Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “development”

01 Dec 2014

Developing More Leaders – REPRODUCE

We continue to reflect upon a good way to organize our understanding of the complex subject of leadership.  Using the simple outline of Know – Be – Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership.  Today we will address the category of “Reproduce – Developing More Leaders.”

An essential part of your leadership is to multiply more leaders.  Yes, we must accomplish mission and task, but don’t overlook the very important task of leaving behind more leaders.  Be intentional about developing those leaders on your team to ensure the are reaching their potential for contribution.

Some leaders are so personally insecure that they avoid developing those on their team.  They see their team member’s development as a threat to their leadership, thinking, “If they reach their potential, they could take my role and then what would I do?”

The reality is that all leadership is temporary.  We lead for a while and then transition our leadership to another.  We can make this transition healthy and positive by intentionally planning our transition.  Or we can ignore it and wait until a crisis occurs and then leave the work ill-prepared for the next leader.

Here’s some practical reminders about developing the leaders on your team.

  1. You don’t personally have to do the development of your team members, just lead your team in their development
  2. Be intentional about your team’s development as a whole and as individual members
  3. Model intentional, individual leader development for your team; set the pace
  4. Make leader development fun and interesting, not a duty!
  5. Make sure that the Scriptures are central in your team’s leader development
  6. Reading a book or and article on leadership together as a team and then discussing how it might be applied in your context is an easy way to lead your team in development
  7. Bring in outside resources (people and tools) to help your team grow and develop
  8. Development is a part of your regular team meetings, but can become a focus for an extended team retreat
  9. Have your team members set 6-month personal development goals related to their development as a leader and then hold them accountable for them
  10. Remember to keep this question before your team – “Development for what?”  Their personal leader development and the development of your team is to help you all accomplish your God-given mission or task.

Are you being intentional about your personal leader development?  Are you leading your team in development?

 

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , ,
24 Nov 2014

What a Leader Does – DO

We continue to reflect upon a good way to organize our understanding of the complex subject of leadership.  Using the simple outline of Know – Be- Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership.  Today we will address the category of “Do – What a Leader Does.”

1. Leading and your family

Offices in the home can create unusual stresses

  • Regarding your spouse when your both are at home – respect each others ‘turf’ when working at home
  • Put in a good day’s work; discipline yourself to focus and stay on task
  • Set ‘office hours’ when working at home and actually do your work during these times as planned

Love your kids and help them love God and God’s work

  • Involve your children in prayer for people in the ministry
  • Have people in your home as guests and ask your guests to tell stories to your kids about their walk and experiences with God
  • Give your kids responsibilities at ministry activities, when appropriate – it can be as simple as greeting people at the door or serving refreshments
  • Build a positive identity and a sense of ‘being special’ because they are children of a staff who is serving in this ministry
  • Avoid building a child-centered home – see Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30

2. Leading meetings

Learn to lead a better meeting!

  • Meetings are a part of organizational leadership, so learn to lead good ones!
  • A nice outline for setting meeting agendas is to remember that good meetings have 3 parts – ‘business,’ development, relationships
  • Leading your team in development does not mean you have to be the development expert – just bring some intentionality to this function and lead your team in seeing that all are being developed

Have fun together with your team!

  • Don’t be so serious all the time!
  • If you are not creative at having fun, ask as team member to lead the team in this area with your oversight

Set realistic agendas and schedule with a margin when you lay out the meeting plans

Help others accomplish their work by including them in your meeting plans, but remember that it is your meeting, not their meeting

Be sensitive to time zone changes for those who travel, need for  regular breaks, free time, recreation needs, individual sleep patterns (individual rooms for those who snore?), and personal dietary needs

3. Increase your leadership capacity

Work with an administrative assistant

  • A good assistant will greatly increase you capacity to lead
  • Personal chemistry is very important in your ability to work together with your admin assistant
  • Know what you need and want in an assistant before selecting the person
  • Do you want someone to keep you organized, or are you by design well-organized and you want someone to implement your ideas and plans?
  • Be sure your assistant knows your calendar and schedule so that they can assist others who may need to contact you
  • Keep an on-going Action List with both short-term and long-term action items to be focused on and scheduled when appropriate
  • Review your calendar and Action List weekly with your assistant and update it as needed

4. Additional ‘How To’ Leadership Ideas

  • Seek to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry” from your daily life and schedule
  • Prepare to transition your leadership well – be intentional in the transition and plan ahead; don’t wait to be forced to transition your leadership in a crisis
  • Operate with “Planned Neglect” – you can’t do it all now; so decide what will have to wait in order for you to give your attention and effort the most important things now
Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
17 Nov 2014
4 Comments

The Leader – BE

We continue to reflect upon a good way to organize our understanding of the complex subject of leadership.  Using the simple outline of Know – Be – Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership.  Today we will address the category of “Be – Who a Leader Is.”

