Leadership always comes with a concert of voices chiming in to assist. Whether you lead a family, a business, an organization or a church–all of us have to learn who to and who not to listen to.
Last week I wrote about the three voices I’m trying to tune out in my leadership. If you missed it, click here to catch up. This week I want to talk about 3 voices that can add life to your leadership if you tune them in. And while our leadership positions might differ in specifics, they are similar in how people can affect us.
I have found when it comes to leading, there are a few channels that I need to spend time listening to.
The Legos
Pastor and author Larry Osborn likes to refer to our capacity for friendships by comparing us to Legos. Like Legos, each of us has a certain number of “connection points.” Some of us are only two-pronged Legos, while others are 4 and some are as many as 8. (I guess there are even some people who are like the green sheet!) The point is: when it comes to the real, deep, trusting relationships in your life–you only have room for so many.
What I’ve noticed in leadership is that the people who are on my lego list are trusted voices for me. These people can give legitimate praise and constructive criticism. My Legos include my wife, a couple of close friends and some fellow pastors and staff members. Not too many voices, but voices I trust. Voices who are not trying to manipulate me. Voices who are not giving me ultimatums. And voices who know me and love me—as is!
So when conflict or difficult decisions come up, I want to know what my “Lego friends” think.
The Leaders
In every organization there are those who believe so much in the mission they have decided to help lead it. They have locked arms with you and want to see the vision become a reality. As some say, to use a sports metaphor, “They have skin in the game.” They have invested time, treasure and talent to make the business or organization succeed.
In the church I serve, these are the people I want to hear from. They are not just consumers telling me what they’d like more of. They are leaders who know where we are headed as a church and they want to see it succeed as much as I do. So their advice is with the mission in mind, not their personal preferences.
Our church is a bit unique in that we base many of our decisions on what unchurched people think. We ask the question “What will help a person brand new to church connect?” The answer to this question is usually much different than the question “What will a person who goes to church every Sunday really enjoy this weekend?” Leaders at our church know this, and process their decisions based on those who are not yet here–rather than those who have been here forever.
So when strategic decisions need to be made, I want people who believe in our mission to help me make them.
The Lost
The Bible teaches us that we are “lost” in life and eternity until we accept Jesus’ invitation to come home. Then we are “found.” Because we are so focused on those who are unchurched, I need to listen to the voices of those who Jesus considers to be far from him–aka the “lost.”
We spend time doing demographic studies, focus groups and observing culture to see the struggles people are facing, the concerns they have and the questions they have about God.
Pastor Perry Noble did a message series at their church recently on sex. When he received some push back from church people about talking about such things, his response was spot on. He said “How many times over the past week have you thought about, heard about or talked about sex? And how many times over the past week have you thought about, heard about or talked about the Ark of the Covenant? That’s why we’re doing the series.”
Even though receiving negative comments from the “found” can hurt my feelings, the truth is we are on a mission to help the “lost” become “found”. So I want to know what they think. I want to know what their questions are about God. I want to hear what keeps them up at night. I want to know the parts of their lives with the most pain–so I can introduce them to the Divine Healer, the author of life and the Savior of the world. I’m so glad someone did that for me.
Leadership is tough. So many people think they can do your role better. Whether its your staff, your customers or your kids. Listening to the right voices will help keep you on course.
I’ll admit, in my darkest hours of stress and anxiety, the wrong voices are telling me how I’m not enough, I’ve failed, and there’s no way I can do this job. But when I come back to these three stations, I find God always speaks to me.