By Carey Nieuwhof: Having been through a year like no other, what can you expect as a church leader in 2021?

In all likelihood, this year will lead the church into the post-pandemic world. It won’t be the light switch you hope for (and suddenly, we’re all back!). Instead, it will be a gradual emergence into whatever our normalized future looks like. But at some point in 2021 you’ll look back and realize most of the pandemic is behind you and the future is ahead of you.

The question is, what kind of new reality will emerge?

For church leaders, it will be a different world for sure.

Since 2016, I’ve done an annual church trends post. For the most part, many of the trends have emerged and are still relevant to what we’re all experiencing right now. Some accelerated dramatically.

You can access the entire archive for free here:

The Original 2020 is History: 7 NEW Disruptive Church Trends Every Leader Should Watch

5 Disruptive Leadership Trends That Will Rule 2020

6 Disruptive Church Trends for 2020

5 Disruptive Church Trends for 2019

7 Disruptive Church Trends for 2018

6 Disruptive Church Trends for 2017

5 Disruptive Church Trends for 2016

While no one can say exactly what the future holds, here are 8 trends I’m watching and would encourage you and your team to consider and process as well.

2021 will lead the church into the post-pandemic world. It won’t be the light switch you hope for (and suddenly, we’re all back!). Instead, it will be a gradual emergence into whatever our normalized future looks like.

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1. The Majority of Attenders May No Longer Be In The Room

Physical church attendance has been in decline for decades and COVID in all likelihood accelerated the decline even further.

The average church has seen their re-opened attendance come in around 36% of previous levels. Almost no leader I’ve interviewed expects church attendance to jump back to pre-COVID levels for a while.

For years, most pastors didn’t know how to handle anyone who engaged the message or mission outside of their facility.

Moving forward, many church leaders will realize that people who are engaging from home or other places will count just as much as those who are attending in a facility.

Moving forward church leaders will realize that people who are engaging from home or other places will count just as much as those who are attending in a facility.

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Over the last year, so many things have shifted home: work, shopping, food, fitness, school and (at least for a season) church.

People have realized they don’t have to go to a building to engage. And as a result, some won’t do that nearly as much in the future.

As 2021 rolls on, many growing churches will see what you off-facility attendance (home partipation, micro-gatherings and distributed gatherings) eclipse facility-based attendance: the number of people participating in the mission who are not in the building on a Sunday will surpass the number of people participating in the mission inside the building.

More and more growing churches will embrace online viewing from home, micro-gatherings and micro-campuses as normal.

What pastors have to understand quickly is that this trend isn’t about people who are dropping out. It’s about people who are leaning in.

In the future, the number of people participating in the mission who are not in the building on a Sunday will surpass the number of people participating in the mission inside the building.

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If you can be good with the fact that micro-gatherings, distributed gatherings and people watching from home count, then you can mobilize those people in the same way you would people who are in your building.

In the same way retailers have come to understand that an online purchaser is still a client, and restaurant owners have embraced the fact that drive-thru, take out and delivery can still be fulfill their mission around food, so church leaders have to get good with the fact that people who aren’t in the main room count.

Your church is still around. The church is still around. It’s just left the building.

In the post-pandemic church, it’s possible that the majority of attenders as well as your most engaged people may not be in the room.

Your church is still around. The church is still around. It’s just left the building. In the post-pandemic church, your most engaged people may not be in the room.

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2. Growing Churches Will Shift Their Focus From Gathering to Connecting

This leads us to the second trend. Historically, the church has wagered almost everything on gathering people in a building.

This year, however, growing churches will focus less on gathering and much more on connecting. (Thanks to Tony Morgan for this language.)

Connecting people who are engaging from home both with the church and with one another will become and essential skill for all church leaders.

In 2021, if coming to Christ means coming to your church in a set location and a set hour, you need a new strategy.

In 2021, if coming to Christ means coming to your church in a set location and a set hour, you need a new strategy. Growing churches will focus less on gathering and much more on connecting

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The easiest way to think about this is the same way church leaders have thought about small groups for the last 25 years.

Almost no church leader today feels threatened by the idea that hundreds or thousands of people will be meeting in their homes to connect with other people. The church facilitates groups but doesn’t host them in a centralized facility.

Instead, leaders simply connect people who want to be connected and engage them in the mission.

This is where the potential for Sunday morning starts to move it to the new direction.

Small groups by nature tend to be closed and intimate. Gathering in people’ homes and outside the building on Sunday morning (or off-Sunday) would consist of micro-churches that are outward focused. Think of groups, but with an evangelism thrust.

The good news is that the scales in a way that gathered worship doesn’t period. It costs less and produces for more.

Gathering people on Sunday mornings will be as important as ever. It just won’t all happen in a building owned by the church.

Gathering people on Sunday mornings will be as important as ever. It just won’t all happen in a building owned by the church.

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3. Some Pastors Will Try to Fill Auditoriums While Others Focus On Fulfilling The Mission

The first two trends are disorienting and it’s easy to see why they would seem discouraging to many leaders. It’s a whole new paradigm the church is emerging into.

Just search the comments on this blog or social media and you’ll see church leaders who are having a really hard time coming to terms with what’s happening. I get it—it’s hard.

As a result, the natural tendency will be to ignore Trends 1 and 2 and focus on filling up auditoriums again once everything is fully open.

That might create a short term win but result in a longer term loss and missed opportunity. After all, for most leaders filling rooms was getting harder long before the pandemic.

So what’s underneath the obsession about filling auditoriums?

Often arguments include things like “Christians can’t forsake getting together” or “we have to gather in community.” That’s deeply true.

What’s not true (or biblical) is that the gathering has to happen in a building owned by the church (see the first two trends).

As someone who’s led a church for two decades, I promise you I like full rooms too. A little too much to be honest.

