Month: December 2016

I’m going through one of those times in my life when I’m pressing through a short season of working ridiculous hours on a home project, because of a deadline Nancy and I have set for finishing our basement. While we’re having outside contractors do several tasks that require expertise I don’t have or who simply can do it more effectively and faster, I’ve been spending substantial hours in the basement to see the project through. I’m sure Michael Hyatt would tell me to hire it all out and use the time to work extra hours to pay for it, but because I’m a pastor working extra hours doesn’t gain me extra dollars.

I’m not complaining, simply pointing out that sometimes as leaders we need to press through in particular situations to accomplish a task at work, home, or in some other avenue of life. I actually enjoyed the five hours I worked moving furniture, then painting a section of ceiling and eight doors, because I was able to listen to about a third of an audio book, reflect on what needs to be done to complete the project before our December 14 deadline, and to consider various aspects of the ministry at New Life. Nancy’s appreciation for the extra effort is a blessing to our marital relationship, and after nearly 38 years together as husband and wife that matters more than ever to me.

You may have a project at work where you’re pressing through, or you may have a situation with your spouse or a child that requires you to press through. Whatever it may be, times come when we need to expend extra energy and effort in the short-term, and in some cases for a longer season than that in order to gain a long-term benefit. All great leaders have this ability. The key is not to let the pressing through mode become our default mode. We all need rest. We need sleep. We need all seven of the aspects of Life Management that we reviewed over the summer. Right now, for me, I’m giving up some sleep and my daily exercise routine for about a week, in order to press through the project.

That means I’ve been making some adjustments in when I pray (since I usually pray during my exercise bike time), and what I eat (because I am committed to the goal of weighing 190 by the end of February. I hit 200 today, and it’s a good thing, because my better physical health has a corresponding addition to my stamina and ability to perform the tasks required for the project.

I hope you are prepared for the next project or situation that requires you to press through, or are at least preparing for it. Preparing for it means resting appropriately, praying, eating well, investing in your vital relationships and managing your life well. Then when the situation calls for pressing through for a week or two you’ll be ready. If you are already facing such a season remember to be intentional about a starting and ending time for it. Pressing through can degenerate into being a workaholic without a lot of effort, particularly if you have an addictive personality as I tend to have.

As with everything when it comes to leadership, we need to stop and examine what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. That way we’ll be better equipped to make good decisions and commitments, and take effective action. Whether it’s pressing through, or maintaining what you’re doing, or even backing off a bit, the key is to know why you’re doing it, and what it will do to advance your effectiveness in leading.

Here’s to leading better by pressing through or not, but being intentional either way–today!

Do the holidays impact your leadership? Have you ever considered that question? Many folks take Christmas very seriously either from a faith perspective or a cultural one, and the activities of the season can be quite distracting to our businesses or other organizations. So what is the best approach for us to take through the season? You may already have some company policies or traditions that dictate what you do between now and the end of the year, but if you don’t let me suggest a few ideas for how to address it.

Celebrate the season. Don’t fight the “distractions” that the season brings. Notice them and celebrate the ones you can. If you have the ability to have a party for either you entire organization or key staff do so. At the party let folks know how much you appreciate them and their work. Be sure to celebrate who there are as well as what they do. If your organization is too big to include everyone, consider making a general holiday announcement celebrating their part in the blessings of 2016, and let them know you are looking forward with anticipation to the New Year!

Do for one what you can’t do for all. I learned this one from Andy Stanley. Our church has grown significantly over the past several years, which means as much as I would like to sit down with all the individual members and participants over the Christmas seasons it is impossible. That doesn’t mean I can’t sit down with one or a few and let them know how much they mean to me and to our church. If even that seems like too much, write a few handwritten notes to celebrate folks who have made an impact in the past year. In this era of form letters, e-mails and twitter, people appreciate hand written notes, as they are nearly a lost art form.

Make sure everyone knows what you’re expecting of them through the season. Whether it’s more or less productivity time off, etc… make sure everyone is on the same page. Sometimes our team will actually work harder if we let them know, we need to push it for the next week and then we’ll take it a little easy the week or so before Christmas and then take a real break for the holidays.

Since Christmas is on Sunday this year, figure out what you’re going to do with the time between Christmas and New Year’s. December 26 is a federal holiday, so do you take that day and get right back to work on Tuesday? Do you take more time than that? Again if you don’t have a company policy, and you haven’t decided this yet, now is the time. It’s likely that many on your team already have plans, so be sure to be clear about what you expect.

Leaders set the tone as much by what we do as by what we say, if not more so, so be sure to pause today and make sure you’re clear on what your expectations are, and what you’re going to do to live them out effectively.

Finally, I find taking some time between Christmas and New Year’s to review the year just past, and to set some new goals for the year ahead is a great way to lead better in the year ahead. Be sure to take enough time to both review and dream. It will give you the best opportunity to learn from what didn’t go well as well as to plan some changes for the coming year that will improve your leadership, which will improve the organization you lead.

Here’s to leading better by recognizing the holidays are upon us and impact each of us in ways that will call us to be more intentional and effective in our leadership–today!

As we conclude our week of focusing on finishing strong, today’s topic is “the ultimate transition.” This is where belief systems determine what we think the ultimate transition will be. Three basic belief systems exist when it comes to the ultimate transition: some believe when this life ends that’s it. Life simply ends. Others believe in cycles of rebirth after this life, and the way we live this life determines what type of life we live in the next life. Others believe in some form of eternal life in heaven or paradise.

