Leaders and wisdom: Six important principles that contribute to wise decision making

How often have you watched a leader, ministry or company do something incredibly stupid with significant unintended consequences? The visceral reaction of "that was really dumb" is really another way of saying, "that decision lacked wisdom." Let's be clear, all of at some time have been guilty of acting with a lack of wisdom. For leaders, however, wisdom is one of the most important commodities and its deficit over time can lead to significant leadership failures. 

Wikipedia defines wisdom as "the ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight." In other words, it is the ability to take information that is available to everyone, synthesize it well and apply it to a specific situation for the best possible result. 

While I believe there is a spiritual gift of wisdom and that the Holy Spirit is a giver of wisdom, the components needed to make wise choices and decisions are available to believers. The question is why some make better decisions than others. For all of us this is an important question. For leaders it is especially important as their decisions impact others around them.

I would suggest that the answer lies in these arenas:

1. Wise leaders take longer to think through a decision allowing the information they have and the various consequences of the decision to be understood before they act.
2. Wise leaders engage others in the decision making process, knowing that they are unlikely to see all the angles of the situation well. They especially talk to the stakeholders who will be impacted by their decisions.
3. Wise leaders ask God for divine insight that comes through the Holy Spirit.
4. Wise leaders do not act out of emotion but out of conviction and are able to wait till emotions have cooled.
5. Wise leaders have a set of guiding values and principles that guide their lives and will not violate those in making decisions. This prevents them from straying from their own convictions.
6. Wise leaders are willing to back away from their decision if it becomes clear that they have missed something important.

All of us have access to the same information. It is how we utilize that information in making decisions that makes the difference between wise and unwise decisions.

(Written from Berlin, Germany)

Moving from illusion to reality

Many churches and other Christian ministries (along with their staff and boards) live in illusion. Their illusion is that all is well, that they are making disciples, that they are seeing significant new fruit or that they are a healthy church. It is often illusion because it is what they desire to believe about themselves but it is often not the true reality.

Why live in illusion? It is a comfortable place to be as it allows us to believe that we are doing well. And we all want to do well. But, without a specific plan in any important ministry area we cannot move our ministry from illusion to reality. Getting to reality requires a plan, intentionality and the ability to measure the result. 

Let's take disciplemaking. Very few churches if asked have an intentional disciplemaking process. Even fewer have built disciplemaking into the very fabric of who they are so that it touches everything they do and everyone who is involved. And finally it is a rarer thing still to have a way of measuring the results of these efforts. Yet, without these kinds of steps the church is living in the illusion that they are doing well.

Here is an interesting exercise. Have you staff or board list the most important issues that you believe the church ought to be doing well in from a scriptural point of view. Then ask these simple questions:

• Do we have a real plan?
• Do we have a description of what we are after?
• Are we being intentional?
• Can we measure the result?
• How are we really doing?
• Based on the above are we living in illusion or reality?

These questions can be applied in the local church, on the mission field and in any Christian ministry. Of course the only individuals who will ask the questions are those who desire to live in reality rather than illusion.

(Written today from Berlin, Germany)

15 minutes of fame or 45 years of faithful ministry

The ministry world is deeply impacted by its culture when it comes to who we pay attention to, admire and even follow. Our church makes the top 100 growing churches in a certain year, a book hits the big time on the latest and greatest ministry idea or sudden success in an arena engenders attention. Even in ministry 15 minutes of fame can trump 45 years of faithful ministry. And that is an indictment on how we think. 

Why do we chase the spotlight or those who are in the spotlight? Why do we assume that their few minutes in the sun means that they are worth emulating or their new idea worth trying? In fact, what does it say about us?

I am always interested in new ideas or good books or new strategies. But I am more impressed with those who have a long track record of faithful ministry, who have gone the distance and who see long term results. Chasing fads or the newest and greatest idea is not a value to me. Chasing those who are enjoying the spotlight is not a value to me or to God - I suspect. It is also not good for the one in the spotlight in many instances who start to believe their own press.

