Be creative Inside the Box

Though not so heavily researched, my personal findings on the link between innovation/creativity and the success (meaning growth toward the stated vision) of a local church are similar to the findings Jim Collins had in his new book Great by Choice (linked on the right).  In short, the most successful companies were not always, and in fact not usually, the most creative or innovative.  He was surprised by that.  I think many church leaders would be as well.

I would not list "lack of creativity" on my top 5 of reasons why churches do not experience the growth they desire.  Close to the top, however, would be "lack of disciplined creativity."

Creativity makes the statement, "Think outside the box", and moves us with a desire to change.  It works off of a truth that new things bring energy.  The problem is that creativity in this way is generally not sustainable, especially for small organizations.  It costs more resources to begin something than to continue.  Think of the difference between building a house and maintaining a house.

Creativity tells me that moving a wall would really create a new feel in my kitchen.  Disciplined creativity encourages me to paint the wall that already exists or perhaps add a piece of art, or even change the way the furniture is laid out.

This can be seen clearly in the area of vision communication.  It is the difference between always needing to say something new or saying the same thing over and over in new ways.  The first is constantly attempting to turn your eyes to a new ministry, a new teaching, a new mission opportunity, a new class, group, or program.  The second is bringing your eyes back to the same vision statement over, and over, and over, all the while revealing how broad and expansive it can be.

Here are a couple ideas for practicing disciplined creativity:

1) For churches: make your vision statement a part of every message for the next 90 days.  This does not mean you have to just quote the vision at the start of each message.  The discipline is finding the way in which this message fits into the vision and communicating that to your people.  Do the hard work, let them make the easy step.

2) For organizations: make your vision a regular part of your planning meetings for the next 90 days.  One of the other findings that came out of Collins' book is that the most successful companies had the least vision shift over time.  They had a core set of practices and values that were deeply entrenched in the organization.  This takes disciplined creativity that helps us attach this particular initiative to the organization's overall vision. 

Do the Hard Work: For, not Against

It takes hard work to move forward.  Anyone who says differently is trying to sell you something; something they worked hard to create.  If an organization is going to move forward, then the leader must do the hard work.  This series will encompass many of those areas where work must be done.

Tell me what you are for, not just what you are against.  This is most clearly illustrated in election season.  One of the reasons I listen to as little political rhetoric as possible is that it is almost completely filled with reasons why I should not vote for the other person.  Very little time is spent telling me why I should vote for the person actually speaking.  It is no wonder that many people say they are "voting for the lesser of two evils", when all we have heard is how evil each candidate is.

There is a simple reason that people use this type of motivation.  It is easier than the alternative. It is easier to tap into fears, anxieties, and frustrations than it is to awaken someone's sense of imagination, wonder, and hope.  It is easier to criticize than to create.

Here are a few questions to ask as you attempt the hard work of painting a picture of what you are for, not just what you are against:

In 5 years, when everything has worked out just as you planned...

1. What does this organization look?  
2. What kind of work will be doing?  
3. What kind of results will we be seeing?  
4. What kind of lives will we be living?  
5. What challenges will have been overcome?  
6. What rewards will we receive?
7. What pains will have been healed? What problems solved?

Join the conversation: Leave a comment with any questions you have that help paint a better picture for the future.

The power of Hope

Our association has been piloting a new tutoring program with the Leander ISD these last two years.  I joined in last Fall with a local elementary school and have been spending 30 minutes a week with two first grade boys ever since.

I can explain the entire process in the following way: He reads a book to me.  I read a book to him.  We talk a bit about the books and any special projects he may have done recently.  Then we are done.  Repeat with the other boy.

We recently had our end of year assessment where the principal and reading specialist gave their report on the program and what suggestions they have to improve it next year.  Their only suggestion was "more tutors please"!

Honestly I was a bit surprised at how pleased they were.  Most weeks I don't feel like I am doing anything all that important.  I am not "teaching" anything per se, and I can't see vast improvement in the reading ability of either of my two guys.  And yet, these teaching professionals are extremely happy about one thing; and that is true across all three schools who are participating.

The one thing is Hope.  Confidence.  A belief that the future can be better than today.  They say that makes a huge difference in the outcome of a child, and it is the main thing they see in every child who goes through this program.  They begin to believe again that they just might be able to learn.

It is amazing to me that something like hope could be missing from a 7 year old.  If it is true for them, how much more so for those who have been living for 27 or 57 years?

Hope is a very powerful motivator for success.  And, it does not take much energy or intelligence to give someone else hope.  What it takes is intentional, consistent investment.  I can help build hope for the future when I show someone that they are worth my time and energy today.

How about you: How has hope played a role in your life and success?  Who was it that helped you believe that tomorrow could actually be better than today?

Three ways to know if Trust is eroding in your organization

I was reading a post from Michael Hyatt today, and it brought to mind Henry Cloud's assertion that Integrity begins by building trust. Not just the kind of trust that says "I don't lie", but a deeper trust in which other people know that I have their best interests at heart.

Here are 3 questions you can ask to evaluate the level of trust in your organization. These are adapted from a post I made a couple years ago about communication and trust.

1. Would you classify the people you work with as: Engaging, Defensive, or Deceptive? How would they classify you? When trust erodes we often become more and more defensive. In the worst cases we go on the offensive and intentionally practice deception, as a preemptive strike of sorts.
2. Do you often ask your boss questions about important decisions, both to gain clarity and to add insights or concerns? Do your direct reports ask similar questions of you? A lack of challenging questions is often indicative of a lack of trust.
3. Think of the last three significant problems your organization faced. Did you know about them before-hand, or did they seem to pop up out of nowhere? When we move from trust to doubt, people begin protecting their own positions rather than the organization. That means that they will stop speaking up about organizational issues and potential problems, especially if in their own department, for fear of being blamed for the issue.

The post from Hyatt that I listed above has some good ideas on how to rebuild trust if you find that it is eroding in your organization. The key is that someone has to start the process. That requires risk due to vulnerability.

Join the conversation! Leave a comment below if you have some other ways to evaluate the level of trust in your organization.

[Image from http://trextrying.tumblr.com/post/18790900701/t-rex-trying-to-do-a-trust-fall-trextrying]

Three ways that Need makes a horrible master

Need makes a horrible master. God knows this, which is why He tells us instead to be motivated by love. Needs are all of those things external to us, demanding our time, resources, and attention. Love is internal, changing the way that we see, feel, and act towards the world.

The tricky part is that in the beginning a need-based life and a love-based life may look exactly the same. The end result is often similar; a life that is outwardly focused on others. The difference is seen over time. Whereas a love-based life will continue to grow in service and generosity, a need-based life will eventually burn out, often into bitterness.

That is why God tells us to focus on Him and His righteousness instead of our needs.

Here are 3 reasons that need makes a horrible master:

1. They are endless. Whether you are trying to manage your own personal desires for food, clothing, shelter, and "getting my kids to be quiet for one minute" or you are looking at issues in the world like hunger, orphans, and child trafficking... you will never find the "end" of need.
2. They do not prioritize. Needs do not line up in front of you in a nice orderly way, taking turns as it were so that you can meet them one at a time. Instead they all scream at you at once, each demanding your attention and action... all the time. (Think of small children at dinner time.)
3. They are motivated by guilt or selfishness. Children make a good illustration here as well. When I am simply focused on the needs my children are screaming at me, my main motivation is either guilt over having left them alone for so long, or a self-centered desire for them to just stop screaming at me. It is often the same with things like homelessness or hungry children in Africa. It is not so much that I am motivated to care about them as I just want them to stop getting in my face, or I want to stop feeling bad that I don't... feel more about their issues.

My desire is not that we would be less concerned about the needs around us. Neither is it that we would use a man-made system of focus and action to begin attacking needs in a rational, logical way. It is, instead, that we would begin with a different motivation altogether.

I believe conversations that begin with, "There is so much need, what can we do?" are bound to lead to disillusioned, burned out need-meeters.

I want my conversation to begin, "In view of the great love that has been poured out upon us, what must we do?"

How about you; have you seen ways in which need can be a horrible master?

Everything and Nothing all at once

We are surrounded by important things. They all need us. They all call out to us, saying, "Pay attention to me, meet my need." And, if we are not careful we will actually try to answer them all. When everything is important, nothing truly is. We can easily find ourselves chasing everything and actually accomplishing nothing, all at the same time.

There is a good leadership principle that says, only one person should answer to "They". In our church this means that there is one leader who answers to They (a board of elders in our case). Every other person in the organization has a single direct report. We do this because we have seen how difficult it is for one person to simultaneously please multiple bosses.

God has the same organizational structure for our lives. Certainly there are many things demanding our attention... things like food to eat, clothes to wear, dreams to accomplish, fears to be avoided, emotional and relational needs to be met. All of these things can become tyrants in our life, demanding we work more hours to make more money, build a bigger network, get more awards, etc.

The problem is that none of us can answer to all of these demands. Inevitably one will get dropped, a few will be disappointed.

God's solution... Only one person should answer to the many. In Matthew 6 he tells us that He is that person for us. He offers to answer to the many on our behalf; to deal with the many bosses who seek to drive our life. He offers us a choice to simply seek Him, and His right way of living and thinking... and then He will take responsibility for all of our physical, financial, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs.

It is an amazing deal really, and at the same time it is one that I rarely take Him up on.

How about you, do you ever struggle trying to please multiple people/things at once? In what ways have you learned to "seek first" God and His righteousness?

Freedom and Responsibility

I recently did a quick read-through of the "Barefoot Church Primer". Granted the book is not meant to be consumed in this way, and yet it is still having a marked impact on my mind, on the way to impacting my heart.

I appreciate the rhythm of the book, allowing a time of rest each week, to remember what it is that drives us to seek mercy and justice (restoration) in this world. It reminds me of the internal tension I often deal with between freedom and responsibility.

These two realities exist in my life. I am free and belong to no man (power, influence, expectation). I am a slave to everyone, living not for my own needs, but for the needs of others.

The interesting thing is that if I fully embrace my freedom (where it comes from, what it truly means for me), then I gladly walk into my responsibility to serve the world.

If, however I begin with my responsibility, attempting to see and meet all of the needs around me; I do not always end up experiencing freedom. Instead I find myself in a place full of guilt, apathy, bitterness, or cynicism.

In John 13 we read these words about Christ, "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up..." and served, and died. See the progression. It begins in freedom; in resting in the truth of who he was, who it was that held him, and where he truly belonged... in that place he then got up and served those closest to him and then died for us all.

Paul echos this thought in 1 Corinthians 9 when he tells that community of believers that the freedom he finds in Christ creates in him a desire to follow the example of Christ, and serve all men.

What do you think it would do for your heart towards others if you truly understood just how free you are?

Free from worry over how others receive you.

Free from expectation over how effective and efficient your acts of service are.

Free from responsibility to figure out the how, either in the short term or the long term.

Free from the financial burden of meeting physical needs.

Free from the need to be perfect in discerning emotional needs.

What if you serve a God who is truly able to meet all of those needs and the thousands that you cannot even imagine today? What if, because you belong to Him, He is longing to actively work in and through you to meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in your community?

What about you... do you want to join Him? As you rest in the grace He has lavished upon you, is there a stirring in your heart to join Him in that work for others?