Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “leader”

12 May 2014
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Thriving Under Poor Leadership

As I talk with other leaders, especially the younger emerging leaders, they will frequently express their frustration in the lack of good leadership that they are experiencing from their own supervisors.  They will say, “Tom, I know what good leadership is and my leader is a lousy leader!  How can I reach my potential and learn to lead well while I am stuck with this kind of leader over me?”

This experience is not uncommon.  I will often remind these young leaders that one day they too will be supervising others and then perhaps their own direct reports will be expressing frustration with them because of their leadership.  No leader is perfect.  And serving under imperfect leadership is no excuse for not growing as a leader.

Jacob served a very imperfect leader–his father-in-law, Laban.  Not only did Laban deliberately deceive Jacob into taking Leah as his first wife instead of his beloved Rachel, but he broke or changed employment contracts and agreements with Jacob.  This was all done so that Laban might prosper at the expense of Jacob.  Laban wanted to “win” and that meant the Jacob must “lose.”

But there was one over-arching factor that did not let this intentional deceit reach it’s desired end.  That factor was God Himself!  For God watched over Jacob and protected him from the evil and intentional deceit Laban planned for Jacob.  And at the end of his service, Jacob has this testimony about his period of service:  “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.  You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times.  However, God has not allowed him to harm me.” (Genesis 31:5-7)

Not only was Jacob protected from the evil intended by a bad leader (his own father-in-law no less), but God caused Jacob to prosper under Laban’s poor leadership.  And Jacob served under Laban for 20 years!  Not exactly a short-term of service!

So what can we learn from Jacob’s example (and other examples like Joseph and Daniel)?  God is bigger than any leader over you and He will not allow that leader to frustrate or hinder the plans He has for you.  You need not worry that you won’t develop or reach your potential as a leader due to poor leadership over you.  In fact, God can and will use this leader and their leadership to build you up and make you prosper, even if they intend to harm you.  He is able and He will do it!

Don’t seek to flee or run out from under poor leaders.  Trust God and submit to them.  Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove (study Jabob’s example of how he served under Laban).  And watch God do “above and beyond what you can ask or imagine.”

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

Seeking the Right Applause

The following is the final excerpt from an article by R. Scott Rodin titled, “Becoming a Leader of No Reputation” that originally was published in Journal of Religious Leadership,/ Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002), pp. 105 – 119.

“A bookmark of mine carries a thought that stayed with me throughout my term as president of Eastern Seminary.  It reads, “It doesn’t matter if the world knows, or sees or understands, the only applause we are meant to seek is that of nail-scarred hands.”   Leaders are exposed to opportunities to generate applause.

“As public figures, we receive both the undue criticism for the failures of our institutions, and the unmerited praise for their successes.  The true calling of leadership requires us to accept the former and deflect the latter.  That is, our job is to take the blame for mistakes made by those under our leadership and to deflect the praise and re-direct it to those most responsible for our success.  In this way we keep ourselves in balance, never taking the criticism too personally and not accepting the praise too easily.

“Only with God’s anointing can the leader listen intently for that one source of applause that really matters.  If we seek our affirmation elsewhere, the distracting noises that vie for our attention and tug at our hearts for allegiance will drown out all else.  And if we seek for this other applause, we will never hear the one from the Master’s hands.

“Two significant temptations come to play here.  The first is the fear of rejection that causes us to run from confrontation.  The second is the desire to make everyone happy and to measure our performance, our effectiveness and our ‘leadership’ on that scale.  The two are very closely related.  The first temptation is motivated by the idea that good leaders will not generate conflict, and that rejection of our performance in our role as leader is a rejection of our personhood and character.  These are significant pitfalls for a leader.  They are generated from that deep-seated desire to hear the applause of all with whom we work.

“The second temptation is to lead by reacting. We see which way the wind is blowing and steer that direction, regardless of the situation.  We do not want our people to be anxious, to question our decisions or disagree with our reasoning.  We want harmony and unity, which is commendable.  But left unchecked, this desire will cause us to sacrifice courage, vision and risk-taking.  It will bring us momentary applause, but will ruin us in the end.

“So we must ask ourselves just what kind of applause are we seeking?  If it is human applause that validates, that affirms and that encourages us, we will also find that same applause binds us, boxes us in and ultimately strangles the life out of us.  When our daily self-worth and the measure of our effectiveness come primarily from the reaction of those with whom we work, then we are finished as Christian leaders.

