6 Major Barriers to Finishing Well

As I have contemplated my own personal leadership over this past year-one aspect has stood out.  It is hard to finish well.  Think about it.  In almost any arena it is rare to see leaders who end their leadership lives with integrity and vibrancy. I am more convinced than ever that a leader will not finish well without great intentionality.  Part of that intentionality is understanding what could keep you from finishing well.  Below are six barriers to finishing well as identified by J. Robert Clinton.  Clinton is a Senior Professor of Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary and has done extensive research on leadership formation and development.  Below the list are two links for further reading from Clinton.  I highly recommend him to you.

1. Finances-their use and abuse.  Leaders, particularly those who have power positions and make important decisions concerning finances, tend to use practices which may encourage incorrect handling of finances and eventually wrong use.  A character trait of greed is often rooted deep and eventually will cause impropriety with regard to finances.

2. Power-its abuse.  With leadership comes power-and the tendency to abuse it.  Leaders who rise to the top in a hierarchal system tend to assume privileges with their perceived status.  Frequently, these privileges include the abuse of power.

3. Pride-which leads to downfall.  Pride which is inappropriate and self centered can lead to a leader’s downfall.  There is a dynamic tension that must be maintained.  We must have a healthy respect for ourselves and yet we must recognize that we have nothing that was not given us by God.

4. Sex-illicit relationships.  Illicit sexual relationships have been a major cause of downfall for leaders in every culture in every era.

5. Family-critical issues.  Problems between spouses or between parents and children-or even between siblings-can be a major source of a leader’s downfall.  This aspect is often ignored, but always carries greater consequences.

6. Plateauing.  Leaders who are competent tend to plateau.  Their very strength becomes a weakness.  When leaders plateau they stop developing.  This can lead to the slow erosion of leadership vibrancy and competency.

Which of Clinton’s six barriers caught your attention?  What are your thoughts?

The Making of a Leader, by J. Robert Clinton

Finishing Well Factors-Enhancements and Barriers, by J. Robert Clinton

3 Ways in Which A Shepherd Leads

There are two passages in the Bible that are incredibly forthright about God’s concern for how his people are led.  Both of these passages serve as a rebuke towards the spiritual leaders of Israel.  One is found in Ezekiel 34 and the other is in Jeremiah 23.  In both of these passages God, through the prophets, uses the leadership metaphor of “shepherd” as a way of negatively describing what these spiritual leaders should be doing.  I have previously written on Ezekiel 34.  Today I will highlight some principles from Jeremiah 23.

Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah right before and during her exile at the hands of the nation of Babylon.  Jeremiah is sometimes referred to as the “Weeping Prophet” because he never saw any tangible results from his 40 years of preaching, warning Israel to repent of her idolatry.  Yet, he remained obedient to God in communicating all that was expected to this wayward people.

Verse one states the charge against the spiritual leaders of Judah, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”  There are four critical aspects to take notice of in this verse.  Yahweh proclaims a “woe” on these leaders.  Jesus will do something very similar in Matthew 23 where he proclaims seven “woes” on the spiritual leaders of Israel in that era.  A “woe” served as a lamentation for the miserable state that someone was in.  It also served as a warning.  God, through the prophet, highlights two particular charges against these spiritual leaders-they were “destroying” and “scattering” the sheep.  Sheep is a common biblical metaphor for God’s people.  It is fitting because sheep are weak creatures, open to attack and harm.  Somehow these spiritual leaders of Israel were directly causing harm to the people that they were suppose to be nurturing.  Sheep must be protected by a shepherd from themselves and from outside predators.  And a sheep that wanders away from the flock is a dead sheep.  Also note that God states that these are his sheep.  They rightfully belong to him and are entrusted to the shepherd.

In verse two God restates the charge and adds another dimension, “and you have not attended to them.”  The essence of being a shepherd is to be attentive.  An actual shepherd watching over sheep had to be constantly attentive to lead the sheep to food and water and to protect the sheep from themselves and from outside predators.  In a spiritual sense, Israel’s shepherds were beyond being inattentive.  In verses 3-4 God clearly states what he will do from his own initiative to care for his sheep.  He states that he will “gather the remnant”, “bring them back to the fold”, and “will set shepherds over them who will care for them.”  Now we see the other side of being a spiritual shepherd–care.  To be a spiritual shepherd is to be attentive and to care.  In verse four God describes three ways in which attention and care can be applied.

1. Shepherds help to diffuse fear  It has been said that fear makes cowards of us all.  Fear is the opposite of faith.  Fear looks at the circumstances and calculates that they are bigger than God’s ability to act.  A spiritual shepherd addresses specific fears and points people back to the reality of God’s character.

2. Shepherds help to infuse courage  Unchecked fear can lead to dismay.  Dismay is the emotional result of feeling overwhelmed and lacking courage.  Dismay can tempt people to escape their circumstances.  A spiritual shepherd not only addresses specific fears but he also helps people see the concrete steps of faith they need to take to get past their fears.  Courage in the Bible is often the notion of remaining in circumstances long enough to see God act on their behalf.  Courage is not bravado-it is faith in a great God applied to current reality.

3. Shepherds make it their aim that none are lost  Real sheep have a nasty habit of wandering away.  And, again, an isolated sheep is a dead sheep.  So it is with us.  We were meant for community.  When we isolate ourselves we are vulnerable to all sorts of attacks from without and within.  A spiritual shepherd remains vigilant for the wandering disciple.  They gently lead them back into the fold-for their own protection and nourishment.  This should remind us of the parables of Luke 15 and God’s diligent heart for the one.

Being a spiritual shepherd is hard work.  It is often work without acclaim.  Two things must be remembered by any would be spiritual shepherd: we have a Chief Shepherd to whom we must give an account; and every shepherd needs a shepherd for their own survival and thriving.  Finally, note that in Jeremiah 23:5-6 the prophet points us towards the coming Messiah who will serve as the ultimate Shepherd-the Righteous Branch.

Lead well.

5 for Leadership (7/27/12)

Here is this weeks edition of 5 for Leadership.  I hope that these posts inspire, educate, and provide you with some helpful principles toward your leadership life.

Letter To A Young Leader  This is a really insightful post from Mary Jo Asmus.  She offers five great pieces of advice for any leader-but especially those who are emerging and young.

If It’s Important, Be There  This post comes from the Leading Blog and highlights a central tenet of a book by Catlett and Hadden.  It lifts up the value of training beyond skills and the need for every leader to participate fully in the development process.  It is a brief post, but will stimulate your thinking about leadership engagement.

Set Boundaries On The Sacrifices You’ll Make For Work  This is by Bill Barnett in the Harvard Business Review blog.  Bill offers four practical principles to help you avoid burnout and bailout in your leadership life.  This is a must read for every harried leader-which probably means most of us.

Trust:1-2-1 Leadership This is a post from the Leadership Reflections blog.  The author reasons that it is detrimental to judge people on initial impressions.  Rather, he argues, we must move towards a trust and development approach to see people reach their full potential in Christ.  He uses Moses and Joshua as a biblical example.  There are some worthy paradigms here.

The Global Leadership Summit  For my final offering I will make a pitch for Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit.  I never do this-but I think this is a great opportunity for any Christian leader to benefit from top leaders in different fields.  I have been to the summit in Chicago and have attended virtually.  There are over 200 sites around the country where you can be a part of this experience.  Take a look at their web site-and see if this would be a good opportunity for you.

There are the “5” for this week.  Lead well!

A Leader’s Prayer-Psalm 101

The book of Psalms found in the Bible is a collection of poems.  It is Hebrew poetry.  The individual psalms were often sung and recited as prayers or praise to God.  Most of the Psalms found in the Bible are penned by King David of Israel.  Psalm 101 is one such poem.  It is a brief psalm, only eight verses long.

