The Front Fell Off
Sometimes being a public speaker isn't as easy as one would think. Only politicians and comedians can talk real fast without saying anything. Reminds me of the old "Who's on First?" sketch.
Develop or Deploy
There's a whole lot of talk about developing leadership in the church world. Unfortunately, more talk than action.
Your own leadership style has more of a determining factor on your ability and inclination to develop others than their willingness to be developed. The 'run and gun' leader is motivated by results and usually looking for people to recruit that will help them accomplish the objective. This results in deploying leaders instead of developing leaders. The 'run and gun' leader usually does a great job of plugging the right people into the right areas. This doesn't mean that they are great at developing people. Usually, these newly recruited leaders have been developed by someone else and then recruited and then plugged in.
I once worked for a man who worked on the assumption that development happens by osmosis... just being the the environment. There is some truth to that. It really does help to be in the environment. However, if osmosis is the chief development technique, there will be no long term success.
Developing others requires us to:
1. Be focused on their growth, not our goals.
2. Be willing to grow them and let them go.
3. Understand that not everyone will grow like we know they could.
Developing leaders takes time and energy. It is, quite frankly, much easier to hire a person of competence and let them run. It's easier to find a leader that to develop one. What has God called us to do?
Second Chair, Not Second Class
Everyone has a desire for their life to matter, to count, to be worthwhile. We want to be able to answer "yes" to the question: "If I wasn't here anymore, would I be missed?" There are few people that that are content to just get through life without making a contribution.
I currently serve in a "second chair" role on my church staff. I've no desire to sit in the first chair. I've joked with some that want that first chair that I think they are crazy. They aren't crazy, I'm just wired up differently than they are. I've taken stock of who I am and my strengths and weaknesses. I've learned some painful lessons, and I know where I best fit, and maybe more importantly: I know where I should not try to fit!
In our celebrity driven society, the 'first chair' leader gets most, if not all, the attention. Those who serve in second (or third or fourth) chair positions can be treated as second (or third or fourth) class. This is a dangerous trap, especially in the church world. Far too often those who are not primary leaders strive for that role instead of focusing on adding value from their current position.
Here are some ways that second-chair leaders can add value:
1. Do your job! This is your first priority. Fulfill the responsibilities you were hired for. You can grow in other areas, but if you do so at the expense of fulfilling your primary responsibilities you are failing.
2. Support your leader. This is your first priority. (Yeah I know.) A secondary leader who is not supportive of his leader will cause division and create problems in the organization.
3. Do what is needed. A secondary leader will need to step in and do things out of the normal responsibilities. Every now and then I have the privilege of speaking at our midweek service. I'm adding value, not because I'm an great communicator, but because I'm giving our lead pastor a break.
I have found contentment by adding value by doing what I am called to do: serve others and help them accomplish the dream that God is giving them.
The Path Leads Somewhere
A friend in a former church that I served used to say of parenting, "Pick your path and live with where it leads." No parent looks at their newborn and dreams of an emotionally broken, codependent, needy and/or abusive future for their child. No parent in their right mind would do that. Every parent wants the best for their children.
And yet, plenty of children grow up and become emotionally broken, codependent, needy and/or abusive. The difference is the path, not the intent! Often times we make decisions with intended consequences... the outcomes we are trying to accomplish. There are also unintended consequences. Unintended consequences can sometimes be positive, but they may also be negative.
Lately I've been trying to ask myself, "What are the potential unintended consequences to this decision?" More often than not it is impossible to see into the future and predict all the consequences of a decision. However, intentionally asking the question helps me look past the decision as a strategic step to address an issue. I have a better chance of keeping the ultimate goal in mind.
Parenting isn't the only arena in life where the path we choose leads to different destinations with multiple unintended consequences. Some other paths to choose carefully include:
- marriage
- employment
- spiritual growth
- education
- personal finances
The list can go on. Pick you path carefully, it does lead somewhere. There are consequences, intended and unintended to every decision we make.
Ten Stupid Things : Review
Book: Ten Stupid Things that Keep Churches from Growing by Geoff Surratt
Geoff writes an extremely practical book looking at many of the common (yet maybe not identified) barriers that prevent churches from growing. Some on the list are internal issues (Trying to do it all, Establishing the wrong role for the Pastor's family) and even an external issue (Clinging to a bad location). The majority are leadership issues.
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- RT @BackstageLeader "You never know how good of a parent you r until you become a grandparent."- @DanCathy (Chick-fil-a)/ I've gr8 parents! 1 day ago
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