Leadership Network One Day

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Leadership Network One Day

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I’m pleased to announce that Sun Valley Community Church is partnering with Leadership Network to host a Leadership Network One Day Experience. These regional events are a unique gathering designed specifically for Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor teams. At this fast paced one-day offering, participants will experience Leadership Network’s “Peer Protocol Process” by:

Having the opportunity to network with other leadership teams from similar sized churches
Learning from experienced and effective Senior Pastor/Executive Pastor Teams
Addressing some of the challenges and opportunities facing growing congregations
Exploring some creative ways of discovering the “What’s Next” for your church

Details:

Who: Senior Pastor/Executive Pastor teams of churches with Weekend Worship Attendance of 1,500 or more

Cost: Regular Fee $199/person.

Where and When: Southwest Regional One Day December 6, 2012 Sun Valley Community Church, Gilbert, AZ

More Information / Request Contact / To Register

Posted in Leadership

What 2nd Chair Leaders are Looking For

Sunday, October 21, 2012

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a room full of Second Chair Leaders and have a conversation with them about what they’re looking for from the leaders they’re serving under. This is what they had to say.

1. I need clarity

I want to support you, that’s why God put me in the role I’m in. I’m not pushing back, I’m just chasing after understanding. I just need you to give me a clear picture of the future so I can help us get there.

2. Say you’re sorry

When you make a wrong call, just own it. You don’t need to impress me. I’m leading close enough to you to already know you’re not perfect.

3. Give me clear Boundaries

I love implementing but I want to honor you at the same time. Be clear with me about how far I can go with implementation before checking in to make sure the results are what you were hoping for.

4. Bring me in the loop sooner rather than later

I want to help you make the vision God’s given you become real. But if you bring me in on the ground floor of an idea I can help you build a great foundation and map a great game plan for the future.

If you’re a 1^st Chair Leader this list can provide you with some incredible insight to the heart of your team. I hope you take advantage of this list and it’s helpful to you. If you’re a 2^nd Chair Leader, what would you add to the list? Leave a comment.

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

4 steps to effective evaluation

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Much has been written about the process of evaluation. In fact, some people make a pretty good living off of evaluation and the piles of data that it can produce. Because ministry doesn’t move in slow motion, I don’t always have the time to dig into everything as deep as I may like so I’m always looking for clear, simple, and functional tools for effective evaluation. Below are four simple steps you can use to evaluate just about anything, including a weekend service, an event, a meeting or even a team member.

Step #1: Celebrate

Celebration is often overlooked when it comes to the evaluation process. Our tendency is to dive into what didn’t go right and what can be improved upon. However it’s just as important to know what went right, as it is to know what went wrong. After all, if you want it to go right again you’ve got to identify what went well, because what gets celebrated gets repeated.

Step #2: Correct

We don’t grow without correction. But correction can range anywhere on the scale from “minor improvements” to something was a “complete failure.” During this part of the process it’s important to be as candid as possible in measuring what happened against what you actually set out to accomplish. You can’t speak “ministerially” when participating in evaluation and get anywhere. Great evaluation is hard to come by without a culture of openness, safety, and candor.

Step #3: Clarify

What was confusing and needs clarification? Maybe you had an incredibly creative element planned into your weekend worship service. It was a great idea but it didn’t fit where you put it and it came off feeling awkward or worse, didn’t align with the message. Maybe communication was confusing in a meeting and it resulted in people walking out with competing agendas. What is the one message, action, or idea that you are trying to align everything to and clearly articulate?

Step #4: Create

This is the one all of the creatives were waiting for. At some point in the process you’ve got to ask yourself, “Was there anything missing?” Is there something that needs to be created and built to make whatever it is you’re evaluating more effective? This is where you’ve come full circle in the evaluative process. You’ve gotten on the solution side of things and you’re now working on implementing the next thing that’s going to be evaluated.

This article first appeared as a guest post I wrote for Creative Junket a Creative Arts Blog run by Rick Calcutt.

Posted in Creative Arts, Leadership

leadership lessons i was reminded of on vacation

Sunday, October 14, 2012

This past week I took some time off to come up for air and hang with the kids while they were on their fall break. We had a great time watching movies, wrestling, playing games, doing yard work (yes I love doing yard work), sleeping in, having fires, fishing, hiking and camping (yes for real tent camping). Below are a couple of leadership lessons I was reminded of while I was relaxing with the family!

A Change of Scenery can Change Your Perspective

It was great getting out of the desert for a bit and hanging out in the trees up at Woods Canyon Lake! It’s funny how many times we forget this simple lesson as leaders but it’s essential to remain healthy and creative as a leader to put ourselves in different environments to keep us looking at things from a fresh perspective.

Enjoy the Journey

It was eerie being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of elk bugling in the distance (they sound like whales). But that morning when I came out of the tent to get the fire going I was met by 3 elk about 50 yards from our tent. I quickly got the kids out of the tent and we just sat there taking it in for a few minutes before breakfast. If you can’t enjoy the scenery along the journey, you’ll never enjoy the destination once you get there (if you do).

The Right Work can be Refreshing and Gratifying

I know it’s weird, but I love doing yard work. I got to trim the pygmy date palms, overseed the yard and get rid of the weeds in the decomposed granite (all of my friends in the desert understand). When you’re playing the role on the team that you were created for all of the sudden your work becomes satisfying, refreshing, and meaningful.

Always have a Plan-B (and C, D, E, & F)

We ended up leaving the campground a day early due to the weather report; I actually had 1 bar (big shout out to Verizon). Good thing we did because our friends who stayed up there in a RV said they woke up to hail and ice on the ground. Sometimes as a leader you’ve got to know when to go to plan-B, be flexible, and sometimes even call it quits.

Posted in Family, Leadership

5 keys that can make all the difference when speaking up to your boss

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

For many people talking to their boss can be incredibly intimidating. Especially when they don’t agree with a decision that their boss has made. So, how do you speak to your boss when you don’t agree with them? These 5 keys can make all the difference when you’re speaking up to your boss.

1. Setting

If you disagree with your boss or you’ve got constructive criticism to offer up, then you need to go and discuss it in private with them. Not supporting your boss publicly is the quickest way to lose private influence with them.

2. Commitment

Few supervisors will entertain criticism or disagreement if they question your loyalty. Remember even scriptures talk about the value of the wounds of a friend. Proven commitment over time can earn you the right to be heard.

3. Attitude

The last thing you want is to come across combative, critical, or un-supportive. The attitude you approach your supervisor with can make all the difference. Always “lead with a yes.” Yes we can do “X” but it is going to take “Y.”

4. Timing

When is the right time to approach your boss? Make sure you take into consideration what’s going on in the organization. Are you winning or losing? What is the stress level of the team? What pressure is the team facing? The right thing, at the wrong time, is always the wrong thing.

5. Relational Equity

Simply put, you can’t spend what you don’t have. Go into the “red” too far and you’ll end up with a debt that you won’t be able to repay. If you haven’t earned the right to say it, then don’t.

What have you seen be successful when speaking up to your boss? Leave a comment!

Posted in Leadership