Do you ever feel like you’re working hard to provide solutions…to the wrong problem? Are you exhausting your energy to make small gains relative to small problems, while the bigger problem is the 800 pound gorilla that no one is acknowledging in the room?

As church leaders we spend so much time trying to figure out how to get more. How to get more volunteers. How to get more people to come to church. How to get more people to give financially. So often we’ve defined the problem incorrectly.

We don’t need more volunteers, but we may need to ask ourselves how can we help people recognize their potential kingdom impact through serving?

We don’t need more people to come to church, but we may need to ask how can we motivate people to become active participants in their relationship with God?

We don’t need more money, but we may need to ask how can we help people see the fruit of giving to God’s mission?

A good question creates value through empowerment.

Asking empowering questions opens people up to dig deep, define nuanced problems and provide accurate solutions. This is critical to successful meetings, successful strategic planning, and successful relationships built on trust. If we’re not asking the right questions, it’s more than likely we’re not going to arrive at the right solutions.

Judith Ross has a great article over at Harvard Business Review that will help leaders ask better questions…in hopes of reaching empowered solutions.

The most effective and empowering questions create value in one or more of the following ways:

1. They create clarity: “Can you explain more about this situation?”
2. They construct better working relations: Instead of “Did you make your sales goal?” ask, “How have sales been going?”
3. They help people think analytically and critically: “What are the consequences of going this route?”
4. They inspire people to reflect and see things in fresh, unpredictable ways: “Why did this work?”
5. They encourage breakthrough thinking: “Can that be done in any other way?”
6. They challenge assumptions: “What do you think you will lose if you start sharing responsibility for the implementation process?”
7. They create ownership of solutions: “Based on your experience, what do you suggest we do here?”

Create a culture that embraces questions

Many of you may know, my friend, pastor, and boss of 6 years has been called to a new position. Efrem Smith will be moving on from Sanctuary this summer to a new position as Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. It’s a huge honor with a new realm of influence and a higher call on his life in leadership.

This is really awesome for him, and while transitions are really hard, I think great things can come to Sanctuary during this time.

Anytime time there is a major shift in leadership in an organization there are emotional, visionary and team dynamics that are affected by the changes taking place. So how do you survive?

During this time of leadership change I’m planning on focusing on 3 areas as we move into a new season.

1. Being a TEAM PLAYER
   At this crucial moment, there is no room for  sanding against the grain. When you sand against the grain, you leave deep wounds in the wood that requires you to remove even more layers to get things smoothed out again. Being a team player will make it less painful to readjust when new leadership is in place.
2. No Better Time for SELF EVALUATION
   – How does my personal spiritual journey affect the spiritual journey of our community?
   – What do I need to improve, let go, start or stop?
   – Where have I been dropping the ball and what’s my plan for picking it up?
   – Am I acting from my strengths and mitigating my weaknesses?
   – How does my performance affect the whole team?
3. Finally, I plan on BEING HONEST about the future.
   This will not be easy. In fact, if it is easy, I think we’re probably not living up to our potential. Being honest about what this team needs in order to fulfill the vision in front of us means we won’t dance around the holes. The holes in our team, the holes in ourselves and the holes in our faith.

Even though this will be a tough transition and I will miss Efrem and what he brought to Sanctuary, I’m looking forward to being pushed and pushing myself to grow in new ways.

What are your thoughts about leading through a leader change? Have you been on a team that lost a key player? How did you navigate?

Last Monday, I drove down to Barnes & Noble to listen to Daniel Pink talk about his new book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”

One of Pink’s previous books was a game-changer for me. “A Whole New Mind” was a fascinating look at how right-brained aptitudes will drive the future of our economy and culture. He analyzed the way in which the workforce of the future is already being created through 6 high touch, high concept senses of right-brain-directed thinkers.

Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning. These six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world.Many of you no doubt welcome such a change. But to some of you, this vision might seem dreadful–-ahostile takeover of normal life by a band of poseurs in black unitards who will leave behind the insufficiently arty and emotive.

Unfortunately, Daniel Pink’s flight was delayed, delayed, cancelled, so he never made it to Minneapolis. He did however buy a copy of his new book for everybody who showed up to hear him. So, I’ve got my hands on a free copy of “Drive,” and I think you should too.

I’ve decided to turn his gift into your gift. So this week, I’m going to be giving away not one, but 3 books. I was going to buy Drive anyway, so I decided I’ll buy a copy for one reader of my blog. In the coming days, I’m going to have two more books that I’ll be giving away. (Hey, i can’t help it, people keep giving me dupes.)

Drive is the first book up for winning. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you’re in the running. Because it’s late in the week, I’ll let this contest roll until Monday. You don’t have to say something witty, funny or intelligent to win (though I wish you would). One winner will be picked by random number. If you win, I’ll email you for your address and ship it to you. Comment away.

UPDATE: Winner is Josh!

I dropped my car off this morning at the mechanic to get my brakes done. I’ve been there a handful of times. It’s a family-owned gas station, a couple of brothers working together. Every time I’ve picked up my car there, I’ve been surprised at how inexpensive they work and how truly honest they are.

When I was leaving, the owner asked me, “Do you want me to call you with an estimate after we get the wheels off or should we just go ahead and fix it?”

It took me about 2 seconds to think about it and respond, “No, just go ahead and do what you need to do.”

It came down to trust. I realized they’ve never given me a reason to second guess how much it’s going to cost or if they’re going to try to fix something that’s not broken, or if they do something wrong, I know they will own it. I don’t have much money, but I don’t have any reason to believe they’re going to break the budget. So what’s their marketing plan? They deliver what they promise.

Marketing is all about the story people hear when you’re being yourself.

1. Don’t promise what you CAN’T DELIVER.
2. Promise what you WILL DELIVER.
3. When you break your promise, figure out HOW TO DELIVER on it anyway.

Delivering builds trust. Trust builds relationships. Relationships build futures.

UPDATE: I picked up my car and was indeed shocked again to pay far less than I expected. Northsiders, please go to Fairchild’s Sinclair on 42nd Ave.

Just upfront, I want to say that this talk from Tim Stevens was right on. It was balanced and wise.

Who gives a rip if your idea is original?

Talking about recycling ideas.

We’re all trying to make an impact for God’s Kingdom. How are we going to do it. So many church leaders feel like they have to do the next new thing. New and original are great, but it might not be the most important question.

We don’t ask the question, “Is this original…but we ask, Is this effective?”

Somebody visiting your church today is just sampling. They are new. They are a fresh face with a possibly fresher faith. They need you to help them get to their next step.

So all this made me think of this talk Shawn Wood gave at MinistryCom a few years ago. I think it’s highly appropriate when talking about Recycled vs Original Content.

The point is, what does it take to have a high impact? And what is the least amount of work to have the highest amount of impact. So, find the sweet spot. Don’t get hung up on needing to be original every time. Find the place to have the greatest impact for Christ in the least complicated manner.

Beeson always brings it.

The innovations of ministry will need collaboration and teams creating for common purposes that give God glory.

God is calling us to take people he brings to us to build a core, to build a team.

So How do you build a team?

• Make sure everybody is clear about the Mission, Vision and Values. Can everybody on your team clarify your mission? You need to be able to say, “This is why we’re here. This is what every bit of our energy is working toward.
• Create a place of Covenant Community. Not free association. Make it a place where people know that commitment is key to truly be a part of the team.

The place where people, you, mission, vision and values intersect creates the fabric that holds a team together to do the work of the kingdom.

Malcolm Gladwell’s recent article in the New Yorker highlights the Full-Court Press. How a rag-tag team of middle school daughters of Silicon Valley programmers, went to a national basketball championship game, because of an outsiders strategy: Effort trumps force, and responding in real time.

