Leadership Is Surviving Burnout #239
Leaders are burning out. Pastors, Elders, Leaders in Church and Business are crumbling under the weight of each succeeding wave. Leaders in the secular and Ministry world share increasing pressure and are caving in at an alarming rate. We look to consultants to fine-tune our skills, teach us new coping mechanisms and give us the rules and techniques to lead. Yet, our world is changing faster than we have time to write the rules.
We have seen and felt the burnout symptoms: irritability, restlessness, compulsive overworking, emotional numbness, frustration with people, feeling exhausted, the joy has disappeared. The fun is gone. No Attachment; the Vision has disappeared. We easily snap, lose our cool with friends, family or people in the church. We question our Calling and see slippage in our spiritual habits.
Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.” (Exodus 18:17-22 NIV)
Our solution is not following the national papers, the periodicals or the multitude of email quotes and forwards that we all receive. The solution is to look to biblical leaders, learn from their successes and challenges, and then pray the Lord will fill our hearts with love, caring and dedication to serve on the job each and every day.
Leadership is … partnering, sharing and leading passionately, with your heart focused on God.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com
Leadership Is Leading In The Valley #235
“Leaders must themselves know the valley and how to deal with it. But the time will come when they must lead people, and even entire organizations, through the valley experience. Some leaders will inherit difficult circumstances and lead almost constantly through valleys. Nearly all leaders will have to do so at some point in their careers. These tools seem especially important for leaders whose people must traverse the valley.” (Shepherd Leadership by Blaine McCormick and David Davenport)
Leadership isn’t always fun. We often walk the valley noting the shadows of hurt, depression and issues of caring for those who follow. The pressure seems unending. As you walk these days, remember, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23 NIV)
Nehemiah, Moses and Paul all experienced the valley. David, as a shepherd, set the example and we, leaders of today and tomorrow, need to rely on God’s word and lead others as He is leading us.
Leadership is … following our Heavenly Father so others will follow us as we lead through the valley.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com
Leadership Is Defining your Mission
Your Vision statement defines where God wants you to be at an undetermined time in the future. Your Mission statement, shows the process you are using to accomplish the Vision. Think of it as the difference between a goal (the Vision) and the road map (the Mission). The Vision is the ‘what we are here to do’. The Mission is the ‘how we are going to do it’. We need both.
Nehemiah’s Vision could have been to bring revival to his people. Hence, his Mission statement could have been to teach and mobilize his people while building the wall.
Noah, could have had a Vision statement to change the world. Then, his Mission statement could have been to build the Arc saving his family and animals.
Joseph’s Vision statement could have been to save the people from famine. However, his Mission statement was to serve his Master by organizing and leading his kingdom.
God gave Moses a Vision of the Promised Land. Hence, his mission was to lead his people out of Egypt and into their future.
God has a Vision for us, “The Lord … is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NIV) Therefore, our Mission statement, given by God to us could be “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Go ye into all the world, teach and baptize.” (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
The Vision and Mission work together providing a ‘North Star’ to guide and an ‘anchor’ to keep us focused. I read somewhere that getting a satellite into orbit requires hundreds of minor mid-flight course corrections to achieve the target. Once your Ministry has these prayerful foundation statements, it just takes minor changes to accomplish what God has in mind.
Leadership is … knowing that God has directed us to lead our world to him, we are challenged to grow our Ministries in both quality and quantity of believers.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com
Leadership Is Leading and Following
The story is told about a Jewelry Store Owner and a Factory Worker. Every morning the Factory Worker would stop, wind and set his watch by the old Grandfather clock in the Jeweler’s window.
One day the shop owner asked the Factory Worker what he did. The Worker finished setting his watch and said he was the official Timekeeper who blew the noon whistle to let the Factory employees and townspeople know it was lunch and quitting time. He came by the Jewelry store each morning to set his watch, by the grandfather clock, to be sure he blew the whistle on time.
The Jeweler hesitated then said, “That’s remarkable, I’ve been setting my Grandfather clock by your noon whistle for years.”
Are you leading or following?
This old story indicates a common situation. Two people are following each other, both believing the other is a competent leader.
The tragedy of this story, involves not only the two men, but the hundreds of others who follow them. Unknowingly, these followers were leaders. They were leading a great number of people. Each assumed a higher standard existed somewhere and their lives were being shaped unknowingly.
As a leader, or follower, look carefully. Who or what are you following? Who is following you? What influence are you having on others? Each individual, student, elected official, employer or employee is both leading and following.
If you are not satisfied with your progress on the job, you may be following the wrong leader. Consider who or what you are following and take steps to change
Your life may feel like a giant jigsaw puzzle, don’t let just anyone fit your pieces together.
Leadership is like Moses. He followed God and the people followed him.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com
Leadership Is A Healthy Church
Is your church healthy, average, mediocre or dying?
Moses, like many leaders had challenges keeping up with his work load. With some advice from his Father-in-Law Jethro, (Exodus 18:17-18) he was able to make the changes necessary and grow in his leadership.
There are an estimated 30,000 churches in Canada. A full 30% of these, based on self-evaluations, consider themselves to be unhealthy. That’s 20,000 that need changes in their spiritual and organizational health. These nine points will help our churches and mission organizations move another step towards health.
- A clear Vision, Mission and Values that are understood and lived throughout the organization.
- The Organization is known and their presence felt in their community. The message is lived. Your neighbors know there is something refreshingly different about you and your people.
- Healthy leaders who are respected people of integrity, Bible focused, friendly and realize their role as Servant Leaders.
- A Healthy church and mission never become that way by accident. It takes prayer, team work, strategy and action.
- Optimistic about the future. Your people, supporters and followers are excited about progress, talking about the future and referencing the past only as foundation.
- Active small Bible based groups. These are focused on learning scripture and building relationships with seniors, Young Adults, parents with kids, or my preference, multigenerational and multicultural groups that share, learn and pray together.
- Time with your leaders needs to feel like family and friends
- Healthy churches focus on the community outside the church building
- Positive growing staff and volunteers who pray, work and learn together.
Leadership is, watching God make difference in you, your church, community, country and world.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com
Leadership is learning from those who have gone before.
Moses, put his life at risk for his people. The people had sinned yet Moses spoke to the Lord on their behalf, “this people have sinned a great sin, and have made for them gods of gold. Yet now if Thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me I pray Thee out of Thy book” (Exodus 32:31-32). God heard and responded. Moses, as a Servant Leader put his followers’ needs ahead of his own.
Brother Lawrence, writing in 1666 and quoted in Devotional Classics, referred to himself as “a servant of the servants of God”, while learning to live a life in God’s presence. He confirmed, “I have no will except that of God’s.” The ultimate goal of any servant is to literally have no personal will other than being committed to serving the master. Brother Lawrence rejected any and all personal desire in exchange for his life goal of serving his one and only true God.
Larry Spears, in his book, Reflections on Leadership, suggests Servant Leaders need to “get on our hands and knees and be prepared to do what we ask others to do.” Imagine the difference in our corporate and spiritual world if the graduates of every Bible College, Seminary or Business school believed in getting on our hands and knees and doing what we ask others to do?
Would you put your career on the line for your people? Are you willing to be led by God? Could you live with absolutely no personal will, with everything dedicated to God? Do you have a sense of being led by an unseen hand? Are you willing and prepared to do what you ask others to do? The test of a Servant is how we react when we are treated like one.
Leadership is learning to serve.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Leadership Is... 