By Carey Nieuwhof: So you’re leading through change. Who isn’t these days?

Change is more important than ever because the world is changing faster than ever.

Here’s the challenge. Most leaders fear change not because they’re afraid of change, but because they’re afraid it’s going to backfire.

The truth about change is that it’s more mysterious than it needs to be.

Many people aren’t sure how the dynamics of change work, and have seen so many leaders get skewered trying to lead change that they’re afraid to try.

Other leaders—unaware of the dynamics of change—storm change so aggressively that they look over their shoulder to discover than nobody’s following.

You can learn how to lead change well. 

Leading change requires a skill set. And the good news is that skill set can be learned.

That’s why I wrote this book outlining a five step strategy on how to lead change when you’re facing opposition.

Today…a question all of us face when leading change. What do you actually say when you’re leading change?

Say the right thing…and change can happen easily.

Say the wrong thing…and plans can unravel in front of you.

Most leaders fear change not because they’re afraid of change, but because they’re afraid it’s going to backfire.

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Learning the Hard Way

In almost two decades of local church leadership, one of the constants in my leadership has been change.

We’re always navigating it.

The mission stays the same, but the methods, by necessity, have to change to remain effective.

When I was a pastor, we changed everything from the style of music, to the dress code, to buildings and locations, to church governance, to staffing structure, to how we engage volunteers and much more. There is almost nothing we haven’t changed, except the message and the Gospel.

Since leading my leadership company, change has been rapid and consistent: moving from a hobby to a company to a full-time pursuit, rapid growth and pivoting in 2020 to a 100% digital company thanks to a pandemic and the disappearance of speaking in-person.

I have answered thousands of questions about change in group settings and one on one meetings.

In the process of leading change for so many years, I’ve said (or thought) almost everything below…both good and bad. I’ve learned the hard way. But I’ve tried to learn quickly.

Change is so critical…as a leader you simply have to learn the skill of navigation it.

And some language is simply more helpful in leading change than other language.

The mission stays the same, but the methods, by necessity, have to change.

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So…if you want to ruin the chance of change happening , just say these 7 things.

And if you want to help the chances of change happening at your church, try something a little closer to the things I suggest below:

1. The proposed changes are great. I can’t understand why you don’t like them

Leaders who navigate change successfully learn the skill of empathy.

Not everyone is going to cheer wildly when you introduce change. Be prepared for that.

If you want to turn an enemy into a friend, empathize with them.

Try saying something like: I can understand you don’t like the changes…I would be upset if I were you too.

That validates someone’s feelings. And when you feel validated, it gives you a chance to move forward.

Empathizing with people’s pain often opens them up to change.

Empathizing with people’s pain often opens them up to change.

Click to Tweet

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2. God told me this is what we should do

Please please please don’t pull the God card when you’re navigating change.

I mean by all means invoke God’s name when you’re preaching about Jesus rising from the dead or other core essentials of the Christian faith.

But don’t tell your congregation or organization that God told you to buy your next building or change the music or to build a new wing or whatever else you’re proposing.

Even if you believe God told you to do something, suggest it as a plan…or a wise course to follow…or the best options we see right now.

Rather than being less credible, you will become more believable and more trustworthy.

Too many leaders use God as a justification for the plans they’ve designed.

Please hear me. I pray about the plans we make, seek wise counsel and honestly believe they are the best thing for the future. But these days I never pull the God card out.

Why? Because if the plan fails, it just makes people suspicious or cynical. I don’t want to bring God’s name into disrepute. If I stick to the Gospel, I won’t.

So what should you say?

How about this?

Our team has looked at this and prayerfully considered the options. We believe this is the best move we can make at this time for these reasons….

Ironically, you won’t lose credibility. You’ll gain it.

Leaders don’t lose credibility when they stop saying God told them to do something, they gain it

Click to Tweet

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3. We’ve got this all figured out. Trust me.

Don’t try to be the guy who ‘knows it all’. You don’t.

You haven’t got this all figured out. All you have is a strategy. That’s it.

So be honest. Why not say something like:

No, we’re not 100% sure this is going to work. But what we were doing was not working. So we’re going to try this. 

