Ensuring the Success of the Organization

Wow, Save the World? This is Deep Blue Hero Stuff. Sure, I’m In!

And while I know Saving Mankind from Certain Doom is Why We’re all Doing This, If it Helps Me Meet that One Lady Over There … Gravy!!

Digging Deeper

In the movie, Armageddon, a planet-killing meteor is just 18 days away from hitting the Earth. NASA enlists the help of Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), an expert deep core driller, to train their astronauts and help them drill into the asteroid and plant a nuclear bomb. But Harry figures the astronauts can't be trained in time and opts to go with his own oil drilling crew. NASA realizes it must trust Stamper and his crew, and so, reluctantly, delegates the job of saving the planet to a bunch of crime-skirting, push the envelope “roughnecks” who are the best in the world at what they do. At the end of the day, the government must put aside politics in order to save the world.

In Exodus Chapter 18, we find a classic case of the need to delegate authority, and the barriers (from Moses’ perspective) to making this process work. To set the stage, it had been less than three months since the Israelites left Egypt. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, met Moses at Mt. Sinai, where he brought his daughter Zaphora and the children to be reunited with Moses (vs. 8-12). In the course of their reunion, Jethro observed that Moses was wearing himself out because he refused to delegate the task of judging the disputes of the people. It didn’t take Jethro long to see that this was a recipe for disaster. He counseled Moses, saying (vs. 19-22):

"You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you."

In each instance, Jethro was telling Moses that he had to give up control over the micro details. In return, Moses would gain a better grasp of the overall picture of where the people were going. What did Moses risk by giving up control over the minor details? He risked that others would rise to prominence and he would diminish in status; that he would lose control, that the job of judging wouldn’t be done right, and so forth. What Moses stood to gain is contained in verse 23:

"If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace."

The key words are “and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
Moses did as his father-in-law recommended. Additionally, as we will see in a future newsletter, Moses trained up Joshua to take his place as the leader of the people. In all situations, Moses considered his alternative courses of action, and consistently chose the one which would benefit his people. Moses’ focus was on taking the Israelites to the Promised Land, not in building a personal following which was dependent upon his own personal charisma.

Here, we discern this hallmark of a Godly leader:

He shares authority through delegation in order to ensure the success of the organization, placing others’ needs above his own ambitions

Reader's Note: This is the fifth in a series of newsletters examining the life of Moses and God's teaching him about principles in leadership. If you've missed the previous four, here are the links:

1. Conversations - Star Trek Generations
2. Conversations - Prince of Egypt
3. Conversations - It's a Wonderful Life
4. Conversations - Spartacus

Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill – Part I

Have you ever seen the need to get something done? Maybe it involved using new technology. In your mind, it was a simple process – you simply needed to do steps A, B, C and D and, with a snap of your fingers, you would have it done!

That’s when you realize it will never happen. Why? Because of all those darned committees and all the people who will say: “No, you can’t do that because ….”

We’ve all run into this. Perhaps you’ve experienced a situation where a visionary leader might say something like: “God has given me a vision to do X. Come on, let’s do it,” but then turn the project over to someone else and move on to the “next big vision.” In a church, it might be a lay leader or staff person to whom the vision’s implementation is delegated. But, while that “go to” person might have organizational responsibility to make the project happen, he may lack the authority to seek and retain active participation by other staff/key volunteers. Thus, without the active, engaged support of the senior pastor, the project will die – either because it is never really born, or because it will be born with “special needs” and be a source of frustration and criticism once it is half-heartedly launched.

What can we do to increase the likelihood that the project will be born with a vibrant, healthy start – and grow into the vehicle for ministry we believe God wants it to become? I believe there are four key attributes that are required if we are to take a vision and “go to the other side of the hill.” These steps are:

1. The visionary leader needs to be able to see the big picture. He needs to be able to see "the other side of the hill."

2. The visionary leader must be able to explain to his followers the steps needed to get from this side of the hill to the other side of the hill.

3. The visionary leader needs to be able to help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.

4. The visionary leader needs to find a way to create a vehicle that we can climb on to so we can go to "the other side of the hill."

Today, I’d like to begin this four-part article by examining the first step.

The Internet and Seeing the Other Side of the Hill

I love the movie, Braveheart, for its richness in applied leadership principles. For William Wallace, the “Other Side of the Hill” is the place where the Scottish people have gained their freedom and where they have a country of their own. Now, having freedom and “a country of our own” is an example of an intangible goal. We know it when we see it, but it’s hard to describe what the end product will look like. In the same way, using the Internet to do ministry presents us with an intangible goal.

