Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “leadership thinking”

23 Jun 2014

Mentoring Gen Y Emerging Leaders

The following was a list of suggestions sent to me by Jamie and Darci Kidd, themselves emerging leaders in the Millennial generation (Gen Y).  If you are being asked to lead or mentor members of this generation you would do well to pay attention to these suggestions.

  1. Don’t come across as if you have it all together.  This platform doesn’t work with today’s younger leaders.  They know that you are more mature, more experienced, and have more knowledge.  Still, the attitude of being the “expert” just isn’t appealing.
  1. Be transparent.  Be real.  Share how you are still on the journey.  Share what the Lord is teaching you today, this week, this month, over the past six months.  It is not just your weaknesses or failures, either.  The key is they want to see that you are still learning as well.  That you are a fellow-journey-er.  That you are still in process.
  1. Be his/her fan when they share new ideas (unless it’s way off the wall).  Then help them bring it about or at least keep up with them on how it is coming – “How’s that idea coming along?”  The tendency for older mentors is that they come back with a response like, “Oh, we tried that a few years ago.  It didn’t work.  I don’t think it will work now.”  This really de-motivates the younger leader.  It is better to believe in them and help them make a go of it, even if they fail, than to kill the idea up front.  Ask them for their ideas about things.
  1. Don’t ever give up on them. Just about everyone has had a significant older person (dad, mom, coach, teacher) give up on him or her.  Be willing to walk with them through the dark phases of their growth and maturing.  There are many who won’t fit the “profile” of the leader with the “right stuff.”  They may ask difficult or controversial questions.  Stick with them.  With the number of broken homes today, many of the younger leaders are saying/asking, “My dad gave up on me.  Will you do the same?”  They view the relationship not so much as a teacher/student but more as a dad/son or mom/daughter.
  1. It’s good for the older person to initiate a meeting as well.  This communicates value.  Have an idea of why you want to meet with them.  By saying, “The reason I wanted to meet with you is that I’m thinking of exploring this topic and was wondering if you would be interested in joining me in that?” you are inviting them into your adventure of exploration.  This way, you can learn from each other.  This helps close the generation gap.
  1. Get beyond the formalized meetings (meeting at the coffee shop, for example) at some point.  Get them into your world – family, sports, hobbies, travel, etc.
  1. Young men today are part of a passive culture.  This is not just an issue of temperament.  Many young men don’t have dads who are good role-models for them.  Their dads are either absent or passive themselves.  The best way to help them with this is to put them in leadership opportunities and coach them through it.  Being entrusted with real responsibility and with others is empowering.  God made all men to be leaders of one sort or another.  It’s in them.  Help bring it out.

How’s your understanding and mentoring of the rising generation of emerging leaders from Gen Y?  Don’t let the seeming distance or dissonance discourage you from initiating a mentoring relationship that will launch a young leader into a lifetime of influence.

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , ,
16 Jun 2014
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Leading a Generation of Free Agents

“Leading a Generation of Free Agents”   by Tim Elmore

“I just had the most intriguing conversation with a local employer in Atlanta. He told me he’s at the end of his rope–and he’s about ready to see a therapist. The reason for his duress? The college graduates he recently hired. They were driving him crazy. When I inquired about what made them so challenging, he noted the following realities he faced:

*  They came in with high expectations of relational time with him in order to be mentored

*  They wanted time off to travel and participate in volunteer organizations around the world

*  They expected a raise within the first six months, just because they showed up for work on time

*  Their mother actually set an appointment to negotiate their raise for them

If you think this sounds crazy, think again. More and more, I am meeting corporate leaders who share the same basic story. This new population of Millennial generation kids (born between 1984 and 2002) are demanding a different work environment than the previous two generations. The Baby Boomers were “anti-establishment” but those rebels made up 79 million of the population. They questioned authority. Next, the Generation Xers entered the workforce. They were smaller in number and wanted to experience authentic community within their jobs. They ignored authority. Today, the Millennials (or Generation Y) come in raising the bar for everyone. Their expectations are high and they are in demand, with so many of the Baby Boomers retiring and leaving space atop the corporate ladder. These new workers will choose their authorities.

Let me give you an analogy. More than thirty years ago, the game of baseball experienced an amazing transition. Curt Flood, of the St. Louis Cardinals, ushered in the age of Free Agency. He was the first team member to successfully demand that players should have a say as to where and how long they play with a club. Following Curt Flood’s arbitration, professional players began to expect to spend some of their career as “free agents” having a choice about such things. It was a new day of privilege and power.

This same phenomena has occurred among twenty-somethings entering the job market today. They come in as though they were “free agents.” They fully expect to dictate some of the terms of their working conditions and they are liable to quit if they don’t get what they want. Over half of Generation Y’s new graduates move back to their parents home after earning their degree, and that cushion of support gives them the time to choose the job they really want…”

You are called to lead – those who are easiest are those that are just like you.  But a mature leader knows how to lead well those that are like him or her and those who are very different.  How’s your connection with the rising generation of emerging leaders?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
19 May 2014

Finish What You Started!

