A King’s Conscience and A Leadership Failure

What rules your decision making? What drives you to the choices you make? These are critical questions for every person and especially critical for leaders. How you answer these questions will likely indicate what the character and outcome of your life and leadership will be.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church says of King Henry VIII, “Henry’s conscience often followed where his wishes led.”

Now conscience is an important element of our make up because it, in many ways, is the thing that guides our decisions. We talk about following and violating our conscience as if to do the former is admirable and to do the later is deplorable. However, that depends on what is driving your conscience.

Henry’s conscience was driven by his wishes, and his wishes seemed to be focused on power and pleasure. The result was disastrous. Many heads were lost because Henry allowed his conscience to be ruled by his wishes, including that of Sir Thomas More who was a beloved friend of Henry.

A good leader follows his conscience and insures that his conscience is lead by good desires. A good Christian leader follows his conscience and insures that his conscience is lead by a desire for God, His glory and the good of God’s people.

So, are you lead by a godly and sanctified conscience where your desires are for God and not the flesh? To be so lead is a vital key to effective leadership. To be lead in contrary ways is the the key to disappointment and failure for you and those you lead.

You’re Not Qualified!

In his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't Jim Collins quotes Darwin E. Smith, CEO of Kimberly Clark as saying, "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job."

The opposite of this mindset is being apathetically content with where you are right now. I used the word "apathetically" because contentment is not wrong at all. In fact, it is one of the keys to personal sanity. But contentment in the present should always be coupled with a desire to be better tomorrow. This is, I think, a major key to success in any area of life.

So, we who desire to be successful should never stop trying to become qualified for the job. We should never stop learning. We should never stop allowing ourselves to be stretched outside of our comfort zone. We should never stop seeking for ways to be better today than we were yesterday. In fact I think this is the personal duty of every individual alive, a strong influence upon success, and a certain key to personal fulfillment

This post is a re-post from Feb of 2008.

Leaders Promote More Leaders

If you are a leader and want to be a better leader then I suggest to you that you will pray for, mentor, train and encourage other people to be leaders. This is not just my opinion. It is biblical.

When Moses appointed the 70 elders there were two men who did not come to the council to be appointed. It is thought that they considered themselves unworthy or unqualified to be elders. Nevertheless, God had the Spirit rest upon them so that they prophesied, which was how God confirmed the 70 elders.

This concerned Joshua. He knew that they would be seen as leaders of the people of God. He approached Moses and said, “My lord, stop them.” Moses’ response was, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:26-30)

Moses wanted everyone to be so affected by the power and presence of the Spirit of God that each of them would be qualified to lead the others and themselves.

Leaders, who truly are leading for the benefit of others and not their own glory, desire that others become leaders themselves. I want to lead you to be a leader of yourself and a leader of others. Is that how you define leadership? Are you a leader? Who are you raising up to be a leader?

Influence: Connecting with People

I wanted to share this article with you because it points to some very important concepts about leadership. I found the 1st and 3rd principles influential for me.

Leadership is developed in others through relationships, and a good leader develops relationships. A good leader will also seek to develop others in leadership who don't necessarily show the initiative to becoming leaders.

Enjoy!

Influence: Connecting with PeopleBy Dr. John C. Maxwell

As a train's source of energy and direction, the locomotive plays a vital role. However, unless a locomotive connects to other cars on the track, it is relatively useless. A train's value comes from its ability to transport massive amounts of cargo, and doing so requires the locomotive to link up with dozens of freight cars. Traveling by itself, a locomotive would arrive at its destination empty-handed. In that case, its journey would be nothing more than a waste of fuel.

Leaders are like locomotives in that they're blessed with drive, energy, and vision. However, until leaders learn the art of connection, their influence remains minimal. In isolation, their talents accomplish little, and their efforts are squandered.

Let's look at practical ways whereby leaders can make meaningful connections with others.

8 Steps for Connecting with People

#1 Don't Take People for Granted

Weak leaders get so caught up in the vision of where they're going that they forget whom they're trying to lead. Instead, leaders would be wise realize that connecting to people and developing them are the surest ways to gain influence. Results happen through relationships.

