| January 23, 2008 |
Vol 9, Issue 3
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 Get Ready to Lead!
"It's simple. We're just changing the world."
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"I want to lead but no one takes me seriously"
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Greetings!...  Our last issue on helping people who don't want to change really hit a nerve.
One subscriber, Valerie, said: "I just wanted to say.....This is a great one!! I really loved reading this newsletter when I woke up this morning...God has a wonderful way of giving you what you need and what you need to hear at the right times and this one really spoke to me."
Part of the problem we experience is that the very folks we're trying to persuade just don't take us seriously.
Researcher Donald Pelz discovered the answer to that dilemma more than 50 years ago, but most people still don't know about it. I'll reveal his solution in this issue of the Get Ready to Lead newsletter.
We'll also look at some of the thoughtful replies of our subscribers on the age-old question of whether it is proper for Christians to engage in persuasion.
BTW: did you know that past issues of Get Ready to Lead are in an on-line archive? Click here. | |
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| The Pelz Effect: The Secret to True Credibility |
 What makes people trust their leaders? Researcher Donald Pelz decided to tackle that question by studying every factor that influenced worker satisfaction.
Pelz found that the number one factor in employee satisfaction was not financial reward or meaningful work. It was whether or not the boss had influence with his or her superiors.
In other words, employees want to know that their team is "on the move" doing something that would contribute to the organization as a whole.
I wonder if this insight also applies to leaders and followers. Is it possible that when leaders lose their momentum, followers will grow weary and leave?
Here are some questions all influencers should answer:
· Do I communicate a sense of vision to the next generation?
· Do others see in me a person who perseveres, or a person who has given up?
· Do my words inspire hope or hopelessness in others?
· Am I going beyond "the same old thing" to find new and interesting challenges?
The next generation wonders, "Can one person really make a difference?" We need to show them from our lives that the answer is "yes."
*Donald Pelz, "Influence: A Key to Effective
Leadership in the First-Line Supervisor,"Personnel,
1952,v. 29, pp. 209-17.
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Can Christians Persuade Without Manipulating? What GRTL Subscribers Say
|  It's the age-old controversy, dating all the way back to a dispute between two church fathers, Augustine and Jerome. Should Christians use the tools of persuasion (Augustine) or just give God's Word and let the Holy Spirit persuade (Jerome)?
Our Get Ready to Lead subscribers had some thoughtful replies to our last newsletter on whether it is godly for Christians to engage in persuasion. Here's what some of them said:
- "From passionate prophets to parables relating the culture of the day, stirring the hearts of people and moving them in the direction of Godliness was the purpose and hope of the speakers whom God directed." Judy
- "It seems like God's put a high priority in the Word, both Jesus and the written. Following the creative example of both, as persuasion and simple obedience, is what His children can do. Even St. Jerome!" Barbara
- "The act of manipulation almost always involves a deception, however slight, or strong. A deception is a lie." Sue
- "I believe Christian persuasion to be successful must take into full account the level of listener that you have. The very mature, as I understand it , are to "cover for" the immature or less presentable. That simple act of kindness instructs them." Susan
- "I'll confess--after ministering in pastoral and chaplaincy stations (including 12 years in a prison) the Jerome approach is tempting all the time. But the reality of biblical persuasion is undeniable." John
- "I certainly hope Christian persuasion is a legitimate use of a Christian's wisdom and insights. I think to not try to persuade a person to seek help for their problems borders on negligence." Dawn
- "I did a study out of Acts several years ago trying to discern the methods Paul used when preaching the Gospel. There were three key words highlighted: 1) Persuade, 2) Dispute, and 3) Reason." Mike
- "I tend to agree with both Jerome and Augustine. God tells us to "come , and let us reason together." He clearly persuades us, which is ultimately done through the work of the Holy Spirit. As I lead junior high and high school students, I try to find the balance between persuasion and then allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in His time." Ken
- "When Christians do not know their doctrines and theology, they say things that lead to confusion and make Christians look inconsistent and ignorant. The Word of God is persuasive in and of itself. Christians simply need to know how to "rightly divide the word of truth." Scott
- "Paul's testimony to King Agrippa in Acts 26 caused Agrippa to respond with "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian." Of course we carefully use this art of Christian persuasion with love and respect for as the saying goes, 'A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.'" Dennis
- "Of course there's legitimate Christian persuasion--it's the foolishness of preaching!" Linda
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 From Jeff Myers: Make it a Great Week!
Word is out now on our Wisdom Trek course at Sandy Cove Conference Center, a beautiful, relaxing conference site located on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The dates are April 9-11, 2008. Folks have already started to register and I'm looking forward to meeting them at the event in less than three months!
Wisdom Trek is our most personal event; enrollment is around 50 people. Throughout the three days you'll have lots of learning time, lots of relaxation time, and lots of time to personally interact with me and with Passing the Baton's life coaches. Click here for more info.
Make it a great week,
--Jeff
Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President
Passing the Baton International, Inc.
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