“The goal of the Christian leader must be to go to bed every night with a clear conscience and a right heart with God.  God only asks one thing of leaders, that we seek with all our heart to know and do His will.”

Time for a “cardiac” check up….how’s your heart?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
31 Mar 2014

Leadership is a Miracle

The following is the third excerpt from an article by R. Scott Rodin titled, “Becoming a Leader of No Reputation” that originally was published in Journal of Religious Leadership,/ Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002), pp. 105 – 119.

“I have come to the conclusion that when God uses any of us to lead effectively, it is nothing short of a miracle.  When we place the complex and demanding role of a godly leader next to an honest self-awareness of our own sinfulness and incompetence, we are thrown wholly upon the grace of God and his faithfulness if we are ever to lead anyone anywhere.

“I have come to learn that we must approach leadership in dependent humility.  Throughout history God looked to the least, the weakest, the outcast, the untalented, the sinful and the rejected to give great leadership at historic times.  And He hasn’t changed that approach today.  If we are honest as leaders, we know that we are not capable of leading as the size and complexity of our call demands.  We know that there are others more talented, more prepared, more spiritual and more courageous than are we.  But great godly leaders have always worked at that miraculous intersection where humility and faith meet the awesome presence and power of God’s Spirit.

“When God uses us to lead, and lead effectively, we should fall on our knees in wonder and thanksgiving that we have seen again this miracle worked in our midst.  However, it is far too easy for us to take ownership of this miracle and to believe that these results are due to our own wonderful abilities and leadership qualities.  If and when we make this subtle yet devastating shift, the efficacy of our leadership for the kingdom is over.  We are on our own, cut off from the power and preservation of the Spirit.  Every leader finds himself or herself there at some point in their work, and it is a terrifying place to be!

“Godly leadership is the miracle of God’s use of our earthen vessels for the glorious work of His kingdom.  To miss this miraculous aspect of leadership will threaten everything we do as leaders, and our office or study will be the loneliest place on earth.  I have come to understand the miracle of godly leadership, and its connection with self-awareness, the need to decrease and the power of God’s anointing.””

Who has been getting the credit for the results of your leadership recently?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Mar 2014
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Indignation — Now I’m REALLY Ticked Off!

Emotions – they’re morally neutral–not good bad, or purple.  All of us have them and some of us are better at recognizing and expressing them in a healthy way.  When it comes to what we would perceive as those emotions that are considered “negative” emotions, it’s what we do with them that matters.

Anger is one such emotion that is often seen as a negative emotion.  We mistakenly believe that if I am more mature or more spiritual that I’ll somehow be freed from this feeling of anger.  Just becoming a little “ticked off” as someone or something raises the blood pressure and we can feel “frustrated.”  It’s anger but at a somewhat lesser degree.

But if the person has broken a trust, betrayed a confidence placed in them, or their failure leads to major negative impact, we can move beyond frustration or anger and move to indignation.  The root English word is the same we use for the color indigo – a purple, reddish color.  Have you ever been so angry that you turn purple-red and feel like you are ready to explode?  That’s indignation!

In Mark 10:13-14 (NIV) we read the following about Jesus’ emotions:  “People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant (emphasis added).  We explored this in last week’s blog.

But if we continue to read in the same chapter we find this said about the disciples in Mark 10:41 (NIV):  “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.”  The Zebedee boys had tried a pre-emptive strike to move ahead of the other 10 in the coming Kingdom.  We note that this was at the very end of their 3+ year training period with Jesus as future leaders.  And here we see that 2 of them wanted to jump ahead of the other 10.  Not a good way to win friends or influence people!  Well, they could claim it wasn’t really them.  Matthew’s account tells us that it was their mother who did the asking on their behalf (see Matthew 20:20 ff).

There were great emotions being expressed on Jesus’ leadership team.  He showed His indignation to The Twelve and they expressed their indignation with one other.  Yet with all of this the leadership team held together.  There was no fracture or lasting division.

Good teams can share strong feelings with each other and still work together well.  This comes from a foundation of trust and confidence that we are all working together towards the same ends.  Our team goals are not preempted by our personal goals.

So, is it safe to share how your really feel on your team?  Are strong emotions being expressed in appropriate ways without sin?  Can we be “gut-level honest” or are there areas that are just too sensitive to share how I really feel?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Feb 2014
3 Comments

Doesn’t God Grade on the Curve?

