Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “leader development”

29 Jun 2015

Living with and Eternal Value System

What will it take to find a generation of God’s people who will live for the summit of God’s best? It will begin with individual believers who base their lives on eternal rather than temporal values. It will take believers who are so convinced about the reality of life in heaven that this world’s pleasures will not be able to grip their lives. It will begin with an eternal value system in the believer’s life.

Both the seen and unseen world have values. Individuals adopt these values and life’s choices are based upon them. This world places value on such things as youth and physical beauty, intelligence and education, the accumulation of money and physical goods, personal power and position, and self-gratification.

The world to come says that this world and its values will soon pass away. In the world to come we will all be given new bodies that don’t age or deteriorate (1 Cor. 15:35-58), we will know even as we are known (1 Cor. 13:9-12), there will be rewards for faithful service (1 Cor. 3:5-15), and we will reign with Christ forever (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 22:1-5).

Those believers with an eternal value system will have a pilgrim’s mentality. They will view this life as temporary, a brief interlude on the way to eternity forever with Jesus. They are only passing through this world on the way to a better life. The time given for this temporal life will be used for God’s glory, always with the eternal end in view. Decisions in this life will reflect the reality of the eternal life we await.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Jesus reminds us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be (Matthew 6:21).  Where’s your treasure?  Where’s your heart?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , ,
01 Jun 2015
5 Comments

Leaders and Crisis

Life and leadership bring crisis moments whether we are expecting them or not. They just happen! This reality should prepare us to address them when they show up. But we are often taken by surprise when a crisis interrupts our plans. Crises are not something to be dreaded, but rather embraced.

The following are several thoughts on how to face up to your next leadership crisis:
1. Adjust your attitude! This current crisis is an opportunity for your personal growth as a leader as you address this latest ‘disaster.’ Rather than fearing this crisis, embrace it and look for the Lord to help you not only conquer the problem, but also turn this into a hidden blessing.

2. Move towards it now! It will not solve itself! If ignored, it will probably grow worse, bigger, more ominous, or ripple out to influence more people. Just as David ran towards Goliath (see 1 Sam. 17:48), move towards this threat and engage!

3. Do not delegate your problems to someone else on your team. Others can ‘smell’ that kind of lack of courage or unwillingness to deal with something that is messy.

4. While not delegating the crisis to another, loop in some others for help. You continue to run point on the crisis, but by bring in others for help they too will grow from the experience and their contributions will often help bring about a better solution than if you handled it all yourself.

5. Look for the best solution to the problem, not just the quickest or easiest. One practical discipline that I have tried to develop in this area of problem solving is to force myself to come up with several possible solutions, not just one. But doing this I am often pushing myself to think more deeply or broadly to different, more creative ways to solve the issue. The final action is often some combination of several possible solution scenarios.

6. Expect God to help you. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you (Mat. 28:20). Look to Him in the midst of seeking a way forward. The prayer of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 20:12 is instructive, “Lord… we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

7. When the crisis abates, and it will, be sure to give thanks for deliverance from the current mess. An ungrateful spirit is disappointing to others serving with you and revealing about our hubris as if we were the ones who really solved the issue.
Crises come and crises go. Your either in the midst of one right now or one is coming soon. Get ready! One person’s crisis is another person’s ‘opportunity.’

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

Serving God with a Good Attitude

God has a volunteer workforce.  We are all invited to co-labor with Him (see 1 Corinthians 3).  When we ‘raise our hand’ and join up with Him and many other volunteers the key is have a good attitude.  The following are 3 Attitudes of a Spiritual Laborer that make us useful in the Master’s hands.

Attitude #1     Willing to Respond to a Call to Co-Labor

The Lord invites us to join up with Him, but we have the option to choose whether we will serve.  He will accomplish His purposes with us or without us.  It is a privilege to serve with Him.  We were designed for this destiny.

• Personal calling – you will know when He is asking YOU!  –   Moses – Ex 3:4; Samuel – 1 Sam 3:10; Mary – Luke 1
• God can use need or circumstances to call – Paul with the Macedonian vision – Acts 16:9; Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Attitude #2     Willingness to Work Very Hard

Volunteering for Jesus is hard work!  It requires serving others who will frequently no be grateful.  It requires perseverance for many tasks are difficult and complex.  The example of laboring found in Mat 9:35-38 is one of a common field hand worked the barley or wheat harvests with a small curved knife.  It was back-breaking work in the heat of the day.  Laboring with Jesus is not for wimps!

Attitude #3    Willingness to Risk Everything and Sacrifice

Those who volunteer to serve with Jesus give everything they have.  Billy Graham said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything you have.”  Volunteers commit themselves to God for their reward in heaven, not expecting rewards in this life.  They put Christ above comfort; living for world to come.  Two passages mentioning reward for service are:  Mark 10:29-30 and Luke 18:29-30.

How’s your attitude?  Have you raised your hand to volunteer for service?  Having second thoughts?  It’s time to re-up!  Raise your hand!

