Yes, You Can Lead

Consistency Karolyn Hart Says, The most loving thing a leader can do for their team is to be consistent. Consistent is defined as: "Acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate." Being a consistent leader means that your employees can trust that you will do what you say you are going to do and that you will behave fairly in your actions.  Being a visionary, it can be hard for me to stay consistent.  As a leader I know the importance of why we need to be consistent, but because I am always trying to move us into the future, I can get off track.  In the early stages of pastoring a church, we had a leadership retreat to define our mission so that we had a framework of how we could stay consistent with who and what are organization was called to do.  The problem I had was that I was constantly bring new ideas to the table that did not fit in the boundaries of that mission.  One of the best hires we made was when I brought someone in who helped to make sure that everything we did fit into the mission framework defined in our mission statement.  With each new idea he would say, how does this fit within our mission statement.  The reason was because people can’t handle it when things are not consistent. Even though my ideas were great ideas, if it created confusion than people would start losing faith in their leadership.     Here are 4 reason to why consistency matter:  When a leader is consistent in their approach you can understand where they are coming from and they are easier to predict and work with. Have consistent meetings.  Keep things exciting, but make sure people know what to expect. In order to be a consistent leader, make it a priority to be consistent.     Consistency with brand, delivery and presence play a big part in building trust with clients and customers.The product we are providing is the mark of who we are.  How we consistently provide, and deliver that product says a lot about who we are.  When there are changes in the delivery process, without understanding of those changes, confusion sets in.  (church story).  Consistency brings focus and action to your goals and seeing them through.When we hired this person at the church to bring focus to the goals, we exploded.  His consistency brought consistency to the mission.  If a leader is not consistent in their approach then why should the team be?You can’t ask others to do what you are not willing to do.  If the organization isn’t functioning towards the same goal, than conflict is brewing.  If you as a leader desire unity, you will make it a requirement to be consistent.    Karolyn in her blog says, it's not fair to your employees (or your business) to keep people "guessing". Your team should know the purpose of your company, how their contribution is helping to fulfill that purpose, and know that you will consistently communicate on those two elements. Every single one of us finds our best performance in consistency. The sun consistently rises and sets, and we know the time when this will happen. Even though it's technically a "moving target" across the sky, it's consistent performance allows us to make plans to capture and optimize the light it provides. Consistency in your leadership will help your people make plans to optimize on the direction you give—no matter which way you and your company are moving.  I have personally seen too many times in which lack of consistency has created unnecessary conflict in my life and in my leadership. The reason I am even talking about this topic is because I know personally that if I do not find a way to fix these things, then I will have problems in the future.  When I Start waking up every morning and saying I'm going to work out, but never actually do it because I don't create consistent time to make it happen, it probably will never happen.    Conclusion Success is neither magical nor mysterious.  Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals. - Jim Rohn So together, as leaders, lets make a commitment to each other to become consistent.  There is a reason that I started the last 2 episodes talking about employees and commitment before vision.  You can have the greatest vision for reaching the world, but it will not matter if you are not consistent in the message of the mission so that employees will want to be a part of the vision.  We can’t reach the world on our own, we must do it together.    Karolyn Hart Inspire Hub https://www.inspirehub.com/blog/the-most-loving-thing-a-leader-can-do-for-their-team-is-to-be-consistent Charlotte Ashley-Roberts https://www.yourtimetogrow.com/why-consistency-matters-in-leadership/  

3 Way's to Show You Value Your People Jeffrey Hayzlett Culture – People are our greatest asset in an organization, but do they think we feel the same way? Here are leadership signs that you are creating a great culture Allowing your people to have entrepreneurial independence to pursue and grow opportunities and possibilities while still demanding results. Aligning the values of the people who work for you with the values of the company, so you have a shared common goal Listening to your people and admitting when you’re wrong to create an environment of trust built on real relationships. Creating transparency by being open, honest, and vulnerable Being decisive yet grounded by maintaining confidence through the chaos and uncertainty. Inclusivity Be willing to bring a diverse group of people to the table. Ages, demographics, race, sex, etc.  To create a welcoming environment, you need to learn how to welcome all environments. Giving Back – As a leader, are you giving back to your people, community, and beyond? Your giving should be measured and directed. Your giving doesn’t always have to be money. Do you empower people in your organization to give back? What will people remember you as? Someone who invested in their people, or someone who cared only about themselves. 

How to Keep Your Employees Working for You? Vision: This is the thing that drives people to follow you and keeps people from leaving you.  Vision needs to be simple Vision needs to easily be communicated Simple phrase, simple word. Love, Reach, Disciple (Love People, Reach People, Disciple People) Vision cannot be in conflict with each other When you are a large organization it’s easy to forget the vision and create your own vision. It’s important that it stays consistent.  It keeps the organizations main thing the main thing, and it helps people to understand why they are coming to work for you and why are they staying.  Value: Why do we need to Feel Valued? “Respect leads to value, and value leads to trust.” Joe Shrand M.D. Harvard If we want people to value us, we need to value them. Consistency I see this as one of the most important things leaders need to define before they get too big. No matter how big your organization gets, it is never too big for word of how things are done, gets out. Consistency in Pay Consistency in Performance reviews Consistency in HR Consistency in discipline Consistency does not mean that you lead everyone the same. You still need to know your people and lead them how they need to be lead.  This is a great way of helping them to see that you value them.  

