10 Things Leaders Need To Know About Effectively Leading People

10 Things Leaders Need To Know About Effectively Leading People

By Perry Noble

 

#1 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not love.
#2 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not listen to.
#3 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not always assume the best about.
#4 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he secretly hopes that they fear him.
#5 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not take the time to explain things to.
#6 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he assumes that he is the smartest person in the room.
#7 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when his goal is to use people rather than help them.
#8 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he secretly wishes he wasn't a part of the organization he is leading!
#9 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he is not dedicated to increasing his own capacity.
#10 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he isn't willing to be honest about his own limitations and struggles. 

One Step Spiritually

At RCC, the mission of small groups is "creating a predictable environment where participants experience authentic community and spiritual growth".

This past week, I asked my small group the primary reason they wanted to be in a small group.  Almost without exception, their primary reason was for the relationships. 

Then I asked each one of them to identify "one step" spiritually that they would like to take.  Because we know small groups are winning if people take "one step" spiritually during each semester.

I did this experiment partly to prove what I believe -- that the Holy Spirit reveals to each one of us a next step spiritually.  No matter where we are at in our path of spiritual growth, we know what the next step is.

I gave them some examples of "one step" spiritually--things like:

• read the Bible 3 times a week
• journal a prayer 1 time a week
• talk to a neighbor about coming to church
• begin to give financially
• help someone with a project where they can give nothing in return
• learn to pray out loud

And sure enough, each person readily identified their "next step."  And it was a very spiritually powerful time for each person in our small group.  Because one of the first things we need to do to break thought into a new action or habit is to tell someone.  When we audibly declare it to someone else, we are more likely to take action.

So I believe that each person in our small group will actually take that step this semester.  And at the end of the semester, we will celebrate the spiritual steps taken.

So...what is your next step spiritually?  I think the Holy Spirit has already put something in your mind.

And...who will you tell today?

Law of Priorities

When planning your priorities, how do you decide what comes first?  That is the question I have been thinking on this week while processing the Law of Priorities in the 21 Minutes of a Leader's Day by John Maxwell.

Ephesians 5:15 says, "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise." (NLT) 

Many people give the quick answer, "I will just follow God's leading today."  They don't plan out their priorities and just respond to how God prompts them.

While that can sound good, and probably their intentions are good.  God gives us a brain and intelligence.  And in order to follow God's direction, we do need to spend time with God.  

But instead of going moment by moment being "led" by God, what if we started the day asking God what His priorities for us are.  What if we started each week asking God his priorities?  What if we started each month, each year...  You get the picture.

I believe that He would rather guide and direct us in advance, and as we spend time with Him, He will prepare us for the work He has for us to do.  

There are disciplines that we can develop and ask God to direct us.  

• The discipline of a calendar. 
• The discipline of a task list.  
• The discipline of a block schedule.  
• The discipline of scheduling time to "work on it" as well as "work in it." 
• The discipline of time with a mentor or counselor.  
• The discipline of reading to learn or participating in seminars, conferences, and other learning opportunities.

These are all tools that, when we are seeking God first, can and will serve to help us work more in line with God's priorities for our day/week/month.

The Pain of Leadership

What is the relationship of pain to leadership?  There are many people who want to be able to live the life of and be able do what successful leaders do.  But most of us don't want to go through what they went through to get there. 

Now there are a few people who got to ride an easy wave to success.  But that is the exception, not the rule.

Recently, I listened to Craig Groeschel talk about the pain of leadership.  Here is some of what he said:

"The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be may be the difficult decisions you are unwilling to make."

Then he listed three areas where we must raise the pain threshold if we want to grow as a leader.

1.  Raise the pain threshold of unjustified rejection and criticism.

• The higher you rise, the more difficult the criticism
• Don't fall for people-pleasing:  The quickest way to forget what God thinks about you is to become obsessed with what people think about you.
• Don't worry when you are being criticized--worry when you are not.
• If you are not being called a cult every now and then, you are not doing squat.

2.  Raise the pain threshold of making difficult decisions.

• It could be that God is waiting to see if we will be faithful in this decision.
• The classic parent discipline statement is also true when a leader has to make a difficult decision:  "This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you."

3.  Raise the pain threshold of pruning us.

• Everyone wants to do what I do, but no one wants to do what I did to get to be able to do what I do.

This reminds me of James 3:1  "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly."

Would you follow you?

Recently, I read this question, and it got me thinking.  Here is the question:

"Would you follow you?"

Sometimes, I don't think I look very attractive to follow.  If people had any idea the struggles that I have, would they really want to follow me?

But maybe that struggle is part of my realization of my humanness and weakness, and part of what actually gives me the credibility to lead.

