Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “kingdom leaders”

Leaders and Love

In March 2003 I had the opportunity to interview Lorne Sanny regarding the topic of Leaders and Love.  The following are my notes from that insightful conversation.

Love means we freely accept others just as they are

o Acceptance is a matter of the heart
o People know whether you love / accept them or not

Love means we always seek their highest good

o This does not mean we tolerate sin
o It does mean we speak the truth to them – Jn. 8 (woman caught in adultery)

Love means we think of others before we think of ourselves

o When returning from a trip, take a walk around the office; not to tell them about your experiences, but to find out how they are doing

Love means we always seek to affirm and encourage others

o Public affirmation goes a long way
o “Praise in public, correct in private”
o “God never gives a hard message to a hard heart to deliver.”
o Affirmation is like making deposits into a bank account, for we know that we will have to make withdrawals (corrections, rebuke) in the future

Love means we give people feedback on how they are doing

o Progress reviews, not performance reviews
o Performance means the work is already finished
o Progress implies work is in progress and we can still affect the outcome
o With my own team sought to do progress review every 3 months
o With international leaders it was once a year
o Based upon agreed upon goals, outcomes, or “focus items”
• Some personalities don’t like goals – use “focus items”
o Have them evaluate themselves by asking questions
• Many are harder on themselves than we would be, so we can affirm them and bring true perspective to them
• “The imagination is often worse than the realization”
o “Is there anything I can do to help you accomplish your goals?”
• “What do you need to accomplish this?”
o End the reviews by asking, “Is there anything you want to say to me?”
o On difficult issues, help them think by asking questions
o Don’t use progress reviews to correct problems!  Do that on day-to-day basis.
o Evaluation – Romans 14:17-18 – outline for progress reviews

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!

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!

 

How Many Apples in the Seed?

The question is not how many seeds are in the apple, but rather how many apples are in the seed? It’s a matter of perspective and vision. Vision sees the potential of the multiple apples that can come from one seed that is planted and nurtured to the point of maturity. And not only that one apple tree from that one seed, but true vision sees orchards of apple trees that can come from a single seed given enough care and time.

Leaders with vision see the current reality and also the future reality that they are seeking to create. They see what is and what is not yet. The future that they see they see by faith knowing that unless God intervenes then it will not be realized.

Vision differs from dreams or fantasies. Vision can see how, by the grace and empowering of God, our current reality becomes the future. Dreams or fantasies hope for that future, but have no connection or pathway from the present to the hoped for future state.

Vision needs to be big enough to attract and recruit resources (people and money), but not so big that it is immediately dismissed by others who hear of it because it seems impossible, outlandish, or unattainable.

Vision casting is both an art and a science. What to share when talking of our vision is the science of vision casting. It must include enough information to answer anticipated questions before they are asked. It must not include so much detail that it bores those who are interested. How leaders share their vision for the future is an art in that sharing too much too soon can overwhelm some, while understating the vision can lack sufficient motivation or inspiration to attract the necessary resources.

Jesus cast vision when recruiting His initial four disciples – Andrew, Peter, James, and John. He had already spent a year with them (John 1-4) getting to know them and they getting to know Him. They had visited His home, seen him change water into wine, talk with a Samaritan woman at a well, and engage Nicodemus in conversation about eternal life. Now He comes to them and asks them to leave their vocation (fishing) and join Him. He lays out for them a vision of a future state. He says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:14ff).

Did these men fully understand this vision? Probably not. But they did have enough of a context and an understanding to make a very important decision. They left their home and vocation in order to pursue Jesus and this vision together.

How’s the clarity of your vision? Can you share it in such a way that it is clear, succinct, and compelling to others around you?

Foolish Leadership

It was Lorne Sanny who said, “Leaders bring vision, faith, and courage to coordinated effort.” There is a fine line between faith and foolishness and the consequences for one’s leadership can be devastating.

