Wayne Hedlund

Category: LEADERSHIP

Leadership Articles prior to 2016

  • Elim Family: BASIC College Ministries

    I have BASIC to thank for introducing me to Elim Gospel Church way back in 1990. B.A.S.I.C. stands for Brothers and Sisters in Christ and is a ministry dedicated to encouraging college students to connect with God through college events/activities, conferences, and the local church. I believe every college student should get involved in a BASIC group (find a campus near you here) or help to start one. Don’t know where to start? How about checking out their upcoming events and check out their website at www.thebasicsite.org! This amazing ministry is led by one of my favorite men of God, Todd Cavanaugh – who attends Elim Gospel Church and seems to be a magnet for local news channels!

  • 6 Things to Consider Before Hiring

     

    I enjoy hiring people just a little bit more than I do firing people. That is to say – not at all. It is stressful, time consuming, and just plain scary. After years of both successfully and unsuccessfully ‘hiring’ at Elim Gospel Church and the YWCA in York, PA, I’ve landed on a few key principles that I now take into account before I make the final plunge. Over time, these ideas have eased the pressure and anxiety surrounding hiring. I hope you find them helpful as well.

    • Take Your Time.
      I’ve heard both sides of the argument about whether you should hire quickly or slowly. I’ve landed on ‘slowly’. It’s much better to take your time to find the right person for the job than it is to hire a bad apple and go through the pains of figuring out how to let them go. Waiting can really be difficult in the interim while you are short-staffed, but in the long run, it’s worth it. If it’s any help at all, both Jim Collins in his book Good to Great and Bossidy/Charan in their book Execution encourage doing what it takes to get the right people on the bus as well.
    • Use the ‘Four C’ Filter
      Evaluate and interview each candidate based on what we (at Elim Gospel Church) call the four “C’s”. You may have heard Bill Hybels use similar language – though we’ve modified it slightly. Each word reflects one key area by which we will evaluate job applicants. We also let the applicant know about these criteria during the interview. If one of these four C’s don’t line up, we are very reticent to move forward with the hire. The four C’s are:
    • Character:
      Obviously, their faith in God and Christian values should be unquestionable. There should not be any area that we know of in their character that is in question – things like honesty, integrity, respect for authority, etc.
    • Competency:
      It’s important that the person being hired have the skills necessary for the job. You have to sometimes ask uncomfortable questions to dig below the “glossy surface” people tend to paint on their resume’s. In an administrative role, I would suggest asking them to complete some task or another to see how they handle it. Even just having them write up a letter for you at a computer can be very insightful. I have wished in previous hires that I spent more time evaluating this area.
    • Chemistry:
      It is extremely important to us that the potential hire will ‘connect’ with our values and culture in the office and church. This has a lot to do with how well we will work together, how closely aligned the candidate is to our vision for the church, office, department, or whatever area it is. Sometimes a person can NOT have the right chemistry, but be a mighty man of God. This probably means the position just isn’t the right fit – but that the person can still fulfill his calling somewhere else in the church or in the body of Christ. I know of a couple of examples where I ended up letting someone go because the chemistry wasn’t a good fit.
    • Calling:
      We really want to make sure the person isn’t feeling pressured into the role by us or being manipulated by us. We may let the candidate know that we want them for the job, but ultimately it’s up to them to pray to the Lord and seek His advice on whether He is calling them to function in this role right now. We don’t want someone serving on staff who doesn’t believe he is called to – otherwise, their motivation may be for money, prestige, or something else that doesn’t really fit.
    • Don’t Hire Alone.
      I’ve come to the realization that it’s wise to have two or three others involved in this decision as well as the interview process. Often, one of us may have insights about the person the other doesn’t that helps move things along. In fact, sometimes having others in the process protects the church from me. I might have in my mind that this is who I want to hire and end up disregarding important ‘red flags’ as a result. Others will help catch those ‘blind spots’ as well. Also, it’s a great feeling to hire someone when several of you were able to confirm that it’s a fit.
    • Hire from Within.
      It’s almost always safer to hire someone who meets the above criteria who is already part of your church and/or leadership. Among other reasons, they will likely tend to be more loyal to you and the mission of the church than someone from the outside. That’s not to say you can’t hire from outside the organization. Sometimes it’s very appropriate and necessary. Just err on the side of hiring from within whenever you can.
    • The Three Month Trial
      In other words, give them and you an easy “out” if it’s not working. We usually let them know we will evaluate how things are going in 3 – 6 months and decide if we will continue on from there. This provides a natural safety net for you if the hire is going sour. It also gives the new hire an easy out if they can’t seem to get motivated to continue.
    • Ask for a Two Year Commitment.
      Note: this suggestion primarily applies to leadership or highly administrative roles. It takes the average person a good year just to learn their new position, even if they are very experienced and competent. This is because they aren’t just learning the trade, but also the culture, communication, vision of the church, etc. Asking for a two year commitment means you get at least one good year of their full capabilities and production after they have been fully trained and acclimated to their new role.

