Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the category “#3 DO – What a Leader Does”

18 May 2015
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The Amazing John Wesley

John Wesley was the fifteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley.  Born in 1703,  he was converted at the age of 35 after university and a failed ministry attempt with his brother, Charles, in the Georgia Colony.  Though coming to faith later in life, Wesley made up for his ‘late start’ and his energy seemingly knew no bounds.

“John Wesley averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years, preaching all told more than 44,000 times.  In doing this he traveled by horseback and carriage more than 200,000 miles or about 5,000 miles a year.

“His published words include a four volume commentary on the whole bible, a dictionary of the English language, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four volume work on church history; histories of England and Rome; grammars on the Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French and English languages; three works on medicine, six volumes of church music; and seven volumes of sermons and controversial papers.  He also edited a library of fifty volumes know as “The Christian Library.”

“His daily schedule was as follows.  He arose at 4:00am and worked solidly through to 10:00pm, allowing brief periods for meals.  In the midst of all this work he declared, “I have more hours of private retirement than any man in England.”

“At age 83, he was piqued to discover that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes; and at the age of 86 he was ashamed to admit that he could not preach more than twice a day.  In his 86th year, he preached to almost every shire in England and Wales and often rode thirty to fifty miles a day.”  (Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan)

John Wesley finished his race just short of his 88th birthday.  While his lifestyle is one few could imitate, his passion for Christ is compelling.  How’s your work ethic?  Are you pursuing hard after Christ and His Kingdom?

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04 May 2015

Jesus’ Way of Developing Leaders

I’ve always loved the Gospel of Mark because of the action oriented narrative.   You’ll remember that Mark’s gospel begins with a one-year gap (Mark 1:13-14) between His baptism and the 18-month ministry in Galilee.  This first year of Jesus’ public ministry is only recorded in John 1-4.

Below is a short outline of some key leader development passages as found in Mark.  While this is not an exhaustive list, it does serve as a reminder of how to be more intentional about developing those leaders we have influence with.

Mark 1:14-18 –  Jesus was on the move and He recruited others to join Him in the movement; note that He recruited busy, industrious people

Mark 1:35 –  Jesus was a pacesetter/model, especially in spending time with His Father

Mark 1:36-39 –  Jesus had a plan for His ministry; He took the risk of disappointing those He was leading by saying ‘no’ to their desires for Him

Mark 3:14 –  the emerging leaders were “with Him” first and then sent out

Mark 3:16-17 –  having nicknames indicates He knew His disciples well; there was a deep, personal relationship with Him

Mark 4:10,34 –  He gave special training and development to a few; He told them “why and what”

Mark 4:35 –  Jesus took the initiative and led out by example

Mark 6:6-9 –  Jesus modeled faith and expected it of His disciples; living by faith was to be a lifestyle

Mark 6:30-31 –  He modeled for them the importance of taking time for reflective evaluation and relaxation

Mark 8:31 –  He sought to keep His disciples informed about upcoming events

Mark 9:14-16 –  Jesus protected His disciples from threats; note how He takes the argument with the teachers of the law onto Himself

Mark 10:28-31 –  Jesus was an encourager; He affirmed good behavior

Mark 11:1-3 –  He emphasized forethought, scenario planning, and training before sending them out on assignments

Mark 14:10 –  Jesus too had one of His leaders who did not do well; not all failures are reflections on the leader and their ability to train others

Reflect on these passages.  Open the bible with those you are developing.  Look carefully at the model of Jesus and how He developed leaders.  Remember to, “Lead from the Scriptures and into the Scriptures!”

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
20 Apr 2015

Leading from a Focused Life

Dr. RJ (Bobby) Clinton in his masterful work titled, “Strategic Concepts that Clarify a Focused Life,” states the following principles that have proven to be a guiding light for me over the years.

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to
do it, and to teach in Israel statues and judgments.       Ezra 7:10

“Clearly some Bible characters led focused lives.  There was purpose in what they did. Disciplined minds followed through on decisions that continually led to that purpose.  What can we learn about lives that are extremely focused?  Do they just happen?

“Leaders, must make decisions about life and ministry which flow from their understanding of who God has made them to be and for what God is shaping them.  These decisions will lead them to effective purposeful lives, which in retrospect will be seen to have been focused lives.  But it is not a self-seeking individualistic choice of life, but a seeking of what a SOVEREIGN GOD is doing—His purposes.  All of the focused life thinking must be done in light of a strong understanding of the Sovereignty of God.

“What is a focused life?  A focused life is:

• a life dedicated to exclusively carrying out God’s effective purposes through it,
• by identifying the focal issues, that is, the life purpose, effective methodology, major role, or ultimate contribution which allows
• an increasing prioritization of life’s activities around the focal issues, and
• results in a satisfying life of being and doing.