#2 Possess a Difference-Maker Mindset

A hesitant and indecisive leader doesn't enliven the hearts or imaginations of people. On the contrary, leaders who influence and inspire have a difference-maker mindset. They connect with others by passing along an infectious confidence in their ability to succeed.

#3 Initiate Movement Toward People

Freight cars sitting on the railroad tracks won't go anywhere by themselves. They will rust and collect dust unless a locomotive makes contact and connects to them. Similarly, most people stay parked due to self-doubt, fear, or absence of vision. It takes the connection of a leader to tap into their potential and rouse them to action.

#4 Search for Common Ground

Anytime you want to connect with a person, the starting point should be shared interests. If you're attentive to the hobbies, histories, and habits of those you lead, then you will find ample areas of common ground. Launch out from these areas of agreement to build rapport.

#5 Recognize and Respect Differences

We are capable of finding common ground with others, but at the same time we need to acknowledge that we're all different. The greatest influencers realize that differences ought to complement rather than clash. When you demonstrate regard for diverse personalities and meet people on their terms, they will appreciate your sensitivity and connect with the understanding you've shown.

#6 Learn the Key to Others' Lives

People have core motivations that vary drastically, and a leader has to discern them to forge a connection with others. Generally, the key can be unearthed by examining what a person has already done in life and by discovering what he or she aspires to do in the future. Once you've found the key, do not exploit it. Turn the key only when you have the person's permission, and always use it for his or her benefit - not your own.

#7 Communicate from the Heart

Nothing repels people like a phony leader. Be authentic when you speak, and align your actions and words. People respond to passion, and they will latch onto a vision when it's communicated directly from the heart.

#8 Share Common Experiences

Shared experiences cement a relationship. For this reason, it's wise to be intentional about eating out with teammates, inviting them to join you on an errand, or taking in a play or ballgame together. The more time you invest in those you lead, the greater the connection you will forge with them.

Summary

One is too small of a number to achieve greatness. No one ever accomplishes alone what he can do in partnership with others. If you're looking to grow as an influencer, start by strengthening your connections with the people around you.

Link to orginal article: http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_influence_connecting_with_people/?utm_source=leadershipwired&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=lw-20090421#

Posted via web from Taking Heaven by Storm

Pondering on Leadership

I have been thinking about Leadership lately. I am wondering why organizations sometimes flounder and loose momentum. There are two possibilities that I can think of: either the people in the organization are lazy and don't want to do the work that is necessary to carry the organization along, or the people are not being led by effective leaders. As I think about that idea, it is clear to me that the burden is really on the leaders all the way. Let me explain.

If the mass of people in an organization are exhibiting signs of apathy or laziness, I believe that apathy is a reflection on the leadership of that organization. I believe this is true, because I believe people generally want to be lead, they want to follow someone. This is how people typically find their identify and course in life. We don't often set our own course or define our own identity. (Perhaps through good leaders, we may change).

But, even though people generally want to follow someone, they have some rules in their makeup that tell them who they will follow. Here are the rules I have identified.

• People will only follow you if they perceive that you are going somewhere
• People will only follow you if where they perceive that you are going is somewhere that they want to go
• People will only follow you if you give them clear, meaningful, actionable directions on how to follow you
• People will only follow you if you define the cost of doing so and convince them of the worth or value of paying that cost

You see, I think people need leaders who have a destination, know how to get there, can tell them exactly what they need to do to get there and can express to them what they should expect along the journey and at the destination. Organizations begin to flounder when leaders have no destination, don't know how to reach the destination, can't guide the mass of people in the organization toward the destination, can't give the people meaningful actions to take in order to reach the destination and can't communicate the costs of going there and the benefit of getting there.

What this tells me is that leadership is a very hard task and should not be lightly undertaken.