Back when the Internet was new, churches began to ask: “How can we use it?” One idea was to move from having church newsletters/communications pieces that could be delivered electronically, rather than via the mail. Conceptually, this vision might consist of the following items:

1. Allow members to sign up to receive information/flyers on specific ministries in which they are interested.
2. Allow outreach committees to notice when non-members participate in church ministries (i.e., youth sports, church day care, church school, etc.) and reach out to include them in other aspect of church life.
3. Provide a communications tool, especially in large churches with multiple services where it is difficult for everyone to get to know each other.

A visionary leader might be able to see clearly what the “other side of the hill” looks like – in this case, an interactive web/communications platform. One challenge the visionary leader might face is that he doesn’t have the skills to accomplish the details – and must recruit someone who does have those skills. At this point, it is both natural and desirable to delegate this to another person, or group of people. A trap into which any organization can easily fall, however, is to simply “hire someone” (either a staff person or an outside vendor) and say to them: “This is what we need, now go do it.” In the mean time, the visionary leader moves on to the “next” project, with the mistaken belief that the project that just got delegated will happen.

Here’s the problem: If the individual tasked with the responsibility of making the vision happen does not receive the support of the visionary leader, he will lack the authority to carry out his responsibility. The more people with whom he must interact - especially if it is a large scale vision - the more critical it is that the visionary leader be engaged. Taking our example of implementing web based communications, various ministry leaders will need to be involved. Here are some potential things they may be asked to do – and some possible objections that might be raised to justify their reluctance to participate fully:

Things that Might be Needed

1. Provide content for the web based communications pieces in electronic format.
2. Deliver content on a regularly scheduled basis so that we can produce communications pieces that reflect all the ministries in our church.
3. What are the goals of the ministry – how can we do a better job of communicating what we are doing to reach more people for Christ.
4. Consolidate email lists of people who utilize various ministry opportunities in our church.

Objections that Might be Raised

1. I don’t like to type. I write everything in pencil.
2. I don’t have time to write what you need on your schedule and get it to you by a certain date. I haven’t had to do that in the past- and I don’t have time now.
3. Nobody’s ever written out a “mission statement” for my ministry area. What if I don’t like what they come up with – or can’t do what is being asked?
4. I’ve worked hard to build my list of volunteers/people who participate in the ministry I run. I don’t want others to “steal” my volunteers.

Hopefully, you’ll never run into these types of barriers to cooperation. Never-the-less, such barriers do exist. In many church/volunteer intensive organizations, the person tasked with responsibility for implementing the vision does not have the authority to make it happen. Therefore, without the engaged encouragement of the visionary leader, the project will likely fail to “launch” – or to “launch” half-heartedly.

That’s why it’s not enough for the visionary leader to “see the other side of the hill.” He also needs to address the second of four principles if the journey will prove successful. The visionary leader must:

2. Explain the steps needed to get from this side of the hill to the other side of the hill.

This will be the subject of Part II of this article.

Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill – Part II

In Part I of “Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill” we laid out four keys to guide a project from inception to conclusion. Using the metaphor of “going to the other side of the hill” and talking in the context of launching a web based communications platform, we said that a leader should:

1. Be able to see the big picture.
2. Explain to his followers the steps needed to get to the other side of the hill.
3. Help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.
4. Create a vehicle that we can climb onto and go to "the other side of the hill."

Today, let’s talk about the second of these four steps.

Explaining the Steps Needed to Get to The Other Side of the Hill

In the movie, Braveheart, there’s a scene where William Wallace and his men are discussing the challenge of facing the British Cavalry. They know their history, and realize that in 200 years of military conflict, no army that lacked its own cavalry had been able to withstand the charge of an opposing army that was equipped with lance and armor. Then, as Wallace looks up at the trees that surround him, he begins to lay out the steps they will take to fashion long fixed pikes that will absorb the charge of the armored British horsemen. Having made their preparations, Wallace and his men show up with their pikes, and win the battle. Immediately after that, Wallace walks into a meeting of the Scottish nobles and announces his plan to invade England.

William Wallace wasn’t just a man with a vision. He knew what steps would be needed to carry out the plan, and in what order to take them. He wasn’t just “making it up as he went along.” He had it all thought out, based on the goals of “freedom” and “a country of our own” that he had previously articulated.

And, he was able to explain those steps to the people around him.

A trap into which visionary leaders can fall is to share their vision with key people that are close to them – people who will likely respond by saying “that’s a great idea,” but then go no further. To create large scale change, it is very important that one not only communicate the vision to as many people as possible – it’s important to anticipate objections and explain how they will be addressed. To do this, we must be able to anticipate and describe the steps needed to get from point A to point Z.

