A Sense of Urgency

John P. Kotter wrote Leading Change, the Heart of Change, Our Iceberg is Melting and A Sense of Urgency.  Of these four books The Sense of Urgency was written last because this aspect of effective change is the most ignored and/or mismanaged, of course I'm paraphrasing.

In this book Kotter goes to great length to describe the difference between false urgency and the real thing, and between complacency and true urgency.   He also reinforces again and again the unavoidable fact that without a true sense of urgency, any change effort is doomed before it even begins.

This is not rocket science - Kotter states as much himself  - after all it is pretty obvious that change without a reason for the change is unlikely.  Yet the reality is, according to his statistics, that as much as 70% of the change efforts undertaken by businesses fail, and most of them on this point:  There is not a sense of true urgency.

He describes ways in his book to recognize and overcome complacency as well as proven methods for promoting a sense of urgency. 

It is my opinion that this is probably one of the key factors affecting most businesses which are either consumed with false urgency (busyness) or complacency.   Either or both of these problems are so deeply rooted that those leading are confounded by their company's lackadaisical performance.

The larger problem is that the church as a whole has lost pretty much all sense of urgency as well.  I'm not talking about Pastors, who I believe (hope) are deeply concerned for the lost.  However, the personal passion of the Pastor (urgency) has somehow gotten lost in communication with the congregation.  The Pastor's desire to grow the church is misconstrued by the laity as a desire for more influence, greater salary and prestige.  By and large the laity are quite comfortable with the church just like it is, thank you very much.  Why? because, and here is where the Pastor drops the ball, there is not a clear ringing of the bell of URGENCY.  

The message of "no other name under heaven by which men must be saved" is buried under tolerance and a desire to be understanding and compassionate.  The church is EXTREMELY tolerant and compassionate, but typically NOT fervently burdened for their lost loved ones.  We've slipped into a comfortably heresy which wants to ignore hell and believe that God doesn't really judge people for their sins.

I think it would be well for Pastors to read this book and then figure out how to re-invigorate their churches with a true sense of urgency.

Reading List: Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code

This article touches upon one of the most important considerations of leadership which often ignored by leaders as being inconsequential to taking action and generating forward motion.

For the last twenty years, church leaders have been fed a steady diet of vision. We've been told that vision is the key to leading a successful chur...


Source: http://google.com/producer/s/CBIwou6xwRk

--

Rick Upchurch

All of life can be reduced to relationships - so make yours count!

www.toolstolead.blogspot.com

Can Young and Old Leaders Coexist?

Interesting article on generations in church leadership.

When I look at the current church landscape, one of my biggest concerns is the generational divide in leadership. As the boomers get closer to retir...


Source: http://google.com/producer/s/CBIw6-iigBo

--

Rick Upchurch

All of life can be reduced to relationships - so make yours count!

www.toolstolead.blogspot.com

Tornado

We had a tornado come through near where I live a couple of days ago.  Although we were under a "warning" and had moved away from the windows you could tell by the weather maps and looking outside that it was going to miss where we lived.  Not so just a few miles south of us where someone lost their life.

I thought as we waited out the "warning" and then the "watch," what would I have done differently if it looked like it would actually hit where we lived?  I have some water put back for emergencies, some extra batteries, flashlights, weather radio, etc., but can you really be prepared for what could easily be total devastation?  How does the mind cope with the unthinkable?

How do you prepare yourself for disaster?  Of course you can compile your "storm-kit" with things like I mentioned above, but I think there is a deeper preparation which needs to take place inside your brain and heart.  Of course, I've been writing about natural disasters, but what about those that come at you through your work, e.g. lay offs, or personal relationships, e.g. divorce?  What kind of "storm-kit" can prepare you for the unexpected?

It is interesting that Christ told his disciples of impending cataclysm but instead of urging them to hide and store up for the day of disaster, he urged them to be about His father's business of spreading the good news.  Stuff is nice, but Jesus is better.  In John 14:27 we read these words that Jesus spoke: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Sometimes, most times, I feel woefully inadequate to face the challenges of even normal days . . . and yet somehow each day comes and goes and I find I have survived.  I suspect God's grace is the cause; it is certainly NOT my own wisdom or strength or goodness.  I am as dependent upon His grace as I am upon oxygen, even more so since a lack of oxygen only kills the body.  

The Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain

AMEN!

Creative Followership - Book Review

 Creative Followership: In the Shadow of Greatness by Jimmy Collins with Michael Cooley

I've written before about followership using Robert Kelly's breakdown in the Power of Followership (currently out of print but well worth finding and reading).  In Kelly's book, he breaks followers into categories or profiles and defines the the profiles and the characteristics of each.  One of those profiles is that of the Exemplary Follower.  The Exemplary Follower is that individual who is full engaged in their work with all that that implies.

Jimmy Collins' book is about the principles he believes will bring the Exemplary Follower into existence, although he never uses that term, nor references Kelly's book.  He lists 35 principles in two parts which define the behavior and practices of what he defines as the Creative Follower in the work setting.  This is a highly pragmatic book.  His principles attempt to define behaviors and attitudes which can position anyone to move into greater and greater roles of responsibility and ultimately leadership.

At first I was a little put off by what he had to say, but I persevered and the further I got into the book I realized that I myself had followed many of these "principles" and recognized that they did contribute to being a better follower as well as moving me into leadership responsibilities.  As I contemplated the role of this particular book in the framework of leadership development I think I would place it very early in the process.  This is the kind of book I would have liked to use in teaching my teenage children (or at least when they were teenagers) about the realities of the working world.  It is definitely the kind of book that a 20 something could benefit from, and benefit greatly . . . if.

I add the if because many, if not most, of Collins' principles are counter intuitive will automatically be rejected by most American youth of today's culture.  Principles like:

• Do What Your Boss Does Not Like to Do
• Make Your Boss Look Good
• Do It the Way the Boss Likes it Done
• The Only Real Feedback is Negative

and many others will be outright rejected before even attempting to give them a try.  That's sad because the individual who can truly become the exemplary follower, I mean Creative Follower, has tremendous potential to Lead.

So, I recommend that all parents of teenagers or youth leaders buy the book and begin the laborious process of driving this information deep into the brains of the upcoming generation.  It will be hard, and definitely not appreciated until they reach their 30s . . . but it might just save America.

Expectations

Expectations.

MY expectations?  Expectations of parents, children, spouse, boss, co-workers, employees, colleagues, acquaintances, pastors, institutions, government, the church, God . . . or the most challenging of all, myself.  Do I have expectations for each of these individuals/groups/institutions?  YES, an even more for myself.

THEIR expectations (any and all of the above plus anyone else you can think of, e.g. other drivers on the road, store clerks) of ME.  Are these real or  imagined?  Do I satisfy any of these expectations?

Should I care?  Do I care?  How much do I care?  Does my caring (or not) make any difference in the final analysis?  Does my caring about THEIR expectations affect my performance?  Unless I'm a complete sociopath, then YES it does affect my performance.

Does my caring about THEIR expectations affect my stress levels?  Do MY expectations affect my stress levels?  Again, unless I'm a sociopath, how could it not?

How then do I find balance among the ubiquitous expectations that surround me? that well up from within me?  that I feel press in upon me? with little hope that I can satisfy even a portion?

There is only one way, I go to the ROCK that is higher than I am.   Lord, from the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  (Psalm 61:2)  When I do this He lifts me out of the slimy  pit, out of the mud and mire; he sets my feet on a rock and gives me a firm place to stand (Psalm 40:2).  Hallelujah!  Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.  (Psalm 62:1-2)

3 Chairs and Granny's Angel

Years ago I heard a sermon preached by Bruce Wilkinson at a Promise Keepers conference for Pastors in Atlanta.  It was a powerful conference like all the Promise Keeper conferences were and this particular sermon has stuck in my head.  The gist of that sermon is that, represented by 3 chairs, are three generations.  Rev. Wilkinson was using the analogy to speak to the adage "familiarity breeds contempt."