Posted via email from Taking Heaven by Storm

Choosing Leaders in the Church

Churches use many different criteria for choosing elders and deacons for ministry. Some are biblical and some are not. Most will look to 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1 for guidance, which is great. Some look to the activity of the person being considered and simply ask, "Is he serving" and assume that if he is serving then he must be growing or at least fairly mature in his faith. Sadly, some go on the principle of "He's a great guy, I really like him, He has such a genuine heart." Others allow themselves to be coerced or bullied into giving a person the authority of an elder or deacon.

My question is how many pastors/elders or church leaders consider 1 Tim 5:22? Paul tells Timothy to not "lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others...." Now let me say I think he is referring to making a person an elder or deacon by the laying on of hands, which is ordination. If that is the case it seems that he is saying that the ordaining body holds some responsibility before God for the conduct of the one they ordain. In other words, if a pastor/elder ordains an individual and that individual sins there is some culpability owned by the pastor/elder simply by his association with that man's ordination.

I'm not sure how far it goes, but it is a sobering thought. Churches need to be gracious when dealing with the weaknesses of others. But when it comes to ordaining elders and deacons churches should be gracious and discerning. More is at stake than just bad leadership. The very purity of our souls is impacted by our rash decisions.

5 Attributes of Inspiration Leaders

I thought this article by John C. Maxwell was worth the read. It reminded me that in order to lead others I need to serve them, affirm them, be attentive toward them, be available to them and be authentic before them.

Take a look.

Leadership, Competency and an Enlightened Vision

In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato makes some significant points about leadership, which intended for application to government officials, provides helpful insights into what makes a leader effective. He argues that a leader must be enlightened. In other words he must be able to see clearly and understand reality rightly.

Plato describes a situation in which humanity is imprisoned in a cave where all they can see are the shadows of reality. Their eyes are accustomed to darkness and when they are shown reality they pass it off as an imposter for the shadows, which for the people are more real than the real.
A leader is one who has faced the pain of having his vision improved by the light. He has moved from the dark cave into the light of day, and as his eyes painfully adjusted to the light, he did not turn from that adjustment and hence began to see the greater beauty of reality that the shadows just could not show him.

But a leader is more than one who has transcended into a state of wisdom where he sees reality clearly. A leader, according to Plato, is one who, when he see the prisoner of the darkness rejecting reality for shadows, doesn’t laugh at him but pities him. But more than pities, he returns to the same prison, joins with the prisoner in his toil and because he now sees the shadows more clearly, he sees them better than the prisoner and is better equipped to lead the prisoner to happiness and freedom.

Competent leaders do not exist among us who do not understand and appreciate those that they would lead. Competent leaders must strive to understand reality, must look deep into the painful truths of their world, have their eyes adjusted to the potential around them, and then they must return and join in the labor of those they would lead, not to lead them, but to care for them.
That seems to be the missing link in leadership today: care for those we lead. Plato said of leaders “they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not.” If we aspire to be great leaders, we must know those whom we seek to lead, we must work beside them and we must care for their happiness. Only then will we be great leaders.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of “The Republic” by Plato.

Authority & Church Leadership

I've been thinking a lot about authority this week. In particular, I've been thinking about Church leadership and authority. Mark Dever has a little book about Church leadership in which he shows that Christ, as the head of the Church and thereby the ultimate authority over the Church gave a certain degree of Authority to the overseers of the church. I have been wondering about what this means and the first thought is that it seems that it means that Church leaders have a very high degree of responsibility.

We talked some about this in a meeting at church this morning and we were reminded of Hebrews 13 where the Church is told "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account." This verse tells me three things: there are people in the church who have authority to rule over others, those who are under their authority have an obligation to be obedient and submissive to their leaders, and those who have been given the responsibility for leadership actually have the responsibility for the souls of others and must give an account to God one day for those souls under their care.

My conclusion then for myself and any other leader in the church (and I think this is particular for elders - including pastors - and deacons) is that we need to understand the position of authority that God has placed us in and start acting with that authority because even if we don't realize our responsibility I don't think we will be allowed to plead ignorance before our heavenly Father.

A final note: Authority does not just entail telling others what to do. Authority in it's large detail entails making disciples, training, teaching, shepherding, and a host of other things that affect the soul of the person you lead. In short, leadership is influence infected with love and compassion or a desire for the welfare of the one you lead.