Leading out of foolishness has several origins. Foolish leaders lead out of presumption. They assume that since it worked before then it will work now. Or they assume that because God was with us in a similar endeavor before, then surely He will be with us in this current situation.

Foolish leadership plans and acts according to what is seen instead of what is unseen. We fix our eyes on the visible instead of trusting in the invisible God to guide and direct our leadership (see 2 Cor. 4:18). We plan according to known resources instead of seeking God’s will for us and then trusting Him to provide the resources needed to accomplish what He is asking us to do.

Foolish strategic plans do not have any faith goals or “stretch” that will require the hand of God in order to be accomplished. They look at needs and apply people to fill jobs instead of seeking to align people to best fit opportunities according to their God-given design.

Foolish leaders trust in themselves too much and want to control the outcomes of their leadership. Now control again is not bad in and of itself. But we must answer the question why do we want control. Is it to insure the best we can be for Jesus or is it so that I can insure that I look good to others or perhaps am on some kind of power trip and just want to “micro-manage” others.

Foolish leaders seek the approval of man. They want to be well thought of and liked by others. They do what is expedient for their career moves and cultivate relationships that will pay back dividends for their future.

Leaders who lead from faith can do many of the same things that a foolish leader does, so when viewed superficially they may seem similar. Leaders of faith lead out of presumption, but their presumption is that unless God intervenes and blessing then all of their leadership is of naught. They place themselves in dependent relationship to God as they lead, knowing how absolutely essential He is to their ability to lead well.

Leaders of faith also plan, but their strategies are held in an open hand letting God direct and guide them as He see fit. They plan according to faith, seeking to see what God sees for them in the time horizon they are planning for. They are not limited by what they have, for they trust Him to provide all that they need to finish the work He assigns.

Leaders of faith also want to have some control over outcomes, but this arises from a sense of stewardship of their leadership responsibility before God. They don’t micro-manage others out of a need for power or ego, but rather they set others up for success and trust them to accomplish what they have agreed to.

Finally, leaders of faith seek the approval of God, not man. Their reputation is entrusted to Him who placed them into their leadership role. Relationships are about what can be accomplished together for the glory of God, not what I can personally gain from them.

Foolish leadership or faith leadership…which one best describes yours?

Transitioning Your Leadership

All leaders will transition their leadership. It is not a question of if, but rather when will I hand it to someone else. Having this reality in perspective from the beginning of a leadership role can be very helpful when we come to the end. As Stephen Covey reminds us, “Begin with the end in mind.” Here are some practical reminders that will help ensure that you transition your leadership well to those who come after you.
1. Be intentional about your transition – plan for it.

a. Develop a bench of potential candidates to take your role
b. Expose them to tasks and people that will prepare them to lead in your place.
c. Include them in problem solving and discussions that will stretch them and get them out of their comfort zones.

2. Make the selection for your replacement far enough in advance so that you can overlap some and coach the new leader for a period of time.

a. Don’t make this overlap too long and be sure to give the new leader lots of ‘room’ to lead and make changes.
b. Make this timeline clear from the beginning and then exit the stage.
c. Give them freedom to make whatever personnel or system changes that they see are needed. And don’t get upset when they do bring change to things that you held near and dear. You are no longer the leader!

3. Position your replacement for success by not only giving them the title or role, but also give them the authority to lead.

a. A visible ceremony where the title and authority is passed from the old leader to the new is a very helpful reminder to all that “the old has gone and the new has come.”
b. Note that when God transitioned the leadership of Israel from Moses to Joshua, there was a commissioning ceremony in front of the leadership community led by Eleazar the priest. Note too that this commissioning ceremony was God’s idea and that it was done before Moses’ death. See Numbers 27:22-23.
c. Position yourself to be a counselor and coach for a period of time. You can act as one who provides context and background, even advice (if asked for).

4. Move on! Don’t linger, but rather trust God for what’s next!

a. We talk about the importance of finding our identity in being a servant of God and not in our leadership role or title. The test will come when we are transitioning to some other leader.
b. Do we cling to our leadership role or freely give it away to another? Do we demand a lateral or upward organizational move or can we submit to another’s leadership and follow them (even if perhaps they were your direct report previously)?

