This Is Me Living

7 Ways Twitter Can Make You A Better Leader In 140 Or Less

Scott Williams, Campus Pastor at Lifechurch.tv in OKC, shares these thoughts on utilizing Twitter as a leader on his blog: "Big is the New Small". Great stuff! Enjoy!

7 Ways Twitter Can Make You A Better Leader In 140 Or Less

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"Good Enough"

To me, these two little words reek of compromise.  "Good enough" means that we had a bigger, better vision in mind when we set out, but at some point we decided to cash it in, to skimp on the details, to pull out short of the finish line, or to settle for less than our goal.  For me, "good enough" simply isn't. 

This can be a blessing and a curse.  I find that some of what I do ends up seeming to some to be "overkill", and this sort of pursuit of excellence can sometimes even cause me to raise the bar mid-jump.  I find the words of Ecclesiastes 9:10 echoing over the top of my tasks, saying, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it will all of your might..." 

How about you?  Do you find yourself settling for less or expecting more of yourself as a general rule?

Comments are open on this post.

"No One Ever Rises to Low Expectations"

Another way of stating this truth is that "People have a way of living up to (or down to) our expectations of them."

As a leader, I want much to be expected of me. I enjoy rising to the occasion, exceeding expectations, and competing against myself (and others). This manifests in every area of my life in some form.

John Maxwell's name is synonymous with leadership, and is at least partially responsible for many of the leadership lessons I've learned. He teaches that leaders who are a SEVEN will not tend to attract and retain eights, nines, and tens. They will attract those who are peer level or below. He expands on this thought in several of his books, saying that fives can become eights over time. If a leader wants to attract and produce better leaders, the leader must become better themselves.

As a leader of others, I want others to WANT me to expect much of them. I believe that high expectations can bring out the best in individuals. I also think it is important to keep expectations realistic. I cannot expect a five to become an eight overnight, so time is a necessary component. I must allow opportunities for people to develop and to fail on their way to success. Deeper still is an awareness that many fives see themselves as fives. Calling them to become an eight might overwhelm or even discourage them from trying at all. Instead, it's better for me to call them to become a six, and as they approach this, to raise the bar to a seven, then ratchet up to an eight, etc.

Don't get the idea that I see people in terms of these labels. I'm simply borrowing Maxwell's analogy and applying it to the truth that "no one ever rises to low expectations" and working it out in my mind. Although people can be hurt if their leader's expectations are unreasonably high, I believe they can also be hurt when their leaders fail to expect enough of them.

Two labels applied to leaders in our culture are "coach" and "mentor". Often, we would blur the lines of distinction between these two, but they are NOT the same. A mentor's intent is to duplicate themselves in those they lead. They pour their heart and life into the recipient. Mentors are of value for teaching others what the learner wants or needs to know. Coaches on the other hand have a much different goal. Instead of pouring INTO someone, their role is to PULL OUT what is locked inside of the individual. Tiger Woods is consistently the premier golfer on the planet. Michael Phelps is the world's best swimmer across multiple disciplines. What these men have accomplished is extraordinary. The truth is that both of these men have coaches whom they employ to help them become the best they can be. None of their coaches, however, are capable of the excellence their students have achieved. Their coaches pull out the best in them, even though they cannot match them.

I pursue both coaches and mentors in various areas of my life. I also serve in each of these capacities for others. As a leader, both as coach and as mentor, I want to always be effective in developing leaders around me. I must be sensitive to their needs, and ratchet the bar higher as they achieve. Records are not set because someone delivers at top performance without a goal. Records happen when we run just "that much faster" or jump "that much higher" than someone did before us. Is there any limit to what we can accomplish when much is expected of us, and we're given the time to develop?

I Know the Plans I Have for You

Most of you reading this will be familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, which states, "'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord.  'Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.'" (NIV)

I woke up this morning in a very reflective mood, realizing that I don't recognize much of my life against the backdrop of where I THOUGHT God was leading me.  After youth pastoring for over 14 years, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what God was going to do with the rest of my life.