As much as they make for great pics on Instagram and make you feel better about yourself, full rooms do not guarantee a fulfilled mission.

Full auditoriums do not guarantee a fulfilled mission

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What’s under all this? Let me quote from a text a friend sent to me recently:

It would be interesting to know whether pastors value in-person attendance more than distributed attendance (micro-gatherings) or online attendance.

My feed had a lot of pastors quoting the stat that showed only people who attend in person saw improved mental health in 2020.

Personally, I saw that as very self-serving and bit dangerous as in “see…you need to come back to the building like I said you should…”

I’ve seen that in my feed too.  (I also haven’t seen any pastor mention that in the same poll, low income earners, young adults and single people fared better than others. No one wrote about the political findings either.)

At stake here is a full room versus a fulfilled mission.

In the future, leaders who only focus on filling a room will miss the biggest opportunity they have to fulfill their mission.

If the size of your vision shrinks to the size of a room you can fill, you’ve missed the church’s mission.

In the future leaders who only focus on filling a room will miss the biggest opportunity they have to fulfill their mission.

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4. Growing Churches Will See The Internet and Their Buildings Differently

So, what do you do with your building?

Great question.

You use it to equip people, not just gather them. Yes, people will gather in your building. And that’s awesome.

For too many years, pastors have been focused on one thing: Getting the greatest number of people in the room at the same time.

Sometimes that’s about ministry. Sometimes (honestly) it’s about ego. I’ll confess to both.

The church facilities of the future will be places where people assemble to be equipped to do ministry during the week. I realize that, theoretically, we’ve always believed that, but we often haven’t behaved that way. What we believe and how we behave are often two very different things.

The difference is that most of the people you’re equipping won’t be in the room. You may be speaking to them from the room, but they’ll in their homes, in their cars, at work and in the community.

Right now, most pastors are using church online to get people into the building. In the future, most pastors will use the building to reach people online.

Right now, most pastors are using church online to get people into the building. In the future, most pastors will use the building to reach people online.

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Just because they’re not attending doesn’t mean they aren’t engaged or in community. They can and will gather outside a church building.

In the future, churches that equip Christians will eclipse churches that gather them.

In the future, churches that equip Christians will eclipse churches that gather them.

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5. Content Alone Won’t Cut It. Community and Connection Will. 

The rush in 2020 was to get content online. Which was completely natural and appropriate.

Heading into 2021, the mood around content is shifting.

Pastors are complaining that views are down because people are ‘Zoomed out” or “Screened out.”

Sure, the spike in screen time has been a shock to all our systems, mine included.

But just because you personally feel screened out doesn’t mean the culture is.

If you think people are screened out, run your theory by TikTok or Instagram. Apparently, people aren’t nearly as done with screens as church leaders think.

If you think people are screened out, run your theory by TikTok or Instagram. Apparently, people aren’t nearly as done with screens as church leaders think.

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Which leads us into the fourth trend. Yes, content matters because sharing the Word of God matters…immensely.

However, many Christians now realize they they can watch or listen to their favorite preachers, content creators and voices in the world today any time for free. So they do.

One approach is to try to equal or match the exceptionally gifted and skilled communicators out there. But for most of leaders, that’s not a winning strategy. You won’t be able to compete.

Growing churches (and yes, that includes small and mid-sized churches too) will realize that connection and community will win out over content in the end, and they’ll focus their resources there.

Nobody should be able to out-local or out-community the local the church.

Nobody should be able to out-local or out-community the local the church.

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Absolutely produce the best content you can, but make the goal connecting with people.

When you provide connection (getting to know people, moving them into community, caring for them), it will provide a loyalty and sense of tribe that people can’t get elsewhere.

Therefore, make the goal of digital content connection, not consumption.

Make the goal of digital content connection, not consumption.

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6. Generational Differences Will Become Clearer Than Ever

Shifting gears a little, one of the creeping trends in the last few years is that generational differences are becoming sharper than ever.

While according to one survey, 71% of Boomers preferred physical worship as opposed to digital or hybrid church, only 41% of Gen Z preferred physical worship. Everyone other than Boomers had a preference for hybrid (a combination of in-person and digital gathering) or digital gatherings.

Many studies these days show stark differences between younger adults and older adults.

And while leaders love to pick part data, try a simpler approach. If you think attitudes about worship, racial justice, sexuality, economics, and even things like climate change aren’t morphing where you live (i.e. folks around here are pretty traditional), talk to a youth pastor.

Youth pastors more than almost anyone else sense where trends are heading.

If you want to get more personal, talk to some churched and unchurched teens and young adults.

While this doesn’t change core Christian theology, it does probably means wise leaders will think about their tone and approach.

If you want to get a sense of how the dialogue is changing, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyon’s UnChristian is still remarkably relevant even fourteen years after its first publication while Faith For Exiles offers an updated perspective.

As Gen Z emerges into the workforce, attitudes and beliefs most leaders were thinking were aberrations and exceptions will become mainstream.

Leaders who understand the emerging culture, its language and its values will have the best chance of reaching it.

Leaders who understand the emerging culture, its language and its values will have the best chance of reaching it.

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7. The Political and Ideological Churches Will Lose Influence With the Unchurched

If 2020 surfaced anything, it’s how political and ideological some kinds of churches have become.

It’s easy in a tribalized culture to become tribal. And while that might score some short term points with like-minded people who are angry and self-righteous (both are characteristics of the political left and the right), in the long run it will diminish your influence with most of the people you’re trying to reach.

Unchurched people aren’t looking for an echo of the culture, they’re seeking an alternative to it.

Unchurched people aren’t looking for an echo of the culture, they’re seeking an alternative to it.

