Are You a “Big L” Leader?

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

People don’t just become “Big L Leaders” overnight. It’s not something that can be learned by reading books or by going to conferences. They learn to lead by leading. Want to know if you’re on your way to becoming a “Big L Leader”? The following six characteristics will help you in identifying “Big L Leaders.”

#1 They Have a Proven Track Record

They’re not a novice. They’ve built something and have demonstrated the ability to deliver.

#2 They are Driven

They have a forward lean and a bias towards action.

#3 They can Lead Through Conflict

They have the internal fortitude to endure the personal attacks and pain that comes with conflict. They lead through it by bringing clarity to the chaos.

#4 They don’t Delegate Tasks they Empower Leaders

Delegation is telling people what to do every step of the way and then having them report back after every step. Empowerment gives people both the position and authority to choose their course while remaining responsible for outcomes.

#5 They Lead through Vision

They can rally people around a vision and build a culture.

#6 They Embody Organizational Values

They lead with moral authority and make decisions through the filter of the values of the organization.

Posted in Leadership

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Bringing Clarity to the Language of Organizational Leadership

Sunday, September 8, 2013

One of the most frequently reoccurring conversations I get into in helping churches focuses around building organizational health and alignment in churches. Often times in those conversations confusion surfaces over language such as Mission, Vision, Goals, Strategy, Structure, Core Values, and Systems. So here’s an attempt to help provide some clarity and a framework to some of the most influential conversations you may have as church or organization.

1. Mission:

Answers the Question: Why do we exist?

This is the timeless answer to why your business, organization or church is on the planet in the first place. For those of us in church-world we don’t get to pick our mission, Jesus did that for us.

2. Vision:

Answers the Question: Where are we going?

This is the next hill that needs to be taken. Organizational vision typically changes every 3-10 years. Vision changes because once you get there and have taken then hill, there’s always the next hill to take.

3. Goals:

Answers the Question: How do we get there?

Goals are actionable and attainable steps or objectives to be met that move the organization in the direction of the vision. You know you’re winning and moving in the direction of accomplishing the vision when you are meeting your goals!

4. Strategy:

Answers the Question: Who does what next?

Strategies are the decisions that need to be made to coordinate the application of the resources (people, time, money, information and other assets) of the organization to meet the goals.

5. Structure:

Answers the Question: How do we organize ourselves?

This is the way you intentionally put together all the various parts of the organization to work together in order to support the strategies.

6. Core Value:

Answers the Question: How do we behave?

These are the core beliefs that drive how the people in the organization interact with one another and the organization as a whole behaves towards others outside of the organization.

7. System:

Answers the Question: How do we reproduce it?

Essentially systems are made up of complex independent parts working together to perform a function (for example think skeletal system or solar system). For our purposes building a system is the art of connecting the Core Values, Structures, Strategies, Goals, and Vision to work in alignment that builds a culture that leans towards accomplishing the Mission.

What are some other definitions of these terms that you’ve heard that may be helpful to the conversation? Leave a comment!

Posted in Leadership

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Top 5 Posts from June

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Thank you for making the month of June an incredible month on Helping Churches Make Vision Real! It’s so encouraging to read the comments and see the interaction through social media about the content and articles that are posted here! It’s encouraging to hear stories about how different posts have been helpful. So thank you for connecting with me through the content on this blog! You made these the top 5 Posts from this last month. If you missed out on any of them, here they are all in one place for your convenience!

#1 Defining the Leadership Culture at Your Church

Peter Drucker is credited with saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Every organization has a culture – attitudes they want adopted, values they want championed, beliefs they want instilled and behaviors they want reproduced. Leaders are the cultural architects of any organization. Eventually every organization takes on the character and priorities of its leaders. As a result, leaders need to become intentional in creating culture.

#2 The Dark Side of Vision

Many tout the most important aspect of a leader is the ability to paint a clear vision of the future. If you’ve been around church-world for any length of time you’ve probably even heard a sermon or two about it, after all “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18) right? What many leaders often fail to realize is that there is another side to vision, a downside, that if not understood and artfully led through can derail the vision before it begins.

#3 The Baby Elephant Principle

How do churches get stuck? Churches are stuck because they’ve been conditioned to be stuck. Here are 3 critical questions you should be asking about why your church is stuck in the past. And how you can get unstuck.