    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.”

  • Strategic Quitting

     
    {Note: This entry is a compiled re-post of two older posts on Transforming Leader.}

    Seth Godin wrote a very short and easy to read book named, “The Dip” a few years ago that has changed my language forever. In fact, I find myself using the simple illustrations found in this book quite regularly. What I find particularly helpful is the super simple concept surrounding WHEN you should consider ‘quitting’ and when you should persevere and keep going.

    Ironically, we often get these things mixed up. We keep doing some things when we should really STOP doing them and we give up on new ideas and ventures too quickly rather than push through ‘the dip’ to the other side.

    Seth talks about the three different ‘curves’ that will help you decide when to quit and when not to. A while back I recorded this short teaching about these three curves. Take a moment today and listen in below.

    Applying ‘The Dip’ to your ministry & life.

    If you can’t see/hear this audio player, try clicking here.
    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.”

  • Andy Stanley’s Podcast (for the non-tech Christian leader)

    Pastor Andy Stanley

    If you are a pastor or church leader you are probably familiar with Andy Stanley. If you aren’t, then I recommend you get familiar with him right now. Andy Stanley is a very important voice in church leadership, management and personal growth. You can learn more about Andy right here and you can browse and purchase some awesome books right here.

    This post is meant to be a quick and easy way for you to listen to Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast without actually subscribing to the podcast (which I recommend you do – subscribe with iTunes/subscribe with feed-burner). If I were you, I would make it a personal goal to listen to every one of these 25 minute audio clips . . . several times. I also recommend you ask your church leaders and friends to listen to them as well.

    If you are unfamiliar with how to listen to podcasts, then I recommend you watch one of these short video tutorials.

    Subscribe to Podcast in iTunes

    Subscribe to Podcast using Google Reader


    Note: Due to copyright issues, I am unable to provide links to each individual Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast in this blog. However, should you choose to subscribe via Google Reader you can easily see past Podcast’s and listen to them whenever you want.

  • Time Management 101: Margin – A Matter of Priorities

     

    I wonder what you would change in your schedule if you found out you could spend personal, 1on1 time with Bill Hybels for the next four weeks? What would you decide you could afford to ‘let go’ for a while?

    • The weekly lunch or breakfast appointment?
      Perhaps you would arrange to meet with them monthly instead.
    • A block of time set aside for counselling?
      Maybe a church elder could meet with them, or you could refer them to a professional.
    • A Bible Study or weekly church event that you lead?
      You may possibly cancel it or find someone else to lead it.
    • An upcoming special event that you know will heavily tax you this month?
      Perhaps you will cancel it or delegate it to others.
    Wow. You just freed up 2-4 hours every week for several weeks in a row! That’s what I call ‘margin’. It’s ‘flex’ time that is specifically set aside to focus on Quadrant 2 Activities – the things that are Important, but not necessarily Urgent (click here to learn more about the priority matrix.) What if you knew you had at least 2-3 hours every single week that was solely dedicated to thinking, praying and planning? What if you had time to think and focus on the various problems that you generally ignore each week, but wish you didn’t have to?

    Here’s the problem: Most of us don’t prioritize ‘margin’. We read books, watch seminars and go to conferences that remind us that we should set time aside in our weekly schedule to dream, plan, problem-solve and pray, but rarely do we actually set that time aside. The ‘Tyranny of the Urgent’ keeps us off balance. Our ministries stay unfocused. We have become semi-comfortable with being overwhelmed and overworked.

    Margin isn’t something that shows up in our calendars all by itself. It’s planned. It’s prioritized. It’s meticulously protected; but you DO HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to build margin into your life. You just need one key ingredient and it’s yours for the taking: You need to change your priorities. 

    Somehow, you’ve convinced yourself that everything you’re doing this week and next week and the weeks after are more important than several hours of strategic planning and prayer. I know they aren’t more important. Note: I didn’t say the things you do aren’t important, I said they aren’t AS important.

    Don’t believe me? Let’s participate in a short exercise to find out. Let’s pretend for a moment that a great and respected pastor or leader called you out of the blue this week and told you that he or she would be willing to meet with you, privately, once a week for the next month for a few hours. Perhaps it would be someone like Bill Hybels, Robert Morris, or Beth Moore. Think of the person you would absolutely love to spend time with for a while. You know where this is going . . . would you be able to reorganize your life and schedule to accommodate them? 

    If you answered ‘yes’ then you just proved my point. The fact is that you may actually get MORE out of a few hours of focused planning and prayer each week for the specifics of your ministry than you would in meeting with these highly respected and seasoned leaders!

    Steal 15 minutes from your schedule RIGHT NOW to build margin into your schedule. Cancel, reschedule, shift and reorganize whatever you need to. I know you won’t regret it.

  • Tactical Tip: Say ‘Thanks’ in Your Email

    Everyone knows that email is grossly inadequate in communicating emotion, motives, and attitude. The ‘stories people tell themselves about you’, the content of your email and how good a communicator you are will all shape the overall ‘tone’ that the reader picks up – whether it’s true or not.

    For example, consider the following email:

    “The office will be closed and locked all day on Monday. However, I will be in my office. If you need to get hold of me, do not knock on the doors or call the office. Shoot me a text or ring the doorbell instead.”

    There’s not a whole lot wrong with that email. It presents the information that the writer wants to communicate and states clearly what not to do and what to do if someone wants in the building. However, it’s kind of abrupt and assumes the reader isn’t reading between the lines. There is one very small thing you can commit to do in the majority of your emails starting today that will help soften your digital tone of voice.

    Tactical Tip: Say ‘Thanks’ at the end of your email.

    That’s it. It’s so simple, yet we often just end our emails with no closing line, like the example above. Consider that same email with that one extra word added:

    “The office will be closed and locked all day on Monday. However, I will be in my office. If you need to get hold of me, do not knock on the doors or call the office. Shoot me a text or ring the doorbell instead. Thanks!”

    Image compliments of scibak on istockphoto.com

  • Demystifying Our Plans

    In chapter 4:13-15 James warns: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

    He’s got a good point. We can make all the plans we want, all for nothing. That last sentence is such a foundation to everything we do in life, at home, at work and in ministry. Really, our plans aren’t (or shouldn’t be) about us – after all, we are just a mist in the grand scheme of things. We know it’s possible to build something that lasts, that ends up being bigger than us. But that means setting aside “me” and picking up “God”; His purposes, His ideas, His plans. I think it’s a lot harder for us to do that than most of us are willing to admit. James didn’t tell us we shouldn’t make plans. He just warns us to keep them God-centered. To get out of and stay out of the way.

    Whatever you’ve got planned today, tomorrow, next week, and if you are really with it, next month and year, submit and commit it to the Lord right now. That’s Who we’re doing all of this for anyway, right?

    Photo credit, infinityNANO

  • Telling Yourself Stories

    Whether you are a public speaker or not, you ARE a storyteller.In fact, you are such a good storyteller that your primary audience is almost always convinced of the reality and truth of your stories, even though they are sometimes not true. You are your primary audience and you tell yourself stories every day.