What a weighty responsibility!

Leading Our Peers

In my life I have found a common thread that seems to bond people together and that bond is not healthy. The bond that I am thinking about is dislike or criticism of others. For some reason many people gravitate toward those people in their lives that they can comfortably voice their criticisms of others with and even gain a sense of moral superiority from that person’s validation of those criticisms. I have also found that relationships held in place by those un-healthy feelings tend to wear us down and spread an overall feeling of cynicism and distrust.

There is nothing so disruptive to success in any organization than distrust and cynicism. Whether it is found in the home, the community, or the work place it pits people against one another and destroys any hope of common effort in reaching goals and winning. While it seems to be one of the natural tendencies of humankind, it is also one of our most self-destructive traits, because if the organizations to which we belong are not successful then we will ultimately fail.

I have also found that some of my most valued relationships are with those people with whom I feel compelled to be positive, to look for the good in others, to rejoice in the success of others, and to desire the best for others. I have found greater happiness when I surround myself with people who won’t listen to my negative words. They find them sophomoric and me immature for engaging in that behavior, so I don’t speak poorly of people around them. The odd thing is that somehow that effort translates itself into my actual feelings for that person, and I find myself actually liking them, wanting to help them, wanting to see them succeed. Before, I would take pleasure in seeing them fail, but now I desire to help them avoid failure.

If a key to success in any area of life is valuing people and desiring to see them succeed then I suggest that our success may begin when we start talking like successful people and stop talking like children who are consumed with selfishness.

Using Time Effectively

In a recent CCL (Center for Creative Leadership) newletter I read the following two statments.

1. The process of slowing down and taking time out for learning and reflection will often improve decision making, foster efficiency and foster change in the culture.
2. Am I confusing activity with meaningful action?

As a leader I desire and have an obligation to impact the culture around me, whether that culture is my workplace, home or community. Often I find that my efforts to impact the culture are centered on activity without much thought put into the purpose of the activity. I just move forward without having really thought about where I'm going and why I'm going there.

I find that when I do take time to slow down, reflect, and learn I usually gain a vision that will inform my future activity and the activity that I engage in is consequently beneficial to my surrounding culture.

I do think that the wise person will learn to ask herself/himself "Am I confusing activity and meaningful action" and will understand that meaningful action is born out of thoughful reflection and purpose seeking. The wise person will understand that being active isn't always the best use of one's time and that often we should slow ourselves down and just think!

Leadership - Grace

The following article is an excerpt for John C. Maxwell's Leadership wired newsletter. Along with the many other things Maxwell has to say about leadership in this article, I found this to be humbling and insightful. He is dead on about the tendency in the business world to be critical of our co-worker's and leaders and absolutely correct that when we engage in graceless activity we don't demonstrate tough savvy business acumen. To the contrary we demonstrate insecurity in ourselves, a lack of integrity and a wanting for respectfulness toward others.

This same principle is applicable to every area of live, even in our homes.

So the next time you hear me carping about somebody and how they don't do their job well or some other shortcoming they might have, please remind me about my shortcoming, ungraciousness.

Thanks, MP

Amazing Grace

Courage. Wisdom. Strength. Vision. Influence. We have no trouble associating these words with leadership. Grace doesn't usually make the list.

After all, grace is a rather touchy-feely word, isn't it? Preschool teachers have grace. Ice skaters move with grace. Elderly women are named Grace. It's not exactly a word packed with power. At least, not at first glance.

What exactly does "grace" signify in a leadership context? According to Ray Blunt of http://www.govleaders.org/, grace means acknowledging and accepting imperfections, both in ourselves and others. When we infuse grace into our lives, the advantages we reap are manifold.

However, grace doesn't usually find its way into boardrooms, strategy sessions, or creative meetings. Apparently, we see ourselves as too tough to carry grace into the workplace, or perhaps we deem the business climate too harsh for grace.

