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Friends and Colleagues,
What is obvious to you and not to others? And vice-versa? What do you see and understand that many in your church don't? And what do they see that you miss? How do you combine your insights and lead more effectively? See my article below.
The resource I highlight this month is a video series I've used several times during Advent. It's a great adult education resource. If you haven't read or seen Ken Bailey, I hope this pushes you to do so. I hope it will help you, too.
As you lead your congregation, how are things working for you? I'd love to coach you, whether things are going really well or not so well. I'll ask deep questions to help you clarify and focus. Give me a call or send an email.
If you know someone who might benefit from coaching and/or my thoughts here, please use the "Forward to a Friend" button in the newsletter (that way you'll avoid problems with spam filters).
Here's to clarity about how God is leading us!
Peace,
Bob
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It's Obvious! Isn't it???
When our older son was studying high school physics one evening, my wife groaned "physics - argh. I'd never made it through physics in college if your dad hadn't helped me." (I was a physics major) Doug looked at her with a stare of complete incomprehension and responded "but Mom, it's so obvious!
That flipped on the proverbial light bulb for me. What is obvious to one person isn't necessarily obvious to another. I recalled times I had asked discussion questions about some Biblical passage. I thought the answers were completely obvious but was met with blank stares.
And conversely, I remembered times when Mary Helen noted something like "Sally looked kind of down yesterday, didn't she." and I hadn't noticed anything unusual.
As a leader, you need to be aware of what is obvious to you and what isn't. What do you see or hear that others don't seem to catch? And what do you miss?
Are you able to see ahead, thinking strategically without much effort, noting the ways in which different factors interact and anticipating possibilities? Most people don't have that gift.
Do you love to see number fall into place, finding it easy to set up budgets and keep track of cash flow? Not I! Stuff like that bores me and I make mistakes.
Is it obvious to you why the bush in the front yard is dying or why water is seeping through the foundation or what's wrong with your car's engine when it makes that funny noise?
In the first church I served after seminary, the Senior Pastor wa a great preacher but could remember virtually nothing about individual parishioners. He made sure he had Associate Pastors who did keep track of people, knew their names, and kept him abreast of important details.
Something that is obvious to me - and borne out by management research done by the Gallup organization - is that leaders need to both be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and also to surround themselves with those who complement those strengths and weaknesses.
Maybe you've figured this out, but I can think of any number of leaders - in church, the private sector, and in government - who haven't learned this. There are charges that President Obama has too many Ivy Leaguers around him and so has gotten out of touch with small town America. He doesn't have the gift of easily feeling others' pain that Bill Clinton displayed. Knowing how indifferent I was to financial minutiae, I made sure that there were members of the finance committee who could manage the numbers easily and give the governing board clear reports.
Last month I featured the Gallup StrengthsFinder material in my resource column. There are a number of similar instruments which help you assess your strengths. - the Myers-Briggs type inventory is a good one. Whatever instrument you use, I encourage you to do a more formal assessment of your strengths and then assess how well other leaders complement your strengths.
For example, one of my clients was getting pretty frustrated in trying to develop a strategic plan for his church. The StrenthsFinder inventory indicated that his strengths were almost exclusively in the relationship building area and not at all in strategic planning. So he identified a couple of leaders who had strengths in planning, enlisted them to develop a process to help the church plan, and assured them "you work out a plan and I'll sell it!" He used both theirs and his strengths.
Once you are aware of what's obvious to you, it's important to describe your perception of reality to others, especially other leaders, and get their take. What is obvious to them? What is really the situation? What next steps would be most helpful?
So, what's obvous to you? What is obvious often gives key clues to your top strengths. Who complements your strengths, making up for your drawbacks? Who else would help?
If you would like to reflect with me on your strengths and how best to use them as you lead, please get in touch. I'd love to coach you.
Please email or give me a call. I'd be glad to talk with you about the process and set up a demonstration coaching session.
If you know someone who might find this newsletter helpful, please forward it to them - and please use the button in the newsletter.
Here's to healthy churches - with healthy leaders!
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Resources - books and other resources that have been helpful
A Clear View of the Birth of Jesus by Dr. Kenneth Bailey
If you're looking for a terrific Advent resource, here it is. Ken Bailey, now retired as a New Testament professor from the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, grew up in the Middle East and reads scripture from that perspective.
From that very non-European perspective, he gives a very different understanding of the situation surrounding Jesus' birth. For example, the word typically translated "inn" in most of our English Bibles, is better translated "guest room." Jesus, according to Bailey, wasn't born in a drafty barn. Because the guest room was already occupied by other relatives, he was born in the main room of a typical peasant home, surrounded by extended family, and laid in one of the mangers for the family animals that are hollowed into the floor.
There are DVDs available from a number of sources (maybe even your judicatory resource center). I have used this series several times and found that members really find it enlightening.
Bailey has written a number of books. I especially like his treatment of the parables of Jesus. He has a way of sharpening the message that makes it have even more impact for us now.
What books or resources have you found especially helpful? I'd be glad (with available space) to share your reviews and/or suggestions.
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Future Issues (monthly)
- Humility and Ministry
- Leading from Below
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I hope you have found this newsletter informative and helpful. Please subscribe to continue receiving it (or unsubscribe to stop). If you'd like to explore coaching, please email or call me.
If you have found it helpful, please forward it to friends who you think would appreciate it. (And please use the forward button on the newsletter itself.)
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Bob
Robert Harris
Harris Coaching and Consulting
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