David addresses his poem of prayer to Yahweh.  In the opening four verses he makes five declarations.  Each declaration begins with the phrase “I will . . . ”  David as a leader is taking a stand before God as to the type of leader he wants to be.  But don’t forget that this is a prayer also.  While David is declaring his intent he is also trusting in the steadfast love of God and the justice of God to make this true of him (see v.1).    These are prayer declarations.  David is committing himself to lead with integrity.  Look at the declarations below.

I will sing of steadfast love and justice

I will ponder the way that is blameless

I will walk with integrity of heart within my house

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless

I will know nothing of evil

I would suggest that we as leaders pray the same declarations before God today.  We can’t make these come true in our own strength.  We need the grace of the gospel that is in Jesus Christ.  Thus, why we pray.  Prayer is always an act of dependence.  But if the above declarations were becoming more true each day of you and I, think of the difference it would make in our leadership-and the blessing it would be to those we influence.  Lead well!

A Leader’s Prayer-Judges 5

The period of the Judges in the Bible was a tumultuous one.  During this time, Israel as a nation entered into cycles of sin that constantly required a deliverer  in the form of a judge.  The repeated pattern was the following:  Israel would sin through idolatry, God would discipline them through conquest by a godless nation, the Israelites would eventually cry out for a deliverer, God would provide a judge to deliver them, and the people would live in peace–for a season–until the cycle began again.  Deborah became an unlikely deliverer for the Israelites against a king of Canaan.  Deborah was both a prophetess and a judge during a particular season of slavery due to Israel’s sin.  Through Deborah, God raises up a deliverer,  a man named Barak.  But Barak was wise enough to know that there would be no victory without Deborah.  So through Debora’s instruction and Barak’s execution, Israel throws off the chains of Canaan.  Through this great victory Israel was accorded 40 years of national peace and rest.

In Judges 5 you find the words to a celebratory song from Deborah and Barak.  It is an anthem of praise to God and an acknowledgement of his deliverance.  It recounts the military exploits that God accomplished through Israel.

What is intriguing to me is verse two:

That the leaders took the lead in Israel,                                                                                        that the people offered themselves willingly,                                                                  bless the Lord!

The opening line to this prayer/song is thanksgiving to God that leaders led and people followed willingly.  Isn’t that amazing?  At a time of national crisis when leaders were desperately needed God raised up a woman and a man to rally leaders to lead.  And when leaders led well, people followed.  And that was a reason for praise to God.

There are principles here for us as modern day leaders.  As leaders, we too must wholly lead on God in times of crisis.  As leaders, we must have the wisdom to recognize the word of God for us (in this case represented through Deborah) and not abandon that word.  As leaders, we must recognize that we accomplish little in our own resources and we must be careful to give God praise.  When leaders lead well and people willingly follow-we too must give thanks.  Lead well!

A Leader’s Prayer-Psalm 5

King David in the Bible faced many leadership challenges. Some were outside his control and some were a direct result of his personal sin.  We do not know the exact circumstances that surround Psalm 5 but it is clear that David feels some anguish and senses his need for divine help.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.

David is expressing both an attitude of heart and petition-he groans and he cries out.  Notice that David calls the Lord “my King and my God.”  David rightfully acknowledges his own dependence and submission as he calls upon Yahweh.  Certainly David is facing threats from those who are less than reputable.  He speaks of these opponents as “bloodthirsty and deceitful men.”  What is the essence of David’s prayer?  We find it in verse eight.

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
     make your way straight before me.

David the leader prays to be led.  He prays for God’s righteousness to prevail and for straight paths.  David is crying our for clarity and for vindication.  He looks not to his own resources but to God alone.

When we as leaders are faced with half truths and deceptive practices we must also rely upon the One who controls it all. When we may be tempted to grab control and retaliate-we must lean on the One who deeply understands and is able to act on our behalf.  David concludes this Psalm by pointing to God’s protection and blessing.  David the king places his trust in the King of Kings.  Can we do any less?