• In the first chair sits the individual who has been saved out of a life of sin.  Their life has been changed due to the blood of Christ and they know that from which they have been delivered and are thankful.  Their life is focused on devotion and lived by faith.  
• In the second chair sits their children.  They have been raised in the church and have been sheltered from the worst effects of sin.  They have been provided Godly examples and given opportunities their parents never had to grow spiritually.  But, because of this they also don't value their faith to the same degree and their devotion is tempered by religiosity.  
• In the third chair sits their children.  They, for the most part see their Grandparents as restrictive, and the model their parent's have set in things of the faith is tempered by conformity and complacency.  There is a general antipathy toward devotion and a godly passion is largely unknown.

I don't believe this is a pattern which has to happen, although I've seen it happen.  But I do know that it should make us all stop and evaluate the depth of our devotion and passion for the things of God.  Nicole Mullen has a song: Granny's Angel which I think echoes the sentiment of not losing track of what the older generation has to pass on.  The chorus goes like this:

Cause you can't keep livin' on granny's Angel
See it's about time you get one of your own
I'm telling you can't keep livin' on granny's Angel
'Cause whatcha gonna do when granny's gone

Read more: Nicole C. Mullen - Granny's Angel Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

I believe this fits well into a discussion about Leadership because it is part of our responsibility to lead the next generation into their own personal, and meaningful, relationship with Jesus Christ, and that will start with how we live our lives as role models.

Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Insanity is living anywhere the temperature drops to below 0 and stays there for days in a row.

Insanity is taking three or more young children grocery shopping . . . by yourself.

Insanity is expecting the world to treat you by any definition of the word fair.

Insanity is expecting your plan to come off without a hitch.

Insanity is expecting your life to work out according to your plan.

Insanity is. . .

Day by day we live within the boundaries set by our fears, our hope, our experiences, our education, our resources, and our ability to connect with those around us.  Our complexity insures a certain amount of insanity in each of our lives, as well as the possibility for greatness.  Dare I risk being different, doing something different, thinking differently?  Can I stretch beyond my familiar rut to see a bigger world?  If so, where do I begin?

Like so many who seek enlightenment, do I delude myself with a close-mindedness which purports to be liberal and tolerant but is in reality condemning, narrow, and intolerant; or the pendulum swing to the right into legalism and spiritual elitism?  Have I accepted insanity as the norm?  Dare I risk being different, doing something different, thinking differently?  Can I stretch beyond my familiar rut to see a bigger world?  If so, where do I begin?

Those who hope in (rest in, wait upon) the Lord shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Soar/Run/Walk  but first, hope/rest/wait ON GOD.

Insanity is expecting the world/your life to make sense apart from God.

Sanity starts as we risk hoping, resting in, waiting on God.

Sanity starts with the seemingly insane proposition that God so loved us that he allowed his only Son to die in our place so that if we believe we might have eternal life.

Top new Leadership Books

Here is a list of new leadership books which you may find interesting:

  Low-Hanging Fruit: 77 Eye-Opening Ways to Improve Productivity and Profits by Jeremy Eden and Terri Long 
  A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger 
  Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well byDouglas Stone and Sheila Heen 
  Centered Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Clarity, and Impact by Joanna Barsh and Johanne Lavoie 
  The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas byAlan G Robinson and Dean M Schroeder 

I've not read these but this is a reputable site.  The original article can be found at Leading Blog

Is this Leadership?

Gerald says, "Thank you all for coming to this required workshop.  Our first order of business will be to define the top three things which, if we don't get a handle on immediately, will hurt the company and maybe even bring us close to closing within a year or less."

Bill, standing in the back of a group of about nine, thinks, "Like I had a choice to be here!  In fact I've got so much work piled up right now I don't think I'll ever catch up and I have to take time out for this stupid workshop.  We did something like this last year and after all our talk nothing was done.  It was a complete waste of time."

Sheryl, standing near the front of the group, thinks, "I'm impressed that our boss wants our input on these items.  I can't wait to hear what the others have to say.  I know I can think of a couple of things right now that I've noticed need immediate attention."

Rick, says, "Gerald, so, who do you want to do this?  Are we brainstorming, working in small groups, or what?

