2 Critical Leadership Questions for Organizational and Personal Health

I love this leadership posture: “Be content, not satisfied.”

I can’t remember when I first heard it. It sounds like something John Maxwell would say. It’s certainly not a new idea. For many leaders, learning to balance dissatisfaction and contentment opens us to innovations while keeping us grateful and emotionally healthier (not completely healthy, but healthier).

This of it this way:

Contentment is personal, where satisfaction is professional.

When we confuse contentment and satisfaction, we damage our emotions and limit the mission.

Over my years of marketplace and ministry leadership, I’ve fought to remain content, but not satisfied. I believe every leader should fight for personal contentment and professional dissatisfaction.

In this NEW ARTICLE, I discuss these two terms and provide two critical leadership questions that you and your team should consider as you attempt to move forward together.

HOW CAN I HELP?

If you aren’t satisfied, I’d love to help. Coaching ministry and marketplace leaders through change, transition, and transformation is why I created Transformation Solutions. Go right now to mytransformationsolutions.com and sign up for a free, 30-minute conversation to decide if working together works for you.

6 Common Mistakes Speakers Make in the First 5 Minutes

If you’re a speaker, preacher, or communicator of any kind, it really doesn’t matter how great your content — if you can’t connect, you can’t communicate.

Sure, great content is essential. It needs to be true and helpful. But true and helpful isn’t enough, especially when you’re in front of a new crowd.

Our temptation is to assume people will listen because we are talking. You’re the one with the mic, right? That’s a flawed assumption. Anyone who has children knows that’s not true.

If we hope to engage people with our content, we must first establish a connection. The audience must buy into the messenger before they’ll accept the message.

So how can we connect? Or better yet, what should we avoid doing that creates a disconnection?

I see 6 common mistakes speakers make in the first 5 minutes.

You can read all about them in this NEW ARTICLE.

Why Getting People Back to Church is a Dangerous Goal

How many people are back at your church?

That seems like the predominate, post-COVID pastor question, doesn’t it?

We used to ask, “How many people attend each Sunday?” But not now. The question has changed. Neither question is a great question. Nevertheless, it’s the most frequently asked question.

Today, it seems how many people you previously had isn’t as relevant as how many of those have returned. Every pastor is concerned with attendance return.

In this post, I directly address this new post-COVID “returning” focus.

Here’s my big idea: Everyone’s focus seems to be “getting people back!” I’m not sure that’s the right goal, though. I’m afraid too much focus on “getting our people back” to church will permanently shift our plans, leadership, hiring, and budgets in the wrong direction.

Here’s why: The more focused we place on keeping people, the less energy we spend on reaching people.

A focus on re-attracting those who aren’t returning turns us into a “keeping-focused” church. Here’s what I’ve learned in my decades of church leadership:

You can focus on reaching people or keeping people, but not both.

Here are 5 strategies to keep a reaching heart in a keeping-focused season of church leadership:

1. Don’t “think” like a church planter; ACT as a church planter.
2. Resist the urge to adjust ministry offerings for the vocal and absent minority.
3. Admit that some people will never return, no matter what you do.
4. Start over by focusing on what the unchurched and dechurched in your community need.
5. Thinks steps, not programs.

You can read all the details in the full article.

I hope this helps us all retain the correct focus in this post-pandemic church experience.

If I can help, let me know.

6 Secrets to End Well so You Can Start Strong

My last Sunday at Woodstock City Church is August 1.

It’s a new beginning, but like all new beginnings, it comes with an ending.

The band Semisonic had it right: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.”

In this NEW ARTICLE, I discuss the reality of endings in light of new beginnings.

This is important for any and every version of change. Change introduces something new, which means it may end something old. When we don’t end well, we struggle to start strong.

Rather than resist change or new beginnings, we need to learn better strategies for endings.

With that in mind, here are 6 Strategies to End Well so You Can Start Strong.

Also, being as I’m living through this right now, I added some personal reflection on how I am trying to end well so I can start strong on August 2.

3 Statements to Better Handle Unsolicited Advice

Does everyone seem to be a critic in your church?

I mean, how often do you hear, “Can I give you a little suggestion?”

I get it. I critique everything we do, as well. When you are a part of something, you want it to be great. When you serve and give to a church, you want your time and resources to be leveraged in the best way possible. Unfortunately, “great” is quite subjective.

I’m sure everyone means well. But hearing this week in and week out doesn’t do my heart well.

I use to respond with a simple “Thanks for your feedback. We’re working on that…” Sometimes that was true. Sometimes that was just an acceptable response. Sometimes that was a way more acceptable response that I wanted to give! Either way, it typically ended the conversation.

I’ve discovered a new and better approach. And it seems to be working.

In this NEW ARTICLE, I outline the three statements that me and the unsolicited advisor move forward together.

It will take you less than 5 minutes to read this in full.

4 Steps for Dealing with Disgruntled Attendees

I’ve been in ministry for quite a while. Church people can be amazingly supportive and encouraging. They can also be frustrating.

Over my 15 years of ministry leadership, I’ve experienced my fair share of disgruntled church people, but the pandemic brought “disgruntledness” to a new level.

So what should we do when the vocal disgruntled feels like the vast majority?

In this NEW ARTICLE, I outline four steps to deal with the vocal minority of disgruntled attenders.

You may especially appreciate the fourth step: Just let them leave!

Let me know what else you’ve done to best deal with those loud and proud detractors in your church or organization.

And as always, I’m here to help. That’s why I created Transformation Solutions.

The Importance of Transition Leadership During Change Management

Change and transition are not the same.