So who are those candidates that you are intentionally grooming to take your spot? Is that something that excites you or threatens / unsettles you? Kingdom leaders are givers, not takers!

Leading from the Promises of God – Part 2

Kingdom leadership is a leadership of faith.  While it can be said that those who don’t lead in the Kingdom also must exercise faith, their faith is founded in something other than God.  It may be experience, resources, skills or something else.  But we who lead in the Kingdom find our faith rooted in the promises of God.

Within the Scriptures we can find both general promises, for all people at all time, and those specific personal promises that are for our own life and leadership.  J.O. Sanders reminds us of this regarding a promise from God, “A promise by God is a pledge by God. It provides the warrant and forms the basis of the prayer of faith. The stability of a promise rests upon the character and resources of the One who makes it, even as the value of a cheque depends on the probity and resources of the one who signs it. The character and fidelity of God vouch for the credibility of the promises He makes.”

God sometimes gives to individuals specific promises that relate to their own unique situations at a certain time. The Holy Spirit impresses these special passages of Scripture upon our hearts and we have an inner assurance that this is part of His special leading in our lives. The immediate context of the passage may refer to another person, place or time, but we hear God’s voice speaking to our heart concerning our current situation.

Though such personal promises are a means of God revealing and confirming His will to us, we must always remember that this is a very subjective process. “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9) and as such we are capable of reading into certain passages of Scripture what we want to see. We can deceive ourselves, if we are not careful.

Again, Sanders encourages us, “But promises must be distinguished from facts. We accept a stated fact of God’s Word, but we plead a promise. When God proclaims a fact, faith accepts and acts upon it. When God makes a promise, we comply with its conditions, claim its fulfillment and receive the promised favour. The function of the prayer of faith is to turn God’s promises into facts of experience. The patriarchs through faith obtained the fulfillment of God’s promises (Hebrews 11:33), and turned them into personal experience.”

Leading from the Promises of God – Part 1

Kingdom leadership is a leadership of faith.  While it can be said that those who don’t lead in the Kingdom also must exercise faith, their faith is founded in something other than God.  It may be experience, resources, skills or something else.  But we who lead in the Kingdom find our faith rooted in the promises of God.

Here’s a reminder from Charles Spurgeon regarding Scriptural promises/  “A promise of God may very instructively be compared to a check payable to order. It is given to the believer with the view of bestowing upon him some good thing. It is not meant that he should read it over comfortably, and then have done with it. No, he is to treat the promise as a reality, as a man treats a check. He is to take the promise, and endorse it with his own name, by personally receiving it as true. He is by faith to accept it as his own. He sets to his seal that God is true, and true as to this particular word of promise. He goes further and believes that he has the blessing in having the sure promise of it, and therefore he puts his name to it to testify to the receipt of the blessing.

“This done, he must believingly present the promise to the Lord, as a man presents a check at the counter of the bank. He must plead it by prayer, expecting to have it fulfilled. If he has come to heaven’s bank at the right date, he will receive the promised amount at once. If the date should happen to be further on, he must patiently wait till its arrival; but meanwhile he may count the promise as money, for the bank is sure to pay when the due time arrives.

“Some fail to place the endorsement of faith upon the check, and so they get nothing; others are slack in presenting it, and these also receive nothing. This is not the fault of the promise, but of those who do not act with it in a common-sense, business-like manner.”

Charles Spurgeon
Faith’s Checkbook, a collection of God’s promises for daily use

Mentoring Others for Their Development

6 Reminders for Helping Others Create Goals and Development Plans

As we think of helping others create their personal goals and development plans, one of the first thoughts that should enter our minds is this:  What’s the purpose of this exercise?  Remembering the adage – always begin with the end in mind – we are instructed to ask ourselves, “What’s the desired outcome of these plans?”  Once that’s clearly defined, then the actual plans themselves are more easily identified.