Gerald responds, "Good question Rick.  Here's is the process we'll use.  First we'll identify the major areas which are part of our company in a quick brainstorm.  I figure there are about four or five of these but I could be wrong. Once those are identified, we'll put each area on the top of a large poster page and stick them to the wall.  Next we'll divide into groups and move from poster to poster with the sound of this chime.  Each group will work together and write on the poster the things they can think of that fit the description of critical activities that have to be solved within the next 12 months or less.  When the chime sounds we'll rotate clockwise to the next poster.  If your group wants to add to the list, simply write the new point down, if you have a comment about a point already there, i.e. you agree, disagree, or want clarification, use the sticky notes you were given when you came in.  Alright, let's get started."

some time later after 

Gerald, "OK, looks like we've got quite a few items to consider!  Since this took longer than I expected, I'll take all the posters and condense the information and let you know the results.  Thanks for taking the time to participate everyone, great meeting.  Did everyone try the trailmix that Betty made?"

Gerald got back to his office and thought, "this was a waste of time.  I could have identified the same things without wasting my time and everyone else's.  In fact, since the responses are so self-evident, I don't think I need to even try to compile all these notes and some of the handwriting is almost illegible anyway."

Nothing was passed back to the group and no mention of a focus on any major emphases was announced.  Everyone got back to business as usual.

You may say this can't happen but I can tell you the truth I've sat through this exact scenario more than once.
Is this leadership?  Have you experienced this?  Have you had a better experience?  Post a comment.

Is there any room in your Cup?

I just recommended three leadership books to a young man who is being moved more and more into leadership at his work and has been specifically told that delegation and scheduling are two areas where he needs to improve.  I'm sure there are many other books which would more precisely address these two issues but here are the ones that came immediately to my mind:

• The Greatest Management Principle
• Switch
• Execution

Of course there are many others, such as The Leadership Challenge, which provide a broader foundation of leadership, yet, these three would definitely be at the top of my "to read" list for new leaders, especially if they already had strong relational skills.

Relational skills is where many struggle and if that were the problem, then, of course, the reading list would be a little different:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• The Greatest Management Principle

What's sad is that the Greatest Management Principle, found on both of these lists, is out of print.  However, Amazon lists used copies for as cheap as a penny.  If you don't own this book you are missing out. 

 Probably the biggest challenge isn't in which books you've read or should read as much as putting what you have learned into practice.  Taking the theory into the real world is where the rubber meets the road.  Finding someone with whom you can talk about the theory and how you've tried to implement it can be extremely useful and allow you to more quickly reach a level of competence.  This person is typically called a mentor.  Don't wait for a mentor to find you and impart their great wisdom, instead seek out one or more mentors and place yourself intentionally in their life. 

I'm reminded of a scene from a movie where a young man holds out a cup to be filled, but the older man pouring the drink continues to pour even after the cup reaches the top.  The message of this is that if your cup is already full, i.e. if you already think you know everything, how can any more be added?  I wonder how many of us suffer from this blind self-confidence (pride) which does not allow any room for new, or wiser, thoughts.

ACCESS 2014 Conference

If you are working in the area of Distance Education, particularly if you are at a Christian institution which delivers distance education you should be planning on attending the ACCESS conference coming up on March 9-12 at Palm Atlantic Christian University.  I have attended these conferences for several years now and can definitely tell you that this is a group which believes in collegial support and networking.  The sessions are always useful, the networking is great and, hey, who doesn't want to visit Palm Atlantic in March?

The ACCESS website is www.accessed.org which has all the details of the event.  There is an announcement below about the Keynote address and the conference from the Executive Director of ACCESS, Dr. Mary Lowe, below:

From the Executive Director

The keynote address at ACCESS 2014 will be delivered by Dr. Phil Cooke. Phil is a “media guru,” someone who has his finger on the pulse of our digital culture. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to transform your thinking on perception, media, and the power of change.

Telling Your Story in Today's Digital Culture

Phil Cooke, film maker, author, founder and CEO of Cooke pictures

As an academic leader, educator, or administrator in today’s media-driven culture, the greatest challenge is getting your message heard.  No matter how important your subject, talent, skill, or message; if no one’s listening, then you’ve failed. What makes you stand out?  What makes you unique? Distance education is now and it’s time to make an impact but how can we connect with people who need it the most.  The world is changing at the speed of light. At ACCESS we’ll look at today’s culture of disruptive change and learn how to use that to our advantage.