A Leader’s Prayer-Psalm 2

This week I will be sharing a few brief posts on what I consider to be some worthy prayers for leaders.  Prayer is ultimately an act of dependence.  When we pray to God we are either giving thanks for who he is, giving thanks for what he has done, or in need of his wisdom, power and provision.  Proper prayer is dependence.  It is holy communication to one who is sovereign and supreme.  And every spiritual leader is in need of bending the knee daily to that authority.  As I read the Bible there are many passages that leap off the page as very relevant to the life of a leader.

Psalm 2 is a Messianic Psalm.  That means that it is about the person of Jesus Christ.  But it seems to be addressed to the leaders of the world.  The Psalmist mocks worldly leadership when it chooses to be opposed to God and his purposes.  He points everyone to the King, the Son of God, who will possess the nations as his heritage.  The Psalm ends with a call to wisdom for all worldly kings.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned O rulers of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.  Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:10-12

Ultimately, leaders are to “serve the Lord” and to “kiss the Son.”  Both of these are acts of submission.  Service may be obvious as an act of submission.  But to “kiss” the hand of someone was to acknowledge their supremacy over you.  Literally this is an act of worship.  The Psalmist describes the net result of taking these actions as taking refuge in him.  Notice that the consequence of these choices is blessing.  Every “ruler of the earth” needs to bend the knee in submission to Jesus Christ.  This keeps a leader from the deadly disease of pride and helps to ensure that he or she is leading according to the true King’s agenda.

Join me in prayer today to that end for our personal leadership lives.

5 for Leadership

Here are 5 new posts on the topic of leadership for the 21st of July.  I hope they stimulate you towards new learning and application.

Top 10 Marks of Lousy Leaders This comes from the Leadership Freak.  I point you to Dan Rockwell pretty often.  His posts are short and practical.  In this one he contrasts ten wrong attitudes with seven good ones.  See how you stack up.

What’s Your ‘Leader-Print’   I found this on the Lead Change Group blog and is by  Julie Winkle Giulioni.  She argues for the idea that every leader has their own unique expression of leadership-hence a “leader-print.”  Julie uses her own leadership history as an illustration of what she means by this concept-and argues for active leader learning along the way.

Three Things Putting a Golf Ball Taught Me About Decision Making  This post is by Tim Milburn.  I have highlighted Tim before because of his solid insights on various aspects of leadership.  In this post Tim makes a very good analogy between golf and decision making (I have been blogging about this very topic this week).  As a (below average) golfer myself-these principles ring true and are memorable.  Take a look-even if you don’t play golf.

13 Simple Ways to Increase Your Leadership  This post is by Scott Williams.  I follow Scott on twitter also and enjoy his brand of leadership thinking.  Scott offers up 13 very practical ways you can engage in self development-whcih is critical to the longevity of any leadership life.

How Can Christian Leaders Get Started With Social Media?  Here is a good 10 minute video piece by Michael Hyatt.  I find that many Christian leaders are still resistant to engaging in social media world.  Watch Michael being interviewed about the importance of this means of communication.  He is certainly one of the best when it comes to utilizing social media.

There are my five offerings for this week.  Learn and lead well!

3 Types of Leadership Decisions

This is the 2nd post on the topic of leadership decisions.  In the first one I discussed the nature of leadership decisions and offered some diagnostic questions to help you in thinking through every leadership decision you make.  In this post we will look at three types of leadership decisions.  Sometimes leaders look at decision making like a game of rock, paper, scissors.  We use the same approach in every situation and we leave it up to chance.  But there is a way to think through the type of decision that should be made for the best possible result.

1. The Directive Decision  This type of decision is where the leader alone makes the decision and announces it to those he or she leads.  This is an autocratic approach that should be used very sparingly, but does have it’s place.  This type of decision is probably most useful in times of crisis.  This is when there is chaos and people are looking to a single person or body to make a command decision.  Someone needs to take charge and provide clear direction to meet the need.