In my reflective state, I am mindful of the Jeremiah passage, and of the isogetical interpretation I may have subconsciously applied to it.  My former application might as well have been "I know the plans He has for me."  Yet, today, I am reminded today that the "I" in that sentence isn't me, but God.  He knows the plans he has for me.

I could detail for hours the many things that God has done in my life in the past few years to prepare me for the journey He is leading me on today.  And, against the backdrop of what He is currently doing, it makes sense.  So much of what I have done in faith, sometimes blind faith, is proving to be how God was setting me up, guiding my steps, and positioning me to serve as Lead Pastor.  I didn't expect it, but He is certainly confirming Himself each day.

As I began to consider whether I should have seen it coming, it appears clear that, had I known, I would have likely resisted or even rebelled, hesitating to follow as closely, denying the possibility of life without my dad.  If this had happened any other way, I'm not sure I would be the one chosen to lead our church down this path, and am reminded, further, that God's timing is always perfect.

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Note:  An isogetical approach means that I am putting my own spin on or applying my own prejudice to the interpretation of a passage.  This is called isogesis.  An exegetical method of interpretation (which is the manner in which I always attempt to view God's Word) means that I am taking from Scripture what it intends to say, which is called exegesis.

Pick Your Battles

I'm reading a book called Teamwork Makes the Dream Work, by John Maxwell.  In it, he offers the following thought which I feel bears repeating.  I can think of countless times that this insight would have been beneficial to me in the past.  As Christians, how we respond to our circumstances speaks loudly about how we view God.  Our actions, more than our words, witness of the reality of Christ in our lives. Maxwell writes:

PICK YOUR BATTLES

Winning is often a battle, and there are times in the life of every team player when he or she needs to fight.  But if you fight all the time, you can wear yourself out. That's why it's important to pick your battles.

To gain a better perspective of when to fight back and when to sacrifice yourself, practice the following disciplines:

1.  Spend Time with People Who are Different From You. That helps you to appreciate others and understand how others think and work.  You will be less likely to judge or battle others.

2.  In Matters of Personal Preference or Taste, Give In. Keep the main things the main thing.  If you don't save yourself for what really matters, you'll wear yourself out and wear out your welcome with others.

3.  Don't Take Things Too Personally.  Always remember; hurting people hurt people.  They are also easily hurt by others.

4.  Practice the 101 Percent Principle.  Whenever possible, find the 1 percent you do agree on in a difficult situation, and give it 100 percent of your effort.

5.  Be a Servant Leader.  If your mindset is to serve rather than to be served, you will likely encounter less conflict.

Book Review: Money Matters in Church

One of the priorities of the administration of the church I found was to gain an understanding of our financial picture.  How is money spent?  How do we prioritize this allocation?  How are we doing compared to XYZ Church?  Where can we improve?

Until recently, I have not ever been involved with anything other than the finances of our youth ministry. 

I'm blessed to have a handful of seasoned pastors in my life who are helping me figure out "the rest of pastoring"... Apparently, there is more to it than preaching, marrying and burying people, and staying fresh.  Who knew?

With my financial background, I like budgets.  Yes, you heard me right.  (I actually call budgets a "spending plan", because budgets can tend to be too reflexive.  A "spending plan" is a tool through which we run our finances... Proactively vs. reactively... but that's for another post.)  In personal finance, for instance, I can tell you the percentages I want you to remain within for your mortgage, living expenses, debt, auto payments, savings, and tithe.  I found, however, that in the church world a "model budget" was not as easy to come by. 

After coming up empty when I asked other pastors for this resource, and after striking out on Google (Can you believe it?), I stumbled across a book at Berean called Money Matters in Church.  In it, I found much for which I was searching.  I found the book to be a handy, consolidated resource, and a remarkably beneficial quick read.