For more information, please visit: www.accessed.org and click on ACCESS 2014 under Events

I'll look forward to seeing you there.
 

The Advantage - Book Review

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni

Unlike most of Lencioni's books this is not a parable.  Instead it draws together the principles presented in his books into a cohesive strategy for implementing organizational health.  At slightly less than 200 pages, it is an easy read, yet full of the kind of information that can enhance productivity at the same time avoiding the dysfunctions which seem to plague most businesses.  

I am constantly amazed that with this kind of excellent material available there are so many CEOs whose grasp of leadership is either poor or nonexistent . . . and I wonder how they came to their position to begin with and somehow manage to keep it in spite of such poor leadership?  Ahhhh well, I think some things are beyond my powers of comprehension.

In Advantage, Lencioni identifies four core disciplines for a healthy, productive organization:

1.  Discipline 1: Build a Cohesive Leadership Team

2. Discipline 2: Create Clarity

3. Discipline 3: Overcommunicate Clarity

4. Discipline 4: Reinforce Clarity

He states throughout the book that the concepts he is presenting are not that complex, but are too often ignored by organizational leaders as being somehow beneath them.  I have experienced this and know his observation to be true.  

I've included a few quotes from the book which I found insightful/helpful:

"...the seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre or unsuccessful ones has little, if anything, to do with what they know or how smart they are: it has everything to do with how healthy they are." p. 8,9

"the only reason that a person should be on a team is that she represents a key part of the organization or brings truly critical talen or insight to the table." p. 24

 "When leaders preach teamwork but exclusively reward individual achievement, they are confusing their people and creating an obstacle to true team behavior." p. 26

"...peer-to-peer accountability is the primary and most effective source of accountability on the leadership team of a healthy organization." p. 54

"Firing someone is not necessarily a sign of accountability, but is often the last act of cowardice for a leader who doesn't know how or isn't willing to hold people accountable.  At its core accountability is about having the courage to confront someone about their deficiencies and then to stand in the moment and deal with their reaction, which may not be pleasant.  It is a selfless act, one rooted in a word that I don't use lightly in a business book: love."p. 57

"...the only measure of a great team -- or a great organization - is whether it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish." "See, no matter how good a leadership team feels about itself, and how noble its mission might be, if the organization it leads rarely achieves its goals, then, by definition, it's simply not a good team." p. 65

"...healthy, alignment is about creating so much clarity that there is as little room as possible for confusion, disorder, and infighting to set in." p. 73,74

"there is probably no greater frustration for employees than having to constantly navigate the politics and confusion caused by leaders who are misaligned." p. 75

"Once an organization successfully identifies and describes its core values and separates them from other kinds, it must then do its best to be intolerant of violations of those values.  It must ensure that every activity it undertakes, every employee it hires, and every policy it enacts reflects those core values.  Few organizations actually take this important step, instead allowing their values to be minimized as mere idealism." p. 101

"Many leadership teams struggle with not wanting to walk away from opportunities that seem basically good and easily justifiable outside the context of having a strategy, but which would distract the organization and pull it away from its stated intent." p. 117

"On a cohesive team, leaders are not there simply to represent the departments that they lead and manage but rather to solve problems that stand in the way of achieving success for the whole organization." p. 123

"...almost no employees willingly leave an organization where they are getting the levels of gratitude and appreciation that they deserve just to make a little more money, unless, of course, they are so grossly underpaid that they can't justify staying in the job for the sake of their livelihood." p. 168

Using the concept of an organizational playbook Lencioni describes a process which if followed will generate clarity and functional alignment capable of achieving high performance.  I will definitely be using this information to guide me in my new position and with my new team.

I highly recommend this book and encourage you to add it to your library.

Right, right??

There is a passage in the book of Judges in the Old Testament which says "every man did right in his own eyes," with the emphasis (implied) on "in his own eyes."  I interpret this to mean, and I think the context supports this interpretation, that doing the "right" thing and doing the "right thing by MY definition" are not necessarily the same thing.  The adage "Might makes Right" is a falsehood spread by those who those who have the Might, i.e. power, and think it entitles them to determine the definition of right.