“Dedicated usually indicates that there was some sort of second decision beyond just being a Christian.  That decision places all that the leader is or has at God’s disposal to be used by and for God.  From that moment on, the leader is on a pilgrimage to discover God’s special purposes, that is, a personal destiny with God.

“Life purpose, effective methodology, major role, or ultimate contribution are called the focal issues.  That is, they are the major ways that God will reveal that for which we are designed.  In a nutshell, life purpose is the driving force behind what we do.  Major role is the occupational position from which we accomplish that life purpose.  Effective methodologies are means that are effective for us to deliver our ministry that flows from that life purpose.  And ultimate contributions are the lasting results of that ministry

“It is the discovery of these focal issues, that is, their movement from implicit to explicit, which provides the possibility of prioritization or in other words, proactive decision-making. The earlier we can discover these issues, the earlier we can proactively act upon them. The leader then makes strategic decisions, which take into account the discoveries. In short, they manifest aspects of a focused life.

“Note the final bold-faced words in the focused life definition, a satisfying life of being and doing.  Leaders who discover life purpose and any other focal issue, which synergizes with it, will see things happen in their lives.  They will become people of character.  They will accomplish.  When all is said and done and life is drawing to a close, they can look back and say, “Folks, you are looking at a fulfilled person.  I am happy with the end product of God’s shaping—who I am, what I have become.  I am happy at what God has done through me—what I have done.  Life was worth living.  It has been a fulfilling pilgrimage.  Praise God!” “

How’s your focus?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
13 Apr 2015
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What’s So Bad About Hierarchy?

Much of the ‘prevailing wind’ today in organizational leadership is blowing towards the ‘flat organization’ – that is, the fewer the leadership levels we have in an organizational structure, the better that organization will be able to accomplish the mission or task.  ‘Bureaucracy’ is a bad word which implies sluggishness, bloated and wasteful budgets, unmotivated people, and a lack of creativity or willingness to adapt and change.

While the above characteristics of hierarchy, as presently practiced, are true in many organizations, it does not have to be so.  Hierarchy in and of itself is morally neutral – it’s not good, bad, or purple.  A hierarchical structure is no better or worse than a flat organizational structure that has fewer levels of leadership.  Good leaders within a hierarchical structure can unleash creativity, innovation, spawn organic movement, empower entrepreneurs, and stimulate growth.  The structure is not the issue, but rather those within the structure who are setting direction and making decisions that make it good or bad.

There are two important reasons for hierarchy:  health and complexity.  By ‘health’ we mean the health of the individuals within the organization.  We want those we are leading to thrive under our leadership, not just survive.  Leadership is not just about accomplishing mission together, it is also about caring well for those we lead.  Having a large span of leadership with too many direct reports will not allow us the capacity to truly ‘know well the condition of our flocks’ (see Proverbs 27:23).

With increasing complexity of mission comes the need for more leadership capacity.  A large task, with multiple facets, demands the contribution of many people.  These people need a common purpose, clear vision, doable jobs, and accountability for their contributions.  This oversight is good stewardship and need not be restrictive.  It’s how this leadership is done that is key!

We have an example from King David in 1 Chronicles 27 as we see how he organized his kingdom.  40+ leaders are mentioned with their respective responsibilities – army commanders, family heads, property managers, an executive team, and spiritual advisers all contributed to David’s leadership capacity.   The size and complexity of the kingdom required good leaders with many varied, intersecting responsibilities.

So, the next time we are tempted to criticize hierarchy, let’s pause a moment and think.  Is it the structure or is it the leaders within that structure that makes it a challenge?  Mankind keeps looking for better structures, but God keeps looking for better leaders!  May it begin with us!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
06 Apr 2015

Help! I’m Doing Too Much!

Busyness, fast pace, urgency, and crowded schedules are the hallmarks of the life of a leader.  If you don’t want to be busy, then don’t attempt to lead!  But, there is no glory in flaming out young because of foolishness and unwise choices about lifestyle and priorities.  Decades of contribution lost because of our bad choices do not honor God.

As a young missionary in Indonesia I had the great privilege of escorting the missionary statesman, J.O. Sanders from one end of Java to the other.  That day together talking together marked me for life.  After listening to me for some time share my hopes, dreams, aspirations, and those things that I was not yet doing or desired to do he stopped me.  “Tom,” he said, “I’d like to say something to you.”  Now this was J.O. Sanders!  And he had something he wanted to say to me!  I was all ears.

“Tom, you need to come to grips with the possible!”

