training with larry osborne part-2 “why some teams win and most lose”

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Yesterday I mentioned that we recently had Larry Osborne come in and spend some time with the Sun Valley Staff. In doing so we intentionally broke the time up into three focuses: time with our Executive team, time with our Elders, and time with our Staff from all 3 campuses. Below is Part-2 of some thoughts and take aways from our time together. Click here if you missed Part-1.

Why Some Teams Win and Most Lose

1. Winning Teams have Winning Players while Losing Teams have Good Players

The Top 2 Determining factors of people who look like they’re going to succeed but actually fail:
- #1 Poor Relationships Skills (they don’t play well in the sandbox with others)
- #2 Inability to adapt (they could not handle midcourse correction and change)
Top 2 Determining factors of successful people:
- #1 The ability to adapt (experts at midcourse corrections)
- #2 Strong Relationship Skills

2. Winning Teams Guard the Gate while Losing Teams let Anyone In

Never ignore a lack of character because of an abundance of giftedness
Never ignore a lack of people skills due to an abundance of bible skills
It is not loving to kill the flock while you’re trying to be nice to one lamb
Be careful of people of Christian “watch dogs”

3. Winning Teams make Unity a Priority while Losing Teams Treat it as an Afterthought

Winning teams deliberately work on chemistry, they don’t take it for granted or assume it will happen
Create fun in your team

4. Wining Teams Focus on their Mission while Losing Teams Focus on their Successes

Mission Creep = You started with one mission and you are slowly seduced to chase after other missions because some sub-ministries become successful.
When it comes to stopping ministries don’t just kill them, you go to jail for killing people. Starve them and let them die a natural death. There is an art to this.

5. Winning Teams Focus on Empowerment while Losing Teams Focus on Tenure

Winning teams always have a farms system
Losing teams chase excellence (perfectionism)
Don’t ask who’s the best, ask who will be the best
When tenure rules there’s never room for the young
The Freshmen Always get Smaller Principle

6. Winning Teams Adapt for the Future while Losing Teams Long for the Past

The good old days aren’t as good as they used to be
What worked in the good old days won’t work in the current reality
Winning teams embrace the present and pursue the future

7. Winning Teams have a Heart for the Little Guy while Losing Teams Expect Everyone to be a Leader

Discipling people is not about making them leaders its about making followers of Jesus
When you lose your hear for the little people you begin to use people
Jesus didn’t hang around pagans, he hung around “consumer back of the line Christians”

Posted in Leadership

2

take the lid off your church

Sunday, September 30, 2012

I recently caught up with Tony Morgan to talk about his new book, “Take the Lid Off Your Church, 6 Steps to Building a Healthy Senior Leadership Team.” It just released on Amazon! Click here to get your hands on a copy and check out the interview below.

Paul: You recently released the book “Take the Lid Off Your Church, 6 Steps to Building a Healthy Senior Leadership Team.” Why does every church need a Senior Leadership Team?

Tony: Because God designed ministry, including leadership, to be accomplished through teams. He modeled it with the disciples. It was the system he used for for the early church beginning with sending out the disciples in teams of two. In America and even in churches, we tend to think of leadership as an individual. That’s not the way God designed leadership especially within the context of the church. If ministry is supposed to happen in teams, it better be modeled at the top of the organization.

Paul: What is the connection between the Senior Leadership Team of a church and barriers or lids that keep the church from growing?

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

1

what every team wants from their leader

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Do you know what your team wants from you? Do you know what they need from you? In this 4-part series of articles below we’ll unpack the concepts and principles behind what every team is looking for from their leader. Want to be successful as a leader, then give your team what they’re asking for.

Part 1 1.0 Leadership vs. 2.0 Leadership

Peter Drucker once said that, “The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” While there is a time and a place for an autocratic style of leadership, a younger generation entering the workforce is longing for more than just direction and dictatorship from their employer. This new generation entering the workplace is demanding 2.0 Leadership.

Part 2 Building a Culture

“I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game—it is the game.” Lou Gerstner, former President & CEO of IBM. If it’s true that the culture of the church over time reflects the personality of the Senior Leader, than focusing on that first level of cultural transference from yourself to your Staff must be intentional and strategic.

Part 3 What is my Team asking of Me?

Through my experience of being on both sides of the desk, hiring, exiting, and leading a staff; there are 5 simple yet at the same time monumental questions that have continued to come up that are placed squarely on the shoulders of leadership to answer for the team.

Part 4 How to Train-Wreck your Team

Generally speaking people want to do a good job. Particularly when it comes to church world, your staff has submitted not only their soul to the Lord but their career as well. They are literally spending their lives for the sake of the Gospel. But your Staff is guaranteed to fail if as the Senior Leader you don’t provide them with the following…

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

0

the two most powerful collaborative questions you can ask

Monday, February 13, 2012

Organizations spend all kinds of resources to attract and keep young talented leaders at the table. But surprisingly the best way to do this may be free. Give them what they want, a voice into real leadership decisions.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is the art of collaboration. And while collaboration may not be your natural leadership style, learning to ask the right kind of questions can build a collaborative environment where ideas thrive and young leaders grow.

If you don’t know where to begin, then for the next month start asking these two simple questions. The results may amaze you.

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

0

Creating a Healthy Leadership Culture in your Church

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Culture can be defined as the defining set of values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of any one group. It is something that is usually unnoticed, unspoken, and unexamined, particularly in Churches. As a result, few churches ever take steps towards intentionally defining and building a desired culture; instead it usually happens by default. It’s very common to see churches fall into ruts and get stuck in the familiar traps of, “Just preach the Word,” “Just reach people,” or “Just build disciples.” The problem is building a healthy culture in a church; particularly a healthy leadership culture is never “just that easy.” As the leader you have to define and create the culture. If you don’t it will default to the strongest personality or loudest voice in the room. So here are four steps you can take that will help you to begin building a healthy leadership culture in your church.

Posted in Leadership, Staffing