Clarifying... Pt. 3: Voice & Responsibility

As you clarify and refine the vision for your team/staff/church/business/school/family, you also have to clarify and refine the VOICE. The voice of a team is the shared sense of mission, joy, urgency, passion, work ethic, philosophy, and responsibility that defines the culture of that team. I CANNOT overstate how mission-critical the voice of your team is. It is sink-or-swim, do-or-die, life-and-death critical.


Some people that you recruit/hire/bring on will just "get it," almost from before day one. Some people don't get it yet, but they will as you teach and share it. And, some won't. For those who won't or can't, it means that you hired the wrong person. Not necessarily a bad person, but the wrong person for this team. 


And, some people are just so wounded that they can't get out of their own way emotionally and relationally and it doesn't matter what you do--it will never be enough. We have to love these people, invite them to join us in the larger mission/vision of the team, and help them where we can (or help them find help where we can't help them). But because of our responsibility to the larger team and mission or vision, we can't allow an individual or small group of people to be a drag and drain on our overall culture, performance, and team. 


Hopefully, we're engaged in something so audacious, so monumental, and significant, that to allow that would be catastrophic to our cause. As the leader, we don't have the luxury of settling for the catastrophe of mediocrity. We are responsible and accountable for the vision and the voice that are the vehicles for our vocation, our calling. Regardless of our leadership context or style, our personality, the benefits and rewards, or challenges and obstacles--responsibility is the defining characteristic of leadership. Accepting and embracing responsibility reveals a true leader.


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Clarifying Dreams & Vision, Pt. 2

Way back in Feb. I wrote Clarifying Dreams & Visions as a calm, almost academic reflection on Dr. Sam Chand's observation: Leadership is like changing the fan belt on your car. While driving down the highway.

At the time, I didn't intend it to be a multi-part posting. But, in the interim six months, God has changed not only the fan belts of our church and my life, but the oil, radiator fluid, all four tires, the transmission, and the very engine itself. All, while driving down the highway. And, sure enough, he has used this process to clarify and refine the vision that he has called us to realize.

The vehicle has changed. Significantly. But the destination, the object of our prayers, work, dreams, hopes, time, resources, pain, and joy remains the same as it ever was: TO GROW THE COMMUNITY OF CHRIST ONE LIFE AT A TIME.

Over the next few days, I'm going to share some of what we've learned and experienced and decided as a result of this crazy ride. Here's the first thing: THE COMMITMENT TO TRAVEL TRUMPS THE MODE OF TRAVEL. If your car breaks down, don't abandon the journey. Repair it or replace it, but whatever you do, keep moving!

If your team's communication, passion, unity, joy, or effectiveness breaks down, the leader is responsible/accountable to repair/replace whatever or whomever needs to be repaired/replaced. The journey (mission, vision, purpose) is too important and the stakes are too high to abandon the journey.

Clarifying Dreams & Visions

At last week's C3 Conference, Dr. Sam Chand likened leadership to changing a fan belt on your car while driving down the highway.

Just for the record, he's right.

God is in the midst of changing some fan belts in me, in our family, and in Lake Hills Church--all while we continue screaming down the highway. It is an incredibly fun, somewhat scary, hugely faith-building time. It's a time of praying, dreaming, seeking counsel, praying, planning, and praying.

I don't know exactly what the next set of fan belts looks like yet, but I know they are bigger and able to sustain higher speeds, hotter temperatures, and greater loads. These dreams and visions that God is leading us into demand change. But, they are clarifying who we are, what we do, and who God wants to be a part of them.

Buckle up.

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Distractions

Good is the enemy of best.

When you woke up this morning, you had a choice: Invest yourself in the things that matter. Or, chase rabbits.

Rabbits are the distractions that vie for our time, attention, money, energy, and soul. Some people use email to further their purpose and reason for getting up in the morning. Most people use it to distract themselves from the banality of their job. Some people use Twitter to build a brand, communicate quickly and concisely with their audience, or drive people to their website. Most use it to distract themselves from the task at hand, whatever it may be.