Some years later I was beginning a different leadership role back in the U.S.  I asked one of our leaders if he had any advice for me as I launched into this new responsibility.  Immediately he said this, “Tom, a mark of maturity is being able to live with unfinished tasks.”

While both leaders used different words, their message to me was the same.  There will always be more things to do than we have time or energy to do them.  The ‘to-do list’ only grows longer for a leader, seemingly never shorter!  The urgent demands for our attention scream for us to stop immediately and address them, only to be followed by more demands.  What to do?

“Come to grips with the possible!”  Put in a good days work, then lay your head down on the pillow and go to sleep.  Let God be God for you and your responsibilities while you rest.  Those demands (and more) will be waiting for you tomorrow.  Work hard and then lay it down!  Taking your cares to bed at night makes for very fitful and unrefreshing sleep!

The words of Jesus are such a penetrating reminder to all of us who are doing too much:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?          Matthew 6:27

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.          Matthew 6:34

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.          Psalm 127:2

How’s your sleep patterns?  Are you awakening each morning rested or weary from a night of  tossing and turning? Are you able to turn off your mind as it runs to your pressing, urgent issues of life and leadership?  Lay them down at His feet…He is willing and more than able to deal with them, while you get some much-needed rest!

 

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
30 Mar 2015
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Success – A Leader’s Greatest Challenge

In 2 Samuel 8 we read about David and how he handled his success as a leader.  The following are several observations and principles that we can take away and apply to our own leadership should we experience success.

In vs 1-5 we see the listing of David’s initiatives against the Philistines, Moabites, and Arameans.  The results are summarized in verse 6 – The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.  David experienced great success in his military campaigns against the surrounding enemies of Israel.  In fact, he had success in everything that he attempted.

The resulting success of his campaigns led to David becoming wealthy.  Remember that this son of Jesse came from a family that raised sheep for a living.  This new-found wealth came quickly and could have turned the heart of a lesser man.  But we see David’s response in vs 11 – King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued… 

His successful military campaigns and growing wealth led to the seemingly inevitable conclusion as to how he was viewed by others.  In vs 13 we read – And David became famous…  Personal fame for the successful leader is a challenge that many leaders face, just as David had to deal with.

In vs 15 we see how David led after experiencing successful leadership efforts, growing personal wealth, and increased personal fame – David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.  This is one of the reasons why David is a hero of mine.  He seemed to be able to handle success well.

Now immediately we are thinking of his low points in his adultery with Bathsheba or his counting of the army – yes, those were huge mistakes with huge consequences for his life and leadership.  And yet, through it all, he recovered and did not let those personal failings derail him.  He confessed his sin, humbled himself before God and men, and continued to lead.  All failures need not be fatal!

David was real – he had great strengths, also some glaring weaknesses.  Yet through it all he “did what was just and right for all his people.”  How are you handling your success?  Are you stewarding well God’s resources that have come your way due to this success?  What goes on in your heart when people point out your successes or publicly praise you?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
23 Mar 2015

Leading a Change Process

No leader is satisfied with the status quo. All leaders want to bring change. John Kotter in his modern classic, Leading Change (p 21) urges 8 Steps in the Process of Leading Change.

1. Establish a sense of urgency
• Examine performance against goals
• Identify and discuss crises, potential crises, or major opportunities

2. Create a guiding coalition
• Form a group with enough power to lead the change
• Form the group into a team

3. Develop a vision and strategy
• Create a vision to help direct the change effort
• Develop strategies for achieving that vision

4. Communicate the change vision
• Use every vehicle possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategy
• Have your guiding coalition model the expected attitudes and behaviors

5. Empower broad-based action
• Get rid of obstacles to the change
• Change systems or structures that undermine the change vision
• Encourage risk-taking and nontraditional ideas, actions and events

6. Generate short-term wins
• Plan for visible improvements in performance, or “wins”
• Create those wins
• Visibly recognize and reward people who made the wins possible

7. Consolidate gains and produce more change
• Used increased credibility to change all systems, structures and policies that don’t fit together and don’t fit the transformation vision
• Hire, promote and develop people who can implement the change vision
• Reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

8. Anchor new approaches in the culture
• Create better performance by implementing the change initiative
• Articulate the connections between new behaviors and organizational success
• Develop means to ensure leadership development and succession

What change are you currently seeking to bring about? Where are you in relationship to the above eight steps? What do you need to do to move forward in your own change process?

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , ,
02 Feb 2015

Don’t Chase Leadership Fads

General Colin Powell [Chairman (Ret.), Joint Chiefs of Staff] in his work, “A Leadership Primer” describes the following principle:

“Fit no stereotypes.  Don’t chase the latest management fads.  The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.”

