Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the category “#1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks”

27 May 2013
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When God Says Wait!

I was twenty-nine years old and married with two (soon it would be three) children when I left a career in veterinary medicine to pursue a calling to world missions.  I was anxious to get on with the plan for our lives, for God had directed us to accept an opportunity to serve in Indonesia with The Navigators.  We moved from Purdue University to Chicago to be involved with several churches while we waited for the visa to move to the country of our destiny.  We anticipated a six-month wait, so we busied ourselves with fundraising and preparation for departure.

Three years later we were still waiting!  People would meet us and ask questions like, “Are your still here?  Are you sure God is leading you to Indonesia?  Maybe this closed-door is His means of directing you to stay in America.  Have you considered that possibility?”  Of course we considered that possibility and many others, but each time we prayed there came a deep assurance from the Lord that He would answer in His perfect timing.  After three years the visa was granted and we moved to Indonesia, staying for the next eleven years until once again the visa was denied and we came home.

During those years of waiting, there were many days of anxiety, questions, and wondering if we would ever get overseas.  As I grew older I wondered about our ability to learn a new language and adjust to a new culture.  But during this time of waiting, God was at work in my life, building into me some life lessons that He knew I needed in order to serve Him well in Indonesia and later in life.  I chafed under the delay in proceeding with this plan we had laid out, but God was gracious to keep us in Chicago rather than rushing us off to the far side of the Pacific.  I came to learn the lesson that what He does in us is often more important than what He does through us.  God’s purposes will be accomplished with us or without us.  [1]

Waiting on God is a quality needed for leaders to experience the touch of God in them and on their leadership.  Are you straining at the end of the leash that the Lord has you on?  Do you want to run ahead and He has told you to sit and wait?  Can you trust Him to do good and give you His best?  He knows the time and when the time is right He will unclip the leash and shout, “Run!”  Until then, wait and watch for Him to do what only He can do.

[1]   Yeakley, Tom  Growing Kingdom Character  NavPress  Colorado Springs, CO  2011  pp. 128-129

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , ,
06 May 2013
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Begin with the End in Mind

Someone has said, “If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there.”  Have you thought about the final seasons of your life when hopefully you will have developed your strengths to the point where you are serving and blessing others in and through them?  If that is the ‘end,’ then what road should you be on now that will lead you to that destination?

By way of personal illustration, what I am currently doing is sharing my life messages in the form of coaching leaders individually, teaching others from these life lessons, and helping to lead a leader development process for our US Navigator work.  But all of this flows from a decision to focus on my life passion of leadership and developing leaders about 20 years ago. 

When home on assignment from Indonesia for six months in 1991, I took some extended time to reflect upon where I sensed the blessing of God on my life and ministry and where I was truly motivated and excited about the topic.  This led me to begin to focus on the areas of leadership and developing emerging leaders.  After leaving the Collegiate Director role in 2003 I again took some extended time to reflect upon my passions and life messages that I felt a sense of stewardship for before the Lord.  This led to a laser focus on three areas:  leader development, emerging leaders, and the nations (missions). 

In thinking about this path of development over two decades plus now it is clear that the “end” has become more and more focused.  The general direction for multiplying my life through spiritual generations of laborers now has resulted in a personal mission statement as follows:  I am out to change the world one leader at a time by helping them live and lead like Jesus.

In sharing this I am not suggesting that you imitate my personal journey.  I only point this out as an illustration to consider for your own development.  Operating and leading from strengths will not just happen with the passing of time.  You will have to choose to focus, to say ‘yes’ to some things and ‘no’ to others in order to maximize your strengths.  It will be a process, a longer process that you think, to get to a destination of serving others from your passions and strengths.

So, here are some general thoughts for you regarding contributing in your strengths:

 1.        Develop yourself for contribution, not a role or title or spot on an organizational chart.  The latter is thinking too small and limiting what God could desire to do with and through you.  Develop your life messages and then let God surprise you as to how He will let you make that contribution.  The two roles that I have now in leader development did not exist 10 years ago.  Both were created for me as I developed my strength in the message of leadership and developing leaders.

2.       Work on your personal mission statement to clarify your contribution.  Take some time to stop and think about the end of your journey now, not later.  What would you desire?  What would ‘turn your crank?’  This could be a great sabbatical exercise.  It will clarify what you are aiming for in the future.  Why has God made you?  For what purpose?  What are the life messages He has given you to steward for which you will be held accountable?

3.       Determine your primary audience for your contribution.  Who is the audience that the Lord seems to connect you with?  What age group?  Do you have cross-cultural ability or experience?  Again to illustrate from my life, I determined that my primary focus was to be emerging leaders under the age of 40.  I wanted to help shape them before they made too many choices that led to bad consequences in their leadership careers.  This aligned with my life experience as well as my strategic desire to help others before they made major mistakes, rather than afterwards.

4.       Finally, you will want to determine your primary delivery platform.  What format do you just love to engage others in?  Is it one-on-one, small group, or large group?  Do you like informal, semi-formal, for formal environments for influencing others?  Written or verbal?  Is it more “come along and watch me” or “sit down and let’s dialog on this”?  Regardless of the delivery platform, there needs to be intentionality for the greatest impact in the lives of others.

Now, it’s time to get out the map and determine your destination.  Remember, if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, you’ll hit it every time!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , ,
29 Apr 2013
1 Comment

Are Leaders Born or Made?

One of the common questions asked regarding leadership is this, “Are leaders born or made?”  And the answer is, “Yes!”  Here’s my expanded answer to this challenging question — The 3 B’s of Making Leaders!

Born  –   Some people are hard-wired with God-given temperaments, intellects, and natural abilities that will give them the ability to influence others more easily as leaders.  While this God-given ability does allow for easier influence, it does not necessarily mean that the quality of their leadership is better than others who are not so naturally endowed.  These “natural leaders” will also need to grow in their leadership skills in order to utilize these natural strengths to their optimum.

Born Again  –  Some followers of Christ have the God-given spiritual gift of leadership.  In Romans 12:6-8 we have Paul listing several of the spiritual gifts given for serving others in the Body of Christ.  He says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  ‎ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;  ‎ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

It is my understanding that all believers in Christ are given at least one spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit.  These gifts are given to us that we might serve others (1 Peter 4:10).  Those ‘gifted leaders’ who have the spiritual gift of leadership will have ability and capacity to lead in other ways than those not gifted will.  But these ‘gifted leaders’  also must develop this leadership gift through careful attention to becoming the best leader they can be for Jesus’ sake.  Note Paul’s reminder to Timothy, ” For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands ” (2 Timothy 1:6).

Built  –  There are certain leadership competencies or skills that can be learned and developed by everyone.  Through practice, feedback, and application everyone can learn to lead to some extent.  Husbands can learn to lead their families, parents can learn to lead their children, and employers can learn to lead their employees.  Though all can learn to lead, the quality of one’s leadership will depend upon our attention to this development.  When compared with others who are the natural or gifted leaders one’s leadership capacity may be less or one may have to work harder to grow in leadership competencies, but you can learn to lead.  In fact, your leadership may surpass those natural or gifted leaders who do not develop themselves.

So….are leaders born or made?  The answer is, “Yes!”  Some are born, some are born again, and some are built!  Are you taking your development as a leader seriously?  Are you seeking to “fan it into a flame?”

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , ,

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