While many say it doesn’t matter what we believe or whether we believe anything at all about God and the after life, how we approach this life is determined by those beliefs and particularly how we think about finishing strong, when it comes to the ultimate transition. I have examined the three major belief systems when it comes to the ultimate transition, and my faith perspective is that of eternal life in heaven with God. I can speak and write best from that frame of reference, so for today that’s the frame of reference from which I write.

When one looks forward to the ultimate transition as a transition from being a spiritual being with a physical experience here on earth, finishing strong means living more and more consistently in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. As I have moved from childhood, through adolescence into adulthood and am now on the threshold of my sixties, my perspective about finishing strong has become more and more about living my life consistently according to my belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and particularly in letting the Holy Spirit have control in my life. While many understand what I just said, others cannot. The perspective takes faith, but is based a great deal on life experience as well.

For example, one must believe that Jesus Christ is God in order to hold the perspective I hold, and at the same time my life experience has demonstrated that Jesus Christ is God that He lived a perfect life, rose from the dead, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us who trust Him as Savior and Lord. The terms Savior and Lord mean one who saves from sin and death, one who is the “owner” of our lives. As I live that reality, finishing strong means I awake each day and ask God for His indwelling presence to lead and guide me. I base my words and actions on the truth I have been reading and living from the Bible over the vast majority of my life. When I fail to be consistent with those beliefs, rather than live in hypocrisy by denying the failure, I admit my shortcomings and repent, which means to change my mind, to turn around and move back toward God.

As you can see, this belief system moves me to a greater and greater integrity in my life as I move toward the finish line. It doesn’t mean I am better than anyone else, or that my leadership will necessarily be more effective than others, although my life ought to reflect the truth and love of Jesus more and more and my leadership ought to be the same kind of servant leadership that marked Jesus. Living this type of life means that when the ultimate transition from this life to the next (or to the end) is one that I face with calm and confidence. While I hope to live for at least several more decades, I am prepared to face the ultimate transition today. The Apostle Paul wrote about this perspective in a single verse in his letter to the Philippians when he said, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

While some may laugh at such a perspective, it is that perspective that gives me the ability to lead effectively into my sixties, if God wills, and beyond. My prayer for each of you is that you base your ultimate transition on a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are not going to do that, my recommendation is to live consistently according to your belief system, whatever it may be. After all, we all have a belief system even if it is the denial of any belief system. That consistently will allow us to approach life with a kind of integrity that is not seen in those who merely drift through life. Then again, the drifting life is seldom a life of leadership.

Here’s to leading better by living our life consistently with our worldview and belief system determining how we will finish strong–today!

As we continue our focus on finishing strong, today’s topic is finishing strong during transitions. Most of us will not be leading in only one business, church or other organization in our lifetime. In fact, the younger you are the more likely you are to go through many transitions through your lifetime. So, how does a person finish strong during a transition? Obviously we could offer dozens of ways to accomplish that important process, but today let’s limit ourselves to three: 1) Leave as few loose ends as possible; 2) Set your successor up for success; and 3) If feasible, be a resource for your successor.

When we leave one place of leadership, we will undoubtedly leave some loose ends. We won’t have finished every project or accomplished every goal, but we don’t want to leave glaring loose ends for our successor to tie together. Of course, the type of transition we’re going through will dictate this to some degree. If you were fired or your position was eliminated there may well be more loose ends than if you simply moved to a different position, because it was a step forward, a new call, or for some other positive reason. Even if you were fired, you can help your successor by leaving good records of your work and projects so he or she can pick up where you left off. Make sure your paper trail (or electronic file trail) leads your successor to be able to accomplish unfinished projects.

In addition, if you have treated those who worked for you well, that is a major benefit to your successor, because they will be in a position to help with the new leader’s transition. We’ve already mentioned that in prior posts, but it is worth mentioning again, since one of the most challenging loose ends for a new leader to face is a dissatisfied follower/ worker.

Treating your workers well is part of setting your successor up for success, as is having written processes and procedures for the various activities over which you held leadership. This has always been a growth area for me, as I have “filed” most of my projects in my mind rather than on paper or a computer file. I’ve been working at developing better written processes so when I transition out of New Life in the future, my successor will have a clear understanding of what I have done. While the new leader may choose not to follow the direction or directions you have chosen at least you will help to ensure it’s possible to do so.

Another way to set your successor up for success, if you are going through a positive transition is to let your team know their new leader is going to be a blessing to them. This will only be possible if you have had some input into selecting your successor, or have at least met with him or her during the transition. If you have a lot of personal capital in your organization, transferring it to the new leader will be a major benefit.

Finally, if you can be a resource to your successor, volunteer to do so. Even the best paper trail can be difficult to follow, and having the person who started the project or set the goal explain the original intent can be a great help. Of course, you can’t be expected to invest a great deal of time in being a resource if you are moving on to another leadership position, but any time you can give will be helpful.

Because our focus has been finishing strong during transitions, I haven’t emphasized your new start, but that is an important aspect of finishing strong over the long haul. Every transition we make offers us the opportunity to start finishing strong, and to eventually have lived a life of effective leadership.

Here’s to leading better by doing what it takes to be ready for your next transition–today!