In Hebrews 1:14 we read, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”  Angels are God’s servants who are sent on various missions of service to accomplish His purposes.

In John 17:18 we find Jesus praying for those who would believe on Him in the future, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”  We too are people on a mission – to accomplish God’s purposes in and through us.  And of course, this compelling vision is to disciple the nations for Him (Matthew 28:18-20).  Once we have completed our God-given purpose or mission we will end our life and enter His presence.  “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.”

God is missional in His purposes.  The Bible opens with God at work in Creation and Jesus testifies that, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”  Adam was created in God’s image and, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

As Kingdom leaders we are called to accomplish God’s purposes – to a mission or task. We are called to lead and to work.  It is God’s job to identify the mission and it is our job to join with Him in completing the work He gives us to do.

It is not enough just to begin this work or mission.  We are called to bring it to completion.  It is Jesus example that compels us, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4).

Paul exhorts his co-laborer Archippus in Colossians 4:17:  “Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”

What have you begun that is either taking longer or much more effort than what you thought it would take?  Are you weary and considering quitting?  Did not God call you to accomplish a mission or task?  His calling was not to begin and quit half-way through.  Bring it to completion!  Finish what you started!  Do it for Him!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
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 , , , , , , , ,
05 May 2014
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What Generals Do

One of the challenges faced by leaders is to determine what they, and only they, can and must do.  And once this is identified, how to stay focused on this and not be diverted into the daily “leadership whiteout” of responding to the demands of others.

Gen. Freddie Franks, commander of VII Corps in Desert Storm, provides some good advice for leaders on what they should focus on.  Tom Clancy recorded this advice in his book, “Into the Storm: A Study in Command” (page 637).

Responsibilities of Generals

“I believe generals get to focus on and solve big problems in peace and war.  They must know details and occasionally dip into those, but essentially they must figure out the few deciding issues or battles for their times and conditions and focus their energies on those.  These are what I called points of main effort.  They cannot be many.  You have to decide what they are, and make them stick.

  • Generals must have an imagination that lets them visualize what needs to be.  They must synthesize to create a whole when others cannot see, and then communicate that whole with so much clarity and so much conviction that others will see it, too, and follow it.  That is command.  That is leadership at the senior levels.
  •  Generals decide where to be bold and where not to be bold.
  • They must be strong and decisive, yet they must also keep their ego from clouding their judgments.  Instead, they must use that ego to stick to doing what is right, even in the face of adversity.
  • Generals decide where to intervene and where not to intervene.
  • They decide where to tolerate imperfection and where not to tolerate imperfection.
  • They must be intensely competitive.  They must hate to lose.
  • They need to demand a climate of dignity and respect, and to know that to lead is also to serve.  They can do a lot of good for individuals every day.
  • They must continue to grow.  They must not be complacent.
  • If they can, they should rest easy in the saddle and have a sense of humor.  Smile once in a while.
  • If generals can remember “Don’t worry, General, we trust you,” and do their best to fulfill that trust, they will have done their duty.”

Have you thought through what you and only you must do as the leader?  Have you made the difficult decisions to say no to many other things in order to stay focused on what you and only you must do?

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

Casting Vision

Once our desired future state is clear, it is the leader’s job to communicate this vision so that others can ‘see’ it along with them.  Tom Clancy’s book, “Into the Storm: A Study in Command” (page 504) provides a great illustration of vision casting by a leader.  Gen. Freddie Franks was leading the VII Corps in Desert Storm and in the midst of the fog of war it became apparent that the final outcome was not clear.  Gen. Franks provides that needed clarity as described below.

“But I’ve been around tired troops, and these troops were tired…though clearly not down.  They were running on fumes now, but they wanted to finish it.  I could imagine what the troops who had fought all night felt like.

“As I looked at the map, a piece of blue representing the Persian Gulf was just visible at the far eastern map sheet.  It caught my attention.

“Attack east,” I told them.  “Go for the blue on the map.  That is what is bringing the ships to take us home when this is over.  Go for that.  Here!” I said, banging on the map.  Not too military, but I wanted them—as clearly tired as they were—to have something to seize on to propel them forward another twenty-four hours.  As Greg Fontenot was to tell me later, my remark “Go for the blue on the map” got all the way to the battalion commanders, and maybe further.”

How’s your vision?  Is it clear?  Can you communicate it clearly and simply to others?  Where is the “blue on your map?”  Go for the blue on the map!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
21 Apr 2014

Strategic Leading

Not all leadership activity is equally strategic.  And by strategic activity we mean those things that we do that are moving us towards accomplishing our leadership mission.  Separating busyness from strategic activity requires wisdom and constant attention from the leader.  Below is a simple outline to begin to think and lead strategically.

A Strategic Leadership Process

 1.     Mission Statement  –  What is our mission we are trying to accomplish?

This answers the question, “Why do we exist?”  This is first and foremost in strategic leading.  It’s the picture frame on the wall of the Kingdom that separates and defines who we are from what others are.  It is our identity.