The more specific the outcomes articulated, the more specific the plans can be to help accomplish them.  For example, a poor outcome would be, “to grow in Christlike character.”  Not that this is a bad overall objective, but a better outcome might look like, “to grow in Christlike humility.”  Note the sharper focus.  Now the plans on how to actually work intentionally on growing in humility will naturally flow out of this outcome.

A second reminder on setting goals and plans is that they must have a specified time period (time horizon) for their accomplishment.  In the collegiate context, we normally think in terms of semesters or summer breaks.  In the marketplace we think more along the lines of fiscal years or calendar years.  Knowing the time frame for accomplishing the goals again makes it easier to determine what realistically can be accomplished during the time allotted.

A third reminder is that as we help others in setting these goals, the outcomes must be agreed upon from the beginning of the time period.  If we do not have agreement on the outcomes, then, when it comes time for evaluation or feedback related to accomplishment, we will have major problems.  There should be no surprises on what was expected because from the beginning both parties agreed upon what the desired outcomes were.  Now we can objectively look at the facts of what really got accomplished during the time determined.  Did we hit the mark, overshoot, or undershoot?

A fourth reminder is to help others set realistic goals.  Many of us have over-zealous ambitions (ideas) on what we think we can get done in a given time period.  We too often shoot for the moon and barely hit the ceiling!   Helping others create goals and objectives that are realistic, allowing some margin for obstacles and unexpected challenges along the way, is part of the art of leadership.  Some may have to be challenged to stretch a little more than they are comfortable with, perhaps fearing failure more than stepping out in faith.  Again, the art of helping them put more stretch, growth, faith, etc. in their goals is an art, not a science.

Fifth, whatever goals or plans we finally settle on, remember that, “Man plans his ways, but God directs his steps.”  Plans and goals are simply tools to help us live more fruitful and obedient lives as we follow Christ.  They are not to master us, but rather serve us as we live day-to-day.  We must be careful that we don’t become slaves to our plans.  Plans are great servants, but poor masters!

Finally, remember to follow through on a period of feedback when the time period is finished.  As a mentor, it does not help the development of others if I don’t review with them their accomplishments after the time period is up.  This review should be one of overall affirmation, with few surprises.  Any shortfalls should have been highlighted along the way, not waiting until the end of the time to communicate dissatisfaction or failure.  If the goals were specific enough to begin with, then the outcomes should be self-evident.  In the case of shortfalls, we’ll need to discuss the “whys” and how to avoid them in the future, as well as lessons learned through the experience.

Creating goals and development plans are helpful for living focused and fruitful lives for the King.  Develop the habit and seek to help others do the same.  You’ll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish for His glory!

Solitude in the Ministry

Here’s another great reminder for busy leaders from my “archive.”

Taking it From the Top
Moody Monthly – May 1991     Dr. Wayne Hopkins

Each of us regularly needs solitude, especially those in the ministry. At least one day a week you and I, individually, must get away. Normally, Sunday is not that day! For those in the ministry, it is a battle day.

In light of what a typical servant of God routinely faces and in order to remain calm in heart and gentle in spirit, a full day with God alone every week seems to be a minimum. Streams of living water do not pour forth from barren and burned places.

Life presses on us, leaving us alarmed in heart and hard in spirit. ”The length of our days is 70 years–or 80, if we have the strength–yet their span is but trouble and sorrow; for they pass quickly, and we fly away” (Ps 90:10).

American culture structures against one literally taking a day in seven for rest and reflection. The corporate world believes, as do some hard-working Christians, that any form of “shut-down-time” is sloth and dawdle. But alcoholism, deception, divorce, superficiality, and ulcers rank high among these same folks.

Solitude, found in isolation, has several components. One, the day must be one of studying the Scriptures (Deut 17:18-20; Ezra 7:10). A soul weary with sorrow is strengthened with God’s Word (Ps 119:28). A brief quiet time, even observed every day, has never been enough.

Two, the day of solitude is constructed with stillness (Ps 37:17; 46:10). Such a day probably impossible to attain by a neurotic American, or by a guilt-driven believer, is characterized by a moratorium on activity (Ps 4:4): no chores, errands, phone calls, or TV (Isa 30:15).

Three, quietness is required (Lev 10:3). Sitting still for some does not eliminate noise. But the radio, music, Walkman, even mental racket must go. For in the long hush, not in the loud hurry, we learn about God (Ecc 5:1-7; Jer 17:19-29). Only privacy provides the silence needed for God to re-order my life, bashed and sapped from six days of mauling (Prov 17:1; Lam 3:25-33).

Four, waiting for God with patience is mandatory (Ps 5:3; 130:5-6). The rude, robust, and righteous person chafes at lingering in God’s presence for any period longer than a 30-second church prayer (Hos 8:4; 10:12-13). For a society that measures Olympic races in hundredths of a second, a full day can be an eternity. However, the barbarian heart which undercuts God’s kingdom naturally jeers at any apparent dilly-dallying or wasting of time by reposing before God (Ps 131:2; Isa 8:17).

Not uncharacteristically, Moses waited, not only 40 days on two occasions, but six days on another (Ex 24:15-18); Ezekiel tarried seven (Ezek 3:15-16); and Jesus fasted 40 (Mt 4:2). Frequently, God’s servants–e.g. Job, Abraham, Jeremiah, Elijah, Daniel, John the Baptist, and Paul–logged days in seclusion. The willingness to wait, both before Him and for Him, displays courtesy, faith, and dependency (Isa 30:18, 33:2; 40:31). Personal and work-related mission, passion, and creativity surface and flame in those hours.

Five, meditation is an absolute (Ps 1:2; 119:27). Pondering deeply the nature and the ways of God takes not only time and serenity but controlled thinking. Totally unknown to anxious Americans addicted to action, speed, work, and noise, meditation is the only vista whereby I can meet with Him (Ps 119:15,23,27,48,55,62,78,97,148; Isa 57:11). While we praise God loudly in music and testimony, we learn about Him in silence-free from distractions-as we mentally and calmly dwell on Him (Ps 86:1-17; Prov 22:17-21; Lk 10:38-42).

Six, fasting follows next (Ps 35:13). The discipline of fasting, not originally initiated for hefty American pastors or missionaries, decreases the clutter and static for the day’s devotion and, in turn, enhances solitude (Ps 69:10; 109:24). Never intended to be routine or ritualistic (Isa 58:1-14; Mt 6:16-18) or even a total abstinence, fasting portrays an inward awe for God which is particularly appropriate at critical decision times (Ezra 8:21-23;Acts 13.1-3). To consult truly with God over heavy matters in life, one’s inner contriteness and brokenness are matched by an outer withdrawal from daily routines. Jesus directed that fasting would be fitting after His departure and during His absence (Mt 9:14-15).

Seven, a prayer response to what God shows one in secret is expected (Job 42:5-6; Isa 6:5). Confession qualifies me for further illumination regarding God’s truth, whether about Him or me (Josh 9:14; 1 Ch 10:14; 15:13; 2 Ch 16:12). Some devotees ask to be taught how to pray. But as God teaches solitude and these disciplines of the soul which compose it, prayer is a natural reaction to what He discloses. Prayer without revelation is vain religion.

As serious Christians today with a penchant for action, we are impressed with David’s valor in defeating Goliath. We puzzle over how he did it, perhaps failing to notice that as a shepherd he received his boldness for the battle not from the frenzy of the freeway but from the solitude of a sheep meadow (1 Sam 17:34-37). God loves shepherds. They are known for their solitude.

Busyness is normative for leaders.  If you don’t want a busy life, then don’t lead!  But the busyness of leadership is no excuse for spending time with the King in quiet reflection, meditation, and prayer.  When’s your next time of solitude with the King?

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