Well I am sitting here thinking about what to write. I know you want something powerful, so here it is. If you are working really hard and you smell something smoking, it might be your brain. OK that was someone else typing. The point I want to make today is, If you are working really hard and work is no longer fun and enjoyable, take a time out and rest. You are of no benefit to anyone if you are burned out. Sometime, I need a change of scenery to clear my head. Don't be afraid to lay it all down and do something fun. You may be surprised how much more productive you will be.
I was looking at a tree we planted in the front yard and got to thinking about leadership. We found this volunteer maple tree in our flower bed in the summer. When I transplanted it to the yard it was only about sixteen inches tall and looked like a stick. Actually some of the neighbors made fun of my tree. We have nurtured it all summer and now it is fall. The tree grew from sixteen inches to four and a half feet so far. We checked it one time and it had twelve leaves on it. Then the next time it had forty eight leaves on it. The tree is still not providing the shade we want, but it is a lot closer. This is the same way with leadership. People grow and begin to show signs of a leader, but they aren't at the point of being left to do things themselves. You can't discard them just because they are not like a "huge maple". Realize how far they have come and see the potential that is still there waiting to be developed. Take the time to mentor them as long as they are willing to learn. Of course, this means you as the mentor will have to keep learning. Remember the saying, "When you are done learning, you are Done!"
Today I want to answer the question, "How do I get my team to be committed?" The answer is, You lead them into it. Here are some thoughts on this. First, understand you can't measure anyone else's level of commitment by yourself. Everyone has different time constraints, so be flexible and let them tell you what they can do. Next, realize leadership is a process not an event. It takes time to build a team and get commitment. Leading a team is a journey and along the way look for some sign posts. You will be able to gauge a persons level of commitment by them. Here they are. The team has to buy into the leader before they will be committed. Then they need to understand what is expected of them. We call this setting parameters or building your sandbox(remember as a child, you were shown the sandbox and told you can play and do anything you want inside this sandbox). After they understand the expectations look for them to start making suggestions. When this happens, it doesn't mean they are committed, it means they are testing the waters to see if you will "slap their hand". If you accept their input, then they will begin to take ownership. This is the first real sign of commitment. The last point on leading your team into commitment is to value them. You don't have to agree with them on everything, but if they supposed to be on your team, they will have good ideas and they will be a great support. So listen to them!
Hey guys, I just got back from Saturday night prayer. WOW! It was powerful. I would like to encourage everyone to make it to at least one prayer time during the week. See the bulletin or the website for times. Anyway this weeks leadership thought is about understanding what leadership is. I have heard people say "I am the leader over this ministry(whichever one it is)". And even though I know what they mean, that statement does not reflect the true meaning of leadership. A true leader is a leader of people not stuff or a department. Realize, we are in the business of developing people on all levels. If every time someone disappoints you or doesn't live up to your expectations you replace them because they can't produce, you will never get anything done.I know you are going to say they just need to be committed and do the work. Yes you are right, but that is one of the things we need to lead our team into. How? Stay tuned to find out.
