Power of Weekly Review

We all need a moment in time where we are certain about where we are so we can clearly see where we need to go. A time of weekly review provides that point in time.

Several practical descriptions exist regarding the format of the weekly review -- Google "weekly review" for a list. Personalizing your review is very important. By creating a set time each week with a structured format that you will review your status, you will decrease the time spent on execution, re-work and inefficient processing.

The weekly review is intended to give you a perspective on where you are in your march toward your goals. It is a time to re-align the pieces of your work with the overall master plan. Details are properly stored in accessible forms and places so that actions in the coming weeks are thoughtfully executed in alignment with your goals. Reviews of this nature give you the confidence of knowing you are progressing in the desire direction.

Use these guiding questions to create an effective review in your weekly routine:

1. What action items did I commit to this week that are not yet in an actionable format?
2. What elements of my work did not go as planned this week and what adjustments do I need to make to bring them in line with my goals for next week?
3. What resources do I need to get in place for next week's work to be more efficient and on time?
4. What action items am I carrying that I can delete from my list?
5. Which of my assumptions changed during the past week and what is the impact on my goals?
6. Is my calendar complete for next week with enough detail to get me to the right place, at the right time with the right materials?
7. Did I pick up additional information this week that needs to be added to or updated in my "Contacts" list?
8. What materials did I collect that I don't need to keep?
9. What is one thing I can change about my work pattern to increase my efficiency next week?
10. Which of my goals require greater focus this week to stay on schedule?

Incorporate a weekly review in your routine to gain a sense of calm and accomplishment.

Hostile Toward Pastors

Hostile work environment: A good description of a "career" in ministry?

I'm not really sure why it happens, but it does. I've seen it often during my 25 plus years of lay leadership in churches. It is likely that I have even added to it myself. The hostile work environment that lay leaders create for their pastoral staff is interesting, confusing and manageable all at once.

As a result of the years of oppression and critique that we lay leaders have brought upon our pastors we have in many ways marginalized them in their pursuit of meaningful ministry. Pastors are on "high alert" regarding virtually every word they say and every move they make in fear of being criticized by their membership.

I have this theory that people who otherwise don't have a platform in life to assert their opinions migrate to the church as an "open mic night" disguised as a church-wide business meeting or committee setting. It is a rare church that throttles the verbal venom spewed from "well meaning brothers and sisters" who are pursuing their own version of "the Lord's work." Neck veins have popped at the pastor's expense over trite topics ranging from carpet color to meaningless increases to near poverty salaries. I hold lay leaders responsible for allowing, maybe even creating, this hostile environment.

Many swear that it's in the bible: Pastors are to serve their flock. Feed their flock. Protect their flock. There is some substance to that claim, but in the flock-scenario of their mindset the sheep rush the shepherd disarming him of his staff and then beat him into submission while at the same time berating him on his scrawny legs poking out from under his hideous robe. We are for the most part confused about who serves who.

As lay leaders we should lead. We must support our pastor in meaningful ways that build confidence, instill trust and encourage success. Our approach should include the defense of unity carefully following the biblical rules for confrontation. We should not allow spiritual-snipers to force our pastors into a fetal position of defenseless survival. We should ask the hard questions of those who are in opposition to our pastoral leaders:

1. Is their opposition or critique based on inaccurate information?
2. Have they made their opposition known to others without first approaching the pastor one-on-one?
3. Do they have a history of offering criticism without offering to be part of the solution?
4. Does their position lack biblical merit?
5. Does their opposition lack evidence that supports their claim?
6. Are they approaching the situation without love and respect for the pastor?

If you determine any of these 6 questions to be true, it is your obligation as a lay leader to protect your pastor and intervene. For the church to survive, or even thrive, lay leaders must come to the defense of their pastors. We must encourage them and serve as a defense between them and those who forget to love and respect the called of God.

Re-Recruiting Champions

Think about your team and what you need to do in the next week or month to build your team. If you are typical, your leadership mind went to the problem child and the behaviors you need to correct or the motivation you need to build. You likely gave but a passing glance to your stars. Stars, you conclude, don't need much attention. That conclusion should be viewed with caution.

Stars are a dream to work with. They get things done. They move the agenda. They compliment and encourage. The are a joy to be with. They self-manage so you can spend your valuable and limited leadership attention on the more needy team members. The last one wil get you in trouble. That belief that champions need less attention should change if you want to breed excellence and grow a thriving church.

Champions should continually be re-recruited. They need to hear why the organization values their time and effort. They should have their own "one-on-one" meetings with you and other leaders to praise them on their performance. Recognition among their peers should be routine. Treat champions as if you may lose them at any minute.

Re-recruiting a strong team member re-engages their commitment to the organizational effort and holds them out for lower performing team members to study and emulate. Taking champions for granted is a common and costly mistake. It takes years to rebuild from the loss of a champion. Champions should be cherished.

Take a look at the percentage allocation of where you invest your time. Chances are, if you are typical, you invest about 80% of your leadership time with your team on generic team matters or dealing with low performers (or cleaning up their mess). Flip it. Challenge yourself to spend 80% of your time with champions and almost-champions. You'll find the energy and effectiveness of your team are exponentially higher than before. Make it a habit to recruit daily your champions to stay on the team. (And lay leaders, re-recruit your champion pastors in the same way!)

