No Members, Only Missionaries

That simple yet profound statement is the title of an article I read this morning. When I arrived at the last paragraph, I wanted to stand up and shout. I could have. I am working from my home office this morning and the house is quiet and no one would have ever known. But, I did not. I have decided, however, to shout digitally from my blog. You can read the article here.

These words are not only worth reading, but also living. I'm all in for that!

The words of Erwin McManus are dangerously close to those that will be used to kick off our new teaching series this Sunday. You will not want to miss it. I am praying it is a defining moment for Journey Church.

Comic Relief

My favorite golfer won again Sunday, but that wasn't the most entertaining part of the 89th PGA Championship. This interview was.

Leadership Summit (Curtis)

Richard Curtis is a prolific screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television, Richard Curtis has earned international renown for his award-winning comedic storytelling. His most personal project — eradicating poverty worldwide — is a story still in production.

A New Zealander by birth, Richard Curtis is best known as the Oscar-nominated screenwriter for the popular British romantic comedies Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, as well as the Mr. Bean television series. His most recently broadcast film, HBO’s Emmy-winning The Girl in the Café, asked hard questions about Third-World debt and poverty in Africa. In addition to co-founding the Make Poverty History campaign and the Live 8 concerts, Curtis founded Comic Relief UK in 1985 to raise money for victims of famine in Ethiopia.

Bill Hybels did a forty-five minute interview with Richard to end day two. Here are a few notes from the conversation.

You cannot hire on reputation or past experience. One must be absolutely certain they are hiring the right person for the right role at the right time.

When things go wrong, you cannot panic too much. Leaders cannot get too emotional over failure/challenges/barriers. Along the way, leaders will always have to lead through mid-course corrections.

I am running out of battery life and I do not have access to a power outlet. I am calling it a note taking day.

{I will not be able to attend the final day of the Summit. I hate that. I really want to Bill's closing talk. I'll have to buy the DVD.}

Leadership Summit (Ortberg)

What is a leader’s greatest fear?
Could it be...
Fear of failure
Fear of mutiny
Fear of criticism

Leadership defined: Leadership is disappointing people that they can stand. Key question for a leader: Do I want engagement or compliance?

A leader’s greatest fear isn’t something that can happen to us, but something that can happen in us. A leader’s greatest fear is giving in and settling for one’s shadow mission. See story of Esther. Esther refused to allow her shadow mission define her life. She took the challenge of being in her position “for such a time as this.” She courageously followed her mission and confronted the king.

1) What is your shadow mission? Where is it, apart from the help of God, your sinful nature will take you off-line from God’s mission for you?
2) What is the shadow mission of your church or organization?
3) Who is Mordecai in your life?

(Also see the temptation of Jesus; crucifixion--”not my will but yours”)

Will you have the courage to challenge the people you lead to not settle for their shadow mission? Will you challenge your organization to not settle for their shadow mission?

Leadership Summit (Powell)

Leadership is action-oriented.
Leadership is about setting an example.
Leadership is about solving problem.

Powell’s Leadership Axioms:
Promote a clash of ideas. The best leaders are those who allow various thoughts/opinions/perspectives. At some point, a decision will need to be made. This is where people must embrace the decision as if it were their own.
Encourage a noisy system.
Only people get things done.
1/3 and 2/3 Rule(1/3 of the time planning and 2/3 of the time helping people execute the plan).
Maintain an open-door policy.
Reward your best performers and get rid of non-performers.
Be prepared to disappoint people. If you cannot do this you cannot be a leader.
Check your ego at the door.
Have fun in your command. Find a hobby and enjoy it. Hobbies help settle the mind.
Fit no stereotypes.
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. Optimism is infectious!
Things always look better in the morning. Get a good nights rest. Tomorrow will be better.
The essence of leadership and interpersonal relationships is trust. People must trust you before they will follow you.
Avoid war if at all possible.

“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” C. Powell

Trust the element of instinct.
Prepare to be lonely.

