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Category: Ministry Leadership

Covers topics such as leadership skills, sustainable leadership, women in leadership, leading teams, developing leaders, meetings

KidMin Conference – General Session Takeaways

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Yesterday I posted a few ideas for next steps following this year’s KidMin Conference (you can read that here).  Today, I thought I’d share some of my general session takeaways.  Be warned…my notes are not lengthy.  (1) It was a little dark in the general session room for me to take many notes and (2) I was really taking everything in and tried to just be present, especially after the phenomenal worship times.

FRIDAY EVENING GENERAL SESSION

I was not familiar with Roddy Chong prior to the conference but boy did his story resonate with me.  He spoke about being chosen by God and the many doors that God opened for him that he never imagined being opened.  He shared about traveling with well-known singers (Shania Twain & Celine Dion).  His story resonated with me because I, too, have seen God open many doors for me that I NEVER thought would happen for me.  It is really humbling to see God work in unimaginable ways.  Roddy also spoke about the need to not be defined by your mistakes.  That’s a good lesson for everyone!

The Skit Guys are a KidMin Conference favorite!  I always enjoy them!  They do a beautiful job of blending comedy and thought-provoking challenges.  One question they tossed out was, What are you afraid of?  They challenged us with this:  God chose you before it all began.  If he did that, He has a plan for you.  You have nothing to be afraid of.

SATURDAY MORNING GENERAL SESSION

Greg Baird spoke on Saturday morning and he did not disappoint.  I follow Greg on social media and also enjoy his blog posts, so I knew I’d enjoy hearing from him.  He referenced Ephesians 6:12, which says:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

  • We are not superheroes.  We are in a battle.  When we are in ministry, the target on us becomes bolder to the enemy.
  • We cannot surge [SURGE was this year’s theme] ahead if we cannot stay on the battlefield.
  • What keeps us from surging ahead?
    • We simply try to survive (Acts 20:24).  It’s not about me – it’s about Jesus.
    • We get distracted.  Our ministries need to be about Jesus.
    • We focus on the wrong danger (things like numbers vs life transformation, families falling apart, etc.).
    • When we do these things, we do ministry in our power.
  • What do we do to combat these things? (Zech. 4:6)
    • Instead of trying to survive, trust God.
    • Instead of being distracted, immerse yourself in God’s Word.
    • Instead of focusing on the wrong danger, focus on your relationship with God.

Greg closed with a quote from Phil Vischer:  “Impact does not come when we are pursuing impact – impact comes when we are pursuing God.”

SATURDAY EVENING GENERAL SESSION

Jon Acuff spoke on passages from Isaiah 30.

  • Give God our expectations.  God will never be handcuffed by your failures or unleashed by your successes.
  • We need to learn how to be present.  Sometimes our lives are so loud we miss God’s whispers.

I didn’t attend Sunday morning’s session (I was having breakfast with a friend) or Monday morning’s session (I was headed home).  I did attend Sunday evening’s session with DeVon Franklin but I was too busy agreeing with him to write stuff down!  Sorry!

Were you at the conference?  What were some of your takeaways? Let me know by commenting below!

 

What a Home Improvement Project Reminded Me About Leaders

Kathie Phillips

I pray often that God will equip me to be the best leader I can be.  I take my role as a leader very seriously and want to honor God through my service.  I would say that, as the oldest child in my family, leadership comes fairly natural to me.  I often quote, “Well, somebody has to be in charge!”

Sometimes, however, I like to take a seat on the ‘back row’ and observe.  I don’t always like to be in charge, especially in casual, non-ministry-related environments.

Case in point…last month, we painted my daughter’s bedroom.  My sweet girl waited so patiently for many months’ worth of filled calendars and family obligations for her bedroom makeover.  We set the date; she selected her color scheme; she purchased accessories with her own money; she and my husband prepped the walls and purchased supplies.

One of the finished walls - she loves her teal and purple color scheme!
One of the finished walls – she loves her teal and purple color scheme!

But we were missing something: a project manager.  No one was in charge of the project!  This became frightfully clear after I watched my husband make three additional trips to the home improvement store when we ran out of supplies.

That recent home improvement experience brought to mind 5 reminders about leaders:

1. Someone has to be in charge.  Why?  Because:

  • It minimizes confusion.  Knowing who is in charge helps keep everyone focused and on task.
  • It saves time and money.  Because no one was in charge, we wasted time going back and forth to the store and spent hundreds of dollars more than we planned.  Some lessons you only learn once!
  • A leader will think through a plan – what needs to be done, who needs to do what, what supplies are needed, etc.

2. A leader is responsible for having a vision and keeping that vision in front of the team.  Remind people what you’re working toward and what it will take to get there.

3. A leader does not need to have all of the answers.  It is not a sin to say, “I don’t know.”  Not only does this keep you human and relatable but it also keeps you learning.  Leaders are learners.

4. A leader does not need to have all of the ideas – or the best ideas.  During our home improvement project, all of us had great ideas to make the project more enjoyable – and most of them did not come from me.  Very refreshing!

