Questions to ask about the intellectual capacity and EQ of potential board members

Serving on a board, church or otherwise, requires a special intellectual capacity or ability. This is not about education - many educated people have limited intellectual capacity and many who lack higher education have it along with good common sense.

It is the ability to think conceptually, to visualize what could be rather than simply what is, to be able to focus on the big picture and concepts rather than on the small picture and details and enough personal flexibility to be open to new ideas, and work constructively with other board members. It is also the ability to entrust staff to do what they must do and to always be pushing the missional agenda of the church or organization. It includes the ability to problem solve in creative ways rather than simply to fall back on what they have seen before in another church or organization.

Not everyone can do that and too often we bring well meaning, even Godly individuals onto our boards who actually hinder progress by their narrow views, inability to think conceptually and who believe that board work is guarding the status quo and controlling staff. Those who have worked on boards with people who do not have the intellectual skills enumerated above know how frustrating that can be. 

Among other considerations you may have in choosing board members it is helpful to ask the following kinds of questions:

• Do they think big picture of small picture (You want them to think big picture)
• Can they engage the future of the organization or simply deal with status quo? (You want them to think future)
• Do they exhibit personal flexibility or are they inflexible in their thinking? (You want them to be flexible)
• When problem solving do they see all the pieces or just some of the pieces? (You want them to think of all the pieces)
• Do they like to micromanage or empower? (You want them to empower)
• Can they trust staff or do they need to know everything before staff can act? (You want them to trust)
• Do they work synergistically with others or do they need things their way? (You want them to work synergistically)
• Do they think missionally or like to deal with inconsequential issues? (You want them to think missionally)
• Are they articulate and thoughtful or confusing and quick to make judgements? (You want them to be articulate and thoughtful)
• Do they exhibit personal humility or are they proud and overbearing? (You want them to exhibit humility)
• Do they have all the answers or are they open to discussion and flexible in the solution? (You want them to be open and flexible)
• Are they able to negotiate conflict or are they black and white and tend to see winners and losers. (You want them to be able to negotiate conflict well)
• Are they generally positive or negative in their outlook on life? (You want positive people who believe good things can happen.

These are matters of EQ and intellectual capacity and they directly impact the health and effectiveness of a board and therefor the organization the board serves. Again, it is not about educational level. It is about the ability to think well and understand the big picture of the organization - in order to help it move forward. Think about the board members you know who do this well and those who lack these skills. There is a difference! The quality of your leadership is only as good as the leaders you choose.

Creating cultures of excellence
AddingtonConsulting.org

A strategic exercise for every team or organizational leader in seven steps

Leaders assume that they know what they are doing. And in a general sense, that is probably true. It is easy, however, to be so general in our direction that we miss the opportunities that a laser-like focus could provide. General direction yields general results, while focused direction yields focused results. How do we move from the first to the second?

There is a simple strategic exercise that can help you get there with some other members of your team and a whiteboard work through the following process.

First, write on the board your team's purpose as you currently view it. Don't worry about wordsmithing anything now; just record the purpose.

Second. Make a list of all of your stakeholders. They may be customers, staff, donors, constituents, vendors, or others. Next to each stakeholder, make a note about what is most important to each of those stakeholders. Make sure that you get them all!

Third. Make a list of all your current strategies to reach your purpose. Once you have done this, ask yourself the question: Do these strategies speak to the concerns of your stakeholders, and are they consistent with your stated purpose above?

Fourth. Go back to your stated purpose in One and refine it in light of your stakeholders, your strategies, and the concerns of your stakeholders. Can you get to a purpose statement that is concise, focused, and clear? Keep working on it until you get there, as it may take many tries and multiple minds. Only quit once it is concise, laser-focused, clear, and speaks to the concerns of your stakeholders and mission.

Fifth. Having done this, go back to your current strategies (3) and ask whether those strategies will help you get to your purpose. Having done the interim work, you will probably recognize that some things you are doing will yield different results than you desire, as expressed in your refined purpose or the needs of your stakeholders. Remember, general direction delivers general results, while focused direction yields focused results. Make a note of strategies that need to be rethought, abandoned, or new ones that may be more fruitful.

Sixth. Ask yourself: "Are there any new ways of doing what we do that would be a game changer and not just a tweak?" It is finding the game changers in our strategies that move the dial significantly rather than just a tiny bit. Game changers are new ways of thinking, new ideas that can help you achieve your purpose and outside-the-box thinking. You can tweak all day, but one game changer can propel you months or years ahead of where you are. 

Seventh. Settle on a few key strategies that will get you the highest results rather than on many strategies that will get you a few results each. A laser-focused purpose and the few most fruitful approach will help you get where you want to go far faster and with better results.

Why do many leaders not do this kind of work? They get lost in the activity of the present (activity and results are not the same), the work of the status quo (which keeps you nicely where you are) rather than taking the time to zero in on the most critical issues. Pay attention to the very work that will propel you forward. 