Leadership Summit (Porter)

Two Takeaway Quotes: “Most of the outreach activity appeared to be more about the congregation than it did the recipients. This makes us feel better about ourselves. Your activity needs to be thought of in the terms of the desired results you want to achieve. What value are you going to add to your community? What real difference are you going to make."

“In today’s world, government cannot solve the world’s problems. We will have to solve those problems for our communities. You leaders must see this as core to your organization. Your job as a leader is to mobilize your people to do good outside of the church. However, you must do this well. To do it well, you must approach it will strategic thinking.”

You can download the slides from this presentation here.

Leadership Summit (Buckingham)

Key idea: Build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses.

Which do you think will help you be most successful?
-Building on strengths?
-Fixing weaknesses?

The US survey (2000) revealed overwhelmingly that it was fixing one’s weaknesses. US was the only country with those results (The 2006 survey revealed percentages that were worse.). The other countries felt it was focusing on one’s strengths.

What % of people spend most the day playing to their strengths?
US 2005 (17%)
US 2006 (14%)
US 2007 (12%)

Key questions: Are you playing to your strengths? If not, how do you get to be?

3 Myths We Need To Blow Up:
Myth #1: As you grow, your personality changes.
Truth: As you grow, you become more of who you already are.

Myth #2: You grow the most in your area of greatest weakness.
Truth: You grow the most in your areas of greatest strength.

Myth#3: A great team member puts his strengths aside and does what it takes to help the team.
Truth: A great team member volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time.

How do we move our focus to our strengths:
1) Identify what your strengths are.
2) Change something. Put together a strong week plan where we focus on our strengths.
3) Talk about strengths without bragging and your weaknesses without whining.

4 Signs of a Strength:
Success
Instincts
Growth (time will speed up)
Needs (tired, but not drained; you are energized!)

“You are the authority on your strengths. You are the authority on the things that make you feel strong.” M. Buckingham

Leadership Summit (Flake)

I have a confession. I think I ate too much for lunch. This was a tough session to follow. I did my best. Here are my notes.

Rev. Flake shared 5 models of leadership. He unpacked each.

1. Transitional Leadership
Key: Focused on an identified need(s).
Pitfall To Avoid:
-Perspective can be compromised
-Failure to focus on core purpose
-Goals and objectives that are not clear
-Tradition

2. Transactional Leadership
Reasons to Use This Model:
-Group buy in and agreement
-Delegation of responsibilities

Keys to Using This Model:
-Build support
-Identify leaders
-Process plans
-Stay focus on deadlines

Avoiding Pitfalls:
-Passive leadership
-Slow down the process
-Compromise
-Time consuming
-Selfish motives

3. Transparency in Leadership
Information flow is key--from the leader to the people; from the people to the leader
Quarterly and annual statements to the congregation are important.
Choose qualified and competent partners/staff. Make sure they represent what you are trying to produce. Make sure they buy into the vision!
Leaders must understand that you stand/lead with integrity.
Real leaders stand up. They aren’t afraid to go through it.

4. Transcendent Leadership
(Had to skip this point due to time restraints.)

Transformational Leadership
The Musts of This Model:
Aggressive!
Clear about a purpose--reason for being.
Understands the problem(s).
Can see a solution(s).
Implements a/the plan.

You want people asking: What are we going to do next? When this attitude is present, people will give (i.e. time, money etc.) You will need majority support for the vision. You cannot be the only one who is trying to sell the vision. You will have to deal with negative reactions.

Leadership Summit (Fiorina)

As the session began, Hybels made a statement that really hit me, “Every leader has to take responsibility for their own leadership development.” Those are powerful words. Leadership is also a stewardship issue. It never gets old being challenged in that area of my life.

There is great power in asking the right question(s). People will have to focus on the right problem(s).

Teamwork makes things fun. Nothing worthwhile happens with one single person acting alone.