Better, isn’t it?

4. I know you love the past. It’s completely irrelevant…focus on the future.

I’ve been tempted to dismiss the past. Who hasn’t?

Future is my top strength on StrengthFinders.

But to dismiss the past? That’s a mistake.

Some of that is just arrogance. History did not start with your arrival.

Brian White, who works at Disney, once told me about a great philosophy about handling the heritage at Disney (after all, Disney has almost a century of history, and Frozen is a long way from Steamboat Willie.)

Disney’s approach?

Honor the past without living in it.

Love that. Acknowledge that what happened in the past mattered and is important, and point the way to the future.

Maybe say something like:

We’ve had some great moments and seasons in the past, and we want to ensure we have many more in the future. That’s what I’m hoping this change will accomplish. 

Honor the past without living in it.

Click to Tweet

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5. Everyone needs to get on board right now

People will take differing amounts of time to get on board. Be okay with that.

You’ll have a handful of highly enthusiastic early adopters. Run with them.

Let others come on board over time.

Say something like:

I realize this is going to stretch all of us, and I appreciate those of you who are willing to give this a chance even though you’re not sure. We so value that!

6. I know people are leaving…who cares?

When you make changes, it’s almost guaranteed that some people will leave.

But don’t gloat or pretend it doesn’t matter.

Because leaving hurts you, you’ll be tempted to pretend you don’t feel it or to vilify your opponents.

People who disagree with you aren’t always bad people. They just disagree with you.

Are there times when people should leave your church? Yes. In fact, here are 7 kinds of people you can’t afford to keep in leadership..

But in the moment—when people are leaving—that’s is a moment for empathy. Express concern both for people who are concerned about people who are leaving and express regret.

But then say maybe say something like:

Yes, it is sad. But I think what need to remember is that they will have another church to go to. I’m excited about creating space for people who haven’t yet been to church…and I’m excited that you want to create space for them here too.

People who disagree with you aren’t always bad people. They just disagree with you.

Click to Tweet

END .ss-ctt-wrapper

7. This plan is bullet-proof

No matter how well thought-through your plan is, it’s not bullet proof.

It might fail. Really, it might.

So why not just be honest?

Instead, say something like:

I agree. We don’t know for sure if this plan is going to work. But it’s helped a lot of other churches (or…if no one’s tried it that you know of, say ‘nobody’s really tried this before…’), and we believe it’s our next best step. So we’re going to try it. And after we’ve given it our best, we’ll make sure to evaluate it. Thanks for the freedom to try new things. 

What Do You See? 

Those are some lessons from the trenches in leading change.

What have you said or heard people say when leading change that you think is a mistake?

What are some phrases or approaches that have helped you!

Leave a comment!

The post Exactly What NOT to Say When You’re Leading People Through Change appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Exactly What NOT to Say When You’re Leading People Through Change

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Source: The Art and Science of Change

The post The Art and Science of Change appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: 3 Groups of People in Your Church When It Comes to Change

The post 3 Groups of People in Your Church When It Comes to Change appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: Do You Have a Crew to Lead Change?

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By Justin Gravitt: Understanding your church’s culture is like doing a connect the dot worksheet, but with no dots and no lines. Instead, just information scattered on the page.

The challenge is to sort out the important information from the noise that seeks to hide it. Lack of clarity isn’t the only challenge. Every culture presents noise and information differently, and each can be interpreted in several relevant ways. In most cultures, we find that traditions, activities, and the urgent needs of the present prevent a true picture from emerging. The near-constant whirlwind of church activity often prevents transformational disciple making from happening. What separates culture experts from culture participants is their ability to see through the whirlwind of church activities. These cultural experts uncover relevant clues and discard the rest.

That’s not all they do. Culture experts find ways to connect the dots; to make connections, from here to there, from there to the next. It takes time. It is s l o w. Yes, cultural connect the dots pays off in big ways. In a church, cultural clarity can be drawn out by using a tool I call LEAP. When used carefully the image LEAPs off the page. When it does, it brings with it a new understanding, new actions, and eventually the right kind of change.

Exciting, right? Let’s look at the LEAP tool, so you can employ it in your culture and context.

L – What’s Lifted Up?

Every culture lifts up an ideal. In healthy cultures, the ideal is consistent with the big vision or goals of its leaders. It communicates to everyone about what’s most important in the culture. In unhealthy cultures what’s elevated is a subset of the main thing or, perhaps even unrelated to the main thing. Questions that help uncover what’s lifted up are: “Who has status here?” “How does someone else win influence here?” and “In the past, who were the culture’s heroes?”

Jesus repeatedly made it clear that He was on earth to do the will of God the Father (John 5:19, 10:37; Matt. 7:21, et al). He expected those who follow Him to do the same (Matt. 12:50) and told the disciples to do what He was doing over forty times in the Gospels.

E – What’s Expected?

Humans are social creatures. We long to connect. Cultures carry a set of expectations that help people understand what to do to fit in as well as what’s forbidden. Since these are deeply embedded in the culture’s DNA they are rarely mentioned. They are real nonetheless and function as a blueprint for belonging.

These are often as simple as how to dress and customs of socializing (norms of greeting, leaving, helping, etc.). However, they can be elaborate too, such as language, sequenced involvement, and prohibitions. These aren’t moral issues of right and wrong but are the difference between in and out. They communicate we (culture insiders) do this, they (culture outsiders) do that. To find the customs within a culture ask, “What should I do?” and “What shouldn’t I do?”

A – What’s Asked?

There are one or more asks in every culture, but they are more explicit in church cultures. Most of the time, an ask points backward to the goal the culture elevates and forward to the culture’s answer to how that goal is reached. In other words, what’s asked of people is also the way the culture proposes people are to reach the lifted-up goal. A culture that elevates faithfulness will ask people to fulfill specific obligations. A culture that elevates understanding will ask the people to proscribed things in proscribed ways.

Sometimes the ask is difficult to discern. This is especially true in churches that practice buffet-style ministry. In some cases this ask is implicit. Their ask may not be explicit, but the communication is clear, find something and get involved because we have something for you.

P – What’s Prioritized?

A culture’s heartbeat can be clearly heard when values collide. Every culture has lots of values, both expressed and unexpressed. Some of those values are lifted up to the top, while others function in a support role. The true character of a culture comes to light when a situation brings about a collision of those values. For example, when a people-first culture realizes that it’s only leader for the women’s ministry needs to step-back. Do the leaders encourage her to do so swiftly or to delay for the sake of the group? Or when a disciple making culture discovers a prominent disciple maker has drifted in predictable ways. Is he encouraged to be honest with those he’s influencing or to hide and find help in secret?

Subscribe to the Discipleship.org email list here to get blogs like this delivered to your inbox each week.

Time and again we see Jesus’ deepest values on display when life brings about value collisions. His love for the Jewish leaders is on full display at the cross when he pleads for God to forgive them, yet he didn’t allow that love to cloud what was right and wrong (John 7:17-24; Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28, et al).

The LEAP tool is effective for sorting the helpful information from the noise. Once you find it, connect the dots. Now, there’s an image on the page. You drew it with your own hand, but you aren’t the only author. The cultural picture was created with others and its meaning must be understood with others.

The process of understanding feels a lot like this: Where did we start? Why weren’t the dots, dots? Who decided to add all the other noise? Did we really focus on what was important? Are the lines too curved? Too straight? What if we missed something? What does this have to do with ________?

A culture can’t be intentionally shaped until it’s understood. The LEAP tool gives leaders the handles it needs to proactively understand a culture even while they live in it. As you put this tool to work in your culture be prepared to see things that are partly encouraging and partly discouraging. That’s normal. The difficult work of developing a disciple making culture is promoting the right changes from the center “dots” out.

I talk more about this in my new book, The Foundation of a Disciple Making Culture (a Discipleship.org Resource). Click here for a free download.

By Justin Gravitt

Used by permission. Originally posted here:

The post Connecting the Dots of Church Culture appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Connecting the Dots of Church Culture

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by Regi Campbell: We, as a culture, learned this in parenting a long time ago: You can talk to your kids until you’re blue in the face, but they may not do what you say. It’s a lot more likely they’ll do what you say, if they see you do it first. It’s human nature.