5. A leader needs to be their team’s biggest advocate.  As the hours went on and our bodies grew tired, I reminded everyone of how good a job they were doing.  I even sang to my family to keep the mood light!  (I know they appreciated that.)

As a kidmin leader:

  • Do you embrace and own your leadership role?  Do you accept your role as a gift from God?
  • Have you asked God for wisdom and discernment for your ministry?  Do you pray and spend time in His Word regularly? Are you in a position to hear what He’s telling you?
  • Do you have a teachable spirit?  What are you learning?
  • Are you humble?  Do you consider the ideas of others?
  • Are you your ministry’s biggest advocate?  Do those under you feel you fight for them?  Do you share all of the great things happening in your ministry?  Do you ask people to pray for your ministry on a regular basis?

Keep the conversation going!  Which of these points resonated with you the most?  What would you add to the list?

 

Global Leadership Summit – Day 2 Notes

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Day 2 of Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit did not disappoint!  The speaker line-up was fantastic and their messages gave me much to think about in the days and weeks ahead.

If you weren’t able to attend, you can read some of the things that stood out to me from today’s speakers (I will share my personal takeaways and action steps in the coming weeks):

Session Five (Part 1):  Joseph Grenny (@josephgrenny) “Mastering the Art of Crucial Conversations”

Anytime you find yourself stuck, stop and ask: “What crucial conversation are we not holding or not holding well?”

**2 options for handling crucial conversations:

  1. You can TALK it out.
  2. You can ACT it out.
  • You can measure the health of a team, relationship, etc. by the number of crucial conversations.
  • Crucial conversations are either a pit or a path.
  • Crucial conversations are the core of a healthy team.  Improvement in this area will dramatically improve the health of the team.

**The Three Crucial Moments in Churches:

  1. Performance problems with volunteers or staff.
  2. Members who are struggling in sin or disconnecting from the church.
  3. Concerns with pastors.

**The Principle of Crucial Conversations: The vital behavior that enables most any positive organizational outcome is CANDOR at moments of acute emotional and political risk.

**Areas that affect crucial conversations:

  • Individual influence
  • Teamwork
  • Productivity
  • Marriage Success
  • Diversity
  • Quality
  • Safety

**Seven Crucial Skills in having Crucial Conversations:

  1. Start with heart
  2. Learn to look
  3. Make it safe (See below)
  4. Master my stories
  5. State my path
  6. Explore others’ path
  7. Move to action

**Ingredients of Safety

  1. Mutual purpose – this says, “You know that I care about your goals.”
  2. Mutual respect – this says, “You know that I care about you.”

**A few thoughts about CANDOR:  Candor is never the problem.  People NEVER become defensive about what you’re saying.  People become defensive because of WHY they think you’re saying it.

Session Five (Part 2):  Erica Ariel Fox (@ericaarielfox) “Winning from Within (How to Lead Ourselves)”

Performance gap is defined as “what you could do at your best vs. what you do in the moment.”

  • Think of yourself in a new way.  Think, “I am plural.  I am not singular.”

The Big 4 Innovators

1. The Dreamer (Your Inner CEO) – Creates possibilities

  • Sets strategic vision
  • Senses a path forward
  • Gives direction

Question:  Is there a dream in me I have left behind?

2. The Thinker (Your Inner CFO) – Clarifies Perspectives

  • Analyzes data
  • Manages risk
  • Considers consequences

Question:  Can you articulate a case for the moral outcome you desire to see?

3.  The Lover (Your Inner VP of HR) – Cares about People

  • Feels emotions
  • Manages relationships
  • Collaborates with others

Tip:  Have a practice before you go into a big meeting; call the name and face of someone you love in your heart.

4,  The Warrior (Your Inner COO) – Catalyzes Performance

  • Takes action
  • Reaches goals
  • Speaks hard truth

Tip:  Find places in your life where you’re saying “yes” today and say, “No, but thanks.”

Session Six (Part 1):  Don Flow 

  • We are called to love people, not just exercise authority over them.

**Leaders S.E.R.V.E.

Show respect

Earn trust

Reach for perfection – don’t be satisfied with the way things are

Value input

Energize others

  • Leadership flows out of who we are, not just what we do.
  • Clarity of purpose gives someone something to believe in.

“Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles; cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.  Courage breeds creativity; cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it. Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’  Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it political?’  Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ but conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’ There comes a time when we must take a position that’s neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but one must take it because it’s right.”

–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Session Six (Part 2):  Allen Catherine Kagina (@CG_URA) 

  • If we are willing to invite the kingdom of God in, God will take over and we’ll see better societies.

Session Six (Part 3):  Wilfredo De Jesus (@PastorChoco) 

  • We cannot allow prayer to become a crutch and cause us not to do anything.
  • You cannot let your budget dictate your faith.
  • God is looking for someone to stand in the gap.  However, the moment you decide to stand in the gap, you will face opposition.
  • We must not be afraid to take our faith into the community.
  • With revelation comes responsibility.

**Leadership lessons from Nehemiah:

  • He prayed.
  • He planned.
  • He proceeded.
  • He persuaded.