Organizing for Future

I see it as a "wink of the eye" from God when his creation, namely man, has a sense of what should be but doesn't look far enough in application. IBM recently completed a survey of over 1,000 corporate leaders to gain a collective perspective of what the organization of the future will look like. In the "collective insight and wisdom" of these corporate leaders they came up with these five elements:

1. Hungry for change
2. Innovative beyond customer imagination
3. Globally integrated
4. Disruptive by nature
5. Genuine; not just generous

My first impression upon reading the list: Church

God plants within the heart of these unsuspecting business leaders the recipe for a dynamic organization. People are people. People respond to organizations in similar ways. Organizations are effective in similar manners. The five elements of an effective organization of the future, appear to me to have merit for churches desiring to make a significant impact on their community.

1. Hungry for change: A never ceasing hunger to see people change their spiritual groundings, their lifestyle, their behavior and their compassion for others. Hunger is not a sensation to which our culture can relate. It requires that we set aside comfort, personal goals, success to hunger for something different in ways to reach others with something different.

2. Innovative beyond customers imagination: Not innovation for innovation sake or as a "competitive advantage" for the church around the corner to steal market share from the next closest church, but rather a innovation in reaching out and individually seizing people in ways and with meaning that resonate with their soul.

3. Globally integrated: Technology has made global integration a possibility for churches and should be a by-product of pursuing the other four characteristics. Global integration includes serving others who are doing the task better than your church. Integrated carries with it a "behind the scenes" role rather than a global domination strategy for the sake of notoriety.

4. Disruptive by nature: History showed and valued and applauded a disruptive church. The present finds plenty of disruption internally over carpet colors and committee seats, but little in the way of stopping the flow of a life and culture that is headed for ruin. Few churches can be found today challenging the culture. More need to be caught in the act of disruption.

5. Genuine; not just generous: Gulp. Guilty. Genuine church is rare. Genuine church is overwhelmingly attractive. Genuineness is the magnetic pull that brings people face to face with the purpose of the church. Generous is culturally hot with each cause identified with a new plastic wrist band. But generosity as a fashion statement is self-centered. Self-centered generosity is not generous. Those churches that "get it" will and are reaching people in ways and rates not recently seen. Genuine should be the core belief and effort of the five characteristics.

It started with people searching for the organizational answer. It followed that God puts in our heart as lay leaders and pastors what it will take to reach people. It is a shame to let insights into the heart of an effective organization be "wasted" on corporations. What will you do now that you know?

Hiding in an Office

The most dangerous position from which to lead a church, business or organization is from an office.

In terms of the lowest rate of return of any real estate in the organization, the office is by far the winner. An office becomes a deadly organizational trap as leaders experience upward mobility within the organization. A more prominent position brings with it a more private and comfortable space. Keyword being "space."

An office puts an arbitrary space between the leader and the people of action. An office is typically a hiding place far away from the hassles, moans and whining of those on the front-lines of organizational purpose. Leaders build a cocoon of retreat in which they can "think" strategically or plan "purposefully" yet they are so detached from the real action that their thinking and planning are unrealistic and out of touch.

Leaders must keep themselves in the midst of the daily flow of organizational activities. They cannot hide. They cannot retreat. They must see time spent in an office as a detached existence. Conversations with those serving and those being served must take place away from the sterile, paradigm numbing walls of an office.

If your church seems to be out of step with your leadership, honestly assess the time you spend locked in your room. It is time to come out and engage.

Have We Moved the Boundaries?

"Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set." - Proverbs 22:28

I'm always a little apprehensive when I get off in the weeds of theology in a place where so many well informed pastors and lay leaders visit. But I wonder if we, the lay leaders and pastors directed by God to lead matters of His church, have moved some ancient boundaries.

As way of review and not instruction to our learned readers, we know that land, given by God, was a sensitive topic in bible history (Deut. 19:14). God gave land to head of families to in turn assign individual plots. The warning of Proverbs 22:28 was to highlight the importance of respecting those initial assignments and not showing disrespect for the decision of God and ancestors.

I wonder (open question; inviting our readers to expound) if God assigned the "land" to which individual churches are responsible, including the inhabitants of that land -- to particular churches? Are we responsible for certain "dots on a map" defined as our community? Do the curses and implications of Job 24:2, Isa. 5:8, Deut. 27:17, Prov. 15:25, 1 King 21:16-19; Hosea 5:10 hold true for the modern day church?

Should my church, your church, be content with what God has given us to the extent that we are more careful about "stealing market share" for the sake of growth? Are we guilty of moving the boundaries that God set forth? Hmmm?

The Origin of Culture

Confession: Over the span of my 25-years of leadership, I have read several books on creating culture and they have all left me confused.

The "do this and then do that" approach to creating culture, I believe, is flawed. A theory of culture that adequately predicts the variations thrown at a leader is either too shallow in its approach or so complex that execution is beyond managing. My experience has led me to believe that culture is developed when we simply focus on doing the right things.