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Moving ahead a few years, the future church will consist of Christians who look, live and sound much more like Jesus than the political candidate of their choice.

What many church leaders are about to face is this truth: Unchurched people aren’t looking for politics or ideology. They’re looking for Christ.

I pray they find him in our churches.

The future church will consist of Christians who look, live and sound much more like Jesus than the political candidate of their choice.

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8. Spiritual Entrepreneurs Will Thrive

These are hard times for all leaders, but as the dust settles and we emerge into the post-pandemic world, leaders who see opportunities instead of obstacles will thrive.

The missing gift set in the church is spiritual entrepreneurship—something the New Testament calls apostleship. It’s the kind of radical determination, innovation and fierceness the Apostle Paul showed.

As I wrote about here, the church today is filled with shepherds, to the point where shepherds are perhaps over-represented in church leadership. What we need most as we navigate new waters in a post-Christian culture is not more shepherds, but spiritual entrepreneurs.

Whether you call it spiritual entrepreneurship or the gift of apostleship, what we need is a new generation of Apostle Pauls who forge out in new directions.

Who experiment boldly. Who dare greatly.

Spiritual entrepreneurs are the kind of leaders who will find tomorrow’s solutions when most leaders can only see the problem.

Spiritual entrepreneurs are the kind of leaders who will find tomorrow’s solutions when most leaders can only see the problem.

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In a marketplace that’s in love with start-ups and new ventures, we need some leaders who are inclined to spend their lives in the marketplace who will take their God-given talents and energy and throw them full time behind the mission of the church.

Some of the ideas that will become widely embraced five years in the future are being birthed right now.

New ways of gathering people, mobilizing and equipping people and moving the mission forward are being developed as you read this.

Micro-churches, the distributed church, community focused churches, the location independent church, and many other new forms of expression are leading the way into the future.

Right now, most of those approaches will get more criticism than praise. In the same way few people thought private citizens renting out their homes and vehicles to others was a good idea (Airbnb and Uber), so a lot of the ideas for church you’ll see in 2021 will be denounced and dismissed…until they’re not.

In the same way few people thought private citizens renting out their homes & vehicles to others was a good idea (Airbnb and Uber), so many ideas for church you’ll see in 2021 will be denounced and dismissed…until they’re not.

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As is often in culture, the leaders you criticize today will be the leaders who coach you tomorrow.

So be open. A lot of good, messy, untested, might-not-work initiatives are going to launch. It’s out of that the future is always born.

As is often in culture, the leaders you criticize today will be the leaders who coach you tomorrow.

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2021 Is Here. Free Help on Digital Preaching, Team Burnout and More.

As hard as it might be, what if 2021 could be a year of real growth for you and your church?

You know that in 2020, some organizations grew while others struggled. I’d love to help your church thrive in 2021.

I know, that sounds crazy (especially after a post like this), but like most things, it’s crazy until it’s not.

I believe 2021 can be a great year for you and your team, and I’d love to help you make it happen.

That’s why I created the 2021 Church Leader Toolkit.

Inside, I cover:

How To Produce Content That Actually Gets Read & Watched
5 Keys To Better Digital Preaching
7 Strategies To Deepen Digital Engagement
How To Keep You And Your Team Out Of Burnout
3 Key Pivots For Every Organization In 2021

The toolkit is free.

You can get access and share the kit with your team here!

What Do You See? 

There could easily have been a dozen trends and I kept it at a meta-level to hopefully spark some creative thinking.

Watch for my 2021 Leadership Trends posts to follow in a few days.

What do you see as you head into 2021? Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 8 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2021 (The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Church) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 8 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2021 (The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Church)

The post 8 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2021 (The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Church) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by unSeminary: Thanks for joining us for this week’s unSeminary podcast. I’m excited to have Josh Finklea with us today. He’s the lead pastor at The Rock in South Carolina.

With five campuses, The Rock is one of the fastest growing churches in the country. It attracts people from a variety of backgrounds, ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic classes, encouraging people to come as they are and experience God. But The Rock may be most known for its passion for reaching Gen Z.

Today Josh is with us to share some of the intentional steps The Rock Church is taking to reach this generation.

This generation. // At The Rock, they are extremely intentional about focusing on reaching Gen Z. A focus on Gen Z will help you reach all generations because parents are excited to see that their children love church, and grandparents equally want to see their grandkids in church. This perspective even affects the language they use at The Rock, speaking of Gen Z as “this generation”. The Rock does everything they can to help young adults, teenagers, and kids understand that they are kingdom workers today. As Josh notes, this group is not ‘next’, they are now and God’s going to do great things through them today.Empower them to lead. // An intentional focus on this generation means putting them into leadership positions, whether they are volunteers or you’re hiring them as staff. Children in elementary school can lead small groups of younger children alongside a coach, for example a fifth grader leading kindergarten children. Or let a group of teens and young adults lead worship during a weekend service. They may make mistakes, but you get the chance to empower them and walk alongside them as they learn to lead.The weekend service is for this generation. // The Rock is clear in their services that what they are doing during the weekend is for this generation. Rather than having a separate midweek service for students, The Rock connects with them during the main Sunday experience. When serving, students are connected with coaches to come alongside them. And in his sermons Josh focuses on terms that this generation will know and understand, so he’s constantly thinking about how a teenager will receive what he says. Disciple the next generation of leaders. // Many churches hire leaders from within, and it’s no different at The Rock. They began by looking at people from their church who were currently in college and had great potential. Through internships and residencies the staff then worked to develop them as leaders. As you hire staff from this generation, empower them to make decisions and defer to them when it’s possible. For example, this might look like trusting a Gen Z graphic designer to make the call on what sermon series artwork will best connect with their generation.Meet the needs of the community. // In addition to focusing on this generation, The Rock is passionate about planting churches. As they felt the call to expand the church, however, their limited budget forced them to get creative and try some different things by looking at the needs of the community. This led to doing church services inside a local jail as well as opening public coffee bars in a few different locations for the purpose of marketplace ministry. These coffee bars serve coffee six days a week and hold a church service on Sundays. Rather than being a Christian coffee bar, it’s a separate facility from the church which attracts a different segment of people. People have come to the coffee bars looking for community and this has led to some great conversations about Jesus and an interest in the church.

