Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “quesstions”

08 Sep 2025

Entangled

And they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. … So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Mark 11:28-29, 33 ESV

The opposition was trying to trap Jesus with this question about His authority to act as He was doing. Note how Jesus answered their question with a question. He told them that if they answered His question first, exposing their unbelief and duplicity, then He would answer their question. They discussed it and refused to give Him an answer. He, being true to His word, also refused to answer their question.

Leaders sometimes are asked questions, often in a public setting, which can be difficult to answer succinctly or without a longer explanation for clarity. Knowing your answer will be quoted by others, sometimes it is best not to answer. A simple, “I’m not sure I have an answer for that,” or “I’ll need to think about that some more” can be sufficient for the moment. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you also must have an answer because you are the leader.

Prudence and discernment can help in determining the motive behind the question and whether it is worthy of a response. Some Kingdom leaders get baited into public opinions they really don’t want to be quoted on. Questions related to politics, social justice, opinions and actions of others, or current news items that have little bearing on the Kingdom or your personal mission are best avoided. An answer like, “I don’t have a public opinion about that,” can silence the curious.

Social media or email is easily forwarded or edited by those who would do harm to the advance of the gospel or tarnish your reputation for evil purposes. Think before you hit the send button. Respond, don’t react. Let emotions settle before you reply. You don’t have to always give an answer. Don’t get baited into a side-issue confrontation that takes you away from your God-given mission. History is replete with many Kingdom leaders who became entangled in other issues.

Remember Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.” NASB20

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
07 Aug 2017

The Learning Cycle Applied – Five Questions for Reflection – 2

Experience is not the best teacher.  It is evaluated experience that makes for truly developmental learning.  For those of us who seek to intentionally develop others, especially leaders, helping them to evaluate their experiences will maximize the developmental opportunity.

David A. Kolb, an American educational theorist, captured a model on how adults learn.  Later Peter Honey and Alan Mumford adapted model for use with a population of middle/senior managers in business.  Here is their Learning Cycle with minor adaptations.

The Adult Learning Cycle

Learning Cycle diagram

4 Phases of the Adult Learning Cycle

  • Experience – The circumstances, people, responsibilities and opportunities that make up the reality of life.
  • Reflection – People need to reflect on their experiences. Questions need to be asked about what happened and why it happened.
  • Conclusion – Having reflected, the learner draws conclusions that form applications for future activity.
  • Application – Applications form the basis of ongoing activities and experience.

Too often busy leaders fail to stop and reflect adequately upon their leadership experiences.  One of a leader developer’s tools for helping others is the ability to cause busy leaders to stop long enough to adequately reflect upon their experiences.  We do this by asking them questions.  Becoming a good questioner is key to helping other adults learn from their experiences.  Here are five of my favorite questions to ask leaders about a recent leadership experience.

  1. What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
  2. What did about your God from this experience?
  3. What did you learn about leadership from this experience?
  4. If you were to repeat this experience, what would you do again and why?
  5. If you were to repeat this experience, what would you not do again and why?

These simple questions will cause a person to stop and think carefully about their life and leadership and help them arrive at good conclusions.  They ‘why’ part of the final two questions is most insightful as it helps us understand their reasoning and values.

So, are you a ‘teller’ or an ‘asker?’  How you answer can determine how well you develop other adults.

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does, #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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