I hear the sighs of disappointment when such a claim is made. We all hope for the three step, fool proof approach to creating culture. That elusive promise doesn't exist. Culture is a by-product of showing up and doing what is right every minute of the day. The collaboration of lay leaders and pastors agreeing to what is right and then executing on that rightness, brings about lasting, positive culture.

Culture is a reflection of how your church feels about their leadership, and ultimately, each other and their joint purpose. Leadership creates the elements of culture. Culture is simply an expression of that leadership. When a leader "endears" others to his or her leadership, the spark of a positive culture begins to emerge. Culture becomes an after-thought of our efforts. We do right and on occasion look back over our shoulder and see the boundaries of positive culture forming. We don't set out to create culture, we set out to do what is right for and with those we lead.

Doing what is right takes mental toughness and discipline. Leaders fail daily for lack of these two important abilities and convictions. Culture reflects the actions of leaders. If a leader allows favoritism or ignores challenges to the church's purpose, the culture will reflect that decision.

The complexity of how and why culture exists has led me to focus on the key drivers instead of the culture itself. I have found that when a leader (1) cares deeply for those they lead and acts accordingly and (2) creates an environment in which those they lead can make a distinct difference in life -- a meaningful and supportive culture will develop.

Stop trying to create a culture for the sake of creation -- instead, develop the leadership discipline of doing what is right.

Right for a Lifetime?

"The more definitive and widely accepted the ‘answer’, the more it prevents people from seeing how it will turn out to be wrong. Once you think you know, for a fact, that things work in a particular way — or the answer to problem ‘a’ is always technique ‘b’ — there’s no need to explore any further. Of course, over time, the world changes, but almost nobody looks to see if that affects what they already know for sure — until the unthinkable happens and our nice, simple answers stop working." - Lifehack article

Observation: Churches of today eventually act like churches of yesterday.

"We've always done it that way" has turned into the banner of mediocrity for many churches. From the outside looking in, it seems to be closed mindedness. For those that reside comfortably within the cozy walls of unchanged existence -- it doesn't seem wrong at all.

Let's face it, we are often people of habit in matters that would benefit from a different perspective. When it comes to church, we like our experience predictable. We are not interested in what matters most to others, but rather what matters most to me. The creaking floors of traditional religion become a charming aspect to the familiar house we have built for ourselves. The structure becomes a warehouse of our junk and less of a house of worship.

We fall into the downward spiral of self-contentment when we fight for an answer found many years ago that once worked. Blood-red carpet, heavy pews, a 52-Sunday predictable rotation of sermons, first and last verse -- we grow attached to what worked then and can't see that it just might not work now.

The logic of the dilemma is entrenched in knowing what we know to be right and proclaiming "right lasts a lifetime." It isn't necessarily so.

Given, there are certain dogmas and practices that are to remain unchanged in describing and living the principles that Christ set forth -- however, there are variations to the theme in living out and expressing those unchanging tenets that our lazy belief structure tends to dismiss. If we believe something is right and will always work, the grip that we place on that belief is tight and steady. The only way for us to loosen that grip and reach out to something else is for us to see a different answer in the faces of a few we trust. It is a leaders responsibility to connect those dots.

Religious practices are viral. If we desire that God's presence in our life take on a realness, then we are open to hearing from others the real experiences of their spiritual encounters. We are open to change, when we see and experience a better way.

The fear of boat rocking has left many church lay leaders and pastors hesitant to change obsolete practices. Yet, the natural death of an ineffective church will eventually make the necessary changes without their participation. It is leadership's responsibility to do what is right; to take a chance.

The message to leadership is: Do nothing and your church will eventually die an unfortunate death. Do something and your odds of success are greatly improved.

Emotional Contagions

In the last five years, a growing body of psychological research — much of it focused on the emotionally negative or positive boss — is bearing out the power one individual’s mood can have on others.
“It is one of the most robust phenomena I have ever seen,” said University of New Hampshire researcher Richard Saavedra. “And it’s all unconscious.” - Kansas City Star article

We humans have this uncanny ability to sense mood. Think about the last time you went home to a spouse that was a little perturbed. Took mere seconds to pick up on it I suspect. Recent studies have shown that our ability to pick-up on emotional cues leads to a rapid interpretation of the data causing us to act differently toward others. Emotional contagions are like tiny virus particles super-charged with mood that have a significant impact (good and bad) on those who "ingest" them during interactions with others.

The most powerful of these contagions come from those in leadership positions. As a leader (either per the organizational chart or as an unofficial opinion leader) you send off emotional cues that infect the organization with either positive emotions or negative emotions. It is far more powerful and potent an influence than you likely recognize and should be used to strengthen your leadership.

Pay careful attention to how you enter a meeting and what mood you create. Watch your vocabulary very carefully to ensure you are building up and not tearing down. Learn to compartmentalize your life so a bad day at work doesn't spill over at home. Find joy in the meeting of people and let your thought life give guidance to your words and ways.

If your church is shaped by fear or has deep pockets of ridicule and pessimism, look at the mood of those in leadership to effectively bring out a positive change.