Acts 16:1-40

I was in my third year at college, sitting in a dorm lobby when I noticed another student.  I hadn’t seen him since seventh grade and did not even know he attended Florida State.  We began to catch up when his date arrived.  As we parted, he handed me a small booklet, saying, “I’m sorry I haven’t got time to explain this to you.  Please read it; the message in here changed my life!”

I accepted the booklet and stuffed it into my pocket as my date arrived.  Before the movie started that evening, I retrieved the booklet and began to read.  For the first time I understood that I personally had done things that were displeasing to God and that I would be punished because of my wrongs.  Until that night I thought that God would grade my life on the curve and that I would be in the upper percentiles.  That night I understood that life is pass-fail and that I had failed.

As I read on I understood that God loved me so much that he accepted my punishment instead—he died for me–and that I needed to believe in Christ as my personal Savior.  There in the theater I prayed, asking God to forgive me and accepting Christ as my Savior–and I was saved from my eternal punishment.  Like the Philippian jailer, I too had come to become a member of God’s family.

I have not seen the student who gave me the booklet since that evening.  He entered my life for a brief time and was kind enough to share Christ with me–one simply waiting for a clear explanation.  Who is it in your life that God has prepared for you to share Christ with?  Why not share with them today?

Additional References:  John 1:12; Romans 5:22; Romans 10:11-15

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , ,
30 Dec 2013

Reflection at Year End

As we come to the end of the calendar year, it’s good to pause and reflect upon what was and what will be.  It is through reflection that we can gain perspective and see more clearly the overarching, macro movements of our lives.

Leaders are often too busy to stop and reflect.  We always have more things to do and people to see.  We take one item off of the do-list and add three more!  Who has time to stop and think?

Today…..now is the time to stop and reflect upon who you are becoming and what you are doing!  Here are some questions to get you started in this reflection time.

Are you pleased with your own personal spiritual walk?  More importantly, is Jesus pleased?  How’s that margin in your life?  Are you living and leading from an overflow?  How’s the family doing?  Are you paying the price to have the marriage you committed to on your wedding day?  Are you investing deeply in your children, knowing that the years for significant influence are rapidly passing you by?

What fears are you trying to ignore related to your leadership?  Are you leading with faith and courage?  Is the vision of where you are leading to focused or foggy?  Do you have a team that is unified and empowered?  Are you accomplishing the mission that you intended to accomplish?

These and many more questions are helpful for taking stock of where you are today and where you need to be/go tomorrow.  Use this time for reflection and refocus as you start a new year full of new hope and new beginnings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
09 Dec 2013

Confronting or Conforming?

In Mark 2:21-22 Jesus responded to His critics as to why His disciples violated the culturally accepted way of doing things.  He said, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.  If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”

With these two parables, Jesus explained that His Kingdom would not fit the cultural norms of the Jews.  His Kingdom would demand new forms and practices which were not contained in the Jewish cultural norms of the day.  As Kingdom leaders fulfill their mission they will introduce the Kingdom of God into a culture along with it will come new values and practices.  This is normal, good, and inevitable.  Change will come.  But, our desire is that the change will be rooted in biblical, Kingdom values and practices, and not Western, post-modern, or even the latest leadership guru’s best practices or values.

The guiding principle would seem to be this:  we should strive to make Jesus and the Bible the basis of our leadership and the only stumbling block if the message is to be challenged.

In instances where Kingdom values or practices violate the cultural values or norms, we must hold fast to the biblical truth and accept the resulting opposition.  This does not mean we should flaunt our convictions, especially if we know they are likely to cause adverse reactions.  We must be sensitive as we take our stand, so that the opposition we face is an opposition to Christ and the Kingdom, not to us.  This presents us with an opportunity to see God demonstrate His power and grace in spite of cultural barriers and push-back.

In areas where there is no clear biblical precedent, we should yield to the cultural norm so as not to cause an offense over a “side issue” (such as paying temple taxes or whether or not to celebrate certain holidays – see the previous two blogs).

All of these decisions will require wisdom from God.  Ask for it and you will receive it!