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

Golden Apples

Hippomenes was a mythical, Greek young man who was in love with the beautiful Atalanta.  Atalanta, in addition to her striking beauty, was also a gifted runner, but she had a cruel, sadistic character.  Many young men became infatuated with her beauty and desired to marry her.  These men were challenged to a foot race with two conditions.  If the man won the race, he could marry Atalanta.  But if he lost, he would pay with his life.  Many a man tried and paid the ultimate price for his second place finish.

Hippomenes also became mesmerized by Atalanta’s beauty and challenged her to a race.  Shortly after the race began he lagging behind.  Reaching into his tunic, he withdrew a golden apple and threw it in front of the streaking Atalanta.  The flash of gold caught her eye and she stopped to pick up the golden fruit as Hippomenes raced by.  She soon recovered and again moved ahead of him.  Hippomenes pulled a second golden apple from his tunic and threw it in front of Atalanta who once again stopped to pick it up.  As Hippomenes passed the crouching Atalanta, she realized that the race was nearing the finish and she recovered soon enough to regain a comfortable lead with a short distance to go.

Hippomenes retrieved the last of his golden apples from his tunic and rolled it ahead of Atalanta as she approached the finish.  Atalanta was in a quandary; should she stop and pick up the apple or press for the finish line?  She reasoned that she certainly could do both, so she stopped to placed the golden fruit in her robe just a Hippomenes passed her and raced towards the finish.  She recovered, but now with such a short distance, she was not able to beat him.  Hippomenes had won!

This is not an illustration on how to find a life partner!  Rather, as you race through life, you will find the enemy of your soul rolling “golden apples” of opportunity, compromise and temptation in your path.  Are you stopping to admire these golden globes?  Have you picked them up and made them your own?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
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 , , , , , , , , ,
27 Apr 2015
1 Comment

Developing a Leader’s Faith

DAVID – DEVELOPING AND EXERCISING FAITH
1 Samuel 17:1-50

Faith:  acting in accordance with what God has promised to do or in accordance with His character

Development of Faith

1 Samuel 17:36-37
Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

Lesson:  Yesterday’s tests prepare us for today’s trials (cf. Jeremiah 12:5)

Exercising Faith

1 Samuel 17:38-40
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.  “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Lesson:  God has provided all we need to accomplish His work through us (cf. Zechariah 4:6)

1 Samuel 17:45-47
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied….47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Lesson:  It is God, not our faith, resources, or abilities, who brings success to our efforts  (cf. Luke 17:5-6; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

As Kingdom leaders we are reliant upon unseen resources that we tap into by faith.  This is a learned habit developed over a lifetime.  Where’s your confidence resting?  Is it in what is seen and known or are you trusting the unseen Lord to lead, guide, and resource you?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is 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
1 Comment

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 , , , , , ,
16 Mar 2015

Leader Development at West Point

Some time ago I had the privilege of visiting the US Military Academy (West Point) to learn how they develop leaders.  The following is a short summary of their development model.  Note the emphasis on spiritual and ethical leader development as part of their foundation for growing leaders.

“The West Point Experience (WPE) is the primary developmental vehicle for accomplishing the military Academy’s mission.*  There are two main ways to describe the WPE:  how the cadets experience it, and how it is organized and implemented by the Military Academy. The cadets experience growth in six primary areas: intellectual, military, physical, spiritual, ethical, and social. The three primary developmental programs are Academic, Military, and Physical.

“Three domains focus on acquisition and application of professional knowledge and expertise. These domains are Intellectual, Military, and Physical. The intellectual domain focuses on a well-grounded and wide range education. They are required and expected to think critically, and to anticipate and respond effectively to a changing world. The military domain focuses on the warrior ethos and the winning spirit. This domain trains for real combat and military context. The physical domain focuses on the physical development of the soldier.

“The spiritual domain focuses on two aspects: character is rooted in the essence of who we are as individuals, and discerning who we are, is a lifelong search for meaning. This domain has two areas it focuses on, spiritual fitness and opportunities for spiritual growth. The ethical domain focuses on linking ones spirituality to the ethical norms of their profession. The four areas focused on in this domain are the warfighter, servant of the nation, member of a profession, and leader of character. The social domain focuses on the “Do.” It is not enough to know everything needed, one needs to choose to act in the right way.

“Principles of leader-subordinate relationships are listed.
• Leaders and subordinates abide by the ethical standards of our profession
• Leaders and subordinates demonstrate mutual loyalty and teamwork
• Leaders and subordinates never gain or seek privilege at the expense of others
• Leaders and subordinates respect each others dignity and worth
• Leaders and subordinates accept responsibility for their own actions
• Leaders establish clear, attainable objectives and standards
• Leaders motivate and inspire subordinates
• Leaders enable communication
• Leaders promote self-esteem and provide constructive evaluation of duty performance, enabling improvement and development”

* United States Military Academy Mission:  To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country; professional growth throughout a career as an officer in the United States Army; and a lifetime of service to the Nation.

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →