Wayne Hedlund

Category: LEADERSHIP

Leadership Articles prior to 2016

  • Thursday Quote: The Level Five Leader

    In his book “Good to Great“, Jim Collins shared 6 key principles that would lead an organization from “good” to “great”, based on extensive research. Each of the principles stand alone as powerful ideas in leadership and strategic planning applicable to ministry leadership.

    One principle has to do with an understanding of what Collins calls the “Level Five Hierarchy”. I have used the graph on this one page (page 20) many times while working with leaders, volunteers and teams. If you’d like to see the graph and a discussion on some of it’s ramifications to ministry, check out this post.

    Here is a summary of this principle from chapter 1:

    “We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy – these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar.”

    You’ll find that having and being this kind of leader at your church or ministry will greatly strengthen to potential for ongoing organizational growth. Really, all strategic development and planning starts with leadership. And the leadership needs at the very least two important qualities (certainly more as well).

    Humility – someone who is modest, not boastful; has a quiet, calm determination; channels ambition into the ministry, not self; is not afraid of the next generation leaders; apportions credit for success to others rather than self.

    Will – someone who demonstrates unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult; sets the highest standard for building an enduring ministry; apportions responsibility for poor results to self rather than others. 

    I hope you feel stirred and challenged. I know I do. The greatest organizations, businesses, and ministries will likely find this person(s) at or near the top. At Elim Fellowship, where I serve – I see several excellent examples of the Level Five Leader. These people are regular examples to me of the kind of leader I want to become. If you’ve ever had the chance to meet any of these amazing men, you’ll know exactly what I mean: Ron Burgio, Mike Cavanaugh, Chris Ball, Paul Johansson . . . I could go on and on. All of these men happen to serve on the eldership of Elim Fellowship as well, no wonder.

  • Reaching College Students After Graduation

    One of my favorite ministries is led by one of my favorite people. It’s called BASIC College Ministries and is led by Todd Cavanaugh. BASIC wants to partner with local churches to help reach the mission field of young adults in college. I would like to exhort you to check out this 4 minute video presentation by Todd and consider whether you might want to contact the BASIC offices to learn more.

    If you can’t see this video, try clicking on this link.
     
    To learn more about how you might get more involved in BASIC College Ministries, check out this page on their website today!
     
     

  • Tactfully Speaking: Taming the Tongue

     

    “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”

    James* reminds us that what comes out of our mouths makes a difference. In this final installment of the ‘Tactfully Speaking’ series, I’d like to share some my thoughts on how we might tame our tongue. Here they are:

    • Build the ‘5 Steps to a Meaningful Conversation‘ into your life.
      I’ve already discussed the process you might consider using when engaged in a conversation, with anyone, really. I would love to claim I do so all the time – I still have a ways to go myself – but I can say I’ve never regretted utilizing these simple steps when I remember to do so.
    • Be slow to speak.
      It is very hard to ‘dig a hole’ when you are conspicuously silent. That’s not to say our default should be silence. That can backfire too.  James* exhorts us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Ambrose Bierce once said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” Suffice it to say, the best time to be silent is when you are angry and not thinking straight.
    • Avoid definitives whenever possible.
      “God never moves in our church.”, “The women’s ministry should have been shut down a year ago.”, “The music is going to drive people away.”  These are a few examples of definitive statements. Certainly it is OK to have opinions, even strong opinions. The problem is that we often communicate our opinions as irrefutable and conclusive facts. There really isn’t any place for your listeners to go with that. If they agree with you, then all is well. But if they don’t they may keep silent and secretly disagree or they might possibly get defensive and your conversation could quickly evolve into an unnecessary argument.

    I recommend you get into the habit of prefacing your opinions with a simple disclaimer. Start with the words, “In my opinion…”, “It seems to me…” or “I’m thinking…”. Let’s look at the above examples again with a simple disclaimer like this: “It seems to me that God never moves in our church.”, “In my opinion, the women’s ministry should have been shut down a year ago.”, “I’m thinking the music is going to drive people away.”

