January 14, 2008
Leadership Tools
Hugh Ballou
LEADERSHIP TOOLS
Is divided in to sections:
- Foundations
- Relationships
- Systems
- Balance
These four topic areas contain all the skills a leader needs to be successful. It is important to continue to expand the skills in each of these areas. Since it is the beginning of a new year, this is a great opportunity for taking inventory of your skill set and to determine the new skills needed or which of the skill areas need to be improved.
FOUNDATIONS
Build a Strong Foundation
It may be helpful to keep a "Leadership Notebook" containing your notes, goals and reflections on leadership. Here's how it could work. Buy a simple 3-ring binder with divider tabs. Create tabs for categories that will give perspective on your life and you life journey. Here are some categories to consider:
Journal - Consider that your life is filled with important activities and learning opportunities. Keep a record of the key events, reflections, evaluations and discoveries. When you go back and read these comments, you will be amazed. Schedule time (about 15 minutes) at the end of each day to reflect on the day and record your thoughts. Remember: you are not writing a book. You are recording the key thoughts about your day. This is a place to record your reflections about what went well and what you could do differently.
Calendar - Keep one calendar. If you keep two calendars, they are both wrong! If you keep a calendar on your computer or PDA, then print a copy for this notebook. It will be helpful in making notes about each item or appointment. You can also make notes for follow-up from each meeting or appointment. Make a reference in the calendar for each event to connect it with the notes you make and keep in the "Log" section of this notebook.
Log - Make a log page for each of the following:
Contacts - When you have a key contact (like your personal coach) make a page to keep notes on your conversations. Also, keep all their contact information on this page for quick reference. When you record an "action item," then time-activate that item in your calendar (see calendar section above). If you cross-reference actions from this log to your calendar and backwards, then you have continutiy as a foundation.
Projects - Similar to contacts. You can also write action items as you think of them to help in planning meetings. Make a record of meeting action items and how to follow-up on those items
Inspiration - Keep pages just for helpful quotes of thoughts that will inspire when you really need them.
Goals - Create a one-page goal statement for each goal. Create 2 or 3 work-related goals and one personal goal here. If you have too many goals, you will diminish your effectiveness. Read each goal every day. Define three baby steps you can successfully complete each day that will take you toward accomplishing your goal. Having too big a goal will keep you from starting. Break each goal down into manageable steps.
Other tabs to keep you on track - Don't create too many tabs. Make the notebook easy to use and easy to update.
Make it easy to use and easy to update. Yes, I said this before. Make it easy so you will use it. Mank it easy so you will save time by working smarter, not harder.
RELATIONSHIPS
Keep in touch with the important people in your life
In the beginning of this new year, take a moment to think about the people in your life who encourage you. The people that inspire you. The people that challenge you (yes, you do learn from difficult people in your life--don't overlook these people and the wisdom they bring your way.)
Ministry is relational. If you want to be effective with the people you lead, then you must have a good relationship with them! Yes, let's be realistic! We can't like everybody. In fact, God put some people in our charge to keep us humble. However, we can learn from everyone and we can lead everyone in one way or another. We can, at the very least, influence everyone we come in contact with. We influence others positively, negatively or neutrally. Which of those would you choose?
Here's a strategy for keeping tabs on the large number of people in your ministry care. Make a list of the top 20% of those people. You might want to clarify how you are going to classify this top 20%. I put the highest producers in that category. They are the self-starters that will actually get something done with your prodding. The other 80% need more nurture. You cannot possilbe spent time with all of them, so be sure to dedicate 80% of your team time (time you schedule for training and mentoring your team members) for the top 20% of your people. Put the remaining 80% of them into groups so you can still work with them personally, but not individually. Also, combine your training in meeings with foundational activities such as goal setting, communication planning and scheduling. In fact, it's helpful to get the whole group together to plan common goals and schedules.
Another way to stay connected is to write a note to those in your ministry. If you take 5 minutes each morning to write a short note to one person, this will go a long way to building and maintaining strong relationships. Write a note of appreciation, thanks or just that you are thinking about them. Do not write a letter or a complex note. Keep it short. Be sincere. Tell them that you care about them. There are many affirmations that never get said to those we care about, so don't let the opportunity get away. Remember how it feels when you get a note from somebody that's important. You are important to others, so share your affirations with them.