Briefly, the recommended parameters for a healthy church budget are:

• 10% Missions - Models tithing of our resources back into the Kingdom. (I love that!)
• 20% Facilities - Even if your church is debt-free, it is recommended that this remain (or be established) in your church budget to allow for future growth plans, building, remodeling, updating, and expansion.
• 20% Programming - This includes all of your ministries, office expenses, advertising, and the gamut of other things that often get termed "miscellaneous".  (Bad word)
• 50% Personnel - This is a rule of thumb that is flexible depending on the church.  It is recommended, however, that smaller churches (say under 500) allocate up to 55% of their budget in this area, and larger churches allocate no less than 45% in this direction.

Other useful insights included:

• Having an emergency reserve of at least 3 months total income set aside for a rainy day
• How to forecast giving based on attendance
• Methods to use when developing your strategic budget annually
• And, my favorite:  The understanding that it is useless (or at least counter-productive) to develop a budget without first developing your church's mission, vision, and core values.  Without this, your budget cannot be shaped to help your church accomplish God's purpose for your specific body.

The authors, Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope, encourage a church to develop their "Theology of Financial Stewardship" and provide their own as an example for reference at the end of the book.  Questions for personal evaluation and reflection appear at the conclusion of every chapter and would be valuable for discussion to any group that is jointly responsible for creating, monitoring, and managing a budget.

I would encourage pastors, church staff, and anyone who is involved in any aspect of the budget planning process to utilize this book as a resource.

(Unintentional) Lessons We Teach

Before I left for Youth Camp this morning, I pulled my 4-year old son aside to love on him.  I told him, "While daddy is away, you are the man of the house."  Without hesitation, he looked at me and said, "Daddy, I will be good to my mommy and baby brother, and I will treat them like you would."

Sometimes it is not the intentional lessons we teach in a formal setting that people learn.  In this case, it struck me that my actions are making an impression on my son.  Fortunately, this IS a lesson I'm happy he is learning from me.

This also caused me to reflect upon the fact that "someone is always watching" our lives.  In the words of Peter Jennings, "The camera is always on."

Growth is Change

So, I've had some interesting conversations with people in the "church world" in the past couple of months.  Before plodding forward, some brief background information.  My dad and pastor, Ron Williamson, passed away on March 11, 2008 at the age of 56.  This was completely unexpected.  I have served beside my dad as his Youth Pastor and Associate Pastor for 14 years.  Another post will speak of how we arrived at the conclusion that God had orchestrated me to be his successor.  Fast-forward through April 20th when I was elected "Lead Pastor" at Bell Road Assembly of God... a huge honor to which God has called me, and our church family responded.

As I've spoken with members of our church, fellow pastors, and friends around the country in the past 2 months, I've begun to formulate some observations, one of which prompted my thoughts here.  Our goal, mutually, is to grow -- personally, our ministries, the Kingdom of God.  But the thing that yells loudest at me today is that growth does not JUST require change... Growth IS Change.  I observe no exceptions to this rule.

This seems so obvious that it almost goes without saying, but "change happens when growth happens" (although the opposite is not necessarily true).  Growth is measurable and observable.

I'm seeking God's direction in various forms -- from His Word, from veteran pastors, from admired authors, from honest friends, and from my observations of what Jesus is doing around me.  I know that God is calling me to change, and to change my world.  I know that the growth desired requires change.

People like normal, because normal is comfortable.  They like comfortable and familiar. But change... that scares people.  And that fear causes one of (at least) 3 reactions: (1) It causes them to bail out; (2) It causes them to freeze; (3) It causes them to engage.  My prayer is that the people God has placed in our ministry will engage -- engage in the fight; engage the world around them; engage in initiative leading to their own growth.  And growth requires change.  The consequence of staying the same is stagnation and ultimately death.

Someone wisely said and many repeated that "if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got."  I believe they've called it the truest definition of insanity... repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results.