You can find out more about The Rock at rockc3.com.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: LifeWay Leadership

Ministry Grid makes it simple to train every volunteer and leader in your church. With a library of over 3,500 videos and 850 courses, you will find training for every ministry area and leadership level.

To get unlimited access to Ministry Grid for just $597, just go to? MinistryGrid.com/unSeminary?

Source: Leading a Church for This Generation with Josh Finklea

The post Leading a Church for This Generation with Josh Finklea appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: As you may have noticed, there’s a bit of tension in the workplace and in the culture these days.

Younger leaders are complaining (a lot) about older leaders (who are often their bosses).

Older leaders are complaining (a lot) about younger leaders.

The ‘Okay, Boomer’ moment happening in our culture right now is just the tip of the iceberg but it crystallizes what young leaders are feeling about older leaders.

I’m one of those older leaders. As a Gen X myself, I’ve been at countless breakfasts and meetings with people my age or older who, about a decade ago, started complaining about younger leaders.

More recently, I’ve heard an equal number of younger leaders (the bulk of my readers are leaders under the age of 40) complain about their bosses and how frustrated they are with older leaders.

It shouldn’t be surprising then that, as revealed by a Gallup study, 70% of US employees are disengaged at work.

So, I decided to do a survey to get more feedback on what’s really going on.

According to the recent Gallup study, 70% of US employees are disengaged at work.Click To Tweet

I Surveyed Over 900 Leaders

I recently survey over 900 leaders about their experiences with the opposite generations at work. Rather than trying to get statistics, I solicited feedback. Attitudes. Stories. Perspectives.

And I did I get an earful from all sides.

I heard from CEOs, entrepreneurs, engineers, pastors, lawyers, office managers, teachers, accountants, project managers, church staff, EAs and many other kinds of leaders.

I asked younger leaders (Gen Z and Millennials) to tell me what frustrates them about older leaders (Gen X and Boomers), and older leaders to tell me what frustrates them about younger leaders (that post comes out next in this series).

To get us started, I asked Millennials and Gen Z respondents to complete this sentence:

My biggest complaint about older leaders at work is…

Well, they told me. Wow.

I mean I knew anecdotally from conversations with leaders that there were challenges. I just had no idea the animosity and frustration ran so deep.

So what’s going on?

Honestly, some of these criticisms hurt. But if you ignore feedback that hurts, you’ll stop growing. Leaders, being willing to hear what’s wrong is a first step toward making things right.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding, tension and miscommunication in the work place. I’ll share some strategies at the end of this post on how to handle that.

Ready to hear the complaints?

Brace yourself. Here we go…

Leaders, being willing to hear what’s wrong is a first step toward making things right. Click To Tweet

#1 They’re Not Open to Change 

When you read through the hundreds of responses I got from younger leaders about their bosses, the refrain was almost unanimous.

The #1 complaint about older leaders by younger leaders (by FAR) is that older leaders aren’t open to change.

Here are just a smattering of direct quotes from  young leaders about their bosses and older co-workers:

Stuck in their ways with tons of blind spots and no willingness to listen or learn. Which breeds no hope for change.

Not willing to let go of the way things were done 30 years ago, let alone 10.

Most of them what do to do it the way it always been done. I actually heard that from them.

They want everything done the way they did it in the 80’s and 90’s while saying they want innovation and freshness.

They have so much history behind them, they don’t want to try something because they did before and it didn’t work.

Living in the past, as if it were better than the future possibilities.

Change is a dirty word for older leaders.

The #1 complaint about older leaders by younger leaders is that older leaders aren’t open to change. Click To Tweet

To a certain extent, I get it. Older leaders bring a lot of experience and wisdom to the table.

At least I hope I do as a 50+ leader myself. So it’s easy to want to think we know what someone 20 or 30 years our junior doesn’t.

But, you have to admit leaders…things are changing quickly.

Two quick realities about change.

First realize the past has a nostalgia the future never does. You remember the good parts of the past, but tend to minimize the bad parts or how challenging it was.

Change takes as much courage now as it did then. Change may have been easier then because you were younger, but it’s just as important now as it was when you were 23. Maybe even more so. Why?

Because the gap between how quickly you change and you quickly things change is called irrelevance. And things just keep changing faster and faster every year.

Ignore that and you lose out on more than you think.

Guess what young leaders who see older leaders as irrelevant tend to do? They leave.

Which explains a lot of what’s happening these days. If you won’t change, young leaders will find someone who will.

If you won’t change, young leaders will find someone who will. Click To Tweet

#2 Older Leaders Are Inflexible

Again and again, young leaders complained about how inflexible their bosses and older colleagues were. Again, here are some direct quotes from young leaders:

Set in their methods, not flexible in how work gets done.

They refuse to let go of their power/authority/decision-making rights.

On the occasion that they do give up their rights, they are quick to take them back when things don’t go exactly the way they wanted.

Not forward thinking, not engaging the next generation, not adventurous.

Inability to be flexible and understand that a flex schedule, working from home, having informal meetings to discuss ideas are all a benefit to productive work, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not a hard worker or slacking off.

While there’s a lot in these comments, read that last comment again.

There’s a rising tide of young leaders who want a flexible workplace.

