You Be the Change You Want to See - 6

                                               You Be the Change You Want to See - 6

Subject:  Leading The Change in Your Family, Church, or Business

By Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (NIV)
⁶  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
⁷  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
⁸  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
⁹  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
¹⁰  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 

Eleanor Doan – You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own.

--Major League Baseball umpire Doug Harvey had a job description that guided his actions on the baseball field. 

Harvey:  In refereeing, as it is with umpiring, stature is everything. You have to have presence on the court.  You have to make the coaches and players respect you. You do it by getting the calls right and knowing the rules. You also get it by allowing the coaches to have a say without letting them be disrespectful. Your job is to control the game. 

--He understood the strike zone and ground rules of each park. He knew where he was supposed to be on the field for every type of play.  

--He understood one of the most interesting aspects of the game---earning respect by creative problem solving.

--So how important are job descriptions? Some people cannot function without one while others feel that it is a waste of time. For those of us who really want to lead, they are vital.  

--If people do not know what they are supposed to be doing, how will they know what to do?

--Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric for more than twenty years, has been recognized as one of the premier leaders and examples of great leadership…he did not just wing it as he went…he had a plan.

--In his book Jack Welch and the 4E’s of Leadership Jeffrey Krames identifies four characteristics that should be part of the great leader’s job description…of course I will add Rickanese to it!

1. Great leaders must have energy.

--There is no room for laziness in leadership.  Leaders set the tone of their organizations.  Few people will outwork their leader, that’s why it’s important that the leader exude energy.

Mark Twain:  And what is a man without energy?  Nothing—nothing at all!

--Lazy leaders create lazy organizations…show me a church that is content to do only what is expected and has done it for the last several years and I will show you a leader who is content with the status quo.

--A great antidote for lazy, low energy leadership is what is called the “Rebekah Principle”. In Gen. 24 Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Imagine that pressure!

--As you can imagine, the servant prayed very hard and when he arrived at his destination with his camels, baggage, and gifts he wanted God to show him the right woman.

Genesis 24:12-14 (NIV)
¹²  Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
¹³  See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
¹⁴  May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

--The servant was saying, he was looking for someone who would do what was required and then some! He wanted a person who would go above and beyond. How do you do your ministry?  Jesus:

Matthew 5:40-41 (NLT)
⁴⁰  If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
⁴¹  If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

--Here are a few practical tips for developing energy:

A. Get plenty of sleep…not a Starbucks Double Shot.

B. Think good thoughts…wake up with a thankful heart.

C. Get some exercise…walk or ride a bike…good time to pray.

D. Watch what you eat…that does not mean lusting over your food as it goes in your mouth.

E. Spend time with energetic people…concept of a biker drafting the person in front.

Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
¹⁸  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

2. Great leaders must be energizing.

--You can’t energize others if you don’t have energy.  You may need to go over point one again.

--Energizing leaders must transfer energy to those they lead.  Leaders are encouraging, optimistic, and visionary. They rally people for a cause, and people will follow. 

--Harvard Business Review says that energizers do five things:

A. They focus on possibilities, not problems.  This does not mean they ignore problems; they don’t.  They deal with them as they arise but never allow them to squelch their optimism. 

B. They help others feel engaged. Some people need help getting past being Eor! 

C. They learn from those around them. Energizers do not have all the answers…they gain wisdom from those they lead. Some people are energized just by having the opportunity to share input.

D. They are goal oriented but flexible. Goals are important but not more important than people.  Sometimes we lay aside our ministry to help someone who is hurting…actually that is our ministry.

E. They have integrity.  Energizing leaders realize that their words and actions must match up. 

Ketterling:  There’s only one word you can use to describe anyone without integrity—liar.  There are no shades of gray between truth and untruth. Leaders don’t have to tell everything they know, but what they say must be the truth. A lack of integrity will push you to the back row permanently or even out the door.

3. Great leaders must have an edge.

--Jack Welch (CEO of GE) says those with an edge are competitive individuals who never let a tough task get in their way. Leadership means that you will have to do things or confront things that are not easy or popular. 

--It is tough making decisions that are not easy…here are a few questions to ask yourself when faced with tough decisions.

A. Will I soon regret not making this decision? If your low fuel light comes on, will you regret not stopping and getting fuel. Stop putting it off and act.

B. Why am I reluctant to make this decision?  Do you lack information or fear the consequences? Is someone’s future in the balance? Putting it off will not make things better.

C. What is the worst thing that can happen?  If you can deal with the worst possible scenario, you can make the decision with confidence. 

--Having an edge doesn’t mean running over people or being an antagonist. It means being decisive and action oriented. It means knowing what you will do and then doing it. Ask God for wisdom!

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
⁵  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
⁶  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
⁷  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
⁸  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

4. Great leaders must execute their plan.

--People can be extremely active but not productive.  Many people use their busyness as an excuse and as a cover for their lack of getting anything done.

--The truth is in the measureable results. Are you achieving your goals? Is the business or organization that you are leading in better shape that it was a month or a year ago? Have you made a difference?

--Leaders who fail in carrying out a plan and those fail at making the organization better are really not leading at all. Leadership implies action and forward movement. 

--Caution here:  Organizations…homes, businesses, and churches all have seasons and all have times of challenge but after a period of time there should be some measureable growth. 

--The Apostle Paul was in Athens became perturbed by what he saw. He noticed there were many gods who were worshiped there.

--Many of us would have complained to the team traveling with us but in no way would have confronted the situation. Paul did…that is what leadership does.  I am sure what he did was not politically correct.

Acts 17:22-27 (NIV)
²²  Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
²³  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
²⁴  "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
²⁵  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
²⁶  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
²⁷  God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 

--His plan was to preach the gospel and let the chips fall where they would…God, give us courage to lead and stand up for what is right. What was the result?

Acts 17:34 (NIV)
³⁴  A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.