Every time we stare down fear and overcome it we get stronger! Don’t let other people’s smaller ideas (prejudice) about you define you. Don’t give them you tears.

Motivating a team is everything--moving in one direction. Management is about producing results and doesn’t require a lot of motivation. Leadership is about sending people in a new direction and that takes a great deal of motivation.
Changing the order of things forces people to face fear. Give people a vision that is more compelling than what they are afraid of. People must believe where they are going is worth their time and talent.

Leadership is about seeing potential in others. Leadership is about unlocking potential in others. Leadership is about seeing something in others they are yet to see in themselves.

If a leader believes in leadership development they must continue to develop themselves. Every life moment presents an opportunity to learn. Leaders must create leadership learning environments for those they lead. This will require an investment. One of the keys to leadership development is making that expectation very clear. Every leader should say this to those who follow, “I expect you to grow as a leader!”

Leadership requires both passion and dispassion. (It is very interesting to see these two words together). Passion is required or we will not be able to fulfill the mission. Dispassion is required because it allows us to see things and people as they really are. Passion can blind as well as motivate.

Over time, people have a tendency to forget the real values. People are people where ever you find them. Sometimes people will act in ways they shouldn’t.

There is a gift in everything if we will only see it.

We're off to lunch!

Leadership Summit (Hybels)

Session one just came to a close. Hybels was dynamic. He talked about vision ownership. Here are some notes from the session:

How do leaders build a sense of vision ownership? It has to do with a word that most leaders hate--PROCESS. Lack of process makes others feel devalued.

Simple vision ownership process:
1) Vision Formation
Two Options:
a. Sinai approach (Moses)
b. Team approach
- Take key leaders off-site and ask: What does God want our church to look like 5 years from now?

People don’t always have to have their way, but they do have to have their way considered. A first draft is developed from the off-site or various dream/brainstorm sessions.

2) Vision Refinement
Once you get a first draft DO NOT simply dismiss the team and declare the vision. Subsequent drafts should be developed after getting feedback from smaller groups.

Ask them:
What would you add?
What has been left out?
What excites you?
What scares you?
What is clear?
What is unclear?

This process helps the leader(s) better understand how to cast the vision.

3) Vision Declaration
Solo activity?
Team activity?

Test drive the vision talk to several groups (elders/staff/key leaders). Then ask some key questions:

- Is the introduction compelling?
- Are the key concepts clear?
- Were you inspired?

This process helps the confidence level of the leader. It also helps people own the vision! Vision Leaks! I think that might be my new favorite phrase. People in our churches have real lives. Fill the vision bucket back up!

Other keys:
Celebrate progress along the way.
Tell a stories.
Mark the milestones.

Hybels closed with what I thought was the best part of his talk. He asked some very engaging questions: Would you be willing to die for the vision that God has given you? Are you committed no matter what the price that may need to be paid?

Leadership Summit

The next couple days will be an investment in my leadership and development. I will be attending the 2007 Leadership Summit.

I am catching the satellite feed at the Cincy Vineyard that is only a few minutes from my house. This will be my first Summit experience. I have been told one too many times to not miss this event. This year I made a commitment to not let another Summit slip by without me in attendance.

I am really looking forward to a few days of learning! I am most excited about hearing Hybels, Buckingham, and Fiorina. If the Cincy Vineyard has WiFi at the event I'll post my notes.

Vacation!

My commitment to blog more often was real. My absence since was due to a week's vacation at Torch Lake, Michigan. I was actually hoping to post some about our adventure at Torch, but I lacked Internet access. That was a good thing.

Words simply fail to describe our experience at Torch. It was an absolutely perfect week--the weather, the lake, the sunsets (and sunrises), the water toys, the golf, and the company. It was awesome!

With the help of the new iLife '08, I have posted the photos of our adventure in a new album for your viewing pleasure. It took me less than ten minutes to organize and create the new page on the web. Simply one more reason to own a Mac!

Know this, you can expect to hear more from me on this blog in the days and weeks ahead.