by Carey Nieuwhof: So you’re trying to make the best decisions you can in a deeply confusing, stressful time, and you’re tired.

I get it.

I know when I get tired, it’s hard to think straight, let alone sense where the decisions I’m making are taking us long term.

How do you know how you’re doing…whether the kind of decisions you’re making are pointing your church in the right direction?

So today, to help, I’m sharing five kinds of leaders I’m seeing right now. You can make up your own categories if you want, but getting a sense of the overall approach you’ve embraced to decision making can help you get a handle on whether this is where you want to be ore not.

The categories below reflect the overall approach leaders are taking to the insane amount of uncertainty, change and disruption that is leadership right now.

Each of the five approaches has a probable destination—a prospect for the future that, while not inevitable, is likely.

Note: you may toggle through different leadership styles on different days (or even hour to hour), and in some cases you may embrace one approach in one area you’re leading, and reflect a different style in another area.

With all that in mind, here are 5 kinds of church leaders right now and the future prospects associated with each.

1. Deniers

Denial has always been a part of human nature.

Despite what you’re eating and what you see on the scale, it’s easy to deny you have health problems until you visit the doctor or end up in the ER.

It’s easy to deny that your relationship is in trouble until one morning she tells you she’s done and walks out.

But we live in this strange moment where denial is happening everywhere. Many leaders right now still deny that the virus is real, that’s the situation is real, that there’s any threat or that this is a disruption (rather than an interruption).

And regardless of what you think, when you deny the depth of change taking place, you set your organization up for failure.

Denial is a terrible leadership strategy. Denying the truth doesn’t change the truth.

Denial is a terrible leadership strategy. Denying the truth doesn’t change the truth.

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Just think about all the people who denied they had financial problems until they filed for bankruptcy. Or the angry leader who swore his team was with him until, one by one, they all left. Or the leader in an affair who thought he’d never get caught until…

Even when you don’t like it, the truth (this is wrong/things really aren’t great/you can’t keep doing this) is your friend. Trust me, I don’t always like the truth either.

Leaders who change when they see the truth always fare better than leaders who try to change the truth by denying it.

If you want to lead a healthy team that embraces the truth, I’d love to help.

Leaders who change when they see the truth always fare better than leaders who try to change the truth by denying it.

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2. Reverters

The reverters are the leaders who are actively trying to recreate or restore the past. They want to revert to the way things were, to get back to the familiar, to what they know, even to what they were trained to do and programmed to do.

I have some sympathy for reverters. Nobody signed up for this.

But reverting to the past only works if the past is coming back. The longer this disruption continues, the less likely it is that things will go back to the way they were.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

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I’ve written quite extensively on why I believe the longing to go back to normal, while natural, is a big leadership mistake.

Why Going Back to Normal Church Seems So Compelling, and Can Be So Dangerous

Avoid This Big Mistake: Stepping Back Into the Past When You Step Back Into Your Building

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

Reverting back is a wonderful strategy if the challenges you’re facing are an interruption. Someone turned off the light, you turned it back on, and you just pick up where you left off.

A disruption is different. Things are changing far more deeply and profoundly, and as a result, you need a new approach.

Old strategies applied to a new day produce diminishing returns. And as we’ve seen already in the low return to church numbers, that rarely turns out well.

Old strategies applied to a new day produce diminishing returns.

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3. Resigners

I’m guessing there are a lot of leaders in this category.

As much as you want to believe this is not a disruption, you admit to yourself that it is. You know that things aren’t going back to normal, even though you wish they were. And you’re not denying or even resisting the truth that you’re living in a deeply chaotic, disruptive time.

It’s just you haven’t got the energy for what’s ahead.  You’re resigned to a different future, you just haven’t got the strength to embrace it.

Can I just say I get it?

I have led from a place of zero energy. The thought of more change or ONE MORE THING GOING WRONG just about killed me more than once.

I also realize, as you do, that this isn’t a place you want to stay in long. You can’t stay in this place long and still lead.

Perhaps the remedy for leaders who feel resigned to the change ahead is to get yourself healthy, to build up reserves that can help you embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead. And trust me, there are opportunities.

Here are a few posts and resources that can help.

11 Signs You’re More Than Just Tired, You’re Burning Out

How I Recovered From Burnout: 12 Keys to Getting Back

The High Impact Leader: How to Get Time, Energy And Priorities Working In Your Favor

Being resigned to change doesn’t prepare you for the future nearly as well as embracing change does.

Being resigned to change doesn’t prepare you for the future nearly as well as embracing change does.