When the leader of an organization does something, it encourages the followers to do it, too. The turnout of volunteers from companies who build houses for Habitat for Humanity goes through the roof when the executives of that company show up. Their participation validates the deal and gives followers permission.

The same is true in church world.

When a Senior Pastor starts raising his hands high over his head during worship, others will often start raising their hands. When a pastor goes on a mission trip, the number of people who sign up for that mission trip goes up. When a pastor comes to the Monday-morning prayer group, more people come.

Whether or not you’re a pastor, people follow the model they see in you as a leader. They do what you do.

…

Written by Regi Campbell

Regi Campbell grew up in a small-town church. He’s belonged to congregations in multiple cities and gotten to know a quite a few pastors and churches. For the past twenty-three years, he’s been a part of one of America’s largest churches, Andy Stanley’s North Point Community Church serving as an Elder twice and in other leadership roles. His first three books—About My Father’s Business, Mentor Like Jesus, and What Radical Husbands Do—speak to business people, mature men, and husbands respectively. Campbell now speaks to Senior Pastors, Staff Pastors, and leaders in the local church, sharing what he’s learned about creating interest in discipleship and disciple making.

Regi is the Founder and Chairman of Radical Mentoring, a nonprofit focused on equipping and encouraging churches to build disciples and disciple makers through intentional men’s small group mentoring. Regi believes the future of the local church is intimately connected to the development of strong Jesus-following lay leaders who will lead their wives, children, businesses, neighborhoods, and churches with God at the center.

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Source: Model Your Method

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by Carey Nieuwhof:

Almost every leader I’ve ever met wants to change something.

If I asked you right now what you’d love to change in your church or organization, you’d probably be able to offer an answer within seconds.

Some of you want to change everything. If you don’t want to change anything, you’re probably not a leader.

The truth about change is that it’s more mysterious than it needs to be.

Many people aren’t sure how the dynamics of change work, and have seen so many leaders get skewered trying to lead change that they’re afraid to try.

Other leaders—unaware of the dynamics of change—storm change so aggressively that they look over their shoulder to discover than nobody’s following.

You can learn how to lead change well.

Leading change requires a skill set. And the good news is that skill set can be learned.

Today…a question all of us face when leading change. What do I actually say when I’m leading change?

Say the right thing…and change can happen easily.

Say the wrong thing…and plans can unravel in front of you.

If you don’t want to change anything, you’re probably not a leader.Click To Tweet

7 Things NOT To Say When You’re Leading Change

Some language is simply more helpful in leading change than other language.

So…let’s take it from a reverse angle today. If you want to ruin the chance of change happening in your church, just say these 7 things.

1.” These Changes Are Great. I Can’t Understand Why You Don’t Like Them.” (Lack of Empathy)

Leaders who navigate change successfully learn the skill of empathy.

Not everyone is going to cheer wildly when you introduce change. Be prepared for that.

If you want to turn an enemy into a friend, empathize with them. Try saying something like: I can understand you don’t like the changes…I would be upset if I were you too.

If you want to learn more about developing the skill of empathy, this post might help you.

Not everyone is going to cheer wildly when you introduce change. Be prepared for that.Click To Tweet

2. “God Told Me This Is What We Should Do.” (Speaking for God)

Please please please don’t pull the God card when you’re navigating change.

I mean by all means invoke God’s name when you’re preaching about Jesus rising from the dead or other core essentials of the Christian faith.

But don’t tell your congregation that God told you to buy your next building or change the music or stop wearing a suit or change the carpet or build a new wing or whatever else you’re proposing.

Even if you believe God told you to do something, suggest it as a plan…or a wise course to follow…or the best options we see right now.

Rather than being less credible, you will become more believable and more trustworthy.

Too many leaders use God as a trump card for the plans they’ve designed.

I pray about the plans we make, seek wise counsel and honestly believe they are the best thing for our church. But these days I never pull the God card out.

Why? Because if the plan fails, it just makes people suspicious or cynical. I don’t want to bring God’s name into disrepute. If I stick to the Gospel, I won’t.

So what should you say?