When one begins to focus on the subject of leadership you will notice that many are talking about the latest leadership book that they have read.  Through these conversations certain leadership phrases become part of our everyday vocabulary – “get the right people on the bus,” “you have to think systems,” “change management,”EQ,” “be proactive, instead of reactive” – the list is endless.

Now books and their contents are not necessarily bad (I write them myself), but it’s what we do with them that can make them helpful or harmful.  We leaders can get very excited about a new idea or concept from a recent book.  That quote or concept now becomes part of our everyday conversations and we spread that influence among those we lead or interact with indiscriminately.  But often we do so without any sense of context or without thinking carefully  about our audience.  It has been said, “When all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.”

A good leader stewards their influence wisely.  While we may be helped by some thought from a recent read, we should ask ourselves, “Will this truly help this person?  Is it appropriate for them or their leadership context?”  If not, then keep quiet!  Put yourself in their situation and ask yourself what do they need to hear from me that fits them and where they are in their context or stage of development.

Books come and go in their popularity.  Few stand the test of time.  Be careful not to be always chasing the latest leadership fads or what’s trendy.  You will miss the timeless truths and wisdom that comes from the Lord.  Yes, read leadership books and think about what you read.  Don’t just accept it because it’s in print.  Yes, read critically and compare what you read with the Bible.  The Bible is a kingdom leader’s primary textbook on leadership.

The Bible contains ageless leadership principles and wisdom.  The Bible is cross-cultural and cross-generational.  Always share thoughts and insights from God’s Word as the Holy Spirit helps you discern the need of those you are influencing.  Listen carefully to Him and He will guide you.

What have you been talking about recently.  Is it a recent fad or what’s popular?  Or have you been sharing with others God’s truths and His wisdom for leaders?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
26 Jan 2015

Simple or Simplistic?

General Colin Powell [Chairman (Ret.), Joint Chiefs of Staff] in his work, “A Leadership Primer” describes the following principle:

“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.”

Complexity and its accompanying confusion are often challenges for good leadership. The more responsibility one has the greater the challenges one must address. These challenges are frequently very complex with multiple consequences both real and imagined. How does a leader lead with simplicity without becoming simplistic?

A leader must listen carefully to all sides of a complex issue, not jumping too quickly to conclusions or solutions and thinking through possible consequences. It is a must to withhold judgment on a matter, especially for the intuitive leader, until others on the team have weighed in with their thoughts or have had time to input their ideas. Bringing the team to a point of decision together is an art form to be developed. Know your team members and their respective styles and lead accordingly.

Practice speaking is short, concise sentences. Try to use fewer words. Think in terms of memorable sounds bites and share accordingly. Speak in terms of word pictures that can create mental images for others to clarify the complex and make it simpler and memorable.

Beware of becoming overly simplistic on an issue. The simple becomes simplistic when we leave out essential points or ignore key factors. Simple is good….simplistic is bad!

It addressing complexity seek to break the issue into more manageable parts. Address some of the easier parts first to create a sense of progress and momentum on the team so that you can have more confidence when dealing with the more difficult pieces. Work off of the 80/20 rule where 80% of a solution can be enough to move forward, rather than spending a lot of time and energy to hammer out the final 20%.

Are you communicating in a way that leads to simplicity or complexity and confusion? Ask your teammates for some feedback on your communication.

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
12 Jan 2015
8 Comments

Recruiting and Retaining the Best

General Colin Powell [Chairman (Ret.), Joint Chiefs of Staff] in his work, “A Leadership Primer” describes the following principle:

“Organization doesn’t accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”

How does a leader attract and recruit the best people to accomplish great things? Here are several of my thoughts:

1. Ask God to give you people to help you accomplish what He has asked you to do. People are a gift from Him. John 17:6

2. Have a clear and compelling vision that is big enough to grab someone’s attention, challenge their status quo, and attract them to join you in making that vision a reality.

3. Recruit to vision, not activity!

4. Don’t be afraid to ask busy, competent people to join with you in making this a vision come true. Be bold! James 4:2

5. Promise to lead and care for them well. Deliver on your promise.

6. Promise to develop them for contribution, not role or title. Deliver on your promise.

7. Trust that God will sovereignly bring people across your path to help you. 1 Chron. 12:22

8. Ask people to make a decision – does God want you with us or not? What does God want you to do with this decision?

9. Don’t let the decision linger with not deadline. Don’t rush it, but don’t let it go on forever either.

10. Celebrate the person’s response. If with you – great! If God has said no to this offer –great! We only want what God wants for you!

Are you asking God for the best possible people or are you simple looking for anyone with a pulse? Ask Him to give you His best!

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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