SYSTEMS
Learn and improve systems for leading teams
Relationship BECOMES Process
Process CREATES Trust
Trust FORMS Community
Community BUILDS Relationships
The Transformational Leader works with people. Working with people means establishing systems that people can understand and follow. The sequence above is true about teams. You recruit persons for your team because you know and trust them. However, factors in a personal relationship do not necessarily transfer to a good team relationship. You tend to overlook the faults and inconsistencies of friends. In a team, that is not always possible. Each team member must depend on other members to perform effectively. If the leader overlooks the faults of a friend, then the relationship with other team members is damaged.
Therefore, you recruit a person because of a relationship, but process replaces that relationship and creates trust, community and a different relationship for the team members as a whole.
Transformational Leaders understand change. Change is necessary for transformation. The leader, however, must be willing to change first--before expecting others to change. The transformation begins with the leader--and then moves to the team.
The templates and worksheets that follow are intended to give the leader some structure for discipline.
In order to be creative, there must be a foundation of planning, structure and commitment to excellence. A creative person that creates alone can be as flexible as they wish. However, to lead a team, creativity works when the vision is unified and there is synergy within the team. Team leaders have to look ahead and be organized.
Look at your skill set first, then help others do the same. They will respect your discipline and preparation.
BALANCE
Balance is the key to making it all work effectively
Americans want to fill in every available moment with activity! If you are working yourself to death, how can you be any good to your ministry? Take the tips above about keeping a notebook and utilize this resource to plan and monitor balance in your life.
This is not an exact science, not is there a universal standare. You find your own definition of balance and construct your method of maintianing that standard.
In my book, Moving Spirits, Building Lives: A Workbook for Transformational Leaders, I included a Balanced Life "Scorecard" to use as an assessment tool in judging the workload you carry. It is intended to give an objective on how much time is spent on different activities. If you keep a record, even for one week, you will be astonished at how much time you spend on certain activities and how much time is no utilized in the best way. This is a tool for working smarter, not harder. We all work as hard as we know how. This year work less and get more done.
Take time to rest. Take time to play. Take time to reflect. Take time to quietly connect with God. Take time regenerate you energy and focus on what's most important. Get off the treadmill and enjoy your journey.
Have the best year yet!
The following section consists of tips from some of the guest contributors from Leadership Tools in 2007.
TIPS FROM GUEST CONTRIBUTORS
Leigh Anne Taylor
- Seems like everyone in America is making resolutions to lose weight in the New Year. Why not shed some of what weighs you down at work?
- Go through your out-of-date catalogues and throw them away. Rid your office of pounds of paper!
- Look around your office. Are you surrounded by piles of stuff? What is that? Youth choir tour lost and found? Miscellaneous Children's Pageant costumes and props? Napkins and cups from choir refreshments? I thought so!
- Take time now at the beginning of your year to sort, put away, throw away and store all that detritus. You'll be more creative when you can move!
- If it seems too hard, ask for help!
- How many minutes a day do you waste sitting at your computer? Resolve to do email once a day, give yourself a time limit and don't go back to it until tomorrow.
- Don't think you can do it? You did your job for years without email! You can do it.
- Give yourself the gift of a spiritual retreat. Go ahead and put it on your calendar right now.
- Take a half day per month, a full day per quarter and try for an overnight or weekend once this year.
- Look up resources on-line for spiritual retreat centers and guides for spiritual retreats.
- Take time to nurture your own spiritual life so you'll have something in the tank to care for those who come to you for help.
- Don't know what to do to grow your spiritual life? Try talking with a spiritual director.
Rev. Leigh Anne Taylor is the Minister of Music, Blacksburg United Methodist Church, Blacksburg, VA.
Esther Burroughs
Thoughts for the New Year
- Dance...as fun and exercise
- Play...as often as you can
- Read...for pleasure
- Nap...ok, even once a week
- Mentor...choose to pass on a legacy
- Give away...time, wisdom, laughter, tears
- Find ways to express kindness to family
Esther Burroughs is motivational speaker and author of the the following books, available at amazon.com:
Empowered
A Garden Path to Mentoring
Splash the Living Water
Treasures of a Grandmother's Heart
Engraved by Grace
Stewart Levine
FIVE TIPS
PREVENTING CONFLICT
Conflict happens! It happens without any bad intention. Conflict and disagreements occur because of different perceptions and observations; different interpretations placed on the meaning of things; different feelings people bring to situations and different desired outcomes. The key to preventing conflict and achieving desired outcomes is to craft an agreement for results that can serve a the road-map from where you are to where you want to be. This agreement should contain the following items:
What is the detailed vision of what you want to achieve with as much detail as you can think of. What will things look like 3, 6,12 months out.
How will you measure success. What are the agreed objective benchmarks you will use to measure achieved the vision.
Make detailed promises of what each of you will do and have consequences for breaking promises.