I think this harks back to the WIFM (What's in it for ME?) principle, or the Greatest Management Principle about which I've written quite a bit about before.  MY interpretation of right is always going to have the flavor, if not the actual stink, of self interest.  We might be able to separate ourselves from this influence briefly from time to time but without an external, and higher, standard of RIGHT that bias will eventually (and always) present itself.

With that being said, it IS possible to do RIGHT.  To do the RIGHT I simply have to recognize that higher standard, which known by another name is God's LOVE, and act in accordance with that.  Love which seeks the good for others ahead of our own.  It really is LOVE which defines RIGHT.  I actually wish this was simple, and certainly it is easier for those who have accepted Christ as Saviour in their lives, but even Christians can stumble in doing right if they lose sight of Love.

I've written before the we "leak," meaning that what we have learned, and thought we could never forget, slips away from us without a reminder from time to time.  Please consider this a reminder to LOVE, and in so doing you will you will be doing RIGHT in God's eyes and will reap blessings in your soul . . . right?

Rocking the Boat

When I was growing up one of our favorite vacations as a family was to go camping and fishing.  We would tent camp, usually with some of our cousins, and spend the days either fishing, hiking, or playing games.  When we were fishing it was typically in a small boat.  In the early days the boat was a row boat which my brother and I often rowed around the edges of the lake while a couple of people, one in the front and one in the back, fly fished for bass and bluegill.  These are by and large very happy memories, both the rowing and the fishing.  Here are some things which I learned about rocking the boat.

1.  Rocking the boat can give you a very vulnerable feeling.  It makes you feel as if you are going to tip over and fall into the lake, losing all your equipment, getting wet, and potentially drowning - OK, you're not likely to really drown, but try telling that to your subconscious as the boat is rocking!

2.  Sometimes a little bit of rocking is necessary.  If you have to search for something, or move from one place to another, or even move to bring in a large fish, the boat will rock some.  If done with care and consciousness of the effects upon the boat and all it contains, some rocking can facilitate a better more productive experience.

3.  Those who rock the boat just to rock the boat may seem novel at first but can quickly become annoying and possibly even dangerous.  These individuals are often excluded from future boating outings.

4.  Those who rock the boat because they are new to boats and don't understand the ramifications need to slow down and learn a little before they inadvertently tip everyone into the lake.

Can you think of other points to include?

Leaders, can you think of applications for your business or church?

Getting an Outside Perspective

I listen to my wife tell me something a dozen times and choose to ignore the validity of her point, but then to hear the same thing from someone else, especially someone I deem credible, convinces me (by the way this works in reverse as well - I can say something a dozen times to my wife to be politely ignored . . . until she hears the same thing from someone else and suddenly its a "fact").  I don't think we are unique in this or there wouldn't be consultants.

I've worked at companies which hired consultants whose recommendations were no better or different, and often worse, than those who were working at the front lines of the organization.  However, the ideas and recommendations of the front line workers was ignored while the consultant's recommendations, for which significant sums were paid, were embraced.

Jesus said a prophet in his own land is ignored and this is true for more than prophets.  Our willingness to embrace the word of the "expert" from outside versus the ideas and our internal staff is mind boggling!  In fact, in many organizations the creativity and imagination of the internal staff to address weakness in systems and process is routinely and systematically eliminated in favor of conformity in the name of productivity.  This is sad because, when encouraged, the front line workers have the ability to bring great ingenuity in solving problems and improving systems, particularly when encouraged to collaborate toward those ends.

However, it does mean that when these workers are encouraged to THINK they will also be able to spot insincerity and unethical practices more readily; something a consultant would be unlikely to spot from their brief exposure to the company.  So, the best plan if you know your culture isn't quite in line with your administrative practices is to keep hiring consultants and bind your employees with strict policies and procedures.  On the other hand, if you are genuinely interested in integrity, sincerity, and people, then encourage them to THINK, listen to what they have to say, and then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Making Thanksgiving Dinner

I have prepared the Thanksgiving dinner at our house for many year now.  In fact I've taken on the role of meal preparation pretty much altogether.  Along the way I've learned a lot and developed some recipes which have become family favorites . . . as well as made some definite failures - who knew potato and sauerkraut tacos wouldn't work????