For so many reasons, 8-4 doesn’t work anymore in an era of wifi, cloud-based computing and smart phones. In an age where you don’t have to go to the office because the office goes to you, way too many leaders are still living like it’s 1997.

Why do you need to be in at 8 when there’s no need to be?

Tomorrow on my leadership podcast, I’ll bring on two of my young team members and we’ll talk about how to lead a thriving team with no office, timesheets, or regular in-person meetings.  Believe it or not, it works. Amazingly well. (You can subscribe for free to my podcast here. Watch for Episode 306 when it goes live.)

A virtual office or team may not be right for you, but just know this: the future workplace is a flexible workplace.

If you don’t flex your methods, you’ll sacrifice your mission.

The future workplace is a flexible workplace. If you don’t flex your methods, you’ll sacrifice your mission. Click To Tweet

#3 They Think They Know Everything

This was a surprising finding on both sides. Young leaders think older leaders are arrogant. Older leaders think young leaders are full of themselves (more on that in the next post).

Here’s what young leaders wrote about older leaders:

Their way is the ONLY way.

They rarely understand what I’m saying.

A lack of curiosity — they’ve figured a lot out already.

They mention my age a ton. They’ll make off-handed comments about me being young. Though they have more experience than I do, they think they know more about social media than I do. There’s not an acknowledgment of areas where I have expertise where they don’t.

They don’t ask good questions or hear all the voices in the room.

Pride is a problem for so many of us in leadership.

Note to self: Older leaders, if you think you know all the answers, don’t be surprised if the next generation stops asking questions and simply leaves.

Older leaders, if you think you know all the answers, don’t be surprised if the next generation stops asking questions and simply leaves. Click To Tweet

#4. Too Many Rules

Ah rules. Chances are you didn’t like them when you were a young leader.

The next generation feels the same way.

Here’s what young leaders said about their bosses:

They’re more concerned with policy than people.

They are hesitant to make changes and try out new ideas. They are led more by policy and procedure than by passion.

Develops and mandates policy to manage exceptions.

Their rigidness on older rules . i.e. Tattoos in the work place.

I’m not against all rules or guidelines. You need to have a few parameters.

But here’s what’s true: Rules are often a substitute for real leadership and open conversations. They’re also a substitute for trust.

Rules are often a substitute for real leadership and open conversations. They’re also a substitute for trust. Click To Tweet

More and more organizations are moving to flex hours, flexible holidays (pick your own vacations), and outcomes-based leadership. In other words, they’re dropping old rules.

Regardless of where you land on that (I keep rules to an absolute minimum, or have none), just know that a high rules organization is usually a low trust organization.

And a high-trust workplace is a healthy workplace.

A high rules organization is usually a low trust organization. Click To Tweet

#5 Too Slow

A final complaint about older leaders is that older leaders are too slow. Again, some direct feedback from younger leaders:

They are slow.  Slow to change. Slow to adopt new technology.

They are slow to make decisions

Always feeling like older leaders are moving (not literally physically moving) too slow, and that younger leaders are expected to slow down to match them.

If you’re worried about being too slow as a leader, surround yourself with younger leaders and give them permission to lead and experiment.

The best older leaders don’t restrain the next generation, they release them.

The best older leaders don’t restrain the next generation, they release them.Click To Tweet

What Should You Do About This?

I am a fan of all four generations currently in the workplace, this is far more fixable than you think.

As you’ll see in the next post, older leaders complain that younger leaders are lazy, entitled and think they know everything.

Here’s what’s true: so much of the misunderstanding between the generations in the workplace is about how we work, not whether we work.  The solution is not to clear house and get rid of older leaders, or frustrate younger leaders so badly they leave or start their own thing (which more and more are doing, by the way).

I’ll be sharing a lot of new content on how to lead and manager better in your company, church or organization over the next few weeks.

And I have a brand new course launching Wednesday called the High Impact Workplace: How to Lead and Motivate High Capacity Leaders in a Changing World.

Introducing The High Impact Workplace (and My Free Coaching Guide)

There’s a talent war going on for the best leaders, a generational divide at work, and, according to Gallup, 70% of all workers are disengaged at work (meaning that they show up and only do the bare minimum.)

The High Impact Workplace will give you the edge you need to create the best team you can moving forward in an age where 8-4 doesn’t work anymore (just ask any young leader about that).

You can join the waitlist here, and get my free Coaching Guide called The 5 Questions Every Great Manager Asks.

Enrolment opens Wednesday, December 4th. And in the course I’ll give you the exact strategies you need to:

Attract and keep high capacity leaders who would otherwise start their own businesses.
Identify and leverage the currency that motivates young leaders.
Navigate flexible work arrangements that result in deeper productivity.
Master the 5 questions every great manager asks their team for deeper engagement.
Discover how to create workplace environments that multiple generations can thrive in.
Learn how to keep your company or organization relevant to the next generation of leaders.

Sign up for the waitlist, get the free coaching guide, and you won’t miss a thing.

What Are You Seeing?

Well, I know this is a loaded post. The goal is to be helpful. If you don’t see the problem, you can’t fix the problem.

And remember, older leaders have just as many complaints about younger leaders, which we’ll get to in the next post. So play nice.

The goal is to get us all working together well to move the mission forward.

So with that in mind, anything else you see or want to add that can help us create workplaces that have a much higher impact?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

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Source: 5 Things Younger Leaders Can’t Stand About Older Leaders

The post 5 Things Younger Leaders Can’t Stand About Older Leaders appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: College-aged people and young leaders in their twenties and early thirties have a bit of a bad rap.

If you listen to many Baby Boomer and Gen-X leaders talk about younger leaders, the complaints come quickly.

They

Don’t work hard enough.

Seem to want it all, now (like a month’s vacation for starters).

Have a hard time distinguishing between work and play.

Need constant affirmation.