1. Develop personal depth

Lead from an overflow of your walk an intimacy with Christ

  • Your intimacy with Christ grows as you spend time with Him in the Scriptures
  • Seek to know God’s ways, not just His actions
  • Develop depth and breadth in the Bible!
  • Bible reading plans can be very helpful – repetition is the key to learning

Read more and read selectively

  • Read and re-read good books!
  • Good books are tested by their continued influence over a long time
  • Read critically – always compare what you read with the Scriptures to insure alignment with Kingdom truth
  • Just because a book is popular today does not mean you should spend your precious reading time on it
  • Often our egos get involved because we want to seem “with it” by saying that we have read the “cool and current” rather than the “tried and true”
  • Create a “To Be Read” bookshelf and a folder for  current articles

We lead more from who we are, rather than from what we know

  • Lead from the inside out!
  • Lead from the strength of your God-given design and gifting
  • Lead from your ‘life messages’ given to you through your life experiences
  • Speak truth to those you lead, but always tempered with love

2. Develop Christlikeness

Be intentional about your character development

  • Leaders are like toothpaste tubes, when you squeeze them, what’s inside comes out!
  • We default to who we are when we are under pressure
  • Foundational areas for Christlike character development – love, humility, integrity, courage
  • Remember ‘The Golden Rule of Leadership’ – “Lead others the way you would want to be led.”  –  see Luke 6:31

3. Recharge your batteries – even the Energizer Bunny runs out of power!

Get some time away from your leadership responsibilities

  • Insure that your daily and weekly schedules have margin
  • Turn off your cell phone – you’re really not that important
  • You don’t have to answer every call immediately – use voice mail to your advantage to maintain your daily work efficiency and flow
  • Limit the number of times you check your email each day – you’re really not that important

Get a life outside of your ministry / work

  • Develop friendships with people outside of your work or ministry circles
  • Recreation and hobbies – know yourself and do what ‘fills your tanks” not what others think or do to fill their tanks
  • Take a break / take a vacation  –  you’re really not that important
  • Push yourself to learn something new!

Lead from an overflow and from a reserve!  How’s your leadership ‘gas gauge?’  Are you running on fumes?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , ,
10 Nov 2014

Leadership Thinking – KNOW

Using the simple outline of Know – Be – Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership.  Today we will address the category of “Know – How a Leader Thinks.”

How we think as leaders directly influences how we act as leaders.  Here are some practical ideas on thinking well as a leader.

1.  Take personal responsibility for your development as a leader
–   Focus on developing your strengths, not weaknesses, unless it’s a ‘career stopper’
–  “Maximize your strengths and staff to your weaknesses.”
–  Find a mentor to help you grow in specific areas
–  Ask them to help you in a specific area for a specific time
–  Guide your learning from them with good questions on topics you are interested in

2. Communication is key to good morale – your morale and those you lead
–  Dwight Eisenhower – “Morale is the greatest single factor in successful warfare.”
–   Ask questions of your leaders – know ‘why’ you’re doing what you’re doing; know the next 6 months events that you will be expected to attend and plan accordingly
–  Keep those you lead informed about upcoming events, organizational changes, personnel changes, etc.
–  Keep your family informed

a. Travel schedules – goals; itineraries; prayer requests for the trip
b. Help your children communicate what you do to others
c. Help your children feel special regarding the ministry of their parents

–  Help your extended family communicate what you do to others
–  When returning from a trip; set some guidelines for communication

a. What will your spouse need to hear from you?
b. When will you debrief and reconnect?
c. How will you re-engage with your children?