According to a researcher by the name of David Gleicher, we can visualize the resistance to change by creating a pseudo math formula, like this:


Change Occurs When: D x V + FS > R

In this formula for change, D (dissatisfaction) times V (vision) plus FS (first steps) must be greater than R (resistance) to change. Otherwise, the project will fail. Consider the objections we encountered in Part I of this article series. The more we want to do something new that requires people to modify the current “way we do things around here,” the greater the resistance to change we will encounter.

Let me share an example of what we are talking about. Let’s say you wish to survey the congregation about whether or not they are in favor of doing X. You know that for them to provide an intelligent response, they will need more information than can easily be provided in a typical paper survey. So, you decide to administer the survey via your church web page. People can click on a link you supply, and then go to complete the survey.

In completing the survey, they may come to a section that may require some additional explanation. So, you provide a link they can click for “more information.” When they click on it, a “You Tube” style video plays, showing the Senior Pastor providing a brief explanation of the issue being addressed in the survey question. At this point, you might hear an objection: “Some people won’t have internet access to take advantage of this. We’ll need to have print material to do this for those people, and we just don’t have\ the time/funds available.”

Now, this is a valid issue to raise. Yes, there will be some who won’t have Internet access. More likely, however, the real issue is there will be those who are not used to using the Internet in this way. Therefore, the assumption is they won’t use the Internet in this way, and so the conclusion follows: Don’t use the Internet in this way! Whether it is this specific example, or something similar, one can anticipate similar types of resistance.

Another potential source of resistance might be the fact that those being asked to help make the change a reality will also feel pressure to update/expand their existing skill sets. And, to do that, they may find it necessary to reach out to new, possibly younger volunteers who DO have those skill sets.

Ouch! Can’t you hear someone say: “Get to know new people instead of hang out with those I already know! Which ministry do you think I’m part of – the ‘Outreach Ministry’?” 

To reduce the resistance to change, having a well thought out time table of when different things need to happen is critical. Start with the “drop dead date” for implementation and work backwards to today. This will help you see what needs to be done, and in what order. This will come in handy when explaining to people the process needed to get to “the other side of the hill,” and help reduce potential resistance to the idea. Then, if we are going to involve new people in making change happen – or if we are going to get “old dogs” to become willing to learn “new tricks,” then, we’d best be ready to execute the third step in the visioning process:

3. Help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.

We’ll examine this topic in the next article.

Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill – Part III

In Part I of “Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill,” we laid out four keys to guide a project from inception to conclusion. Using the metaphor of “going to the other side of the hill” and talking in the context of launching a web based communications platform, we’ve addressed the first two steps a leader must follow – be able to see the big picture, and in Part II, explain to their followers the steps needed to get to the other side of the hill. Today, we address the third key in this process:

3. Help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.

Throughout the movie, Braveheart, Wallace helps people see how their contribution to the effort makes a difference. There comes a scene in the movie where Wallace realizes that unless they can get the help of the nobles, their cause is doomed. Against the advice of his closest friends, he leaves to have a meeting with one of the most important nobles, a man by the name of “Robert the Bruce”. In that meeting, Wallace explains why The Bruce’s role is so important – The Bruce is the one man who can “unite the clans.” This is why what he decides to do is key to making the vision of a free Scotland a reality.

What’s My Role in Going to the Other Side of the Hill?

With regard to instituting a web based communications platform, there are four types of people with whom the visionary leader will need to speak:

1. Those who are “on board” and just need to be encouraged so they can see more clearly why what they do is so important.

2. Those who are part of our leadership team, but resist coming “on board,” perhaps for some of the reasons we identified earlier.

3. Those who can contribute their skills to the project but need to be persuaded to come “on board” and make it happen.

4. Those who are on the fringes – they may be people who will eventually be served by the web based ministry, or they may be people who can help financially, but will not be closely involved in its creation.

Note that each group or type of person requires a different conversation – we are meeting them at different places as it relates to their involvement with the project. To the extent these conversations don’t take place, and the contribution that each can make clearly articulated, resistance to change will remain.

In many churches, this resistance is passive, rather than active. Imagine attending a meeting where someone suggests moving from a single monthly printed newsletter to multiple monthly emailed newsletters. For example, the Youth Ministry might have their own e-newsletter, the Sports Ministry their own e-newsletter, the Church School their own e-newsletter, etc. The key is to allow different groups to communicate with those who use their ministry – all online, and all linked together.

Some churches might organize staff and key volunteers after such a meeting, taking that suggestion and making it happen. However, there are a number of churches where everyone involved might say “great idea,” but never act on it.

