One critical issue for new leaders: The speed of change is directly related to the speed of trust

Coming into an organization as a new leader is an event that will test the ability of even the best leader to manage the transition well. This is because change is an inevitable part of the process. Each leader has unique gifts and skills and they are hired because their gifts match the organizations needs at that time. So change is a given. Yet, that very change although needed, and even endorsed by those who hired the leader can be a difficult process. There are three reasons for this. 

One. Regardless of your resume or accomplishments which may bring great hope to the organization, you as an individual do not yet have the trust of the staff. This is even more important if the previous leader had violated trust with the staff as you may be seen through their lens.

Two. You are coming with a vision for the future but there is often a DNA and a culture that will stand in your way until it is changed - if it needs to be changed. In other words, if culture needs to shift, that is perhaps your most important work because culture trumps everything (even the best leadership), Until you have a culture that will allow you to move forward without a drag on the organization, many of your efforts will prove futile.

Three. In most organizations you have two primary staff constituencies: those who represent the past and will cling to the ideals of the past and those who represent the future and want to move forward. How one deals with this will vary but a new leader needs to recognize that both groups exist and until there is alignment, some things will have to wait.

The key to navigating these three realities is to build as much trust with staff as quickly as possible. Trust is the most important coinage a new leader has so developing that bond of trust is the most important and pressing job. 

Trust comes before most actions although taking some actions can actually build needed trust.  This will be counter-intuitive for many leaders because leadership is all about action. New leaders come in with a vision and an outside perspective that allows them to see what others don't see and they are ready to move! What they don't understand is that those they lead can either make their life easier or harder depending on the degree of trust that exists. Trust can be built quickly if you have a strategy for doing so.

Here are proven ways to get to where we desire to go.

First: Honor the past but build for the future. Too many leaders act as if nothing done before their arrival has any significance, forgetting that the present staff was all part of the past to one degree or another. It is not necessary to criticize the past if one has a vision for the future.  Honoring the past while you build for the future does not disenfranchise staff who were part of the past.

Second: Listen - a lot. Trust happens when individuals feel that their story and opinion counts. A new leader usually comes into their position with a well formed direction they intend to lead the organization. This a time to listen before revealing all that is on their mind. There is a large upside to this. In listening carefully to key staff, one can also make judgments as to whether they will fit in your preferred future. Listening builds trust in a significant way.

Third: Ask a lot of questions rather than making statements. Dialogue trumps telling every time and dialogue is nurtured by good questions. The answers to your questions also tell you a great deal about the thinking ability of staff, the vision and dreams that they have and the thoughtful nature of their responses. 

I have realized on a number of occasions that if I had not taken the time to get to know staff I would have made poor decisions. I would have let people go I actually needed and I would have kept those who did not actually fit. Our first impressions may not be accurate and until there is dialogue one will not know.

As you listen, you are making judgments regarding people and strategies. Where there are things you strongly disagree with, keep your own counsel or speak only to those who can help you make necessary changes. Careless words to others will cost one needed trust. 

Fourth, affirm everything and everybody that you can. You may not be able to affirm everything but you can affirm some things. The same is true with people. And remember, if there is a significant need for organizational change, it is because of a prior leader who allowed the organization to atrophy. There are staff who probably knew what was happening but their hands were tied. Don't blame them for what they were not responsible for. Be generous with your praise even if you intend to change many things. Criticism elicits no coinage. Affirm what you can and where you cannot, be light on criticism.

Fifth: be gracious even with those who won't be with you in the future. Graciousness costs you nothing. It is easy to be critical but the best leaders practice graciousness even when making needed changes. This means that we watch our words, our criticisms and our attitudes. 

Sixth: Share your vision for the future but cast it in "wet cement" so that staff can dialogue with you on that vision. In order for your vision to become a shared vision you need to engage people in significant dialogue. One cannot just pronounce vision. And a new leader's vision will not prevail anytime soon unless he/she can bring staff along with them. Find multiple ways and venues to share a new vision for the future and engage in dialogue. Again, listen carefully. Staff may know things you don't know and will either be able to help you or hinder you.

Seventh: As new leaders we come in with our plans but we need to realize that an organization can change only as fast as people can react to the speed of change. The speed of change is directly connected to the speed of trust. The higher the trust level of staff the faster the change. The lower the level of trust the slower the change. What this means is that the speed of change we are proposing is only possible if we are paying equal attention to the speed of trust. 

I have watched new leaders this transition because they believe that leadership is simply making the right calls. They made what they thought were the right calls but didn't listen to the wisdom of others, nor did they develop the level of trust they needed to bring staff with them. Eventually staff rebelled or constituents pushed back and it was over - especially true in nonprofits and churches.

Remember the speed of change is directly related to the speed of trust. Change always requires trust if you desire to being people with you.

So what is the most important job of a new leader who desires to bring change to an organization? It is the building of trust because trust is the coinage that allows them to lead in new directions and in new ways. The faster that trust can be developed, the faster the change can be implimented.