Have no idea how to spell.

I’ve worked with a few young leaders that fit that description for sure, but far more who don’t.  So many of the leaders I’ve worked with over the last decade-plus are under 30, and I have to disagree with the assessment of the emerging generations.

Sure, there are slackers out there. But I know some 50-year-olds who should get it together at some point. And besides, you can train people to spell. Quickly.

Some young leaders are slackers. But I know 50-year-olds who need to get it together at some point too. Click To Tweet

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges comes when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make.

And when I say young, I mean young.

As in starting at 18 or 19, in college or right out of college.

If you don’t have young leaders on your team, both you and your organization lose.

Here’s are eight things young leaders get right, and eight things you miss out on if you stick to older leaders.

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges come when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make. Click To Tweet

1. Enthusiasm and optimism abound

Remember how optimistic you were when you were young?

Optimism is something every workplace needs, and it can be harder to find in leaders over 40. As a Gen Xer myself, I have worked hard to reclaim and fuel my optimism (it is a skill), but most young leaders have a natural optimism that is frankly refreshing.

Parents told the next generation they could change the world. Not only do they believe it, they’re also doing it.

The kind of enthusiasm you have when you’re young really helps make up for the lack of wisdom you might not yet have. Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy.

Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy. Click To Tweet

2. They get their generation

I try to stay current, for a guy my age, I think I do all right. But I’m not 22.

Younger leaders see things differently because they grew up in a culture older leaders didn’t. There’s a difference between what you think a generation is about and what that generation thinks they’re about.

Having the voice of young leaders around the table gives me a much better sense of what resonates and what doesn’t.

If you want to connect with the emerging generation, having the emerging generation around your table is irreplaceable.

If you want to connect with the next generation, put them around your leadership table.Click To Tweet

3. They’ll challenge all assumptions

Because they are trying to figure out how the world works, they ask great questions and challenge assumptions—assumptions that so often you’re blind to because you’ve lived with them so long.

When you’re in your teens, twenties and even early thirties, you haven’t made peace with the status quo because you haven’t created the status quo (in contrast to older leaders, who by this point, did).

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less.

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less. Click To Tweet

4. Quick studies

A 21-year-old can go from good to great in a few years.

And many are motivated to do it.

And don’t underestimate what a young leader can do. You can look at a bevy of 20-something founders/CEOs who are leading organizations or companies that have changed their industries, created new industries and in other ways changed the world.

So many older leaders look down on young leaders and think they don’t have much to offer.

Be careful who you ignore.

Thomas Edison was paid $40,000 for his first invention at age 22, Mozart was composing at age 5 and died at age 35, and Braille type for the blind was invented by 15-year-old Louis Braille.

5. They’re digital natives

My friends think I’m tech-savvy, even a bit a tech-obsessed.

But put me around an 18-year-old or 25-year-old and I feel like the person who can’t figure out why their microwave keeps blinking 12:00.

Having young leaders who are both digital natives and cultural natives on your team is a distinct advantage if you’re trying to impact the next generation.

At least it beats a lot of fifty-year-olds trying to figure out what the next generation needs.

6. They are your succession plan

If you are not stacking your team with leaders 10, 20 and in some cases 30 years younger than you, you are not positioning your organization for future relevance or success.

Succession is a crisis in the corporate world and in the church.

Ultimately, though, there’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.

There’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.Click To Tweet

7. It’s all about the mission

As you’ve heard more than a few times, Gen Z and Millennials don’t want their job to just be a job. They want meaning and purpose in their work.

For organizations in maintenance mode, that will challenge you to shake off your cobwebs.

For organizations that are driven by the bottom line, you’ll have to find a bigger mission that just a sharper P&L.

But if mission drives you (as it does me), then you’ll find an amazing aligment with young leaders. Chances are your young leaders will own your mission, vision and values deeply and push it forward. It can be a win win.

They want to make a difference in the world, and they are passionate promoters of causes they believe in.

Many will choose mission over money, which doesn’t mean you should be cheap (smart employers pay a living wage), but it does tell you this matters more than it did to Boomers and many Gen X.

8. Culture has become non-negotiationable

Let’s face it, most work place cultures (including churches and non-profits) leave a ton to be desired. Way too many are toxic.

Because young leaders see themselves as free agents, they’ll demand a healthy culture, and if they don’t find it with you, they won’t hesitate to move on.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.

Getting rid of toxic culture (not just abuse and harrassment, but boredeom, bureaucracy and dysfunction) is something that should have happened years ago.

But as you add more and more young leaders to your team, you’ll be able to accelerate the improvement of your culture more quickly.

It’s about time.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.Click To Tweet

Too Overwhelmed to Know What To Do With This? I Get It.

Sometimes you read article like this and all you can think is “I know our culture is bad. We don’t have nearly enough young leaders, but I barely have time to breathe, let alone fix problems like this.”

I get it.

I spent my thirties pedaling harder than a fish on a bicycle, and while we were growing fast, I could never find enough time to fix the major issues I know we needed to address or I wanted to tackle.

Then I burned out.

Since then, I found a new normal that radically boosted my productivity and helped me beat overwhelm and get my life and leadership back.

I’ve published four books (and written my fifth), started blogging, podcasting and speaking around the world, all while leading a growing company, and I did it through years of experimenting with how to get time, energy and priorities working in my favour.

And in the last few years, I’ve helped thousands of leaders do the same thing.

I’ve put all my learnings so far into my High Impact Leader course.