Share fears and concerns about moving forward together. Get on the table what might get in the way of fully trusting and committing to achieving the results you want.
Use the above dialogue for developing relationship and deepening trust. Once relationship is established you can work through anything. The detailed agreement is not nearly as important as the relationship. As long as you can continue to work together you will achieve results beyond expectation.
RESOLVING CONFLICT
Remember all conflict happens at emotional levels. The Emotional triggers prevent the resolution. Deal with the emotion and whatever the "fight" was about will resolve itself. To resolve conflict effectively remember:
- Most conflict is not the result of any kind of negative attention. Because of differences in people, failure to get clear at the beginning and inexact language conflict happens. Don't be so quick to blame.
- Conflict shows up as a stress reaction. Before you can engage in meaningful collaborative dialogue, you must manage your own stress.
- The two keys to resolving conflict effectively are
- listening and understanding the other's point of view
- forgiveness - letting go of how you are holding them and the situation.
Conflict lives inside each of us as a story. It's the way we talk to ourselves about the situation. For both catharsis, and to share details, everyone get's to tell teir story from beginning to end, without interruption.
- The goal is to reach a new agreement for the future. To get you engaged in doing that keep in mind that as long as the conflict exists, you are paying a price for bringing the conflict with you.
NEGOTIATING EXCELLENCE
Remember: the game is not to win, but to reach an agreement with which everyone can win.
The most powerful form of negotiating is to find out what they want and figure out how to give it to them; and to let them know what you want and to get them figuring out how to give what you need.
Always leave something on the table. If the deal is too sharp, it will come back to haunt you because everyone will not be able to perform.
Think in terms of a long term collaboration, not a short term transaction. This will help you to create a relationship which is critical if you want to continue working together.
Get beneath positions to the concerns that are behind them. Find out what they are really concerned about and take care of it.
Games and withholding are ploys that never work. Everything always gets reveled so you might as well let it all out and deal with it.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Stewart L. Levine. All Rights Reserved, Worldwide
Stewart Levine is known as the "Resolutionary Attorney." His books are:
Getting to Resolution
The Book of Agreement
The Cycle of Resolution in The Change Handbook
NEW: Collaboration 2.0
More on Stewart at http://www.ResolutionWorks.com
Angie Hollerich
Preparing yourself for leadership
The successful leader must make good financial choices and should lead by example. Retirement symbolizes life’s deepest financial goal. Here are five points to be considered:
Yearly evaluation of your current strategies for financial success is the first step to your financial checklist.
Learn to save more than you ever thought possible. Remember: it’s not how much you earm; it’s what you do with what you earn.
Max out on your 401(k) or other tax-deferred retirement plans, if you are not participating in a retirement plan to start now.
Remember: consistent and persistent monthly investing is the best strategy for success. It is not timing the market, it’s time in the market.
Be a realistic investor. Understand the “risk reward” ratio, balance the risk you are taking in your investments with your ability to handle the stress that risk my cause.
Angie Hollerich is trainer, motivational speaker and author of:
The Weight and Wealth Factors
Money Made $imple
Money Made $impler
Money Made $implest
A $imple Truth About Money
Grab the Brass Ring of Financial Security Workbook
The Wellness Path
Mission Possible
More about Angie at http://www.brassringpro.com
Bonus from Esther Burroughs
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Come Away with Me
What an amazing invitation from the Father.
After a long day--doing all the things Jesus taught His disciples; they came to Him full of joy as they told all they had done in His name. Scripture says, Then the apostle gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
The very next verse says, And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” ( NKJV)
The NASB says, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile.”
The MSG says, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.”
What an invitation! Come away by yourselves. Most leaders need this invitation…and often.
Let’s look together at some Come Closer invitations from Jesus.
I am taking this idea from Jane Rubietta’s book, Come Closer. This book has been my friend these past months and I want to share it in the hopes that it will encourage you in your leadership style to balance in life/ministry.
Some invitations we will consider over the next months:
Come for Abundance.
Come from death.
Come follow me.
Come and see.
Come for healing.
Come for relief.
Blessings as you lead in 2008
Jane Rubietta is the author on ten books. She is the assistant coordinator of the Write to Publish Writers Conference and co-leads
the nonprofit Abounding ministries.
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Conclusion
Arrive at your place of comfort utilizing the best of what you can learn from others. Build your foundation, maintain your relationships, utilize effective systems and keep a healthy balance in your life. Begin today. There's not an arrival point. It's simple a journey.
Grace and Peace to you in your duty and delight as a Christian leader this year.
Hugh Ballou
© 2008 Creator Magazine All Rights Reserved