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.     James 1:5

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , ,
22 Jul 2013

Lust, Immorality, and Leaders

Perhaps, like me, you have been amazed at the number of gifted leaders who have fallen into moral collapse.  I ask myself how could this happen?  Could this happen to me?  I’m sure that, like me, you desire to finish the race well.  How can we avoid this trap that has entangled so many?

Below are two summaries on the process of lust and immorality as seen from the man’s and woman’s perspective.  The process for the man was outlined in an article by Phil Parshall titled, The Tiger of Lust – The Downward Path of Moral Ruin.  The process for women was contributed by a missionary wife, Mrs. Fran Love.  Study them and then do some self examination.

A Man’s Path of Moral Ruin

1.             Enjoyment of another woman’s company

2.             Appreciation of her body

3.             Thoughts of physical lust

4.             Emotional desire

5.             Initiation of casual encounters

6.             Mutual arrangement for frequent meetings

7.             The first lustful touch

8.             Total deceit with one’s wife

9.             Intimacy without full sex

10.          The physical act of adultery

A Woman’s Path of Moral Ruin

1.             Enjoyment of another man’s personality

2.           Attraction towards his status (he’s a leader, popular, etc.) and his looks (manly, sexy, etc.)

3.             Trying to attract his attention by whatever means is considered appropriate (nothing overt, all done very smoothly and imperceptibly)

4.             Flattered by his reciprocating interest

5.             Development and expansion of a fantasy thought life  –  emotional desire

6.             Initiation of casual encounters with great pains taken to ensure that you are made-up and dressed up as attractively as possible

7.              Romantic desire  –  no physical touch even necessary;  the “romance” of it all is stimulating enough

8.             Total deceit with one’s husband

9.             Intimacy without full sex

10.          The physical act of adultery

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.    Proverbs 27:12

May we learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the pitfall of immorality that has ruined many!

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , ,
17 Jun 2013

Becoming a Wise Leader – #2

Some time ago I did a study on the great, bold prayers of the bible.  Two prayers stood out to me.  The first request was Solomon’s prayer for wisdom ( 1 Kings 3:1-15).  As Solomon began his reign as king, he soon realized that the demands upon him were beyond his ability.  When God spoke to him in a dream, he was given permission to ask for anything (3:5).  How would you like to have that permission given you from God Himself?  What would you have asked for?  Now Solomon was already a wise young man (see David, his father’s comment in 1 Kings 2:9), but he knew enough to realize that wisdom was the secret to life and success for him as a leader, and so he asked for a wise and discerning heart (3:6-12).  Note that God was “pleased that Solomon asked for this” (3:10), and granted his request and in addition granted him much more as a result of his wisdom (3:12-14).  What a wise young man!

The second prayer request that impressed me was that of Moses in Exodus 33:12-23.  Moses too was in a position of leadership and was stretched beyond his ability, looking for some help in how to make wise decisions.  Note that Moses asked for the ability to understand the ways of God (33:13) in order to continue to find favor with God.  This request also pleased God (33:17) and it was granted to Him.  David comments on this in Psalm 103:7, where he contrasts Moses who knew the ways of God with Israel who knew the deeds of God.  Moses understood why God acted the way He did, but Israel only knew the acts of God.  They did not understand His ways.

As a result of this study, I began to pray and ask God to grant me the same things that these men asked for—that He would grant me wisdom and that I would understand His ways.  I can do this knowing that God does not show favoritism and therefore, will grant me the same as what others asked and knowing that He will be pleased by my asking for these things.  I do so want to please Him with my life, and here’s a simple way to move towards that goal.

Wisdom is the key to a life that is pleasing to God.  We must pursue it and we begin by asking for it.  That request begins the process of the pursuit of wisdom for life’s decisions.  Often, this request arises from our sense of inadequacy on how to handle our current situation (like Solomon and Moses).  But, we don’t have to be a leader of a nation to need wisdom.  We all need it to fulfill our God-given roles; whether it is as an organizational leader or a husband, wife, father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother, in addition to the other demands of life that constantly press upon us, that we may live a life pleasing to Him.

Wisdom is not a product of age or experience.  There are many older people who are very unwise.  One can obtain wisdom at a young age.  Solomon was young when he asked for wisdom and was given it, even while young.  Rather, wisdom is something to be pursued and sought after.  It is a life-long pursuit.  It is my desire to continue to grow in God’s wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the ways of God.  I pray that for myself and for other leaders that I know and mentor.  May it be your pursuit as well!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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