicating it to your team. True leadership requires teaching others how to grow. Other “leadership” and “self-help” books offer valuable information for personal growth, but they lack a process that raises the thinking beyond the leader. Since reading One Piece of Paper I feel empowered because it offers a roadmap with which I can help my people understand my approach to leadership.
I have been in pastoral ministry for 22 years. Some may even consider my career a successful one. I remain, however, on the quest for developing leaders in a way that creates an excellent team in order to foster authentic spiritual growth. I have followed the steps outlined by Figliuolo, I have written my maxims, I have documented the parallel stories and I feel pretty good about it. If Figliuolo is right, and I believe he is, my people will respond in such a way that will create the team environment for which I am searching. I’m going into a new church with a method that clearly depicts what my team can expect from me and what I expect of them.
Figliuolo is confident that living our maxims “will help you make better decisions and choices.” He suggests that living our maxims “will keep you on track to reach your goals, and they will guide your behaviors along the way.” I love it! It’s exciting! With this approach I feel like I can build an unstoppable team!
Five Leadership Lessons from Canadian Geese
Here are five lessons from Canadian Geese about being proactive in groups. What they do is very practical and applies to leadership in many ways. Canadian geese fly south in the winter and back north in the spring but they cannot do it alone.
- As each goose flaps its wings it creates an‘uplift’ for the birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flocks adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
- The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. This provides encouragement against greater odds and distances. They can fly 4-5 hours without stopping.
Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core values of others) is the quality of honking we seek. What does our honking sound from behind?
- When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation. It moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept our help and give help to others.
- When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns during the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each others’ skills, capabilities and unique arrangement of gifts, talents or resources.
- When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as when we are strong. And move forward as a community.
How will your organization change if your people behaved this way? Let me know what you think about this. Twitter @drgbanks.
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