Sometimes, chasing people down who've left your company, church, or team is a distraction. Or, chasing people down to try and change their mind or opinion is usually a distraction. When someone lobs a false accusation at you, defending yourself can be a distraction.

A good friend of mine was asked by the mayor of his small town to serve on his community's school board. Taking his responsibility seriously, my friend proposed instituting higher accountability for the teachers in that system. In an effort to derail that direction, defenders of the status quo hurled accusations of racism at him. He listened to their charges, dismissed them as a desperate attempt to distract from the task at hand--he did not even respond to the charges, they were so ludicrous--and moved forward the work to serve the students of that system.

The word distraction tells us what it is: dis ~ away from; tract ~ to draw/carry. To draw or carry away from.

What distractions are drawing or carrying you away from what you GET to do today, this week? Get past them and get on with it.

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Colt McCoy & the Cultivation of Character

When Colt McCoy was knocked out of the National Championship Game on the 6th play from scrimmage, he was eliminated from the most significant game of his career so far. No meter could measure his disappointment, frustration, anger, and loss.

Yet, his comments in the immediate aftermath of that experience reveal a character and faith that doesn't just happen. You can't create it on the spot in the moment. It has to be cultivated over years. Below is a clip from his post-game comments, but below that is an interview with Colt and his dad that we taped for Father's Day last year that provides amazing insight into how he was "prepared for the path" he's currently on.

Colt After-game Interview:


Brad & Colt McCoy LHC Interview:

Feed the Fire, Pt. 3 (Put Another Log on the Fire)

When you build a fire, huge energy goes into lighting the fire. Gather the wood...stack the wood...light the wood...re-light the wood...

But, once it's lit, just a little bit of kindling added in at the right times in the right places can continue to fuel the flames for hours. Before Lake Hills Church began generating its own heat, the Ground Floor Group who were there at the beginning poured huge amounts of time, energy, prayer, generous giving, and some more prayer into lighting the fire. As God has grown our congregation and increased our influence, one of the most flammable materials we use to feed the fire is Story.

Story feeds the fire like little else can. There's no way that we can even know, much less capture all the stories and moments of God's moving in people's lives. But, when we hear about them and share them, then those stories become logs that feed the fire in other areas. People naturally place themselves in the story being told and instinctively draw parallels to their own stories.

Managers instruct. Leaders inspire.

Manager: Person A should accomplish task #1 and then partner with Person B and they should...
Leader: Let me share with y'all what Gina did when she was approached about providing a service that our group has never considered. She set up a meeting to discover what their need really was, and then...THAT'S who we are. THAT'S what sets us apart from the other teams...

What stories are you telling that are feeding the right fires in your team/group/church/business?
How do you make sure they're told?

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Feed the Fire, Pt. 2

As I've been processing the Feed the Fire leadership paradigm, I've tried to identify specific strategies, activities, and action items to share. And, there are some that are powerfully effective that I will share in a coming post.

But, as I was processing and thinking, one item kept leaping to the top of the list. When I think about the things that feed my personal fire(s), there's one that always works, every time, everywhere: PEOPLE.

There are a few people in my orbit who just fire me up, empower me, and encourage me every time I'm around them. When I leave their presence, I love life, my family, my calling--everything, that much more. These people fall into several categories:

• Truth-tellers--everyone in this category who feeds my fires will tell me what I need to hear and not just what I want to hear. BUT...I listen because I know they truly love me and want God's best for my life.
• Encouragers--these are people who routinely make time to breathe life into whatever I'm doing or trying to do. They know my strengths--and, therefore, my weaknesses--and they feed the fire of those strengths. They share stories about things I've done that have helped them and give me the courage to use those gifts and strengths to try something new.
• Big-idea Thinkers--these folks are the ones who challenge me and stretch me intellectually or practically to do something better or bigger in the world. They're the ones who dream big dreams. I LOVE being around these folks.
• Half-fullers--they know the world's not perfect, but they choose to believe that we can make a difference. They engage each day with hope, enthusiasm, and a let's-go mentality.