Jesus wants us to chase after Him.

(Written today from Berlin, Germany)

The freedom to speak one's mind

In my experience in working with churches and ministry organizations I find many where it is not safe to speak candidly about issues that exist. I am not referring to undiplomatic communication or attacks - just the ability to share honest opinions without being attacked, censored or privately (or publically) shamed. This is nearly always a result of an insecure leader who is unable to deal with candid dialogue and takes any disagreement as a personal attack. And it is a sign of insecurity and low Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

When this happens, there are a number of negative consequences. First, the leader loses major respect among his or her staff. Their defensiveness is seen for what it is - insecurity. Second, when staff cannot talk openly about issues they will end up talking to each other in private or even with others. People need a place to talk. Third, the unresolved issues that cannot be put out in the open fester and become major irritants to those involved and even minor issues can become large issues in the absence of the ability to talk. Fourth, mistrust flourishes! And mistrust destroys otherwise good teams.

Here is a question to leaders who do not invite candid input: Why are you afraid of being questioned or having issues raised? It is not as if they go away in the absence of conversation. In fact, they get larger! It is not as if ignoring the issues solves anything - they just squeeze out somewhere else. Why would you prefer that these topics get discussed behind your back rather than in your presence so that you are part of the discussion? 

Another question. What is it inside you that resists hearing what others think when it might be critical of you or something you do? You may not agree with their analysis but what keeps you from hearing it? As a consultant I hear from staff on a regular basis that they cannot be honest with their leader. Does this not hurt the leader as much as it hurts the team? It really makes no sense at all for the leader or the team. I would rather know what people are thinking than not know. 

Those who don't listen are not only unhealthy emotionally but have something to prove and something to lose - in their own mind. I prefer to live with a nothing to prove/nothing to lose attitude because that is freedom. If I am wrong in some area, so be it. If someone disagrees with me it is OK. If there is robust dialogue over some issue I can be fine with it. Such a stance prevents discussions from being had in the wrong venues with the wrong people and it fosters the very best ideas in a safe atmosphere. It makes for a healthy team as well as a respected leader.

One can gauge the health of a team and a leader by how many issues they cannot discuss as a group. The more there are the unhealthier the team and leader. And it always ultimately comes back to the leader because teams know where they can and cannot go - that is always a function of the openness of a leader. Some of the largest names in Christian leadership are some of the most closed when it comes to candid discussion and feedback. What does that say about their health?

To make it personal, how open or closed are you? I ask myself the question regularly. I want to lead well.

(Written today from Berlin, Germany)

High ambition coupled with shallow discipleship is a dangerous combination

I often meet people with great ambition in ministry. That does not impress me, no matter how vast their vision. There is nothing uncommon with this scenario. 

Why am I not impressed with great ambition and vision?  Because much of this is coupled with a shallow discipleship of Christ which means that the ambition and vision are more about the individual than about God's Kingdom. Ministry is merely the opportune channel to build a personal kingdom, name or reputation. And that is not immediately known but does become apparent over the years.

What are some of the signs that leadership is about the individual rather than about God? 

• Lack of accountability to authority above them such as boards 
• Lack of a common vision - it is the individual's vision
• A need to control rather than empower
• Narcissistic behavior
• Using people rather than teaming with people
• A focus on money and power
• Name dropping
• A need for affirmation and recognition

The common element here is a focus on self which is the result of shallow discipleship. The closer we get to God, the less we become concerned about us and the more about God. The less the spotlight on us and the more the spotlight is on God. The less it is about us and the more it is about team and common vision. It is the difference between pride (me) and humility (God).

I have seen many leaders lead well in their early days running on energy and a vision. But because it was more about them than Jesus they had a leadership failure in their forties or fifties. the common element was that their leadership was more about them than it was about Him.

This is an issue that every leader ought to think about all the time.