The High Impact Leader is an online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favor.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland,  Clayton County, North Carolina

“Carey’s course was the perfect way for our team to prepare for the new year. Our team, both collectively and individually, took a fresh look at maximizing our time and leadership gifts for the year ahead. I highly recommend this leadership development resource for you and your team.” Jeff Henderson, Atlanta Georgia

“A lot of books and programs make big promises and cannot deliver but this is not one of them. I have read so many books and watched videos on productivity but the way you approach it and teach is helpful and has changed my work week in ministry in amazing ways.” Chris Sloan, Kingston, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell, Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game changer.” Pam Perkins, Colorado Springs,  Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

What are you seeing?

That’s what I see in the young leaders I work with. And how have you made young leaders an essential part of your organization?

Leave a comment!

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: If you’ve tried to lead employees who are under the age of 40, you’ve probably noticed things aren’t as easy as they used to be. (And they were actually never that easy.)

If you’re under 40 and are working for an over-40 boss, you’re probably restraining your eye-rolls as you notice that people just don’t seem to understand you.

Younger leaders tend to love flexibility, the freedom to work remotely when they want,  the ability to call some shots and the ability to develop a side-hustle, all of which seems to either baffle or frustration older leaders.

Many (not all, but many) older leaders would rather see team members have one job (no side-hustle), do their work from the office, be available after hours just in case, and earn a seat at the table before they give much input. And they don’t get the lack of loyalty that they feel a lot of younger adults display.

All of which frustrates younger leaders.

I run into this tension every time I talk to leaders about how the workplace is changing.

Over-40 leaders are smart to study how things are changing so they stay relevant. After all, the gap between how quickly you change and how quickly things change is called irrelevance.

Younger leaders are smart to understand the tension because it will make for far less frustration on their part, and help them advance in the organizations they’re a part of.

I’m an over-fifty leader who’s worked in offices in business and church, in a hybrid environment where some work is remote and some is done in an office, and now run a 100% virtual company that handles my speaking, writing and podcasting. In addition, almost all of my team members these days are pretty much Millennials or Generation Z.

Here are five things I’ve noticed about a changing workplace, and how older and younger leaders can get along better at work.

Leaders, the gap between how quickly things change and how quickly you change is called irrelevance.Click To Tweet

1. The Idea of an Office Gets More Dated Every Year

Every once in awhile you have this moments when you realize how rapidly culture is changing.

A few years ago I was driving through Dallas and saw some office towers going up, and I thought to myself “I’ll bet one day our kids and grandkids drive by office towers and say ‘Did people actually used to have to go to a building to get their work done? Why?’ (Kind of like the Blockbuster days, when you had to go to a store to get a movie on a disk to watch it, and get hit with late fees if you failed to return it on time.)

One of the reasons offices used to make sense for everyone a generation ago is because the means of production were stored at the office. Your company held the typewriters, meeting spaces, computers, paper, pens, phones, copiers, fax machines and all the things private citizens didn’t usually have. There was a clear line between work life and home life.

Now there’s a very good chance you’re holding almost everything you need to do your job in your hand. Plus your phone, tablet and laptop travel with you everywhere. What about meeting spaces, you ask.  Well, between coffee shops, co-working spaces and restaurants, the need for offices has plummeted.

Older leaders still think about ‘going to work’ because that’s how they cut their teeth.

Younger leaders realize you don’t go to work; the work goes to them because they are the work. As a result, they love to work remotely at least some of the time—from home, from a coffee shop.

Younger leaders realize you don’t go to work; the work goes to them because they are the work.Click To Tweet

Older leaders often see this as lazy. Younger leaders see this as normal.

As Bryan Miles has pointed out about virtual culture on my leadership podcast, remote workers aren’t lazy; lazy workers are lazy.

If you have a lazy worker…deal with it. But often remote work can be far more efficient. There are fewer water cooler conversations, fewer random and useless meetings, fewer interruptions and less distraction.

Remote workers aren’t lazy; lazy workers are lazy. @bryanmilesClick To Tweet

So does that means offices are gone forever?

No. In a hybrid company that allows some remote work, core hours are a great idea where everyone is in the office, say, on a set day or in a set window to improve team interaction or for meetings. But beyond that, an office isn’t nearly as necessary as it used to be.

An office isn’t nearly as necessary as it used to be.Click To Tweet

2. 8-4 Doesn’t Make Sense Anymore

One of the challenges is that office work took its early cues from manufacturing.

It make total sense if you have a car assembly plant (or a coffee shop, or a retail store) to have workers show up exactly on time for a shift. Because offices at one time owned the means of production (see above) it kind of made sense to the same thing.

But where most of the work is relational, informational and flexible (i.e. almost all white collar office jobs), 8-4 no longer makes sense. After all, unless you’re on the reception desk or doing some kind of work tied to fix hours, you can do most things any time.

Yet far too many older leaders are stuck in a mindset that people have to be in the building at set hours.

As a result, too many people show up at 8 (or 8:05 or 8:15) for no particular reason. It can create a clock-watching culture (is it 4:30 yet? Do I get paid for this lunch???) where your team is in a set place for no discernible rationale.

So here’s the question for leaders: are you paying your team to show up or are you paying your team to produce?

If you’re paying your team to show up, that’s one thing.

But if you pay them to produce, outside of fixed meetings and shared team time, why not let them choose how and when to produce?

Here’s what’s changed: The old economy paid people to show up. The new economy pays people to produce.

As I share in my productivity course,  The High Impact Leader, some of your team’s best productivity might happen when no one’s in the office or working. So why stifle that and make them show up because someone decided that’s when they should work?

The old economy paid people to show up. The new economy pays people to produce.Click To Tweet

3. Most Young Workers Work for Themselves

While they may not articulate it, most Millennials approach life as though they are working for themselves, not for you, whether you hire them as employees or on contract.  (We’ll see about Gen Z. I wonder if this trend will accelerate even more.)

Sure, that might sound strange, but hang on and try to get into their head space for a minute.