    • When you’re mother-in-law gives you ‘that look’ you tell yourself a story about what she is saying to herself about you.
      EXAMPLE: “There she goes again. She’s judging me. She never accepts me for who I am. She thinks I’m fat, lazy and a bad dad.”  REALITY: Something you said reminded her that she forgot to return an important phone call at work yesterday. The ‘look’ had nothing to do with you.
    • When the lady on the phone seems rude, you tell yourself a story about her competence and professionalism.
      EXAMPLE: “How could this company hire someone like this lady! Why is she being so defensive? I just want them to return my money and pay the shipping fees. Doesn’t she know the customer is always right?” REALITY: She just found out last night that her husband has been having an affair and she doesn’t have the authority to return your money, even though she agrees and wants to.
    • When a leader in the church sends an email expressing frustration about what happened this Sunday in church, you tell yourself a story about his attitude and loyalty to you and the church.
      EXAMPLE: “What does he mean that he’s ‘disappointed’? Who does he think he is, my boss or something? I thought he was committed to this church and one of my trusted leaders. He’s really borken my trust.” REALITY: The man was genuinely offended by something someone said from the pulpit and took it personally. He’s committed to the church but would like to understand why it was said publicly.
    Check out these two articles by Michael Hyatt and Seth Godin. These are great reminders to combat what we tell ourselves about others every day.

    What Story Are You Telling Yourself? By Michael Hyatt

  • Tactical Tip: Moving to Eye Level

    I have a friend who is very tall. Tall like I stare at his chest when I talk to him. I know he isn’t necessarily smarter, healthier, or generally better than me. He’s just bigger than me. I have to be honest. It’s intimidating. I have to fight through several internal dialogues before I can have a face to face conversation with him and not be distracted. Several weeks ago we decided to meet for breakfast. As soon as he sat down I discovered something – I didn’t have to fight through my intimidation. Sure, he was still taller in the restaurant booth, but not as much as when I’m standing next to him. The simple act of him moving to my level bridged the gap and cleared the air for conversation. It was awesome.

    It also highlights a very simple tactical move you can make every single day when meeting with people in small groups and 1 on 1. I believe it can make an appreciable difference in coaching, mentoring, counselling, and leadership conversations with others. It’s something that will take you approximately four (4) seconds to accomplish. It’s so simple and so obvious that many people never think to do it.

    Tactical Tip: Move to Eye Level

    That’s it. Simply do whatever you can to get on or near the same level as the person(s) you are talking to. (Note: I’m not talking about speaking to large crowds.) Moving to eye level will help to remove psychological barriers that neither of you probably even know exist. It unconsciously communicates equality and acceptance. On the other hand, NOT moving to eye level may create emotional barriers that can cause either you, or the person(s) you are meeting with to feel mildly uncomfortable.

    • When You Are Above Eye Level
      When you remain above eye level with people you may be unintentionally and unconsciously communicating that you are above or better than them in some way. At the very least, you may be increasing the potential for them to be intimidated, especially if you have an intimidating personality or are in some form of authority over them.

    NOTE: Just to clear things up. Whether you are in authority over them or not, you are certainly not better than them – at least in God’s eyes. If you ‘like’ the feeling of looking down on people then I suggest you do some self-evaluation. That could be a sign of an unhealthy insecurity or pride on your part.

     

    • When You Are Below Eye Level
      When you remain below eye level you risk doing the exact opposite. It’s possible that you are unintentionally communicating that you are lower than or not as good as they are. Additionally, you may also be communicating that same thing to yourself. Personally, I don’t think you are communicating humility so much as insecurity – even if you don’ t mean or want to.

      NOTE: Again, just to clear the air, it’s not healthy to convince yourself or others that everyone else is better than you. That’s simply not true. God didn’t pick you ‘last’ for the game as if He didn’t have any other options. You have a holy calling just like the next guy/gal and it’s OK for you to live and act as someone of value in God’s sight. After all, He died for you so that you can live in complete freedom and authority.

     

    How To Do It.
    If you don’t normally move to eye level when talking to others, then it might feel awkward for a while until you develop the habit. For me, I often move to eye level unconsciously, without even realizing it.

    Let me give you some practical examples of how to move to eye level.