3. Relationships are key to the breadth and depth of your influence

–  Spend individual, personal time with those you lead

a. Get individual time at meetings
b. Phone calls without a reason other than to say ‘Hi’ and catch up
c. Birthday cards or personal email notes

–  Visit those you lead in their homes as often as possible
–  Focus on the family, not just the ministry

a. Go with them to family events (i.e. sporting events, school activities)
b. Take the family out for dinner; let them choose the restaurant

–  Get into the Word together
–  Pray together
–  Listen much, talk little; seek to understand, rather than to be understood

a. Be an active listener; give feedback and ask probing questions to really understand what God is doing in their lives

4. Bring intentionality to your leadership

–  Pray, Teach, Model – 3 primary means of influence
–  Never underestimate the power of your own example; you are being watched!
–  Travel with someone – the ‘apprentice model’ for developing others
–  What you speak on or write about is what you will become known for; therefore choose your topics carefully!
–  As a leader you speak at a volume of 2, but are heard at a volume of 10!
–  Be sure you’re setting a spiritual tone for the work of the ministry!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
03 Nov 2014
2 Comments

Organizing Your Leadership Thinking

Leadership is a complex and challenging subject to grasp the whole of the topic.  All one has to do is to look at the shelves of leadership books in the local bookstore to see that few are attempting to address the entire subject.  They each take a slice of broad subject, dissecting their particular piece of interest, but failing to address where this fits within the whole.

Some time ago in a brainstorm session with a colleague we attempted to address the subject of leadership as a whole, breaking the topic down into its major components.  After much thought and debate we came to these four big categories as a way to think about the subject of leadership.

Leadership Outline

  • Leadership Thinking – KNOW
  • The Leader – BE
  • Leading – DO
  • Developing Other Leaders – REPRODUCE

The US Military Academy has some of three of these components in their outline of the subject as described in the book, The West Point Way of Leadership.  Their outline of Know, Be, and Do is a great developmental model for general leader development.  But as Kingdom leaders we must add one additional topic – Reproduce.

By looking at the perfect Kingdom leader, Jesus, we now see the complete outline of the subject of leadership and leader development.  Jesus spent a great deal of His leadership developing the next generation of leaders who would carry on the movement after He was gone.  It is the responsibility of Kingdom leaders to develop more leaders.

As you think about your own development as a leader you will want to focus on these four general areas of leader development.  As you think about developing other leaders you will also want to think about these four areas.

When mentoring another leader often their felt need is for leadership skill development.  Perhaps the main reason for this felt need is the fact that new leadership responsibility often comes with deadlines.  Thus the pressure to grow in a previously unknown skill to meet our deadline.  That’s why the bookshelves are full of ‘how-to’ leadership topics, for the authors are often addressing the felt needs of the readers.

While leadership skills are important, we must not neglect the other three areas of a leader’s development.  We can have wonderful leadership skills, for example, but no character to support them and end up with tyrants or dictators.  All four areas are necessary for good leaders and leadership.

How’s your thinking about leadership?  Can you point to the gospels and identify where Jesus demonstrated these four areas of leadership?  Can you also see where He addressed these same areas as He developed The Twelve?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Oct 2014

Self-Development for Leaders

Alan Andrews, former US President of The Navigators put together a helpful outline for some how-to’s in self-development.  Here’s his thoughts with my additions in brackets.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOURSELF IN A GIVEN AREA
by  Alan Andrews

A.   Identify your areas of need.

B.   Prioritize areas of need.

C.   Make self-development an integral part of your lifestyle.

D.   Plan self-development over six-month blocks.

E.   Identify the key area of self-development that the Spirit of God is indicating to you.

F.   Pray constantly that God would enlighten your mind and heart.

G.   Delegate research to interested individuals.  [This assumes that you have an executive assistant or someone working with you than is available to do this research.]

H.   Try to obtain a mentor in a particular area of development.

I.   Use the Bible as your primary source and authority.  [Kingdom leaders need a biblical leadership grid from which to operate and evaluate other leadership input.]

1.  Identify the number of times key words are used
2.  List the verses in order of appearance in Scripture, writing out each passage
3.  Identify key verses and passages
4.  Outline key verses and passages
5.  List key observations
6.  Cross-reference to other passages [to develop depth]
7.  Do word studies to discover various word meanings [be sure to study words in the original languages]
8.  Read outside material on the subject  —  both secular and Christian
9.   Check with  your mentor [for suggestions on resources or help in your development]
10.  Review your study asking new questions
11.   State your overall conclusions

J. Draw on resources of experts, churches and other organizations.

K. Keep your development always in line with the aim of your calling.

L. Don’t strive to master everything you read. Read to generally identify crucial points in your overall purpose.

M. Develop a consistent pattern of thought.

1. Concept first
2. Content second
3. Personal application third (tell them what you thought, not what you’re thinking)
4. Apply cautiously on an organizational basis

N. If experience does not vindicate your study, go back to the drawing board.  [Be humble enough to admit you were wrong; and today always acknowledge that this is what you understand at this stage of your development.]