#4 6 Reasons Your Church Should Use a Search Firm to Make Your Next Hire

Hiring a new team member can be exciting because it means there is going to be fresh eyes on old problems and status quo ministry, new ideas, and a new well of experiences to go to. If you’ve read much of my blog you know that I enjoy the hiring process and helping churches recruit and hire great teams. In fact you can check out this series of posts on “Recruiting and Hiring Teams that Make Vision Real” or take a look at how I help churches build a staffing and hiring strategy. But sometimes the best move that you can make is to enlist the help of an Executive Search Firm. Here are 6 reasons you should consider using an Executive Search Firm when you make your next hire.

#5 New Leadership Coaching Network Opening Up

A couple of weeks ago, we opened applications for the new leadership coaching networks that will begin early this fall through TonyMorganLive. The deadline for applications is July 31, but applications have already been coming in and these new coaching networks will probably fill up before then. Over half of the spots are already spoken for in my Network so get your application in soon to secure your spot!

Posted in Leadership

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It’s Not My Job

Sunday, July 7, 2013

“It’s not my job,” is more than an excuse. It’s one of the most destructive cultural statements you’ll ever hear in any church or organization. Whenever you hear this phrase popping up you’re sure to find the following destructive behaviors lurking beneath the surface:

1. Turf wars and Competition

Competition can be healthy when it drives new ideas, innovation, improvement, and pushes the organization forward. But competition can go south when it turns into turf wars, jealousy and undermining the progress and overall good of the organization. Team members need to remember when one person or department wins the whole organization wins. It’s not my job.

2. Silos

When each ministry in the church is looking out for its own interests, you’ve got silos. They go beyond just a lack of communication and collaboration around a centralized vision. Silos show up most predominately in the approach ministries take to staffing, time allocation, ministry budgets, calendaring, communication strategies, and facility or resource usage. It’s not my job.

3. Politics

Organizational politics are at play when the vision and goals of a church or organization begin to take a back seat to the goals and agenda of an individual or particular department. This turns into manipulation, triangulation, end rounds, and all kinds of ugly destructive behaviors. It’s not my job.

4. Laziness

Often times this phrase is simply an excuse to get out of work. There’s a difficult conversation to be had or a difficult task to be accomplished. And instead of shouldering responsibility and getting things done many people shrink back and make excuses. It’s not my job.

5. Lack of Buy-in to the Vision

When you start to hear this phrase thrown around you can bet that you’ve got a team full of employees not owners, followers not leaders. At the end of the day if you’re the lowest level employee in an organization or the Sr. Leader in the organization your job is the vision. No job should be below you…or above you…because the vision is your job. It’s not my job.

“It’s not my job,” is a passive aggressive shift of responsibility that people make in a vain attempt to somehow protect themselves from consequences.

You’ll never hear the phrase, “It’s not my job,” come out of the mouth of a leader. Because the very nature of a leader is to run into the gap, into the fray, make things happen and get on the solution side of things. Leaders accept responsibility and move things forward.

Posted in Leadership

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The Dark Side of Vision

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Many tout the most important aspect of a leader is the ability to paint a clear vision of the future. If you’ve been around church-world for any length of time you’ve probably even heard a sermon or two about it, after all “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18) right? What many leaders often fail to realize is that there is another side to vision, a downside, that if not understood and artfully led through can derail the vision before it begins.

The Clearer the Vision the Louder the Critics

Many leaders often naively think that everyone is going to automatically love the vision as much as they do. They strongly and clearly cast the vision, and much to their surprise, they are often met with resistance and criticism. The truth is the clearer you articulate the vision the more criticism you will receive. There are always naysayers both inside and outside the organization. Jesus was criticized to the point it ended up costing His life. If you’re the leader and you’re not prepared for criticism, then be careful how clearly you articulate the vision.

The Clearer the Vision the More People Will Leave You

Vision is not only a rallying cry but also a jumping off point. The clearer the vision is articulated not only will people join you, but people will leave you as well. This happened to Jesus Himself when in John chapter 6 He literally goes from 1,000’s of people following him to by the end of the chapter it’s just the twelve. If you’re the leader and you’re not okay with people leaving you, be careful how clearly you articulate the vision.

I’ll be the first guy in line to say that clear vision is needed in any effective organization or church. But clear vision by itself simply isn’t enough.

Posted in Leadership