    • Be careful talking about others when they aren’t present.
      I suspect every leader needs to occasionally hold discussions about others when they aren’t in the room. I’ve done it, and I’m sure you have as well. But I’d like to submit that, perhaps, we do it more often than is truly necessary, especially if what we have to say about the person isn’t positive. Those conversations should be well guarded and rare. Even the Scriptures lay out a very clear order when it comes to dealing with difficult situations with people*. First you go to the person, and THEN you talk about it with a trusted and mature leader. Even then, it doesn’t stay behind closed doors but eventually makes it’s way back to the person.
    • Add key phrases to your speech.
      There are a few words and phrases that consistently save face for me – especially during a confrontation or difficult conversation. By themselves they don’t seem very effective, but properly used they can be very powerful. I’ve already shared a few important phrases above in avoiding definitives. Here are a few more of my favorites: “I wonder if…”, “Is it possible…”, “I could be wrong, but…”, “Could it be that…”. Let’s look at some examples of how those phrases might be used: “I wonder if we should consider approaching this conversation differently.”, “Do you think it’s possible that you might be too emotionally involved to really make a good decision about this right now?”, “I could be wrong, but my sense is that they didn’t mean to come across that way when they said that.”
    • Increase the use of your vocabulary.
      This might seem like an odd suggestion. What does an increased use of vocabulary have to do with taming the tongue and speaking tactfully. Answer: a LOT. Understand, I’m not talking about opening the dictionary and discovering odd or long words that nobody knows about. No. That’s increasing your vocabulary (also a good idea). I’m talking about increasing the USE of your vocabulary. What I am recommending is that we begin to study how other great communicators say things and intentionally model and integrate them into our daily speech. I’m talking about learning how to phrase things so that our listeners feel understood, don’t get defensive so much, and want to hear more of what you have to say. How many times have you caught yourself saying or thinking, “It’s on the tip of my tongue, I just can’t seem to get it out.” 
    What other ways might we tame our tongue? 
    * The above Scripture references include: James 3:9-10, 2 Timothy 3:16, James 1:22, James 1:19; Matthew 18:15-17 & Matthew 5:23-24.


    Image from Tap10 at istockphoto.com.

  • Tactfully Speaking: According to the Bible

     

    I’ve heard it said that tactful speech is simply a way to coddle the weak and help them control the strong. Ouch. That hurts. If this were true then I suppose everyone has general permission to be blunt, rude, or insensitive to others. I don’t think so. I think this viewpoint may have more to do with people’s unwillingness to swallow their pride OR with the occasional situation when people attempt to control others by playing the “I’m not listening because you’re so disrespectful.” card. In fact, tactlessness isn’t something that is reserved just for the outgoing, talkative, and/or brutally honest. The quiet and reserved individual is just as prone to say something insensitive.

    When the rubber meets the road, it’s just complicated. You can’t etch a lot of rules in stone and call that tactful speech. Each situation, relational dynamic and personality will play a big role in what people say and how they say it. Context is huge. History is important. Venue makes a big difference. It’s a lost cause to try and put all of these scenario’s in a box.

    So how can we learn to speak tactfully? Thankfully, I think there are many principles and rules of thumb which, when learned and put into practice will help us save face. I’ve already shared one important element of tactful speech in this post. Another tactic for tactful speech is to get in the habit of filtering your comments through Scripture. As mentioned in the aforementioned post, there are many Scriptures that exhort us to be wise with our words. One of my favorites is:

    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

    This passage makes a few important assumptions. Let’s look at them:

    • Assumption #1: You can choose to guard what you say.
      I guess this means the old adage, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it.” can sometimes be true. Maybe we could change the word ‘nice’ to ‘beneficial’?
    • Assumption #2: It’s possible to filter your speech to ONLY.
      It’s a high calling to ONLY speak when you know what’s coming out of your mouth is going to ‘bless’ or ‘help’ others.
    • Assumption #3: You can know what will be ‘helpful for building others up’.
      There’s only one way I can think of to accomplish this – stop thinking of ourselves over those we are with. A good dose of Philippians 2 should keep us on track.
    • Assumption #4: You can speak things based on what you know about their individual needs.
      There is an intentionality in this assumption that is daunting. If I want to say something that will build others up I first need to understand them first. Our words should be an overflow of a caring and growing relationship. 
    • Assumption #5: What you say can benefit the person listening.
      This strikes me as a challenge and a promise. Keep your speech ‘other-centered’ and you may just discover God working through you more than you realize.
    In a nutshell, tactful speech is ‘other-centered’ rather than ‘self-centered’.
     

  • Tactfully Speaking: 5 Steps To A Meaningful Conversation

    Several months back I had a painful conversation with someone for about ten minutes. I knew this man could tend to be abrasive in his speech and personality, so I braced myself emotionally before we started chatting. Despite my greatest efforts, I left the conversation defensive and frustrated. Over the years I know people have talked to him about how he comes across. Yet there we were and I was still having to emotionally recover after just a brief interaction.

    Admittedly, that is a drastic example of someone who has little to no tact; but it takes only ONE sentence to put others on the defensive and end the potential for a meaningful connect.

    The word ‘tactful’ can be defined as “having or showing a sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others”. Here is what I’ve discovered about tactfulness. It is a godly trait than can be learned. Scriptures exhort us to be careful in our speech over and over again. Here are just a few examples:

    • A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
    • Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
    • Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6
    So in the next few posts I’d like to lay out a few pointers I’ve learned about speaking tactfully. This list isn’t all inclusive, but it certainly is a great place to start. I’ll start with five important parts of a meaningful conversation.
     