2.     Define Current Reality  –  SWOT Analysis

This sets the context for our strategic planning and initiatives by seeking to truly understand our current situation.  A SWOT analysis defines this situation by looking at current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

3.     Vision Statement

This is where we want to go in the future – our destination.  It is the picture of the future that we see by faith, usually 5-7 years ahead.  It’s as if we are placed into the future and take a picture of that new reality – our desired future state.  Then, we try to describe this picture in detail.  This is the picture that is placed into the picture frame of our mission.  It is this future vision that we will begin to work towards and bring into reality.

A vision must have a faith stretch to it, but not so much overreach that it is seen as wishful thinking or a fantasy.  After describing this future reality, you want to craft a short vision statement that captures as much of this picture as possible.  Good vision statements should be clear, concise, and compelling.    e.g.   JFK’s vision for NASA  –  “We will place a man on the moon by the end of the decade.”

4.     Strategic Directions

Now that we have identified where we are going, we need to decide which roads we will take to get to our destination.  These are a few things (no more than 5 usually) that we focus on for the next couple of years that will begin to move us towards our destination.  These directions are not all that we will do, but they are key to taking us from where we are to where we want to be – our destination.  These strategic directions need to be re-evaluated every couple of years to decide if we continue with these or enough progress has been made that we can now focus on different things.  e.g.   For the next three years we will focus on:  staff recruiting, staff training, and staff funding

5.     Strategic Goals

With each strategic direction we will want to have some specific goals with metrics that we can use to assess whether or not we are making progress in our strategic directions.  These goals need to be concrete and clear.  e.g.  For the next three years we will hold three staff recruiting previews; recruit 50 full-time staff, train all towards the staff profile, dedicate 3 staff to be staff trainers; train all staff in personal fundraising; all staff will be up to full budget, etc.

These strategic directions and goals will then influence our yearly leadership plans.  All leadership plans need to be aligned with these over-arching directions and goals.  Again, we will do more in our leadership and plans than this, but each part of our work will seek to address these directions and goals.  Thus, we have strategic alignment across the work.

Are you busy in your leadership or are you strategic?  There’s a BIG difference!

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

Our God, a Recruiting God

The following was done by Doug Nuenke some time ago.  I’ve kept it for some time in my files as a reminder on the biblical basis for recruiting.

“From the beginning of time, our God has shown Himself to be committed to inviting men and women to join Him in His kingdom enterprise.  We don’t need to search further than the first chapter of Genesis to see this method at work in the lives of Adam and Eve.  As divine image bearers, they were invited to join God’s work as multipliers, fillers, subduers, and rulers of the earth.

“God is continually inviting His people into a close relationship with Him, and to a task.  For example, God invited Abram to a relationship of blessing and to a faith venture of leaving his homeland to go to a place God would show him (Genesis 12).  God invited Moses to join Him on a world-changing rescue operation, promising the blessing of His presence (Exodus 3).  Jeremiah was invited to join God’s purposes for his life as a prophet to the nations.  God assured Jeremiah that ‘I am with you and will rescue you’ (Jeremiah 1:4-10).  The apostle Paul was interrupted in the course of his life by a compelling invitation from God.  It made no sense, and who would have picked Paul, the murderer, to join God’s task?  Yet Jesus appeared to him, promising His involvement in Paul’s life, and inviting Paul to join Him in turning people from darkness to light (Acts 26:12-19).

“Year after year, throughout the centuries, God has been an inviting God, a God who recruits men and women to join Him in His kingdom endeavors.  Jesus did the same when He said to potential disciples, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).  Again, we see God inviting people to Himself and to a task worthy of their lives.

“What do we learn about God’s recruiting of individuals?  First, God invites people to join Him in His enterprise, for His glory.  His invitation is not so much about us as it is about Him and His purposes.  Second, God’s invitations are compelling and have an imperative tone. We can never invite with the same compulsion, yet we can help people discern God’s compelling invitation.  Third, God’s recruiting is personal.  Though He has plenty to say to us as a community of believers, His invitations are directed to us as individuals.  Finally, we see that God’s recruiting involves the promise of His presence and involvement.

“In organizations, we must make the distinction between the task of marketing and the task of recruiting.  God models both of these. Marketing is the public disbursement of who we are and what we are about.  It involves broad communications of a person or organization’s mission, vision, ethos, and character.  God communicates broadly, in this marketing fashion, through His creation, through His mighty acts, and through His miracles and wonders.  The Lord Jesus’ life on earth communicated in a broad and public way, the character and mission of God.  Recruiting, however is personal. It is more relational and directed to the individual.  Recruiting happens most effectively at a local level, and engages men and women where they live, pointing them toward God’s invitations and callings on their lives.

“Our God is a recruiting, inviting God. As God’s people and God’s fellow workers, we join Him in the recruiting process when we help our student, staff and alumni friends listen for the next step in which God is inviting them to join Him.”

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 , , , , , , , , , , ,

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