Take Two

(Note: this blog entry is taken directly from the Maxwell Leadership Bible {which I cannot recommend strongly enough} and was interspersed with my reading for today.  I hope it enriches you as it did me)

God calls every leader to be a servant, but not every servant is to be a leader.  So, how do we take the step to leadership?

In Hebrew, the word we translate as “leader” (nagiyd) comes from a root that conveys the idea of servanthood and being an example to others.  The word is variously translated in Scripture as captain, ruler, prince, governor, and noble.

Leader vs. King

The Hebrew term for “leader” stands in shrp contrast to the word for “king”.  The fairly neutral Hebrew term for “king” (melech) allowed for the possibility of independence, for being a maverick.  Samuel warned against this very thing when the Israelites asked for a king.  A melech might be a renegade, but a nagiyd was under authority, subject to a higher power and fulfilling the wishes of that higher power.  Saul was melech, while Samuel was a nagiyd.

To be a captain, ruler, prince, governor or noble of the people of God, a person must first come squarely under the authority of God.  We can go no further without first understanding this element.  Yet a second element is just as important.  The Hebrew term nagiyd also means to stand boldly to announce, to manifest- the natural outgrouth of receiving commands from God.  The leader is to boldly stand and communicate God’s commands with conviction.

God’s leader is first to be a servant of the Lord, then an example, then a proclaimer and communicatior to the people.  And no one did this better than Samuel.

I know of folks who want to be in leadership.  Let me check that- I know folks who want a title and aren’t really hip on the idea of leadership.  Being a leader and having a title are soooo not the same thing.  Titles can be awarded (for heaven’s sake, Mick Jagger is a knight) but being a leader requires making decisions that will not always be popular.

We had a lousy fund raising year in Sunday School this year.  Maybe it’s the economy.  Maybe folks are tired of me.  I don’t know but the fund raising was lousy.  As a result of this, we get to tighten our belts.  Taking away perks and programs that have always existed is not the way to win friends and influence people.  However, being a leader demands that you lookout for the whole of your organization and not just the squeaky wheels.  I could become immensely popular with a small but vocal faction but dropping a lot of money on one particular program.  In the process, I would hamstring my organization and cripple our ability to do what we are charged with doing.  So, you endure the slings and arrows because you are leading, not participating in a popularity contest.

The question is asked, would you rather be loved or respected?  I don’t think it’s an either or but I’ll take respect every time.  Even if it means fewer Christmas cards.

Our managing partner and I met with an accountant this morning.  The purpose of this meeting was to fire me, so to speak.  Since our company started in February, I have been over IT, finance and general administration in addition to maintaining a vibrant workers’ comp and special needs practice.  In the beginning, it was a one hour per week proposition.  Now, as we’ve grown to five times our original size, it has become more of a 1-2 day per week thing.  This has taken away from my ability to work on my cases and has, indirectly, cost us money due to decreased billings.  The general admin and IT aren’t major issues and don’t consume a lot of time but the finance was becoming a bear.  Additionally, due to the number of accounts and total dollars we were working with, I really felt like I was getting in over my head.  We now have professional help to manage our day to day finances and I can do what I’m trained to do, manage cases and consult.

It can be a difficult thing to let go.  When we first discussed the idea I will confess that my initial reaction was negative largely because I didn’t want to give up the power of the purse.  Gradually, I came to realize that I was a) over my head and b) hurting myself and our firm by not ceding the daily financial stuff to a professional.  Over time, my attitude changed.  When we left the accountant today, I felt like I had a 16 ton weight taken off of me.  But the decision was much easier because I came to it myself and was not forced into it.

Here are my questions then- are we introspective enough to realize it’s time to let go or do we need someone to push us toward the light (so to speak).  Not necessarily make the decision for us, but point us in the right direction.  And, are we mature enough to, when the time comes to relinquish, do so with a good spirit and attitude and assist the person who follows us and set them up to succeed.

Discuss amongst yourselves…

I’ve been on a bit of a leadership reading kick the last month or so.  One of my favorite authors on this subject is Dr. John Maxwell.  I think he does a great job of speaking to ministers who are also leaders in the business community.  This fairly accurately describes where I am at.  Anyway, at the advice of my amigo Rocky, I decided to invest in the Maxwell Leadership Bible.  I have been studying out of it for about a week now and it has been a joy.  First, it is written in the New King James Version which is my favorite translation.  Lose the thees and thous and keep the KJV thought.  Side note- my second favorite non-KJV is The Message by Eugene Peterson.  It’s extraordinarily helpful in getting me through some of the tougher to understand sections of the Bible.