Change is the new set of circumstances or the new situation we desire. Change represents the end result of a successful organizational effort. Examples include creating a new department, changing the organizational structure, moving to a new location, or launching a new product or offering. All of these are significant changes.

Transition, on the other hand, is the set of people-oriented experiences that precede change. If change is about new circumstances, transition is the emotional, psychological, and spiritual adjustments people go through as change is implemented. Change needs to be managed, where transitions need to be led. 

Understanding the difference makes all the difference.

Planning for Organizational Change: Most leaders are relatively adept at planning for change. At the highest level, a change management plan starts with the desired outcome. It then works backward, step by step, to create the necessary preconditions for that outcome. These preconditions are primarily situational and circumstantial. 

Planning for Emotional Transition: Most leaders stop at the change management plan. We know where we currently are (Sunday School), we know where we want to be (small groups), and we have a plan to get there (change management plan). But most likely, without a transition plan, this change would be only partially successful with a wake of bodies behind us. Unlike change management, transition leadership starts with where people are and works forward, step by step, through the process of leaving the past behind, getting through the confusion of change, and emerging with new attitudes, behaviors, and identities. If change is the new circumstance (small groups), transition is the psychological process to get people there. This is incredibly important to understand, as every change ultimately involves and is initiated, experienced, and adopted by people.

Conclusion: Most of us are good at identifying what needs to change. And we’re relatively proficient at developing change management plans. But what separates those who desire change versus those who can lead to change is the ability to see and integrate transition plans. Get this right, and you’ll not only achieve the desired change, but you’ll bring the support of most people along with you.

How can I help?

Helping ministry and marketplace leaders through change, transition, and transformation is why I created Transformation Solutions. Go right now to mytransformationsolutions.com and sign up for a free, 30-minute conversation to decide if working together works for you.

6 Strategies to Preach Your Best Sermon

This might be the most important preaching principle I’ve learned.

Before I tell you the lesson, though, let me walk you through my process of discovery:

When I first began preaching, I took an entire manuscript on stage. It was a pastoral security blanket – except not pink and fuzzy. I tried not to read it directly, and in most cases, I was successful. But in my mind, it was good to know it was there… just in case I needed to snuggle.

Unfortunately, as I watched my messages the next day (it’s awkward, but you should do this if you don’t already!), I felt my preaching was lacking an important ingredient – CONNECTION. I was communicating all the content. I didn’t miss any stories, illustrations, points, or verses. But as I watched myself, I realized something significant:

Great content without great connection is poor communication.

And that was my problem. I communicated clear content without any relational connection, and it wasn’t working.

As I diagnosed my lack of connection, the problem became apparent: I was more focused on WHAT I was saying than WHO was listening.

In this NEW POST, I outline six strategies to help your next sermon be your best sermon.

If you’ve got 10 minutes, I think these strategies could make a huge difference.

One more thing: If you’d like some help with preaching, content development, content structure, or presentation, let me know. That’s part of what I’m doing for lots of great pastors and preachers right now.

Funding Ministry: The Four Types of Givers in Your Church

Ministry takes money.

Which means raising money (AKA inspiring generosity) is part of the job.

For many in ministry leadership, fundraising is a constant pressure. Fundraising can be frustrating. It’s easy to feel discouraged by this aspect of the job, but I’d like to suggest an alternative to that negative emotion.

In this NEW ARTICLE, I discuss a strategic pathway to move people from tipping to generous giving.

This isn’t just a solution to fund your ministry. It’s an opportunity to create disciples.

How can I help?

Helping ministry and marketplace leaders through change, transition, and transformation is why I created Transformation Solutions. Go right now to mytransformationsolutions.com and sign up for a free, 30-minute conversation to decide if working together works for you.

The Five Steps of Effective Delegation

If you’ve been following this delegation conversation, you’ll remember that every effective delegation must come with specific responsibility and authority. That’s why the Levels of Delegation are critical to delegation success.

With that in mind, it’s worth considering the best steps for an effective delegation.

Here are five steps you as a leader need to take when delegating any task or project:

1. Decide on the right person: This might go without saying, but to be sure: Not everyone is capable of every task. I’d hate for someone to delegate accounting to me. Previous bosses never did that, so I’m assuming they recognized my other abilities.

When you prepare to give away a job or task, consider what will be required and ensure the person you select has the innate skill and margin for success.

2. Specify the desired results: Read (or reread) the Levels of Delegation post. Defining the level defines the desired result.

3. Develop a timeline: This is an often missed step. The person on the other side of your delegation needs clarity on task and time. By time, I don’t mean, “this is important.” That’s not specific. Delegate with deadlines. If the job is multifaceted, define the timelines for each segment of the work.

“Develop” doesn’t mean dictate, though. Developing a timeline means you, as the leader, involve the person on the other side of the delegation input on the timeline. It’s unfair to expect someone to meet a deadline when they aren’t allowed input on the timeline.

4. Define the individual’s or team’s authority: Authority is critical to success. Please never give away a task or project without the necessary authority to finish the job. And don’t assume authority is assumed. Be clear that you are giving them the power needed for the delegated responsibility, especially in Level 3 or Level 4 delegations.

5. Remain available: No matter what the level of delegation, you should remain available to support the task or project. Don’t abdicate when you delegate. Remain engaged to help. That’s not micromanaging — that’s good leadership.

I know what some of you are feeling: This will be more frustrating than just doing it myself. Maybe. But what I do know is a lack of delegation brings much worse results than frustration.

Remember, the goal of successful delegation is neither to micromanage everything nor to abdicate your role completely, but to create personal margin, develop other leaders, and increase overall capacity and output.