George Floyd and what God wants from His people

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” - Isaiah 58:6-9

Fasting is a spiritual discipline of clearing our hearts and minds so that we can concentrate more fully on God. The religious elites of Isaiah’s day loved to fast and ensure that everyone knew they were fasting - and that they were holy because of their religious practices. But God isn’t impressed with our religious practices, our going to church, our prayer or our Bible studies if our lives don’t intentionally reflect His.

God gets very practical here. The fasting He desires from us is to loose the chains of injustice, to break the oppressed free, share our food with the hungry, provide people with shelter, clothe the naked and not neglect our fellow believers. All of these characteristics reflect the compassion and heart of our God. In fact, they are proof that our spiritual commitments are real and that we value what God values.

Our world has a great deal of injustice and oppression. We witnessed this again last week with the death of George Floyd. We cannot shut our eyes to the realities of injustice in our society if we call ourselves followers of God. If our hearts are not broken like His heart is broken over  such events (and there have been many such events) we simply don’t have His heart. The marginalized and oppressed, the hungry and the homeless all matter to God. 

As a matter of fact, don’t ignore the promises that God makes to those who care about the things that God cares about. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” 

Those are amazing promises. They are promises our country needs at this time. They are promises the church desperately needs. And they are promises each of us need individually. When we live out the character and heart of God and we cry for help, He will say, “Here am I.” 

It is easy to find reasons not to address issues in our communities or nation. But God’s people don’t stand idly by when there is injustice and oppression or deep human needs. It may take prayer and creativity to know how to respond but to respond is to be like Jesus. One thing all of us can do is to pray against the injustices, oppression of our world. But there are many practical things we can do as well. What we do may be different in differing circumstances but act we must. 

PRAYER

Father, forgive me and forgive our nation for too often not speaking up when injustice and oppression are present. Forgive me and forgive the church for not meeting needs around us that we could meet. Help me to not only believe the truth but to walk in truth. Keep me from a false religion that is not worship of you at all. May my commitment to you be genuine in spirit, in truth, and in action. Amen.

George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston from Christianity Today

George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston

An article from Christianity Today

A Handcrafted Life

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10

I love handcrafted things. My youngest son, Chip is one of the most creative people I know. All his life he has been creating things from wood, plastics, iron, canvas, leather - you name it. Today he handcrafts high end canvas and leather bags for the urban crowd. There is something very special about holding something that has been handcrafted by a master rather than mass produced. (Check out Chip's work at www.AddingtonCo.com)

What Paul says in the Scripture passage above is that God personally handcrafted each one of us. We are God’s handiwork, his creation. The word “handiwork” comes from a Greek word that means a one of a kind work of art. And that is what we are: unique, creatively made, intentionally crafted by God. There is no one else like you and never will be. 

But more amazing still is that God created you to do good works which He prepared in advance for you to do. In other words, not only did He handcraft you but he handcrafted a specific role for you to play in His Kingdom activities in the world at this time and in this place. These are the good works He prepared for you and me to do. 

There are two sides to this equation. On the one hand, God created us for good works. On the other hand, we must decide to live at the intersection of God’s call on our lives and our willingness to answer that call. He invites and empowers but we must respond and lean in.

Our world would be a different place if His people realized that they were made for greatness. Not by the world’s evaluation but by God’s. History is God’s story from start to finish and in the years that we inhabit this earth He invites us to join Him in His redemptive work - on His divine stage. Life doesn’t get better than that.

In Psalm 39:4, David says, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” David wanted God to continually remind him that life is short and it was up to him to invest his life in ways that God would approve. This is our challenge every day. We have been invited to join Him in His work. Our job is to show up, realize the opportunity and not take it for granted. Remember, He handcrafted you for a purpose.

How hungry is your staff?

How hungry is your staff?

Hungry people get things done. They have energy, ideas, are proactive and even impatient. In my experience, there are not enough staffs that have this quality. Over time staff can get comfortable, fit into routines, get stuck in ruts and lose their edge. How hungry is your staff?

How does this happen?

Simply stated: Leaders allow it. They allow staff to fit into their little niche, doing their thing without needing to pay attention to the mission as a whole. They allow silos to develop where each division does its thing. Sometimes they even add too many staff which relieves their teams of having to train volunteers and needing to work hard. Accountability for getting things done lags and there is not a missional impatience to see things happen. Expectations are tailored to the schedules of staff rather than the needs of the organization.

There is a big difference between a hungry staff and a comfortable staff. There is also a big difference in the results. Where does your staff fit on this continuum? 

Lean staffs with a passionately held mission and vision are far hungrier than a bloated staff with a mediocre vision. It is a good reason to staff lean: Hire the very best, pay competitive wages and staff as lean as possible. Anytime we become comfortable we lose our edge.