    5 Steps To A Meaningful Conversation
    • Listen.
      OK. So that’s not officially a way to talk, but it certainly is an important step in setting the foundation for when you do {talk}. Focus on what the other person is saying and stop your brain from coming up with the reasons why they are wrong or what you will say next.
    • Clarify.
      A tactful response is an informed response. According to Proverbs 29:20, only a fool spouts what he thinks before fully understanding what is at stake. Take the time to understand what’s being said BEFORE you share your own thoughts, ideas, or opinions. Here are two ways you can effectively clarify: (1)Ask clarifying questions. (2)Repeat back what was said in your own words.
    • Think.
      That seems obvious. It’s not. Too often we speak before we think. I have fallen into this trap more times than I can remember. Take the time to think through (a.)what has been said, (b.)what you think, and (c.)what you will say before you open your mouth to talk. Better an awkward silence than the alternative! 
    • Speak.
      Finally, you can have your say and speak your mind. But remember to be tactful in what you say and how you say it. I will talk more about how to be tactful in your response in my next post.
    • Ask.
      And you thought you were finished after saying what you think! Nope. Your final step is to ask a question. This is very important and is your ‘best friend’ in the whole process. By asking the right questions you can ensure that your listener(s) are also following the same process as you. In particular, they are listening, clarifying, and thinking. Here are a couple of examples of questions you can ask:

    “Does what I am saying make sense to you?”

    “Thoughts?”

    “Questions?”

    “What do you think?”

    “Could you repeat back to me what you heard me say? I’m not sure I communicated it well or not.”

    Image from SensorSpot on istockphoto.com

  • Thursday Quote: Unleashing The Power of Rubber Bands

     
    One of the qualities I believe a true leader must possess is courage. I’ll be honest, sometimes I think I’m quite the wimp, but I know I’m growing and I’ve faced enough difficult choices over the years to understand that doing the right thing can be really, really hard. In particular, it takes courage to confront someone who doesn’t fit. 
     
    In this week’s Thursday Quote I thought I’d share a little excerpt from Nancy Ortberg’s book, Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership. This very easy to read book is a great addition to the leaders library and offers many great reminders and lessons on leadership; but what makes the book real outstanding is some of the great stories and examples in nearly every chapter. I recommend it. Check this out:

    There is a big difference between a bad fit and a bad person. Leadership is about having the courage to make that distinction. Too often, we hide behind the belief that someone is a bad person, when the reality is, he or she is simply a bad fit. Many organizations and certainly many churches have allowed people to remain in positions (paid or volunteer) for which they are poorly suited. Everyone suffers when that happens.

    The organization suffers. When someone is in the wrong position; vision, strategy, and results usually suffer. The church or the ministry department or the business fails to live up to it’s God-given potential. The organization is crippled in its efforts to be all that it could be. That is not God’s design for a church or an organization.

    Individuals suffer. When a person is not well suited to his or her role, the people who work with and for that person inevitably languish in some regard. They either fail to get the support, recognition, or resources they need to do their jobs, or they are neglected in areas of discipleship and growth.

    It is one of the fundamental jobs of a leader to make sure that the right people are in the right positions in an organization. Leaders who take action and initiative to make sure this is the case engender trust. Those who don’t, cultivate cynicism and mistrust.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Why Core Values?

     

    You will never see my wife or I watching the nightly news, select sit-coms, or murder mystery’s on TV at night with one of my preschool children present in the room. It’s simply not something we have ever done. Becky and I have chosen this standard together. It wasn’t hard. It’s one of the family values we share. I’m glad for this value, and will always stand by it for my family. I won’t impose that value on other families, though I may share why we have this value in the hopes that others might adopt it too. This value is part of our family DNA and shapes who we are and what we do in our home.

    In the same way, churches have values. They may or may not be well defined, but they are there and they make a huge difference in how ministry happens.

    I’m helping three churches develop their ministry core values. In one of our discussions, the question came up, “Why do we need core values?”.  I’m convinced that if a church defines their core values, and lives by them, they will serve as both a protection and a guide to church leaders in fulfilling their mission.

    Here’s Why:

    • D.N.A.
      Everyone knows that there are no two people exactly alike. Even identical twins are overwhelmingly unique from one another. The same is true for every church in the world. The mixture of leadership, people, culture, values, experiences, etc. ensure that there will never be another church like it. Identifying values helps to clarify for church leaders as well as attendees and guests just WHO you are. For example, a church with a core value of “Family Friendly” will not only attract families, but clarify to all that this is part of who God made this church to be.
    • G.P.S.