As I look at that list, it challenges me to BE that kind of person for the people I serve and lead, so that I'm feeding the fire in them.

What other fire-feeders are in your life?

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Feed the Fire (Back from Hiatus), Pt. 1

Like Jack Bauer, I've recently gone dark in blog-world, not so much intentionally or for a lack of inspiration, but for a lack of time. Coincidence or not, this blog blackout corresponded to a fairly significant shift in my personal leadership paradigm.

Essentially, the shift comes down to this take-home: FEED THE FIRE. Where things are working, where people are doing well, casting vision, serving people they lead, executing and bearing fruit from their labors--wherever that is happening, FEED THE FIRE. Fan those flames into infernos, those sparks into flames, and those embers into steady burns. Feeding the fire is really another way of saying inspiration. The word inspire means to "breathe into." When we inspire someone, we're literally breathing life into their lives, their souls. That's a good business to be in.

Too many times, I've operated from a fireman mindset: Putting out fires that destroy what we're trying to build or accomplish. To be sure, course corrections are sometimes necessary. But, the majority of my time, energy, and leadership capital is better invested in feeding the fire that's generating the heat for what we're trying to build or accomplish.

Oil well firefighters use a counterintuitive tool to put out oil well fires: They set off an explosion near the fire that uses up all the oxygen in the area and therefore starves the fire of oxygen. When you feed constructive fires, you starve destructive ones.

(Preacher's addendum: What's true for day-to-day leadership is ESPECIALLY true for preaching: Inspiration is more effective than either information or condemnation. Obviously content and doctrine matter. And, again, sometimes a rebuke or correcting is necessary and appropriate. But, over time, feeding the fire works better at stimulating spiritual maturity than putting out fires.)

What are some ways that you feed the fire or have been inspired by someone?

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Spur Leadership Conference

Two days from today, hundreds of leaders from the marketplace, government, ministry, the military, school districts and every imaginable arena will gather for the second annual Spur Leadership Conference. Months of planning, prayer, preparations, and work have been poured into making this a unique event that truly serves every single person who attends.

This morning, we were given an entire hour of morning drive radio time on KVET FM with Bucky Godbolt & Bob Cole. General Tommy Franks and GSD&M's Roy Spence called in and we got to share with the city a little taste of what's coming Thursday and Friday this week. KVET was kind enough to post the segment and you can listen to it here on their website (right underneath the blurb about Robert Earl Keen--good company!).

It's not too late to register and be a part of the Spur Leadership Project at WWW.SPURLEADERSHIP.ORG.

Apologies Waste Time

I'm an idiot. I didn't even realize it until I paid attention to who I paying attention to. Great leaders, Kingdom movers and shakers, people who God uses--go and do. They don't apologize for what they're doing. They don't try to soften the blow so fewer people will be suspicious. They don't try to gain consensus. Apologies like these waste precious time, energy, and confuse your communication.

Consensus is like balance. It's a myth. There's no such thing. Consensus is equilibrium and equilibrium is death. Everything that lives moves in seasons and ebb and flow.

Great leaders apologize when they're wrong and their leadership capital multiplies for it. But not when they're fulfilling a God-given vision and dream. When that's happening, it's time to describe what God has shown you about what can be, invite people along for the ride, and then roll up your sleeves and go to work to make it a reality.

Vacation Is Hard Work, Pt. 4

Why in the world post about vacation in August?

Great question. The reason is simple: You have to start now preparing, scheduling, and planning for an extended vacation NOW. It takes months to plan where to go, how long to go, and who not to go with (VERY important criterion, by the way--more in a minute). We're just back from our trip and already I'm saving my milk money for next year's trip, fishing, and unknown-at-this-point opportunities to unwind.

The first thing that has to happen is that you decide and declare that time away is a priority. Making that time to get away and sharpen the saw as Stephen Covey calls it has to be a priority in your year and on your calendar or it will not happen. Remember, it's not just "time off:" this is a mission-critical strategic decision to be better at everything you do.