Anyway, the Maxwell Leadership Bible has become my go-to version for a couple of reasons.  As noted, it is NKJV and second, it includes lots of nuggets and commentary by Maxwell on leadership as demonstrated by the various characters (Moses, Samuel and especially, Jesus) and ties them with tips to help leaders today.  It is really fascinating reading.  So if you’re looking for a good study Bible allow me to recommend the Maxwell Leadership Bible.

I haven’t posted for a few days because, as usual, I’m busy with work and church stuff.  I have been thinking a lot about transitions lately, probably inspired by this post that I read the other day.

I had an interesting discussion with my managing partner on Friday.  Since our company’s inception, I have been handling all of our IT and finance in addition to my practice responsibility.  In the beginning, this was an hour a week proposition.  Now, it’s a day a week.  We had a great talk about how to best make use of my time specifically; should we hire someone at this point to handle the day to day bookkeeping and have me concentrate on strategic finance and cash management (in addition to IT).  In the end, my bill rate for work in our practice is about 5x what it would cost to hire a bookkeeper.  Game, set match.  In short, we had become successful enough that it no longer made sense for me to do the basic accounting.  For the good of the firm, I needed to give up a degree of control to concentrate on the big picture.  Easy in the head- not so much with the heart.

On a similar vein, I have watched a number of churches grow and die because of the lack of a transition plan.  I did a study once of the number of pastors in our district who are over the age of 60.  It was terrifying.  Many pastors are unable (or unwilling) to implement a succession plan.  They lose sight of the fact that it isn’t their church.  It’s God’s.  I remember having a frank discussion with my pastor a few years ago and imploring him to have a plan in the event that he dropped over dead (two caveats- I was not then (or not) interested in the job and he had already laid the groundwork).  I have watched this transition begin to play out over the past two years and it has been fascinating.  Both parties are respectful to the other and are mindful that the end goal is to see the church thrive.  They realize that the church is bigger than their individual needs and egos.  I am impressed.

Probably from watching the church transition I have learned how to apply this principle to my business.  Step back, transition, and do what’s best not only for me but for the whole enterprise.  It’s been a fun ride.

As I seem to be in a groove on these leadership posts, I have created a new category oddly enough titled “leadership”.  Click on the category to see of the related posts.

I am currently reading Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson’s excellent book Leading from the Second Chair. It is very similar to John Maxwell’s concept of leading from the middle in his (also excellent) book the 360 Degree Leader. Bonem and Patterson’s book excellent expands on Maxwell’s thoughts regarding leading from somewhere other than the lead. It addresses questions of how to influence if you’re not the one casting vision and exerting yourself while remaining under authority. Good stuff.

One of the reasons this book has spoken so much to me is that it addresses people who have the dichotomy of first chair leadership in one area and second chair in another. I experience this phenomenon every day. I am a department head in our fellowship and therefore get to lead and cast my vision for Sunday School. However, when I enter our church, I become a second chair to our pastor. I will say that you need to be comfortable in your own skin (ie, not insecure) and flexible enough to know when you are “the man” and when you’re not. I spoke to a group of assistant and executive pastors some time ago regarding this. I would note that my pastor gives me tremendous leeway regarding things such as preaching out and even offering our pulpit to guests who come in for one of my events. I explain why I have such trust from him and the answer is simply I’ve never given him a reason to doubt my loyalty. If your senior pastor can’t trust you he needs to get rid of you (or you need to volunteer to get lost). As an assistant, you serve the man, not the church. I am an assistant to my pastor and by that office I get to minister to his flock. Any power or influence I have with his flock is derived from the shepherd as his is derived from the Chief Shepherd (the concept of being under authority). For more on this, pick up Terry Shock’s fantastic message from Because of the Times 2006.

This has probably been on my brain because of some events of this past week. I won’t delve into it as it was an internal church thing but they caused me to question my motives, ambitions, and whether or not I am truly a servant or a ladder climber. I was in prayer yesterday morning and the Lord reminded me that Elisha’s ministry was simply to pour water on the hands of the prophet. That was it. The reason he received a double portion of Elijah’s ministry is because he was the most dedicated water pourer around and he did his job with gladness; not to receive a blessing but because that was where his ministry was at the time. I don’t know what our future holds but if it is to be a water pourer I hope I am the best one around.