O. Once your development has the confirmation of experience, of your co-laborers and of the peace of God, then begin to package your material for communication purposes.

P. Exercise leadership in the area of development.

1. Oversight
2. Shepherd
3. Develop

Q. Always add or change information as the Lord gives new insight. [Be a life-long learner.]

R. Always maintain balance of communicating your convictions and keeping a humble, open mind to other points of view.  There is still plenty of room to grow.

Are you being intentional about your own development as a leader.  Just because you are gaining experience does not necessarily translate into you becoming a better leader.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , ,
06 Oct 2014

Rewards for Service

The Bible has a lot to say about rewards for faithful and good service.  While salvation is a free gift, Jesus does take note of our service and will reward us for it.  It does appear that rewards can be lost as well due to unfaithfulness.  Again we note that rewards can be lost, not salvation.

The following is a Bible study on the subject of rewards.  Reflect on the passages and seek to find application for your leadership regarding recognizing and rewarding those you are leading.

REWARDS FOR SERVICE

1. Salvation vs. Rewards

Salvation a free gift, not worked for; results in eternal life and forgiveness of sins; through faith – Eph. 2:8-9
available to all – Jn. 3:16
never can be lost – Jn. 10:27-30

Rewards awards given for service to God; distributed in heaven; available only to Christians; can be lost

 

2. Rewards

Matthew 16:27  –  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

• based upon the work we have done

1 Cor. 3:8  –  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

• based upon our labor (planting and watering)

1 Cor. 3:14  –  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

• based upon the quality of our work

2 Cor. 5:9-10  –  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

• based upon living a life pleasing to God

Col. 3:23-24  –  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

• is an inheritance from the Lord based upon working with a whole heart

Hebrews 11:6  –  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

• based upon seeking God earnestly

Rev. 11:18  –
The nations were angry;
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great–
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

• given to the Lord’s servants and prophets

Rev. 22:12  –  “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

• based upon what we have done

 

3. Examples of Work That Will be Rewarded

Matthew 6:1-6  –  for acts of righteousness done with pure motives: giving to the needy and secret prayer

Matthew 6:16-18  –  for righteous acts with pure motives: fasting

Matthew 10:41-42  –  given for showing kindness and hospitality

Luke 6:35  –  for loving your enemies; being kind to the ungrateful and wicked

1 Cor. 3:8  –  for evangelizing (planting) and discipling (watering)

 

4. Rewards Can Be Lost

1 Cor. 3:10-15  –  lost because of poor quality of service

2 John 1:8  –  lost because we are deceived by false teachers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ

Rev. 3:11  –  lost for not enduring during a time of trial

 

Is there someone you are leading who needs some recognition or reward for a job well done?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Sep 2014

Moving On to What’s Next

Here’s a second conversation with Lorne Sanny in March 2003 – this topic was on Moving On to a New Leadership Role.

Many make the mistake of rushing to what’s next
o They don’t like to live with the ambiguity of not knowing what they do
o It’s like wading across a stream – don’t rush; take one step at a time
o Hebrews 11:8 – Abraham did not know where he was going when he left

Delayed gratification is key attitude
o It’s about contribution first, then organizational issues second

Don’t be afraid of pursuing dead ends
o Not every road is the right road the first time

Many are so driven to production that they can’t wait to get on with something else
o Rest and hope in the Lord – Ps. 130:5
o Walk with God day by day – Ps. 61:8

Consider your responsibility to your family at this stage of life
o Grandparents role – Ps. 128:6

  •  “see” means get to know your grandchildren
  •  Doesn’t mean that an international assignment is wrong if you have grandchildren
  • But if live away from them, be all there for them when you furlough or are with them
  • It’s the little times together that can really make a difference in their lives

Be sure to give the new leader who follows you “space”

Restrain yourself from offering your advice and opinions after you leave (unless asked)

Don’t “overstay your welcome” as a leader
o Know and determine when to leave your role to another
o Don’t wait until you have to be asked to leave!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Sep 2014