Who Are You Leading? We are leading people who base all decision off of feelings. The reason that 50% of all marriages do not survive is because the don’t feel love for their spouse anymore. Another example: the decline of high school sports and the increase of numbers in traveling sports. Our children go to a team that will let them play. We are no longer developing our children to understand their roles on a team. Everyone is rewarded whether they win or lose We are leading people who will not stay. (https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-long-should-an-employee-stay-at-a-job-2059796)  The median tenure for workers ages 25 to 34 is 2.8 years. The median tenure for employees ages 55 to 64 is 9.9 years. Workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median tenure (4.9 years). Workers in service occupations had the lowest median tenure (1.9 years). We are leading people who only care for themselves. https://firstup.io/blog/4-reasons-people-are-leaving-their-jobs/ #1 reason people leave their jobs: Pay and Benefits #2: Lack of communication #3: Burn out or under-appreciated #4: Company Culture How Do We Change this?  In episode 21 we are going to talk about this very thing.  I believe that there are three main things that will help people to want to stay working for you, and paying them more money is not one of them. 

Guard Your Treasure 2 Timothy 1:14 Berean Standard Bible Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The last series we did together we talked about the importance of being content as Leaders.  It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be driven, but there are so many leaders out there looking for more before they finish what they have been given.  Then they forget that the reason they were called to lead was to take care of what they have in front of them.  If you don’t believe me.  Look at these statistics on marriages.  Guard: keep secure from danger or against attack. Protect; what has been given Watch over; what you have been given Abstain from; that which isn’t yours Treasure: Everything we are given to lead is our treasure Treasure in Leadership is not what we make, but what we take care of. Facilities Equipment Department People You: What ever is on your plate is your responsibility Stay in your lane (episode CNNL04). We are Leading what we were intended to lead. Final thought:  Leaders, if you take care of the treasure that has been given to you, that treasure will take care of you. 

BE FAITHFULL (I Timothy 4:20-21) Guard what God has given you. Stop thinking you are the answer.

FIGHT (I Timothy 6:13) Finish well – 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight”. Defend the faith – Build the church – oppose the enemy.

FOLLOW - I Timothy 6:11 Godliness – Character and conduct. Faith – Greatest ability is dependability. Love – Agape love – Seeks to give, not to gain. Patience – Endurance Meekness – Power under control – Gentleness

To Be Content we need to FLEE from things that drive us to be Discontent  False Teachers Love of Money Bad behavior (9-10) Good behavior (17-19)

My biggest trial in leading, is ME.  I question my value. Quote by Rita May Brown: “Lead me not into temptations; I can find the way myself” I either question why am I doing this job? Or, I question why I am not doing more. I over analyze everything. I hide from my problems. I hide because I don’t trust I hide because of fear When I try to do life on my own. I need to let go Rich Mullins said, “I can’t see how your leading me unless you’ve led me here, where I’m lost enough to let myself be led." All of the great leaders in the Bible started being great once they let go. I need to stop trusting in people, and start trusting in God bringing the right people.  

We are in a series called trials and today we are looking at truth #3 "obedience to God's offered assignment always grants you greater freedom to experience His presence and power regardless of the circumstances and outcomes!"      If you have not listened to the first 2 truths I would encourage you to go back and listen to those and you will see the importance of these truths as we work through the trials in our lives.   

Truth #2 You are always the right person for the job when God is the recruiter.     chipnightingale.com

Truth #1 The desert and dark seasons in your life may be the most essential part of your spiritual development and may serve as the precursor to God revealing His plan that initiates a radical work in your life. www.chipnightingale.com  

In order to lead well, we must create an environment of accountability. We are all accountable to results, but for some reason we have a generation of people that can't handle the pressure that comes with producing results. #Ceasefire #ChipNightingale #ConflictResolution #Forgiveness #Conflicts #Spirituality #Bible #Enlightenment #Amazon #Readers #Authors #Wisdom #Peace #leadership

Leadership and Obedience go hand in hand. How many times have we missed out on opportunities because we were not willing to go when it was time to go, because we were too afraid of the outcome? HAVE THE COURAGE TO SAY YES!

Today’s podcast is a recording I did with my good fiend David Tubirye, Missionary and Director of the ministry of Word of Life in Rwanda.   He has a great podcast, Cabin Devo’s, that is reaching thousands of people in Africa.  He has an amazing heart for the Lord, and together we dive into some questions he has about conflict. #Ceasefire #ChipNightingale #ConflictResolution #Forgiveness #Conflicts #Spirituality #Bible #Enlightenment #Amazon #BookNerds #Readers #Authors #Wisdom #Peace #leadership

Have you ever made a mistake? Of course you have, we have all made mistakes. The question is what are we going to learn from the mistakes that we make?  I know too many people who are wandering through life because they have allowed mistakes in their lives to control their lives.  They are living in their glory days instead of living for their futures.  I can guarantee you that these people are not leading anything today. Leading is learning from our mistakes so that we can shape our futures. Today I want to talk about three specific things that I think are important when we talk about this idea, mistakes make great leaders. #1 we need to admit that we make mistakes. #2 we need to learn from those mistakes.  #3 finally, we need to move forward from those mistakes.

Leading, starts with leading yourself.  Douglas MacArthur says this, “a true leader has the competence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others”.  My greatest weakness is not the first two, my greatest weakness as a leader is to listen.  In this podcast we will discuss ways we can create healthy habits so that we can be a more effective leader.   Please let me know what areas you struggle with so that we can all work on creating healthy habits to becoming healthy leaders.  

In order to be the most effective leader we can possibly be then we need to constantly be growing in our skill and understanding of the work that we are doing.  That is wisdom.

The saying, "Stay in your Lane" is being used more and more.  But what does it mean, and do I really need to stay in my lane?  We are going to talk about the importance of staying in your lane, and when it is ok to cross into someone else's lane.  You don't want to miss this one.