How about this? Our team has looked at this and prayerfully considered the options. We believe this is the best move we can make at this time for these reasons….

Ironically, you won’t lose credibility. You’ll gain it.

Too many leaders use God as a trump card for the plans they’ve designed.Click To Tweet

3. “We’ve Got This All Figured Out. Trust Me.” (Know It All)

Don’t try to be the guy who ‘knows it all’. You don’t.

You haven’t got this all figured out—you have a strategy. That’s it.

So be honest. Why not say something like: No, we’re not 100% sure this is going to work. But what we were doing was not working. So we’re going to try this.

Better, isn’t it?

4. What Happened In The Past Is Completely Irrelevant…Focus On The Future. (Dismissing The Past)

I’ve been tempted to dismiss the past. Who hasn’t?

Some of that is the arrogance of the leader. History did not start with your arrival.

Brian White, who works at Disney, has a great philosophy about handling the heritage at Disney (after all, Disney has almost 100 years of history, and Frozen is a long way from Steamboat Willie.) Disney’s approach?

Honour the past without living in it.

Love that. Acknowledge that what happened in the past mattered and is important, and point the way to the future.

Maybe say something like: We’ve had some great moments and seasons in the past, and we want to ensure we have many more in the future. That’s what I’m hoping this change will accomplish.

Honor the past without living in it. – Brian WhiteClick To Tweet

5. “Everyone Needs To Get On Board Right Now.” (Impatience)

People will take differing amounts of time to get on board. Be okay with that.

You’ll have a handful of highly enthusiastic early adopters. Run with them.

Let others come on board over time.

Say something like: I realize this is going to stretch all of us, and I appreciate those of you who are willing to give this a chance even though you’re not sure. We so value that!

6. “I Know People Are Leaving…Who Cares?” (Indifference)

When you make changes, it’s almost guaranteed that some people will leave.

But don’t gloat or pretend it doesn’t matter.

Because leaving hurts you, you’ll be tempted to pretend you don’t feel it or to vilify your opponents.

People who disagree with you are not bad people. They just disagree with you.

Are there times when people should leave your church? Yes. In fact, here are 7 instances when you should invite people to leave your church.

But in the moment—when people are leaving—this is a moment for empathy. Express concern both for people who are concerned about people who are leaving and express regret.

But then say maybe say something like:

Yes, it is sad. But I think what need to remember is that they will have another church to go to. I’m excited about creating space for people who haven’t yet been to church…and I’m excited that you want to create space for them here too.

People who disagree with you are not bad people. They just disagree with you.Click To Tweet

7. “This Plan Is Bullet-Proof.” (Hubris)

No matter how well thought-through your plan is, it’s not bullet proof.

It might fail. Really, it might.

So why not just be honest?

Instead, say something like: I agree. We don’t know for sure if this plan is going to work. But it’s helped a lot of other churches (or…if no one’s tried it that you know of, say ‘nobody’s really tried this before…’), and we believe it’s our next best step. So we’re going to try it. And after we’ve given it our best, we’ll make sure to evaluate it. Thanks for the freedom to try new things.

Here’s Another Reason Great Leaders Blow Change

Those are some lessons from the trenches in leading change. If you are interested in more, you can read about the five essential strategies every leader needs when handling opposition to change here.

What have you said or heard people say when leading change that you think is a mistake? Scroll down and leave a comment!

Before we go..one more reason leaders blow change is they haven’t built enough margin into their lives to process things in a healthy way.

So many leaders struggle against time and let other people hijack their calendar and priorities to the point where they barely have time to think.

You don’t have to live that way.

The High Impact Leader Course is available now for a limited time. It will show you how to get time, energy and priorities working in your favor so you can lead with much greater impact.

Each session includes a video training and workbook that will help you personalize a plan to help you get productive and accomplish the very things you know are most important, but rarely have the time for.

The High Impact Leader is now available in multiple formats. Take the course by yourself, with your team, in your office or on the go.

The post 7 Ways Otherwise Great Leaders Blow It When Leading Change appeared first on Carey Nieuwhof.

Source: 7 Ways Otherwise Great Leaders Blow It When Leading Change

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