Knowing God’s Will

Leaders are often asked for advice and counsel regarding decisions that others are making.  They want to do what is right and know God’s plan for their life.  Here’s a simple outline for advising others on how to find the will of God.  Knowing how to discern God’s will for ourselves and finding His pathway forward can be challenging for us all. With so many options and competing voices, the cacophony can be distracting or confusing at best. How can we know His will for us as we seek to lead others?
The Lord generally uses five means to guide us as we go forward along His path. While He can and does on occasion use other “spectacular” means (angels, visions, dreams, burning bush, pillar of fire, a speaking donkey), these five means are most often used to guide us.
#1   The Word of God – God will use His Word, the Bible, to guide us. It can be as objective as a command or as subjective as a personal promise. But He will never lead us in a way that would contradict His revealed Word.    Psalm 119:105
#2   Personal Peace – When we pray about our situation His Spirit who dwells within us will confirm with our spirit that we are on the right path. This does not mean that we will have all the answers for our questions or that we may not be anxious in wondering how it will all work out. But there will be quietness within our soul that He is leading us.    Isaiah 30:21
#3   Wise Counsel – As we seek counsel from others God will speak through them to help us discern His will. We are reminded that in the abundance of counselors there is much wisdom. Therefore, we are looking for a general consensus from those we ask for counsel. And we choose counsel from those who are more mature in the Lord than we are and hopefully those who want God’s best for us.    Proverbs 15:22
#4   Critical Thinking – Dawson Trotman said, “God gave you a lot of leading when He gave you a brain. So use it!” We are taught not to “lean on your own understanding,” not “don’t use your own understanding.” I’ll often make a pro-contra or plus-minus list regarding the advantages and disadvantages I can see when making a major decision.    Proverbs 3:5-6
#5   Circumstances – The Lord can direct through open as well as closed doors. But just because there is an open door it does not mean that we are expected to walk through it. Our adversary can also open doors of opportunity to get us off track. Paul was directed by God on his second missionary journey by running into three closed doors until he finally arrived in Troas and in a vision directed to Europe.    Acts 18
So what can we conclude? God wants us to know His will. He planned it and designed us to accomplish it. Thus He will direct us if we ask Him. The key is our willingness to obey and do His will. Romans 12:1-3 confirms that we will know His will if we are willing to do it.  And God being God, He has no trouble communicating. These five means will align and point to a common destination. We will know His path for us; that’s not the problem. The challenge is in following the path. For God’s path usually involves faith and often sacrifice and those can scare us.

Are you searching for His pathway for you? Or perhaps you already know His desire for you, but you’ve not yet yielded to that guidance. It’s time to step up and step out by faith and follow Him!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
18 Aug 2014
2 Comments

The Traveling Leader

The thrill of looking out the airplane window long ago disappeared. It seems like all the fun has gone out of traveling by air, and now what we can look forward to is getting off the plane as soon as possible. But many leaders have to travel. Leading a geographically dispersed team can involve frequent air or land travel. Here’s some ideas on how to travel and lead well.

 Limit your overnight travel when your children are young. The demands of parenting when the kids are young are such that frequent overnight travel can be overwhelming for the parent left behind. As Kingdom leaders need reminding that our greatest contribution and lasting legacy can be through our children (and grandchildren).

 Help the family celebrate your trip with special events while you’re away. When you do travel, seek to make it a special occasion with special treats and activities if possible. That way, your leaving can become something to look forward to, not something to dread.

 Be all there when you return home. Remember, the trip ends the day after you return. You’ve been away serving others, giving yourself wholeheartedly to them. And now you return home and need to recharge and catch up on what’s happened while you’ve been away. If not careful this can lead to a passivity at home when you return or a distractedness, instead of continuing that servanthood and applying it to your spouse and children who have been anxiously waiting for your return.

 Take notes to remember key observations and experiences and debrief with your spouse when you return from a trip. With today’s technology you can keep current in most places through phone, texting, or email. Be intentional about keeping your lives integrated and not separate. But realize that the level a detail shared depends upon your spouse’s desire and perhaps confidentiality issues.

 For longer trips be wise in how tightly you fill the days. As a general rule consider breaking the days into three parts – morning, afternoon, and evening. Schedule two of the three parts and keep one part open for recharge and personal time. Schedule breaks within your trips so that you can take an entire day off for some mental or physical activity that you find refreshing.

 Take a To Be Read file with you on a trip. I’m often sent articles or resources recommended for me to read. I’ll print them out and place them into a To Be Read file that goes with me when I travel. As I read, I toss and lighten the load in my briefcase.

Traveling well is an art and requires you to know yourself well. What makes you most effective when you are out of your routine at home? You and your family are paying a large price to travel so you will want optimize this effort. Don’t waste this opportunity nor neglect your family responsibilities either. Be wise!

 

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

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