Second, travel companions determine how restful and replenishing this time will be. Family reunions are not vacation. They can be great. They can be fun. They can be important. (They can also be none of those, but that's for another time.) But they are not vacation. Bill Hybels has long encouraged people to pay attention to their gauges: Emotional, spiritual, relational, physical--just like a car has a dashboard that registers engine performance, fuel levels, oil pressure, etc., we have gauges that we can often ignore always at our peril.

Vacation travel should only happen with people who fill your tanks. If it's an obligation, it's not a vacation. If it's a whip relationally, conversationally, or in any other way--it doesn't count as vacation. And, because we all have a limited number of vacation days, this means that we have to be very discerning and shrewd about how we spend our time away. Kindof like we should be shrewd about how we spend our time not away.

Vacation Is Hard Work, Pt. 3

Like just about everything else that requires hard work, vacation time is worth it. Nothing else provides the benefits and blessings that time off and away can provide.

Obviously, this idea can be pushed too far. Like any other gift, we can abuse and misuse it. But, if you apply a little common sense, pray for wisdom in setting the time (length of time and when to take the time), seek counsel from other people, and have a peace about it, then pull the trigger and go for it.

The great irony is that taking time off work in the way that I'm describing actually makes you better at work when you return. And, in every other way as a human being, assuming there is more to who you are than what you do for a living.

Here are just some of the reasons to make time off:

1. We are hard-wired to need rest. It's true every night. It's true once a week. And it's true throughout the different seasons of the year. No one--no, not even you--can operate at full capacity and highest effectiveness over a sustained period of months without some time to recharge.
2. We see the world differently in different locations. When I pick my head up and leave Austin, Lake Hills Church, even my house, I think differently. New sights, experiences, foods, people all cause us to expand the way we think and what we think about. Broadening our experiences stimulates our brains and hearts to think and feel in ways that broaden our capacity.
3. If you're calling is something that you truly love, time away from it will make you want to do it more. There's something about being away from the church, our team, and the work that makes me love it that much more. The rest is good, the new experiences are fun and exciting. But, after a few days or a couple weeks, those things make me appreciate my day-in/day-out so much more than I do when I'm at the end of my rope.
4. Family time. Like a lot of modern families, we have a LOT of activities going on. Sports, school, choir, friends, church...all of them are good things. And very, very few of them do we do all together as a family. Vacation time is where we reconnect and forge the ties that bind. From playing games--not one of my favorite pastimes, but I love doing it with Julie, Emily & Joseph because of the smacktalk, laughter, yelling and mockery that gameplaying entails in our house--to crappie fishing to deer hunting to trying a new flavor of frozen custard, we have lifetime memories together shaped through shared experiences.


Question: What benefits do you draw from vacation?

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Vacation Is Hard Work, Pt. 2

Obviously, vacation is about rest, refueling, and recharging. But, for all those things to happen takes enormous amounts of intentional work. Just because you're out of the office or out of town doesn't guarantee that your vacation will truly refuel you for the next season of work/ministry ahead of you. Here is a list of things to DO so that you can unwind and recharge:

1. Carve the time out on your calendar for vacation. You will not drift into quality time off. You have to make the commitment to MAKING time to recharge. Set the dates and treat vacation as a commitment on your calendar.
2. Communicate your level of accessibility while on vacation. Let the people in your office know how to contact you IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Then, YOU define "emergency" for them, not the other way around. Also, change any voicemail/email responses to let people you know you're not available and give them an alternative contact (make sure your alternative contact knows he/she's the go-to in your absence!).
3. Set people up for a win. Before you leave, make sure that your responsibilities are covered and contingency plans are in place for WHEN something goes wrong. Something will need attention before you return, so make sure that you've equipped someone to handle it in your absence and it doesn't have to be YOUR attention.
4. VACATE. Vacation means that you have vacated, left the building, quit using email...in essence, you're not working, so that when you come back, you can work better.

In the comments section, share strategies you've used that help vacation really be vacation for you.