Session Seven:  Ivan Satyavrata (@AGCKolkata) “The Power Paradox”

  • There is no such thing as leadership without power.

The paradox: a leader must be able to wield power, real power, in order to lead effectively.  She must, however, at the same time be genuinely vulnerable, subservient & seemingly powerless.

**3 Types of Power

1. Knowledge Power

  • Knowledge is power.
  • How am I stewarding my knowledge as a leader?
  • Leaders hold the scepter of power in one hand and a towel and basin in the other.  Which one are you gripping tighter?

2. People Power

  • Leaders have the power to influence people.

3. Kingdom Power

  • God’s Kingdom people regularly pray, “Thy Kingdom come.”

Question:  Is the world a better place because of your power?

Continue the conversation about the Summit on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram using the official Summit hashtag #GLS14.

If you attended the Summit, what were your key takeaways?  Share them below!

Global Leadership Summit – Day 1 Notes

Kathie Phillips 1 Comment

Hello friends!  I’ve been away from this platform for a while – between our VBS, vacation and gearing up for fall, things have kept me away but it feels great to be back!  I’ve missed you!

Today, I attended Day 1 of Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit.  It’s been a few years since I’ve attended but I’ve always enjoyed it.  The speakers have always been dynamic and have left me with many leadership principles that I apply today.

If you weren’t able to attend, you can read some of the things that stood out to me from today’s speakers (I will share my personal takeaways and action steps in the coming weeks):

Session One:  Bill Hybels (@BillHybels) “Hard-Fought Leadership Lessons”

1. Leaders are gifted by God to see things that other people don’t.

  • Your culture will only be as healthy as the senior leader wants it to be.
  • People join organizations – they leave managers.
  • The kindest form of management is the truth. (Jack Welch)
  • Everybody wins when a leader gets better.

**3 key points of evaluation – What do you need to:

  • Start – What do you need to do to move ahead?
  • Stop – What isn’t working?  Do you need to modify it or eliminate it altogether?
  • Continue – How can you motivate and inspire your team to continue doing what’s working?

2. Great leadership, by definition, is relentlessly developmental.

**5 ways to develop new leaders:

  • Put them in high-challenge roles.
  • Place them on a short-term task force (allows you to “test drive” a leader before putting them in a high-capacity role)
  • Provide real-time feedback
  • Provide coaching and mentoring
  • Encourage them to attend classroom courses and seminars

3. Find & develop leaders with a legacy mindset.

  • Look for people who aren’t just interested in ladder-climbers – look for people who can stay the long-term.
  • Legacy leaders leave something beautiful behind when their hourglass is empty.
  • What legacy will you leave behind?

4. Endurance

  • The grander the vision, the greater the price tag.
  • Pursue solitude to hear God in unrushed ways.
  • Humble yourself and ask for help if you need it.

Session Two (Part 1):  Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) “Defining Leadership”

  • Leadership is the same, no matter the context.
  • What unlocks potential?  Leadership.  Leaders unlock the potential in others.

Leadership is NOT:

  • Management – leadership is about changing the order of things.
  • About position and power

 

  • Set the framework and then set your team free.

The 20/20 rule:

  • 20% of the people in most organization are change warriors.
  • 20% of people are not going forward and become resistant.
  • 60% are skeptics.
  • Change never happens unless the 60% are moved.

Session Two (Part 2):  Jeffrey Immelt “Positioning Your Organization for the Future”

Fact:  General Electric (GE) invests one billion dollars each year for leadership development.

  • Hold regular times for leadership development.
  • Eliminate fear in the workplace.  Make coming to the workplace enjoyable for your employees.

Session Three (Part 1):  Susan Cain (@susancain) “Quiet: Challenging the Extrovert Ideal”

Fact:  One-half to one-third of people are introverts.

  • There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all environment.

Encouraging an introvert’s creativity:

  • Stop the madness for constant group work.
  • Forget networking.  Focus on service.
  • Restore quiet to your culture.

Encouraging an introvert’s leadership:

  • Groom an ‘unlikely’ leader.
  • Find your complement.
  • Find a role model.

Session Three (Part 2):  Bryan Loritts (@bcloritts) “Instigating Change through Personal Sacrifice”

  • The blessings of God are not meant to be hoarded; they’re meant to be shared.
  • Our vision as leaders have got to go beyond what will perish.

Session Four:  Patrick Lencioni (@patricklencioni) “The Most Dangerous Mistakes Leaders Make”

**When we do these 3 things, we not only hurt our leadership – we hurt people.  What do these three things have in common? PRIDE!

1. Becoming a leader for the wrong reasons – notoriety, fame, power, money, etc.

  • The only payoff for leadership is eternal.

2. Failing to embrace vulnerability.

  • When we do this, we destroy trust with those we lead.
  • People don’t want us to be perfect – they want us to be human.
  • Admit when you need help.
  • Admit the challenges.

3. Making leadership too important.

  • Our identity as a leader can become what we strive for.

I can’t wait to continue the learning tomorrow!  Join the conversation throughout the Summit on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram using the official Summit hashtag #GLS14.

If you attended the Summit, what were your key takeaways?  Share them below!

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