Gladwell follows the story with coach Ranadive, a father to one of the girls on the team. Ranadive didn’t take the usual approach to winning basketball games. He wasn’t a basketball player himself. Most of his team were made up of first year players. There were no plays that were executed. No star towering center to dominate the lane. And no long-range shooting guard to sink shots from the outside. Rather, the approach was all about not wasting space and time.

The girls executed a full court press, every defensive minute of every game. The didn’t play the usual game of shoot and retreat. The never let up. They were, at their core, relentless.

Gladwell remarks of the strategy “Playing insurgent basketball didn’t guarantee victory. It was simply the best chance an underdog had of beating Goliath.”

It’s all about effort. When your opponent moves slow, you counter with speed. When your opponent relaxes, you counter with drive. Relentless pursuit can trump brute force.

So, how can the church implement the Full-Court Press?

• Relentless pursuit of relationships (our culture wants us to get something out of relationships. I think it’s wise to think about giving something to relationships).
• Relentless pursuit of relevance (if we don’t speak the language, we will fumble our connection possibilities).
• Relentless pursuit of breaking conventional rules (When convention keeps the game the same, defy it and change the rules).
• Relentless pursuit of the one we love most (When we pursue God, people will follow).

When we engage people, in their language, with a relentless pursuit that redefines the conventional rules, because of the love God has for us, we advance the kingdom of God.

David was a shepherd. He didn’t know he was supposed to bring a sword to fight off a Philistine in a duel. He brought a staff and slingshot. He changed the rules of the game. When Goliath slowly advanced, David sprinted. He didn’t cut off his head, and yet, Goliath lay dead.

God promises a great reverse. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. The peacemakers and the meek will sit atop the kingdom. It’s not the relentless pursuit of perfection, but the relentless pursuit that wins out. A game changing attitude that responds in real-time to the real needs of people.

Bill Hybels announced the line up for the 2009 LEAD SUMMIT in a webcast today.

Here they are:

BILL HYBELS

panel discussion with:

HENRY CLOUD
CARLY FIORINA
DAVID IRELAND
PATRICK LENCIONI

GARY HAMEL
TIM KELLER
JESSICA JACKLEY
HARVEY CAREY
DAVE GIBBONS
DAVID GERGEN
BONO
DAN & CHIP HEATH
WESS STAFFORD
ANDREW RUGASIRA

LEAD SUMMIT WEBSITE

I love the LEAD SUMMIT. I think it has been one of the most influential experiences that planted the seeds of leadership in me over the last few years. I’m really looking forward to going again this year.

The next generation doesn’t believe that the way things are, is the way things have to be. They see the end of the road as an opportunity to change course, not a forced retreat. When they get to the edge of the cliff, they’re willing to jump, if they think that opportunity for change lies on the other side.

Millennials as they are known, believe the world to be their canvas. To right the wrongs of the previous generations. To make a difference in systems of injustice. To shape their future in a grand experiment of social collaboration and horizontal leadership.

Deloitte Consulting put out a Millennial Fact Sheet a while back that sheds some light on the characteristics of the next generation. Here’s an excerpt on how Millennials integrate into the workplace:

Millennials at work…
• Work well with friends and on teams
• Collaborative, resourceful, innovative thinkers
• Love a challenge
• Seek to make a difference
• Want to produce something worthwhile
• Desire to be a hero
• Impatient
• Comfortable with speed and change
• Thrive on flexibility and space to explore
• Partner well with mentors
• Value guidance
• Expect respect

What are you doing to capture and capitalize on the enthusiasm of the next generation? I know I need to do more because this generation is determined not to have their lives determined by what came before them.

We need to harness their energy, engage their collaborative spirit, and draw out the leadership qualities of those we lead. I’m being challenged to think about my role in fostering Generation Next, because they seem to want change more than my own generation.

Claim Who You Are by Efrem Smith