First, any younger leader realizes they will likely NOT work for the same organization for 40 years and retire. Not only are the pension plans of the 60s and 70s long gone, but the workforce changes so quickly that most younger leaders expect to have multiple careers throughout their life, not just multiple jobs in different organizations.

Second, thanks to technology, the start-up culture is huge. Many leaders realize they can start things far easier than people could a generation a year ago. You can influence the world through your keyboard, your phone or a microphone. It used to cost millions to launch something. Now you can launch something on a Saturday morning for the price of a phone.

Third, we live (rightly or wrongly) in an era of personal branding. Couples have logos and fonts. And almost everyone wants to express their style through fashion, design, photography or lifestyle

What this means is that most Millennials has subconsciously realized they have to create a life plan that’s independent of any employer or organization.

This isn’t fatal to any organization once you understand it.

What it means though, as a leader, manager or boss, is that you need to come alongside them and help them realize their objectives.

If you see those life objectives as competing with your objectives, you’ll lose them. If they see that you want them to win, they’ll hang around a long time.

Here’s the bottom line with young leaders: If you help Millennials win, you’ll both win. If you merely want them to help you win, you’ll lose.

If you help Millennials win, you’ll both win. If you merely want them to help you win, you’ll…Click To Tweet

4. The Side-Hustle and Gig Economy Are Here To Stay

So you hire a young worker only to find out he or she has a design business on the side, or that they’re writing a book or launching a podcast or starting a blog.

What do you do?

Are they being disloyal? Do you rope them in and tell them to give you 100% of their time?

Well, a few things.

First, you don’t own 100% of anyone. Any leader who tries to micro-manage the entire lives of their employees won’t have employees for long. You’re really only managing 25% of any full time employee’s life anyway (40ish hours of 168 hours).

Controlling bosses in the future will have less and less to control all the time.

Controlling bosses in the future will have less and less to control all the time. Click To Tweet

Second, the side-hustle is here to stay because the gig economy (freelancing) is here to stay.

63% of free-lancers today say they started by choice, not by necessity.

By 2027, the gig economy will be over 50% of the economy.

The majority of Millennials are already freelancers. (Source: Forbes.)

So to think you’re going to have a work force that has one job and stays with you forever really puts you back in 1965.

Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong, has some incredible insights on how to keep young and talented leaders over the long haul. Hillsong has done an exceptional job of keeping great talent and giving them freedom to express themselves in their lives and in their leadership.

His advice? If you want eagles, raise the ceiling.

If you want eagles, raise the ceiling. @brianchoustonClick To Tweet

5. The Cause is More Compelling Than You Are

Older bosses need to realize that most young leaders really do want to work. They just want meaningful work.

You know the stereotype: Millennials want to change the world and believe they can do it.

Again, before you roll your eyes, remember (older leaders), you raised them to have values like these. And some of them are doing it. So cut the cynicism.

What this means though is that your mission is more important than ever.

Most young leaders really want to work. They just want meaningful work.Click To Tweet

Leaders who want to preserve the institution, pad the bottom line, or simply grow the organization will always struggle to attract and keep young leaders.

For the church, this should be easy. If you’re truly mission-driven (you want to reach people or impact your community), your ethos has an instant appeal to younger adults. Just keep the mission central.

If you’re in business, profit won’t be nearly the motivator that cause is. If you don’t know what your cause is, figure it out.

Similarly, you might think of yourself as a great leader people want to work with (actually, that’s usually a sign you’re not a great leader), but I promise you Millennials aren’t that impressed with you.

The best way to attract and keep young leaders is to work with them to accomplish a greater purpose.

Leaders, if the mission isn’t bigger than you, you need a new mission.

Leaders, if the mission isn’t bigger than you, you need a new mission.Click To Tweet

So…Older Leaders and Younger Leaders: Some Tips

This sounds like a bit of a show down but I promise you it doesn’t have to be.

For older leaders the most important shift to make is to manage outcomes, not process. Don’t value leaders for showing up. Value them for what they contribute.

Want a motivated young work force? Manage outcomes, not process.Click To Tweet

Don’t tell them how to get it done, just hold them accountable for getting it done.

Leaders who manage the what and why and flex on the how will have a bright future.

The old paradigm told people to be at their desks and sit up straight. The new paradigm says ‘value me for what I contribute.”

Leaders who manage outcomes and rally people toward a higher mission will always have a steady supply of young leaders lining up to work with them. I share some additional insights about working with Millennials in this post.

Leaders who manage the what and why and flex on the how will have a bright future.Click To Tweet

What about younger workers?

Well, first of all, flexibility by your boss is not permission to be lazy. Hustle hard, but produce.

Second, gain influence by being ridiculously great at what you do. If you want to know how to gain influence when you’re not in charge, check out this interview with Clay Scroggins.

Want to gain influence? Be ridiculously good at what you do.Click To Tweet

Want More?

If you want more, my personal productivity course, The High Impact Leader, is designed to help leaders figure out how to lead with their highest impact at work and at home in an increasingly flexible workplace.

It’s got everything you need to get your life and leadership back, including:

The surprising truth behind your 3 most important leadership assets
How to get hours of your time back with the fixed calendar
The simple key to aligning your calendar and energy
The real truth behind time management (and time management alone will always let you down)
How to decide what (and who) to spend your time on

You can learn more or get instant access here now.

What Do You See?

What are the frustrations you experience as a younger or older leader?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

Younger leaders: flexibility by your boss is not permission to be lazy.Click To Tweet

The post 5 Reasons Younger Leaders and Older Leaders Frustrate Each Other At Work appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 5 Reasons Younger Leaders and Older Leaders Frustrate Each Other At Work

The post 5 Reasons Younger Leaders and Older Leaders Frustrate Each Other At Work appeared first on Passion for Planting.