Still learning to be content.

I have posted a number of times on leadership (and followship) in this space. It is one of my favorite subjects because I am both a leader and a follower (and so are most of you whether or not you like it). Let me also note that I am in no wise an expert on the subject although I find it fascinating. I have even considered writing a book on it. More on that another time.

It’s been said that leaders are not born rather they are created. I whole-heartedly believe in that theory. As you know, my life is divided in two parts that take preeminence, business and ministry. I have one person in each realm who has made a dramatic impact in my life and mentored me in leadership in that particular discipline. Let me share with you.

In business, the managing partner of our firm is one of the most astute business people you’d ever want to meet. She is not a confrontational manager but is collaborative and inclusive. Two important lessons I have learned from her. First, rather than assigning blame why don’t we work together to fix the problem. And second, people will not do what you expect but rather what you inspect. She has also lived the principle that nice people can finish first in business and never burn a bridge because it is likely you will have to retreat on it someday. These principles that I have learned and continue to learn not only assist me in business but have also been a great help in my ministry work.

Speaking of ministry, I have had a great mentor in that realm as well. I’ve actually had a couple, but one stands out. Oddly enough, it is not my pastor who is a great pastor but never filled the role as a mentor. My mentor was his long-time assistant (who is now a home missions pastor) who took me under his wing and trained me. He was one of the first persons I discussed my calling with and I would meet with him frequently for lunch or coffee or whatever just to chat and see how things are going. His advise regarding ministry was never speak harshly from the pulpit as that is the bride of Christ. Speak to them as you’d like your wife to be spoken to. Additionally, he made a point of having a kind word for every person in the church and making each person, member or guest, feel like they were the most important person in the world. Finally, he taught me the value of having someone you can be transparent with. I know to this day that I could share anything with him and it would go no further. This is immeasurably important for ministers. One advice my pastor gave me was to find a couple of people who can speak into your life without any fear of retribution and know that you will receive what they say in love and act on it. I have three of these people; my pastor, my mentor/long-time assistant, and a very close friend who is also a pastor. It is a frightening thing to give that kind of leeway to someone but the reward outweighs the risk.

One final thought, I have mentioned folks who have mentored me. Because of their lasting influence, I have made it a point to mentor others, both in business and ministry. The rewards of this are incalculable. So are the disappointments on occasion. Recently, one of the young men I am working with had a set back. The most important thing for me to do in this situation is to “speak the truth in love”. I don’t judge (I am neither God nor his pastor) but I do offer instruction and suggestion and let him know that even though there’s a bump in the road I am here to help. A second young man I’m working with really is coming into his own. I have traded a few emails with him this week and watched him handle some situations on his own for the first time. He has done beautifully. Those experiences make the whole mentoring thing worthwhile. I mentioned last Wednesday when I taught our Bible Study at church that you should always treat is person in your charge with care because you don’t know the plan for their life. One of our praise singers was my Sunday School teach many moons ago (she is also a public school teacher). She was so kind to me and taught me to love Jesus when I was just five or six years old. Did she know I was going to be an ordained minister and district official? No. But she did know that God had a plan for my life and it was her charge to make sure I was equipped for that journey. That is why we mentor.

My advice to you dear read at the end of what has become a very long post it to do two things. First, find a mentor. It doesn’t matter what station you are in life you need someone to look out for you and for you to be accountable to. If you’re not dead there are still things you can learn. Second, find someone to be a mentor to. Pour yourself into someone else as others have done for you. You never know the great plans you may facilitate along the way. And it is better to give than to receive. I’m sure I read that somewhere.

If you are a leader in ministry, you must read this post by Mark Roberts. It is extraordinary in its simplicity and insight. It is the first in a series that should be required reading.

Rick Segal has a spot-on post about surrounding yourself with folks who are better than you. The absolute worst thing a leader can be (more than even indecisive) is insecure. Leaders who are not secure in themselves either sabotage the work of those around them (to save the glory for them) or do everything with no assistance (leading to burn-out and increased cardiology bills).

You can’t be good at everything. Surround yourself with folks who are.