This is why staff changes are often necessary when an organization needs to be revitalized. New energy is needed as well as new leadership and vision. Otherwise, the inertia of old ways and comfortable paradigms creates a drag that prevents the organization from moving ahead. 

This is also why it is wise for boards to give a new leader significant leeway to make needed changes. It can be painful but is often necessary.

Seven signs of a hungry staff include:

• A compelling vision that cannot be ignored
• A willingness to do anything with anyone to achieve that vision
• A can do attitude that is willing to do whatever it takes with whatever resources it has to move forward
• A highly entrepreneurial, collaborative, fun and idea driven culture
• Leaders who are in the trenches with their teams - doing what needs to be done
• A self starting staff who don't need much management
• Politics virtually don't exist

Becoming an attractional church is not enough. The key is Engagement

Before I start I want to affirm that churches should be attractive to those who come. They should be welcoming, easy to assimilate into, with excellent preaching and music (the best one is capable of). If we do not have a welcoming culture we are hurting ourselves and not representing Christ well.

With that said lets consider the downside of building a church that focuses exclusively on being highly attractional in order to grow. It is very simple. 

First, the attractional model can create a consumer mentality among those it attracts. It cultivates the notion that church is about me (it isn't) and my needs (only part of the equation). 

We have all watched attractional churches suck people from neighboring churches because it's programming and preaching were "cooler" and better than their church. This generates church growth in terms of numbers but is often simply the rearranging of seats by believers. It is not the kind of church growth the New Testament envisions.

Then there is this: When the next cool church comes along, the same people who came to your church move along. They came as a consumer and they leave as a consumer. And consumer Christians are not generally mature Christians because maturity requires something far different than consumption. It requires engagement! Putting one's faith and gifts to work and living in community with fellow pilgrims. 

Without engagement there is no ownership and the back door of the church is as wide as the front door. If you want to close the back door there is something else needed: a  high level of congregational engagement. 

Engagement encompasses three areas: Engagement with God, engagement with people and engagement with service to others. The first has a lot to do with public services whether on line or in person. The goal is not to entertain but to help people connect to their Lord and savior.,

Engagement with others is equally important as the weekend services because it is in community that we often put what we have learned to work. It is where we receive encouragement and encourage. Engagement through the use of our gifts in service to others helps us grow and furthers the work of Jesus.

The New Testament talks about engagement at every turn. It is often the missing element in the western church where we put so much attention in being attractional that we don't grow disciples who are truly engaged.

Seven suggestions for managing ministry staff in the chaos of coronavirus

One of the realities of the coronavirus situation is that ministry has become far more complex and complicated. Our traditional ministry paradigms have vanished for this season. We don't see people we normally see on a regular basis, it requires far more effort to stay connected with constituents and all of that is complicated by staff who are working at home in many cases. 

Supervisors and leaders need to consider these factors as they lead in this complicated environment.

1. You may need to change your ministry priorities. Extraordinary times often require extraordinary responses. What was important two weeks ago may not be important in this season. Establish your very top priorities and ask how you can engage your staff to meet the need. Don't simply try to do everything you were doing without asking whether it is ministry critical in this environment.

2. You may need to change what some staff are doing. In this season, department distinctions and job descriptions are secondary to accomplishing the highest priorities of the ministry. For instance, if you determine that all folks 65 or older need a personal call to check on their welfare, you may need to reasign people from other departments to help you. Production teams may well need additional help as they work overtime to ensure that the online experience is all that it can be. Consider telling your staff that during this time they may well be asked to help with something that is outside of their normal purview. This is a good time to break down departmental barriers.

3. It is wise to stay in close touch with your staff or supervisors. Not everyone will easily transition from what they were doing to what they need to do now. Ensure that your supervisors are fully in line with what the church needs in this season and ensure that they are not only communicating the same to their staff but are helping their staff figure out what the need to be doing in this time. Some staff will easily adjust, some will feel like the world has gone from order to chaos and will need help.

4. Give staff clear expectations of what you expect in this season. Those who are working from home need to understand that this is not a vacation but that their work venue has changed. If anything, you need their involvement to increase rather than decrease. Clarity around expectations is crucial. That includes staying safe!

5. Ask staff to find ways to involve their volunteers. My belief is that volunteers are staff. They want to be involved which is why they volunteer in the first place. Ask what role they can play in the current environment and deploy them.

6. Remember that your staff have the same fears and concerns of others. They need encouragement, reassurance, extra emotional support and reminders that Jesus has this! We owe it to minister to them even as we minister to the congregation. Their spiritual temperature, faith and well being will spill over to the congregation at large.

7. Learn from what other ministries are doing. Everyone is trying to figure this out and we can cut our own learning curve by taking best practices from others and applying them to your own context. Large churches often can lead the way because they have the technology and staff to make it happen. Grab some ideas but don't think you need to match their standards. They have people.

These are complicated time. Don't continue as is but lead well in a changed environment.