Whatever the case, grace gets left behind when we hit the office. Instead, we carp about a teammate's shortcomings, pile cutting remarks on top of a co-worker's failure, or complain about a leader's missteps. We pass judgment quickly and effortlessly. We hold a magnifying glass above the mistakes of those around us, while we try to maintain a facade of perfection.

Without grace, a leader faces the twin perils of insecurity and irrelevance. On the other hand, by apprehending the quality of grace, a leader becomes labeled as secure and worthy or respect.

Initiative and Momentum

The following is a quote from John C. Maxwell, which is quite apropos for me. Taking initiative even when I don't have all the answers and don't have a good feeling about the next step is sometimes quite difficult.

Initiative
by Dr. John C. Maxwell

It's cliché to say that every journey begins with a single step, yet it's true. Leaders don't wait for everything to be perfect before they move forward. They don't wait for all the problems or obstacles to disappear. They don't wait until their fear subsides. Leaders take initiative.Leaders know the secret of momentum: once you take the first step and start moving forward, everything becomes clearer and easier. If momentum gets strong enough, problems begin to take care of themselves and new opportunities arise. But the benefits of momentum only come into play once a leader takes initiative.

Arguing vs. Debating

As I think about conflict in the work place, in the home and in the everyday relationships of life I am struck by the idea that there is a very basic difference between arguing and debating. Perhaps the words themselves don’t carry the difference that I see within their core meanings, but the way in which each activity is carried out and the reason for each activity has convinced me that they are different, and one is actually helpful, indeed necessary for success, while the other is harmful and even detrimental to success.

Arguing is what we do when we are simply contrary toward another person or a basically bull headed individual. We disagree with another person’s point of view or idea for a project because we don’t like them or their idea is not our idea. Clearly, it doesn’t take me to tell you that this is counterproductive in any business or relationship.

However, what strikes me as important is the very core difference found in debating as compared to arguing and the fact that debating may actually be a necessary ingredient for success in business and even relationships. Debating is a mutual event where two or more parties disagree in principle not because of personality. In the end both parties want the same thing, i.e. that which is best for the company, community, or relationship. They may disagree on how to achieve success, but in one thing they are united, success is essential and they need debate their way toward a course of action that will take them there. Debaters who have this mind frame are always willing to back away from their ideas when another idea is presented that is better and more capable achieving the goal because they are not more personally vested in their ideas than they are in the business or relationship.

The key question that arises from this idea is how do I become a debater and stop being an arguer? I really don’t know other than to say that it requires a personal change of heart toward the business or relationship and the self. I have to become confident enough to be humble and humble enough to believe that others present as much if not more value than I do. That’s not any easy thing to do, but it is a worthy cause to engage in.

Principles of Leadership - Leading Up

Here are some keys to leading your leaders taken from John C. Maxwell's book "The 360 Degree Leader"

1. Lead yourself exceptionally well.
2. Lighten your leader's load.
3. Be willing to do what others won't
4. Do more than manage - lead!
5. Invest in relational chemistry.
6. Be prepared every time you take your leader's time.
7. Know when to push and when to back off.
8. Become a go-to player.
9. Be better tomorrow than you are today.

I think these are exceptional principles. I have been challenged by each of them as I've read through the chapters that discussed them. Probably my favorite is number 8. It's hard to be allow yourself to become a go-to player because you risk being run over with work, but if your are practicing the other principles I think your leaders will become better leaders and those around you will become better leaders and the work load won't get out of hand.

Being Qualified

In his book "Good to Great" Jim Collins quotes Darwin E. Smith, CEO of Kimberly Clark as saying, "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job."

The opposite of this mindset is being apathetically content with where you are right now. I used the word "apathetically" because contentment is not wrong at all. In fact, it is one of the keys to personal sanity. But contentment in the present should always be coupled with a desire to be better tomorrow. This is, I think, a major key to success in any area of life.

So, we who desire to be successful should never stop trying to become qualified for the job. We should never stop learning. We should never stop allowing ourselves to be stretched outside of our comfort zone. We should never stop seeking for ways to be better today than we were yesterday. In fact I think this is the personal duty of every individual alive, a strong influence upon success, and a certain key to personal fulfillment