Because I struggle does not necessarily disqualify me from leading--it makes me human.  My struggle can:

• give other people hope  
• make sure God gets the credit
• keep me humble
• give me compassion for others who are struggling

Sure, there are some sins (actions) that could discredit me from leading--because I would cause others to stumble.  But the fact that I struggle does not.   And because I do commit sins does not necessarily.

Second Chair Leadership

There are some things that a leader can ask his protege to do, and they are done effectively.  But there are some things that a leader has to do himself--with the protege watching.

• Example of Elijah & Elisha
• Example of Elisha & Gehazi--2 Kings 4

Why would the lady not tell Gehazi what was wrong?  Why did God not reveal to Elisha what was wrong?  Was it because He wanted the lady to tell Elisha directly?  How must Gehazi have felt to have been lied to by the lady, and then hear her tell Elisha that her son was dead?  We are not told the answers to those questions.

 But it is interesting to watch the relationship of Elisha and Gehazi.  That set of circumstances could have driven a wedge in between them. But it didn't.

If Gehazi had not chosen to have a good attitude about it, he would have missed out on seeing the miracle unfold.

Part of being a protege-- a second chair leader--is being willing to act and initiate, but also choosing a good attitude when the people go around you to get to the leader.  And choosing to have a good attitude when the leader acts directly and seems to go around you.

If the second chair leader chooses a bad attitude in either case, then he will miss the lesson and miss the front row seat to God working.

Final Session--Bill Hybels

Everyone wins when a leader gets better.

Matthew 16:18  Jesus said "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

Famous quote of Bill Hybels--"the local church is the hope of the world."

VIEWS OF CHURCH

1.  Hopeless

2.  Hopeful

It is one thing to see a vision, it is another thing to be seized by a vision.

Vision propels people forward who would be satisfied by the status quo.

3.  Local church is the hope of the world

If every church reaches their full potential, then the thick dark cloud that covers the earth will disappear.

4.  Will the local church, the hope of the world be able to sustain itself until the end of time?

What gives hope, is WHO it is that created it, is sustaining it, until the end of time.

This is the only thing that Jesus is doing until the end of time!  Full time, focused 24/7.

If you have felt that tap from the Spirit of God, How do you say "no" to that?

Don't be the guy who says when God taps them on the shoulder who says, "No, I'm building my thing."

Call people unapologetically to join me as I am building my church.

A Leader of Unimaginable Influence-- John Ortberg

1.  Jesus movement changed the way we think about history.

2.  Jesus shaped how we express compassion.

Dont ever forget this: "The Cross is the SINGLE MOST RECOGNIZABLE symbol in the history of the world!" 

Where ever you have an expression of self-giving for the lowly, this probably has it's root in Jesus' influence

3.  Jesus movement shaped education.

92% of all colleges started in the US before the civil war, started as in influence of Jesus.

No other book in history has been translated into even 1/5 of the languages.

4.  The Jesus movement changed political theory.

Render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God.

Up to that point, state was the church and church was the state.

5.  Jesus changed how we think about human rights and dignity.

Jesus wrote the first expression of egalitarianism.

Who IS this man Jesus?

Leading through Anguish to Tough Decisions: Mario Vega

I Samuel 15:34 - 16:1

Not only we are responsible for our own actions, but also for those we influence.

Accepting this position of leadership was difficult because it would alienate me from being his very close friend.

When values differ, life's road begins to pull people apart and only by accident to their paths cross again.

"The morale failure of a leader will challenge the integrity of others as well." 

The process of walking through a dark process (of watching your leader fail):

1.  Denial

2.  Depression

• Integrity lost cannot be fully restored.

3.  Acceptance

• Anointing someone else as king would alienate him from Saul.
• Anointing Saul was Samuel's job, so had he failed?

4.  Action

• Leaders are defined by the ongoing decisions they make.

Don't give yourself to lay in the valley of depression. Don't stay stuck in your grieving.

Every right decision a leader makes will strengthen his influence.

As the years pass by, they will reveal justice and integrity in your actions.

Courage to Act--Pranitha Timothy

Leaders lead out of who and by who they are on the inside. - Gary Haugen

Isaiah 42:1-7

1.  We are called to serve.

God will never cause us to do anything with great strength.  He will call us to to serve where He is already is involved.

Leadership Summit - Patrick Lencioni

Organizational Health

Organizational Health is the single most competitive advantage that they have.

Two requirements for success:


 1.Smart

•  strategy
•  Marketing
•  Technology

   2.  Healthy

• Minimal politics
• Minimal confusion
• high morale
• high productivity
• low turnover

Four Disciplines every organization has to maintain

1.  Build a Cohesive Leadership Team

2.  Create Clarity

• A mission statement is not a good way to develop clarity in our organization.