2. The Consultive Decision  This is where a leader presents a tentative decision and invites input that will affect the final outcome and execution.  This may be the most common scenario for leaders in the decision making process.  Leaders should rightly see things from a unique perspective that is more encompassing of the whole.  They should have some unique insight that can put forth an initial idea that may need refinement and specificity to actually work.  Gathering pros and cons and thinking through the consequences as a team can help to insure a better outcome.  These types of decisions build ownership and trust.  They also tap into the collective brain power and creativity of a team.

3. The Delegative Decision  This is where the leader provides freedom for making the decision within a prescribed responsibility.  This can often take place at the execution phase of leading.  This is where you have developed a strong sense of trust with those you are leading and you are able to empower them to make decisions for themselves in how things get done.  You may have collectively determined what needs to be done over time-but you provide freedom in how those goals and plans are accomplished.  This is a great leadership development tool and will help to multiply the leaders necessary for fulfilling the mission.  This requires a servant leader who can give away power and control and trust others toward the fulfillment of the mission.

When you are thinking through what the decisions that you need to make as a leader-ask yourself what type of decision is this?  What would work best for this problem or opportunity?  Is this a directive decision, a consultive decision, or a delegate decision?  The desired outcome will help determine the approach.  Lead well!

The Nature of Leadership Decisions

Decision making is a critical component of effective leadership.  Your team and those you report to are deepening on you to make timely, well communicated decisions that will aid the team and make progress toward the vision.  Good leaders make a myriad of decisions every day.  Some are simple and easily executable.  Others are weighty and have much at stake.  Some can be anticipated and planned.  Others are in the moment and must be made immediately.  And every leadership decision has a multiplied impact.

Over this post and the next I will look at some key principles regarding leadership decisions.  Today, we will look at the nature or components of every leadership decision.

3 Considerations for Every Leadership Decision  By definition, a “decision” is a determination arrived at after consideration.  Here are three diagnostic questions you can use as you consider every leadership decision.

1. What exactly is the decision that needs to be made?  This may sound overly simplistic.  But I have seen many bad leadership decisions simply because the leader or leaders had not well defined the decision that needed to be made.  This can be especially true in times of urgency.  A presenting set of circumstances can blind leaders to the real issue-the underlying issue.  A leader must determine what the right decision is in any given situation.  This may cause the process to slow down some-but may prove to be the better part of wisdom later.  Analysis, counsel and reflection may be critical to determining the essence of any given decision.

2. Who should be involved in making the decision?  Leaders must also consider this important question.  Too often leaders make decisions in a vacuum.  They do not value the counsel of others and they do not value the ownership and energy it will take for others to execute their decisions.  This also does not mean that every decision should be a result of group think.  A good leader will be discerning about who should be included.  Who are the ultimate stakeholders?  Who needs to contribute to the solution so that you have their best creativity and ownership to follow through?  There is a “sweet spot” of people to include for every decision one faces.

3. How will the decision get communicated?  This may be the area I see most often that gets overlooked.  The right people are gathered and good decisions are made-and then they are communicated out to the rest of the organization in a disastrous way.  A good leader must consider the weight and impact of every key decision and then determine the best means of communication for the highest positive impact.  Again, this may require some good counsel with people who are sensitive to the softer side of leadership and people.  Some leaders falsely believe that the highest value is just getting the information out and any email will do.  Sometimes communicating leadership decisions take more time and rigor than actually making them.

Try these decision diagnostic questions on for size in your own leadership.  In the next post I will look at three types of decisions every leader must make.  Please add your thoughts and comments on this important topic.  Lead well!

Additionally, here are some great Bible references from the books of Proverbs and the Psalms about decisions:  Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 16:1; Proverbs 16:3; Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 21:5; Psalm 25:12