Creating cultures of excellence

AddingtonConsulting.org

When it is finally time to lay the burden down

Most of us carry burdens that weigh us down and cripple us from being all that we can be. They are heavy, and they are exhausting. This is nowhere more true than when we have blown it, been grievously wrong, hurt someone, or been guilty of grave sin, and the load we carry is guilt, shame, and a desperate attempt to hang on to our dignity. Some carry this load for years, some for decades, some for most of their lives. And it only gets heavier.

And heavier.

What keeps us from laying it down? To admit our fault, take responsibility, and seek forgiveness? Only one thing: Our Ego or pride. To realize is to say, "I am the one." To take responsibility is to say, "I did it." To seek forgiveness is to say, "I was wrong; will you forgive me?" Our pride and ego keep us from all three of those actions. They are too hard, and yet the burden carried is far weightier.

And each time we deny our guilt, the weight gets heavier.

The greatest enemy to our burdens is our pride. We are not meant to carry this weight. It is why Jesus came and died. We don't have to pretend we are better than we are, as our goodness is that of Jesus living in us, not who we are by ourselves. The Apostle John says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." We are sinners. It is who we are. It is why we do what we do. It is the human condition. Yet John says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9).

But it is hard, and we are used to carrying the weight.

But to lay it down, we must fight the battle with our egos and pride to get from "I am without sin" to "I need to confess my sin. I did it. I am guilty. I need forgiveness." It is the battle that says, "I must retain my dignity," so I cannot admit it. Ironically, our dignity has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus who imputes his righteousness to us. Our dignity reflects Him and the fact that we are made in His image. We have inherent dignity in Jesus apart from our good works - or wrong. He gives us dignity. He gives us worth. He gives us love.

Wow. I don't have to worry about my dignity. Jesus gives me dignity.

Much of the Christian life is a journey from pride to humility. We all think we are humble and the more we believe that, the more pride we possess. We all think we are better than we are, and the more we believe that, the more deluded we become. Pride stands in the way of a life of followership because pride is about us, and followership is about Jesus. For many, humility comes hard. But the Father loves us enough to keep chipping at the façade of pride until the man or woman God made us to show up. Humble, unpretentious, and with a nothing-to-prove, nothing-to-lose, and nothing-to-hide attitude.

Jesus tells me to let go of my pride.

Ironically, when we let go of our pretense and pride, it is then that we can lay our burden down. Because then we can say, "I am the one, I did it, I was wrong, will you forgive me?" And with that, the burden can be laid down at the foot of the cross, paid for by Jesus, and we can stand upright again, purified of our unrighteousness. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

We can have rest for our souls. 

Is it time for you to lay a burden down? When we do, we go from weary and burdened to a place of rest and peace. And Jesus models the spirit that is necessary when He says, "For I am gentle and humble in heart."

Helping individuals and organizations go to the next level
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Church boards and their interminable meetings! Eleven tips

One of the most frustrating aspects of church leadership is the tendency of boards to deal with minutia and present-day details rather than the genuinely significant issues that drive the ministry forward. Leadership boards are not supposed to handle all rocks and pebbles, only the big rocks.

Big rocks are values, mission, vision, ministry initiatives, the spiritual leadership of the congregation, policies, and church health. What characterizes the big rocks is that they affect the whole church, have to do with the spiritual health of the organization, and are more related to how we can do ministry more effectively (future-focused) than they are to day-to-day management.

Pebbles and sand are day-to-day management issues, staff management, the development of specific ministry plans or strategies, and details of church life that can be delegated to others. These are important, but they are not the responsibility of the leadership board. 

When boards think of their work, there are always more rocks than they can effectively handle in the time available. But here is the good news. Leadership boards are not supposed to take all stones and pebbles, only the big rocks. The greatest gift to a board is a leader who will differentiate between the rocks, gravel, and sand and plan board meetings around the critical issues that the board is responsible for cutting through the minutia and focusing on the important ones!

Some principles for effective board work include:

Build agendas around significant issues, not small ones.
Some issues are board issues; many issues that come to boards are not. When building agendas for board meetings, it is essential to ask, "Is this a big rock or a small rock? Is this an issue that others can deal with, or does it need to be a discussion of the board?"

Concentrate on direction, spiritual health, and policies - not management.
Boards do not exist to manage but to exercise broad leadership for the congregation. Full-time staff members or volunteers address day-to-day issues of church life - not the board. When management issues arise, before they become board issues, ask, "Is this a management decision? Who should be empowered to deal with these kinds of questions? And do we need to develop a policy so that others can decide in the future?"

Spend more time on future plans than on present issues.
Leadership is about the future and leading your congregation into greater ministry effectiveness. Leaders think ahead of the congregation. Suppose you are spending the majority of your board time on day-to-day issues. In that case, you are probably deep into management rather than directional issues, spiritual health, values, mission, vision, or ministry initiatives. Keep track of the time you spend in a month on current issues compared to future plans and opportunities.