Six critical questions:

• Why do we exist?

• How do we behave?

• don't put a core value of what you "want" your organization to have
• a core value is something you are willing to get punished for
• when someone asks you to violate a core value, this is not the place for them
• Churches sometimes get core values confused with "permission to play" values

• "permission to play" is the minimal standards for being there.

• difference between attenders and leaders--attenders are at the permission to play values, leaders must own the core values.

• What do we actually do?

• How will we succeed?

• strategy should be accessible to everyone
• every decision you make is part of your strategy 
• Determine Three Strategic Anchors for every organization

• What is most important, right now?

• Who must do what

3.  Over-communicate

• If your subordinates cannot do an impression of you when you are not around, then you have not communicated.

4.  Reinforce Clarity

Leadership Summit - Craig Groeschel

THE STRONGEST LINK



1.  TO THOSE IN THE OLDER GENERATION:


What the younger generation needs:

Believe in them.


God values maturity.  If you are not dead, you are not done.  Your best days are before you if you take what God has told you and invest it in the next generation.


You do not just delegate tasks to the next generation--then you will create followers.  But instead, we delegate authority--then you create leaders.


For older generation:  Embrace the season that you are in.  Don't try to be something you are not.  Authenticity trumps cool every single time. 


Ps. 71:18.  "Even when I am old and grey...till I declare your power to the next generation."


2.  TO THOSE IN THE YOUNGER GENERATION:

   * Word to describe the new generation:  Entitled


   * Because you feel entitled, you typically overestimate what you can do in the short run.



   * Honor those above you.  Honor publicly gives influence privately.


   * One reason we don't honor those around us, is because we don't honor God.
   * Honor builds up.
   * Respect is earned, but honor is given.


For the generations to work together, it must be intentional.

   * Create ongoing feedback loops--from older and younger
   * Create specific mentoring moments
      * with older and wiser
      * with younger
      * they don't happen, you have to create them
   * Create specific leadership moments

Leadership Summit - Condoleeza Rice

The best thing you can do for a person is to give them control of their own person--to give them an education.


The most important characteristic of a leader is that they are irrepressible optimists.


If you focus on today's headline and forget history's judgment, you will accomplish nothing.


After Friday, there would be Sunday!




Somehow things that seemed impossible, seem inevitable--in retrospect.



"When things are tough, people become more of who they are."


Things to remember when you are working for the president:

   * Recognize that he is still the president, so it matters more what he thinks.


   * Use the relationship to be a truth-teller.

       * always do it in private


   * Remember that your friendship creates the trust for all of this.

Leadership Summit Opening Session: Bill Hybels

Parable of the Seed--Matthew 8


75% rejection rate

We have to sow more seeds, in different areas, and different kinds of seeds.

We have to concur that entropy will not occur on our watch.

Become incessant tinker-ers

Trees are worth it!

Transformed lives are worth it!



SELF LEADERSHIP

   * The work habits of a leader
   * The leader's most valuable asset is their energy and their ability to energize others.
   * 6X6 cards
   * What six things could me and God accomplish in 6 weeks.
   * Arrange my meetings, time, focus around those 6 things.
   * the 6X6 initiatives are above and beyond regular job responsibilities.





SUCCESSION PLANNING


1.  Planning phase


   * whose job is it to lead the plan and the transition?
   * what time frame are you looking at?


2.  Find internal person who could be successor


3.  Find External candidate


4.  Actual transition itself

   * gradually increase their responsibilities and decrease existing
   * do not take more than 18 months


Enjoy every single day you get the privilege to lead, because one day it will be over.

Any Gentlemen?

Today I was leaving a bank, and as I was walking out, a lady was coming towards the bank.  She had a sour expression on her face and walked look down.  I waited, smiled, and held the door open for her, not thinking that much about it.

And with a dry scowl, she commented, "Well, maybe there are a few gentlemen still around."

It was a reminder to me:

• What I do speaks louder than what I say.
• "Walk slowly through the crowd" applies to everywhere.
• Sometimes it doesn't take a lot of effort to stand out in today's hurried culture.
• A small action can brighten two people's day--mine and hers.

Why Leadership Matters

Without leadership, I will only do what I can do.

Without leadership, there is no discipleship.

Without leadership, we might as well live on an island.

Without leadership, we don't learn to function as a team.

Without leadership, we don't learn interdependence.

Without leadership, my skills and efforts cannot be multiplied.

Without leadership, I have no one to follow.

Without leadership, people don't have someone to point the way.

Without leadership, there is ineffectiveness and inefficiency

Without leadership, there is anarchy.