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Vacation is Hard Work, Pt. 1

Today marks our family's first full day back home after vacation. We got to play, rest, fish, eat, work out, sleep--on days we didn't fish!--hang out, and completely recharge for the new season of ministry and school that we're about to launch. All of this was made possible because of two huge factors:
1. We're blessed with a church family that encourages us to take time off and get away.
2. Lake Hills Church is led by a phenomenal team of gifted, passionate, talented, called people who make it happen day in and day out, regardless of where I am or who's looking over their shoulder.

The reality is, though, that neither one of those things just happens. It's taken years to develop, cultivate, and perpetuate both of those things. This year's vacation was a huge teachable moment for me. Over the next few days, I'm going to share some of what God is teaching me about the spiritual discipline of rest.

Also, make sure that you are a part of community worship this weekend. I'm starting a new series called POWERHOUSE that God has been pouring into me for weeks. I can't wait to share it and watch what he does with it.

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Let Freedom Ring

From fireworks in Austin to the streets of Tehran, the conclusion is concrete: Freedom wins. Every single time.

The drive inside us is too strong, too innate to be denied or suppressed successfully. Sometimes freedom’s victory is a long time coming, but it will come. Every single time.

This reality raises a significant leadership question: What am I doing to facilitate or suffocate freedom in the people who volunteer to follow me? And make no mistake about it, everyone volunteers. Even those whose checks we sign (or auto-deposits we authorize) have volunteered to work with us rather than somewhere else.

Clearly, we have to move our organization forward in growth and health or we won’t have a platform. But, in the growth of the group, are we also facilitating the freedom to grow and develop individuals and their vision, their skills, their need for adventure, their fulfillment, their peace, their families, their creativity?

If we don’t, someone will. Guess who they’ll volunteer to work with.

The Power of a Blessing

Not the "God is great/God is good/Let us thank Him/For our food" blessing kids use before they eat. I'm talking about speaking truth and affirmation into people's lives. Recently, I've learned--I mean, really learned--how truly power-full, empowering, and in-courage-ing a tool we have at our disposal when we choose to affirm and reinforce the good in the people we serve and lead.

Every, single person with a pulse carries influence. A few intentionally use it constructively, which is why they typically stand out so prominently. They're rare. Affirming the character and heart of people we influence increases our influence and their capacities.

A couple of guidelines concerning affirmation and blessing:

1. Use it sparingly. If you constantly try to affirm just whatever comes to mind, you'll cheapen the significance of those times when it really means something.
2. Distinguish between blessing and kindness. Everyone should be kind all the time. Even in criticism. But a blessing, an intentional affirmation, should be strategically placed in the life of the receiver by the giver.
3. Be specific. When giving a blessing, reference specific behaviors that represent the character worth blessing.

Whether in the marketplace, your church, or your home, try giving a blessing to someone this week and watch them rise to the level and expectation of that blessing.

Post a comment below and share how well-placed words of affirmation/blessing made a difference in your life.

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VBS--The Art of Inside/Out

Last week's VBS absolutely rocked the face off of just about anything I've ever seen. 1,200+ kids...400+ volunteer leaders...the worship...the fun...the Bible teaching...It was just amazing.

The genius of VBS is the Inside/Out dynamic that it fulfills: It gives those who are IN the LHC family a unique opportunity to serve, connect and grow as we plan, pray, and prepare to serve so many kids. The hours, the sweat, the exhaustion, the joy of seeing kids discover the love of God and what it can mean in their lives--all of it unites us around a common dream and vision.

But, then there are those kids and families who've never darkened the doors of a Sunday morning service at LHC that we get to meet, engage, and introduce to Christ and his Bride. There is the offering that kids bring every morning to serve overseas and across-borders missions and orphanages. This kind of mobilization to serve those who are OUTside the family of faith is a thing of beauty to behold.

I got to be there early before any of the kids and before most of the volunteers arrived, and I saw men and women, high school and middle school students show up at 7:30 a.m. in the middle of the summer, smiling, laughing, serving. And that was the big take-home for me: The undeniable link between joy/happiness and serving. The most joyful people I've ever known are those people who serve as a regular lifestyle. That link was on high definition display last week.