Anyway, I've learned to follow recipes and directions on boxes and discovered an amazing thing:  if you are careful to follow the directions the result will almost always turn out OK . . . and with some practice you might even be able to improve on the original.  I suppose this isn't really amazing, after all, the whole point of the directions to begin with is to produce the intended result.

As I was essentially learning to cook, it became obvious to me that the trick isn't in the preparation of any single dish (just follow the directions); what sets apart the true "cook" is the ability to get everything done and on the table AT THE SAME TIME.  It is all about sequencing the work to achieve the intended goal, which is greater than any single dish - no matter how wonderful.  Just because you can make a great Turkey is pretty meaningless if it gets cold waiting for all the other parts of the meal to get finished.

I think I was actually exposed to this lesson as a boy growing up watching my Dad.  Dad was a building contractor who built over a 100 homes and many churches.  Watching him coordinate the flow of sub-contractors and supplies to his own crew made a deep impression on me at an early age.

This is the same thing is most areas of life, including business, education and faith.  It is the difference between success and failure.  Identifying the goal (e.g. having ALL the items on the menu done and on the table at the right time), and then sequencing the work so that each part is started in proper relationship to all the others defines the true "cook" or contractor, or LEADER.

So before you begin, take a moment to think about the end, the parts that have to come together for the "end" to be gauged a success, and develop your plan to sequence each part to reach that goal. 

The Battleground: Holiness and Spiritual Warfare - excerpt1

Excerpt  from the introduction of my upcoming book:  The Battleground: Holiness and Spiritual Warfare

I am not sure when I first noticed it, but there was no doubt in my mind as I stood to preach that Sunday night what had been happening. We had just prayed over a cloth anointed with oil for the healing of one of the body of believers where I served as pastor.  A young lady stood to sing; as she sang her praises to God, I felt His spirit wash over me in a powerful way. I sat there, practically overwhelmed with a sense of the Spirit and power. In those moments, God revealed to me what I had seen, but not understood. 

A few months ago I had begun to teach a series of lessons on spiritual warfare. About that time things began to happen in the congregation: deaths, sickness, personal trauma, financial disasters. You would think I would have made the connection; after all, these are merely the manifestations of warfare in a higher realm. Within a few weeks, however, even though the negative effects of the battle were still being felt, God’s power began to break through into the life of the congregation. Four individuals over the course of two weeks, individuals with little or no contact with the church, were saved. The previous Sunday, six people came forward to be sanctified, baptized by the Holy Spirit. Worship, an important part of what goes on at our church, became endued with a special power, even though those leading were untrained and developing their own style. As I stood to preach, God redirected my message to unity in the battle and perseverance.

                Over the next few months and years God has shown me some aspects of the battle and how to be effective as a spiritual warrior. This book is about those strategies, tactics, and weapons. I believe in the final victory but I also want to be as effective for the Lord as possible on a day-to-day basis. The lessons contained in the following pages will give you a different way of looking at life, and, I hope, new tools to be victorious in your own personal battle.

This book should be available on Amazon in print version within the next month.  I'll post an an announcement at that time.  If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to share.

 

Think Oblique

Several of the books I've been reading lately have got me thinking about problem solving.  Two of those that come immediately to mind are Decisive by Dan and Chip Heath and David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell.  Although I don't remember either of these books mentioning this precise term, the concept is there. 

By Thinking Oblique, I mean that when faced with a challenge, instead of following the normal and expected road to the solution, head off at an angle.  Some might call this "thinking outside the box" but for me that isn't quite right.  I respect that concept, but when I say Think Oblique, I have a slightly different context in mind.

An oblique angle in geometry is any angle which is not 90 degrees.  Acute angles are less than 90 degrees and obtuse angles are more than 90 degrees.  In actuality my focus on Think Oblique is really focused on the acute angle.  The idea goes like this:  If linear thinking is hitting a dead end or a barrier, then take a different track, one which may require re-conceptualizing the problem as


well as what the solution "should" look like.  Try to remove the constraints of the linear and Think Oblique.