Why is that? Why is it that many churches seem stuck in neutral, unable to go beyond a simple, static web page and leverage group email for permission based communications about the ministries and life of their church, or other key uses of a web communications platform? It’s not because they don’t see the value such an online service provides. Often, I believe, it is because they have not understood clearly that until key stakeholders are mobilized to help them see why their help is needed in this third step, they can’t move forward.

The visionary leader must understand that if he is to mobilize key stakeholders, his grand ideas need to become more than just that – grand ideas. They need to be made into a vehicle that others can understand, appreciate and can “climb aboard”. In the fourth and final article, we’ll address this fourth step in the visioning process:

4. Create a vehicle that we can climb on to so we can go to "the other side of the hill."

In our fourth and final article, we’ll address this issue.

Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill – Part IV

Years ago, I was working with a client to launch a new website. The process seemed to drag on and on – my client just couldn’t seem to organize themselves to both launch, and more importantly, maintain and update the website. At the time, a friend commented to me: “I don’t see what the problem is. I could launch a website in twenty minutest.” In truth, I could too – but that would not have solved my client’s problem. Until they organized people to take advantage of processes, simply “launching” a website would do little to address their actual communications needs.

In a way, this series of articles was conceived by the events surrounding that client’s experiences. Before proceeding to the fourth and final principle, let’s recap the first three principles we’ve covered earlier.

1. The visionary leader needs to be able to see the big picture. He needs to be able to see "the other side of the hill."

2. The visionary leader must be able to explain to his followers the steps needed to get from this side of the hill to the other side of the hill.

3. The visionary leader needs to be able to help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.

Having accomplished these three tasks, the fourth and final step in going to “the other side of the hill” is the following:

4. Create a vehicle that we can climb on to so we can go to "the other side of the hill."

Building A Bandwagon People Can Board to Go to the Other Side of the Hill

In John, Chapter 3, a man by the name of Nicodemus comes secretly to Christ during the night. He wants Christ to explain “the other side of the hill” which is Eternal Life. Christ explains what is needed to get to the “other side of the hill.” Somewhere along the way, Christ made an impact on Nicodemus, because he became a follower, accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and was there at the end to help bury Jesus following the Crucifixion. While I’m no expert on the life of Nicodemus, I suspect that he went on to play an important role in helping to found the early church.

What was the vehicle Christ created to help Nicodemus “see” how to get to the “other side of the hill”? It was this concept of being “born again.”

For us, the vehicle that helps us get a web based ministry – or any other project – will not be nearly as profound as the mental image Christ created for Nicodemus, and for all Christians. It may be a ten page plan that has been laid out, describing what we need to do. It may be an article/series of articles printed in the church newsletter, or on the pastor’s BLOG site. But, whatever form it takes, it can’t simply remain in the visionary leader’s head. It needs to be committed to paper – and communicated to those who will help make it happen. It needs to be able to “breathe” to allow for feedback, and be adapted to constructive criticism along the way that makes it better. And finally, the communications vehicle needs to be disseminated to those in the congregation who will be impacted – either in small ways, or in large ways.

Proverbs 15:2 says, in part: “The Wise Man Makes Knowledge Acceptable.” Most likely, in such a case as a web communications platform, some sort of written planning document will need to be produced. Then, after following the four steps I’ve outlined in this article series, people will be able to climb on board. But whatever shape the vehicle takes, it must make the vision acceptable to those who will make it happen and to those who will be benefited by it.

Then, all that remains is to gas it up with that specific vision, and go make it happen.

P.S. Do you want to get started, but have some practical questions about things to think about regarding a church website that communicates to the people you wish to reach? Then take a moment and check out this article titled “70 + Tips For Effective Church Sites” from the fine folks at Internet Evangelism Day. I didn’t write the article – but I highly recommend it!

Launching a BLOG

One way to communicate with people all over the world is to use a BLOG. This is short hand for “Biographical Log.” Yes, there are many – what I’ll call “cheesy” – BLOGs out there. But, there are also a lot of good ones that provide valuable information. Whether you simply want to communicate with family & friends, provide an outlet to let the world know what you’re thinking about, or communicate with a community of people with whom you need to stay in contact with on a consistent basis, a BLOG can be very useful.

The problem many people face who wish to use this powerful tool is a very simple one: How do I get started?

Today, I thought I’d write an article that helps take some of the mystery out of the process. I've saved it in a PDF file that you can save to your computer, print, or turn into a paper airplane when you're all done (I hope we haven't lost the art of creating those in this Techno-Savy world in which we live!)

To access my article, simply go to Launching Your Blog Thanks - let me know what you think!