(Written today from Berlin, Germany)

The greatest failure and greatest opportunity of the church today

The western church is good at many things: Facilities; trained staff; worship experiences; programming and good preaching. From an external perspective it is in many cases impressive. However, our focus on all these good things comes at the expense of the one most central and important thing which is that of disciplemaking. It is both the greatest failure and greatest opportunity of the church today.

Why the greatest failure? Because only deeply committed disciples of Christ will make a difference in our world for Him. It is those individuals who live out their faith in their family, workplace and in the circles in which they have influence. Much of what passes for Christianity is more window dressing than it is a committed followership where people understand and live out grace, allow their thinking to be brought into alignment with Scripture, align their priorities with those of Christ and see people as Jesus sees them and love them as He loves them.

Furthermore we have substituted life on life influence and impact for classes and intellectual knowledge which is not the route to lifestyle change nor the model given us by Jesus and Paul. Disciplemaking is simply another program in our church (an app) rather than the heart of all that we do (the operating system). And if one examines the typical commitments of the typical "Christian" we see that it is not an effective model. It may train people in certain behaviors but it does not lead to significant life transformation.

Why the greatest opportunity? Because there is nothing more powerful than men and women who have given Jesus everything and want to please Him and represent Him in all that they do. These are world changers. They are world changers empowered by the Holy Spirit who are powerful change agents precisely because of their followership of Jesus. 

How did they become what they became? Usually not because of a church with great preaching or programs (although I appreciate both). Rather, because like Jesus with His disciples, someone took them alongside them and either formally or informally deeply influenced their life and priorities toward those of Jesus. Not a set of rules but a way of life. Not to become like them but to become like Jesus. Not through a program but through a process - a journey of becoming more like Jesus.

Disciple making, if it is going to be effective must move:
From a program to a process
From the class room to life on life
From one size fits all to customized
From optional to an expectation
From clergy led to everyone's involvement
From intellectual knowledge to life transformation and application
From being discipled to also being a disciplemaker
From "listen to me" to "do with me"

Remember, it is disciples in a Jesus sense who change the world!

(Written from Berlin, Germany)

The church and its avoidance or engagement with society

I meet many believers who seem to think that the local church is there to protect them against the ills of society. In fact, whether it is explicitly said, it is certainly implicit in the kind of programming the typical church does that keeps people busy at church and leaves very little time for engagement with their community, unbelieving friends or other activities (sports being the notable exception). There is a bunker mentality among many believers that sees the church as their protection against the evils of our world.

It is a sadly mistaken view of what God intended for us as believers. If Jesus is our model all one needs to do is look where he spent much of his time and with whom - sinners. And I am talking corrupt officials (tax collectors), prostitutes, adulterers, and everyone that the pharisees found objectionable. In fact, Jesus did not fear the world, does not want us to forsake the world but does want us protected from the evil one. Thus He prayed in His high priestly prayer of John 17, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

Thus a lifestyle of avoidance of the world is actually directly contrary to the example of Jesus and His will for our lives. For without engagement there is no opportunity for the good news of the gospel to become known or for the Gospel to transform people, communities and institutions. In fact, it is genuine engagement with people that Jesus modeled and the New Testament teaches. It is engagement with our world on behalf of Jesus rather than avoidance that is His desire for us.

Here is an interesting question: How many unbelieving friends (true friends) do you have and how much time do you spend with them? For many Christ followers that is an uncomfortable question since the answer is few or none. That is a life of avoidance, not engagement. When Jesus tells us to go into all the world and make disciples He is not saying "write a check to support a missionary far away" although that is a good thing to do. The "Go" is to all of us where we are, with whom we work and live and play and it is everyone's job to make disciples.

For the tech savvy, the combined Klout score of your congregation (see www.klout.com) is the combined number of meaningful relationships your congregation has with unbelievers. Unfortunately, the Klout scores of most congregations is terribly low. But it needn't be. 

If you are a pastor or church leader, ask the question: "Is the mentality of our congregation more about avoidance or engagement?" And, "What is basis for your answer?"

The purpose of the church is not to avoid the world but to overcome the world.

(Written from Berlin, Germany)