Friday, August 31, 2012

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.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Final Session--Bill Hybels


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.

Friday, August 10, 2012

A Leader of Unimaginable Influence-- John Ortberg


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


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


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.