To all of you who served and laughed and worked and sweat it out through the heat: THANK YOU. You are Lake Hills Church and I'm so grateful to you for pouring yourself into the lives of those kids. And me. It was a blessing and a gift to get to be there with you.

State the Obvious (b/c it's NOT!), Pt. 2

Continuing the thought from Tues:

4. Humility/Servanthood. For God so loved the world means EVERYBODY. Which means I'm special to Him but not any moreso than anyone else.
5. Hope. Because He rose from the dead his promised return holds a lot of water for us. So we approach each day, situation, challenge, and struggle with a sense of reality-based hope.
6. Leadership (love & good deeds, Heb. 10:24). John Maxwell's right: EVERYTHING rises and falls on leadership. And leadership HAS to include love AND good deeds, community AND accountability. See this post from way back.
7. Contentment/Stewardship. Any hangup about money is a heart issue--whether you want it too badly or you're put off by it and think it's unspiritual to have a lot. And ministry requires money and the allocating of it. So get your stuff together where this concerned if you want to do ministry.
8. Loyalty. It begins with loyalty to Christ and extends to each other. What we do is difficult if everyone is rowing in the same direction. We MUST be loyal to each other. This is a non-negotiable, and we mutually engage in a zero-tolerance environment for violation of this one. It doesn't mean we always agree--BELIEVE ME. But it means when we leave the room together, we leave the room TOGETHER.
10. Excellence/Authenticity. God doesn't do a half-way job. Neither should we. But we can't let our call to excellence be an excuse for perfectionism. Perfect love drives out fear. We plan and work and strategize a lot--which gives us enormous freedom to improvise when God leads us to. By the same token, authenticity can't be a smokescreen for laziness. Which it often is.
11. Proactivity. We agree that we're going to be figure-it-out, make-it-happen people.

State the Obvious (b/c it's NOT!), Pt. 1

In a recent meeting, the LHC Leadership Team was discussing hiring and hiring practices when I made the following statement: Whatever the skills may be, make SURE he/she fits in our culture. (Really insightful, I know.) At that, one of our long-time leaders and pastors asked, "What is our culture?"

I thought--privately--Are you kidding me??!! You've been here for 10 of our 12 years of existence and you're asking What is our culture??!!!! Thankfully, I didn't respond verbally with as many !'s. His point was that we had never articulated and stipulated what specific values comprise our culture.

So we did. Here are the values supporting who we're striving to be (with more to follow in coming posts):

1. Gospel. Period. Everything we are and do is tied to the fact that God so loved the world that He gave his only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will never die but will have eternal life.
2. Evangelism/Worship. We are radically committed to sharing Christ and worshiping Him because of #1.
3. Joy. May be the most obvious initial invitation to relationship with God. You can't overstate the power of joy.

The Culture Conversation is actually a fun, encouraging, affirming, challenging, and convicting one to have.

Have you stated the culture/values of your family/church/business/organization/team/non-profit/school/government agency?

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Mentoring Works

One of the responsibilities for people in leadership is to regularly evaluate what's working, what needs course-correcting, and what should be taken out back and shot. One of the healthiest ministries I've ever heard of happens to reside at LHC.

Mom-to-Mom is a small group/Bible study/support group for moms. Those whose kids are in high school or older come alongside those whose kids are younger and mentor them out of their own experiences, perspective, and Bible study to help them navigate the waters of the most important job in the world.

The reason this works? Two words: Tonya Esler. Tonya is one of the most joyful people I've ever been around. Her joy, faith, and hope are absolutely infectious. AND...if she senses an issue, a leadership short-circuit or anything that threatens the health of the ministry, she addresses it with grace. Quickly.

Tonya and her leadership spend hours of prayer and thought before grouping mentor moms with ment-ee moms. They don't bat 1.000. But, they come pretty close.

And it's a model that we're copying and replicating throughout our church. Specifically, in the next few months, we'll be launching Leader-to-Leader, a marketplace mentoring ministry. I just hope that we're as faithful with this new one as Tonya and her team are with theirs.