      There are many paths that can get you to where you want to go, but not every path is the best or right path. While driving, you may prefer to stay away from toll roads or highways. Most GPS units will allow you to program that information in. As a result, the path (or strategic plan) created for you  will stick to those preferences. Additionally, when a roadblock forces you to detour, your GPS will recalculate keeping your programmed preferences. In the same way, core values ensure you don’t stray from ‘who you are’ while fulfilling ministry. For example, let’s say you’ve identified a value of ‘Accepting’ – meaning you will accept anyone in your church regardless of status, background, race, etc. If a group of mentally handicapped adults begin attending services and occasionally become disruptive, your value will ensure you find a way to accept them into your church without alienating or rejecting them.
    • Guardrails
      A business consultant once told me that core values are the guard rails that will protect you while you move from where you are to where you’re going. It’s true. Well defined and implemented values will help ensure we don’t fall off or meander off the path. For example, I recommend you adopt a core value of “Integrity”. This means you will build into your culture certain standards and practices that will ensure that your ministry operates with integrity. Perhaps that might include higher standards regarding the handling of money or who counsels who, where, and when, etc.
    • Behavior

      Values dictate behavior. I’ve heard it said that whenever a person strongly reacts to something it probably means their values have either been violated or validated. When a church selects and chooses to live by certain values, people have a blueprint for how they should act, react, and live out ministry in the church. For example, a value about reaching the ‘younger generation’ might impact the primary means by which the church chooses to communicate to it’s attendees.
    • Buy-In
      Well defined values help others decide how involved they want to be in the life of the church. People want to know what they are getting into, and they want to know they can sink their teeth in deep. Values will help them make that leap. For example, if one of your values includes “Family Friendly” and I have a strong conviction that solid families help lead the church for the next generation, then I will be inclined to give a lot of myself toward the cause.
    • Strategy
      Finally, your values will play a big role in strategic planning. You have no desire to create plans that don’t incorporate every one of your values, but sometimes that is what happens when values aren’t clarified. For example, a value of ‘team’ might communicate that you have no interest in people running a ministry by themselves. It’s critical that teams are in place everywhere, which will mobilize the church to ‘be’ the church. This value comes into play at the outset of a strategic discussion by asking the question, ‘How will we accomplish this as a team?’ or ‘Who will we recruit to be on this team?

  • Strategy Kickstart: Team Meetings

     

    A Strategy Kickstart is a short 3-5 minute video clip which can be used to ‘kickstart’ a strategic discussion in your church or ministry. Simply show the video clip to your team and use the ideas and question posed in the video to stimulate a valuable and hopefully relevant discussion on how you can better fulfill your ministry mission.

    In today’s Strategy Kickstart I challenge your team to consider separating Strategic Discussions from Tactical Discussions.

  • Top Posts for April, 2012

    Here are the most viewed posts on Transforming Leader for April, 2012.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
      Includes some great ideas to make morning announcements more effective as well as som great video announcement examples from Elim Gospel Church.

    2. My Notes From ‘Preach Better Sermons’ Online Conference
      For anyone who missed the workshop on how to ‘Preach Better Sermons’. I watched it and decided to take notes for you (with help from my friends at Elim Gospel Church).

    3. The Four C’s
      An exploration in four criteria necessary when hiring or recruiting leaders into positions of influence.

    4. Give Nozbe A Try!
      I’ve finally found the online Task Management System that I like best. Read this post to find out why.

    5. Leaders Are Readers
      Tips on getting a lot of reading done, even if you aren’t an avid reader.

    6. Thursday Quote: Good To Great Volunteers
      Using some principles outlined by Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, I’ve asked some questions about whether your volunteers are really in the best place in your church.

    7. Andy Stanley’s Podcast (For the Non-Tech Christian Leader)
      How to get access to some of the best leadership teaching available for free.

    8. How To Lead A Bad Meeting
      These are great tips on how to lead boring, counterproductive meetings that everyone will forget.

    9. Time Management 101: The Priority Matrix
      This chart is a very simple tool to help you identify which tasks you should be working on and are not and which tasks you spend time on and shouldn’t.

    10. Church Tech For Mortals – Free e-book
      The people over at www.churchm.ag are offering an excellent e-book that I think every pastor should download and use as a resource.
    Image from seruvenci on istockphoto.com

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Check Out My Resources Page!

    I’ve added a new menu to this blog which I think will be very meaningful and helpful to you. The ‘Resources‘ menu offers a simple and quick way to access the key series I’ve written over the years on Transforming Leader. To date it includes access to ‘The Guest Friendly Series‘, ‘Thinking For A Change eBook‘, ‘The Ten Strategies of the Local Church‘, ‘The Strategic Process Summary‘, ‘Developing Your Mission Statement‘, ‘The Thursday Quote Series‘, ‘The Tactical Tip Series‘ and ‘Running Great Meetings Summary‘.

    As time goes on I will continue to add to the Resources Page the series and posts I feel will be most relevant to you. Enjoy!

    Wayne

    Image compliments of renjith krishnan at freedigitalphotos.net.