Delegate regularly
Here is a general rule: Don't do as a board what others could do. We give staff members and volunteers far too little credit for what they can do. If an issue arises that others can figure out, either delegate it outright or, if necessary, ask someone to come up with a proposal and bring it back to the board.

Boards don't design, they refine.
Boards don't design proposals but respond and refine them. If an issue needs thought and work, delegate that to those gifted in that area and ask them to bring a recommendation to the board for consideration. Starting from a proposal will save you more time than starting from scratch. Boards are not meant to design but to refine.

Always use a written agenda for board business meetings
Boards use agendas as a tool to prioritize their work. A carefully written agenda provides a road map for board work and requires the discipline to place big rocks first and pebbles later. Agendas are the key to focusing on the important rather than the trivial.

Stay within agreed-upon time parameters.
Church board meetings can proceed endlessly. When you ask leaders to serve, you ask them for their most precious commodity: their time. If your meetings regularly run longer than 2 1/2 hours, you probably need to exercise discipline in the conduct of your meetings or the size of the rocks you are dealing with.

Meet twice a month - once for business and once for prayer.
One of your gatherings should be a business meeting where decisions are made and the church's business can be conducted. With rare exceptions, the company of a church should be able to be done in 12 scheduled meetings per year. Because the spiritual level of the congregation will rarely rise above the level of its leaders, wise leaders invest half of their time in praying for one another and for the church, studying Scripture together, and dreaming about the future. 

Agree on principles of decision-making.
Healthy boards are made up of individuals who can engage in robust dialogue, resulting in creative solutions. Boards often make one of three mistakes: (1) They don't honestly engage in creative conflict due to conflict avoidance; (2) they engage in healthy conflict but don't seem able to resolve that conflict, leading to difficulty in decision-making; or (3) they allow one or two board members to create and perpetuate conflict that holds the rest of the board hostage from moving forward. I recommend the adoption of a board covenant that clarifies how the board will work together.

Communicate board work to your congregation.
The trust of a congregation in its leadership is essential for a healthy church. Too often, the work of a church board is shrouded in secrecy or mystery. While some issues must remain confidential, most work should be regularly communicated to the congregation, especially general directional issues.

Evaluate every board meeting on a one to five scale
At the end of each meeting, take five minutes and have each individual answer three questions. How would they rate the meeting on a scale of one to five, with five being high and one being low? What do they think could have been done better? What was done well? It is a way to continuous improvement of your meetings.

Creating cultures of excellence
AddingtonConsulting.org

The top five priorities every leader must pay attention to

Good leaders must do at least five things well in their leadership role. A leader may do other things, but if she or he does not do these five things well, they will not become a great leader. These five responsibilities are the five highest priorities in one's leadership role. How well they are done will determine the effectiveness of the team.

One: Personal Development - Ensuring I live intentionally in my spiritual, family, emotional, relational, and professional life.

By personal development, I mean the core issues that make a leader spiritually, relationally, emotionally, and professionally healthy. These become a leader's highest priority because health in these areas determines their ability to lead spiritually and professionally and to model the kind of faithful, fruitful, connected life that the New Testament describes for leaders.

Two: Strategic Leadership - Providing strategic leadership to the organization or part of the organization you lead.

This is not about administrating the team. There is a crucial difference between 'activity' and 'results.' Good leaders are always seeking results that are consistent with the mission. Leaders do some administration, but they are not administrators. Instead, they are constantly pushing the mission forward - which often gets lost in the press of activity. Strategic leadership is about keeping the organization's mission central and the team aligned toward accomplishing the task.

Three: Strong Team - Building a healthy, unified, aligned, strategic, and results-oriented team.

Newsflash: The higher the altitude you fly, the less you can do yourself, and the more you depend on other people. Your ability to influence the organization you lead and advance the mission depends on the people who make up your team. Your success is tied directly to your team. So, the better the team, the more you will see accomplished.

Four: Leadership Development - Develop current and future leaders.

Are you developing current and future leaders for your ministry? It amazes me how many churches and organizations have no strategy or plan to create future leaders, and I wonder why they have trouble when new leaders create problems. Leaders pay close attention to identifying and developing new leaders for the future. I will only succeed if I raise the next generation of leaders for the organization I lead so that it flourishes into the future.

Five: Mobilizing Resources - Mobilize critical resources for the team's ministry to flourish.

Team leaders are mobilizers of people, strategies, finances, and other needed resources. Leaders use their authority, vision-casting ability, and position in the organization to ensure their team has the resources necessary to fulfill their responsibilities. This may mean negotiating with others at their level or higher for necessary budgets or cooperation.

Mobilizing resources is more than just about funding. Leaders are 'people raisers,' always looking for individuals who can contribute to the mission. They are always looking for strategies that might work or people who have been successful in what they are trying to do. All too often, we try to 'reinvent wheels.' Leaders point their team to those who have already figured it out and encourage them to explore successful models.

Leaders who pay attention to these five priorities will grow healthy and effective teams.

Creating cultures of excellence
AddingtonConsulting.org