    • Meet Sitting Down.
      If you know your conversation will be more than a few minutes and you are considerably taller or shorter than those you are meeting with, consider asking them to sit down with you. It doesn’t matter where. You can sit down at a conference room table, on the seats in your sanctuary or the front steps of the church.
    • Adjust Your Chair.
      Most of us have an office chair that adjusts up and down. If you don’t, then I recommend you invest in one if you are in the habit of meeting with others in your office. Adjust your seat immediately after they sit down to the most appropriate eye level. If they are taller than you, move your seat up; if shorter, then move your seat down. Don’t make a big deal out of it and don’t spend more than four seconds making the adjustment.
    • Remove Furniture That Forces Awkward Eye Contact
      Years ago I had a couch in my office. Everyone who sat in it would sink far down into the couch. Even after moving my chair to the lowest setting I would still find myself peering down at my visitors. I eventually got rid of it and have never regretted it. If you have a couch or chair in your office that is extra plush, then consider replacing it with something else or sit in a similar seat in the office that will place you near their same eye level.
    • Small Group Settings.
      If you are leading a small group discussion or meeting and plan to sit together at a table or in a circle, try to adjust your chair to the average height in the room. For example, I lead a team meeting every Tuesday at Elim Gospel Church. I sit at the head of our conference room table. One of my first acts while everyone is getting settled and before the meeting begins is to adjust my seat to a comfortable eye level with most people in the room.
    • The Wheelchair Bound
      The rules don’t change when someone is bound to a wheelchair. In fact, it may be even more important to find simple ways to meet them at eye level. They spend the majority of their time looking up at people and will very much appreciate the extra effort to meet them at their level. It will communicate volumes to them.
    • Talking to Children.
      I am a firm believer that the best way to greet a parent is to first greet his/her child. The best way to do this is to simply kneel down to their level while you are greeting them. Of course, it’s important that you maintain a safe distance from young children or kids that don’t know you so you don’t freak them out. However, children will almost always light right up when they see you stoop down to their level to talk with them. I’ve never met a parent who didn’t appreciate it either (unless you totally ignore them after you greet the child.)
    Disclaimer: Please understand that I am not suggesting that you become legalistic about this tactical tip. I’m simply trying to empower you to care for, honor, and show respect for others in one very simple way whenever you can. I am also not trying to burden you by causing you to become self-conscious about eye levels when you meet with others. Just remember this tip and adjust to eye level if and when it’s most appropriate.
     

  • Are You Praying?

     
     
     

    In my NIV Bible there is a heading at the beginning of Colossians 4 entitled “Further Instructions”. I strongly suspect the apostle Paul would not have picked that subtitle for this section of Scripture. Here’s what it says:

    Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Colossians 4:2-4

    In verse 4, Paul commands us to “devote ourselves to prayer”. He included two elements of prayer in the same sentence: “watchfulness” and “thankfulness”.

    What is so disturbing is how easy it is for us pastors and leaders to do the complete opposite. We become so overwhelmed, distracted and busy that being ‘watchful’ and ‘thankful’ is clearly far from our mind. We fall into the trap of self-reliance, exactly as our mutual enemy plans. We’ll preach to our congregation on the virtue’s of prayer, and then forget to do so for the ministry God has entrusted us to lead. Sure, we’ll pray briefly in the morning or at night; most of us have some sort of regular and hopefully meaningful devotional life. But, perhaps you, like me, tend to slip and slide away from this critical responsibility we hold.

    Have you devoted yourself to prayer for the ministry you help lead? Do you bathe your plans in His Presence?  Are you tapping into man’s wisdom or the power of God in your office and team meetings? I suppose the more revelatory question simply is, “When was the last time you spent more than 30 minutes in prayer specifically for your church and congregation?”

    Asking for Prayer
    What is even more humbling is that Paul wasn’t afraid to ask for prayer either. In fact, he often asked people to pray for him and his ministry. He gave specific requests and he assumed that the people he asked would, in fact, pray for him. There is no indication at all that he was embarrassed, ashamed, or self-conscious about soliciting others to pray for him.

    Yet we often are embarrassed, ashamed or self-conscious about asking. After all, aren’t we the designated leader? Shouldn’t we have everything all together? Shouldn’t we be mature and spiritual enough that we don’t really need the prayers of others? Won’t asking for prayer create doubt about our leadership in the eyes of those with whom we lead?

    In reality, those are all very sad questions. They all presume that we are capable of fulfilling our calling by ourselves. Paul never seemed to make that presumption. Neither should you or I.

    Have you asked others to pray for you and your family? Do you divulge the challenges, difficulties and fears you are facing to people who will lift them up to the Lord? Again, the real test is “Who do you KNOW has prayed for you this week?”

    Image Source Unknown.