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4. Adapters

Adapters understand that they are leading through large scale change. They’re not denying it, resigned to it and not really reverting back.

But—and this is a critical distinction—they’re not innovating either. They’re adapting.

One of the key differences between innovation and adaptation is that innovation is voluntary. Adaptation is not.

One of the key differences between innovation and adaptation is that innovation is voluntary. Adaptation is not.

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Most of the change that churches and businesses have adopted in the disruption to date isn’t really innovation. It’s adaptation.

Adaption is forced on you. Remote work for the most part has been adaptation. So has church online. You didn’t really have a choice.

Crisis isn’t the only disruptor at work in culture. Many industries have been disrupted in the last 20 years without a virus: think about transportation (thanks to ride-share services), photography (thanks to smart phones and Instagram) or hospitality (thanks to Airbnb).

In an era of rapid change, adaptation might help you survive, but it rarely helps you thrive.

You can make it into the future, but usually, as a shadow of what you used to be or what you could be.

Most of the change that churches and businesses have adopted in the disruption to date isn’t really innovation. It’s adaptation.

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5. Innovators

They say necessity is the mother of invention, so, churches, this is a great time to invent.

The long term trends around church attendance weren’t promising even before a virus hit.

The good news is the mission of the church is eternal. The methods change from generation to generation. Leaders who reinvent the methods ultimately become those who preserve the mission. Just study the Apostle Paul, or the Reformers.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, so, churches, this is a great time to invent.

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This could be a season where the lack of traction you’re getting using old methods can spawn you to try new things.

So what does it take to innovate? A lot of it, believe it or not, is attitude and willingness to take risks.

If you study innovators, you’ll learn that they’re usually curious, passionate, resilient and willing to fail.

They have a voracious appetite for learning—often outside their disciplines.

Innovators leverage the strength of their team to generate new ideas and iterations, and they’re not overly sensitive to criticism, knowing that divergent views simply make their future approaches better.

So the question becomes, where are you innovating? Adapting is one thing. Innovating is quite another.

Today belongs to the adapters. Tomorrow belongs to the innovators.

Today belongs to the adapters. Tomorrow belongs to the innovators.

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Get Your WHOLE Team Embracing the Future

Sometimes leadership feels overwhelming, and that’s often because you struggle to get your whole team working together to solve the problems you’re facing.

It’s never been more important for your organization to hit your goals. It’s also never been more difficult.

Lead a Better Team is my brand new, online, on-demand course that gives you a comprehensive, step-by-step strategy to:

Get far better results with the same team (you don’t need to fire everyone and start over)
Deepen employee engagement
Actually achieve the goals you set
Eliminate toxic culture and deal with toxic team members; and
Stop micromanaging because you’ve built a self-motivated team.

All the while freeing up time for you to do focus on what you do best.

The best part? Lead A Better Team gives you the tools you need to help your team thrive whether they work remotely, in person or you lead a hybrid team.

Get instant access to Lead a Better Team NOW and start taking your team into a better future.

Any Other Styles You See?

I hope this helps frame this moment and get you on track with where you want to be.

I’m curious, any other styles you see? Anything you’d add to help leaders make it through this challenging era?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects)

The post The 5 Kinds of Church Leaders We’re Seeing Right Now (And their Future Prospects) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

This post is by Jenni Catron. Jenni is Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group and is a member of my  Speaking Team. You can book Jenni to consult with your team or speak at your next event here.

By Jenni Catron

Today’s leaders have the tools to grow things rapidly but lack the emotional and intellectual health to sustain it all.

And the fallout is killing us.

Our culture has minimized the responsibility and elevated the celebrity of leadership and with this I believe we’ve lost the realization that leadership is a sacred privilege.

Leaders have the power to change or affect the lives of others and therefore leadership is sacred work.

Leaders have the power to change or affect the lives of others and therefore leadership is sacred work.Click To Tweet

I hope you’ve been influenced by a great leader – someone who led by example with great character and integrity… someone who saw your potential and gave you opportunities to grow and learn.

And regrettably, I suspect you’ve also been influenced by a poor leader – someone who wielded their influence for their own power and advancement and maybe discouraged and demotivated you.

We need great leaders.

We need people who recognize the significance of their influence on others and are intentional to use that influence for good.

We need people who recognize the significance of their influence on others and are intentional to use that influence for good.Click To Tweet

To be completely honest, my early leadership journey was marked by a misunderstanding of what it really means to lead well. Following the path I had seen from others before me, I expeditiously climbed the corporate ladder, read all the leadership books, barked orders and bull-dozed my way to success.

That’s what I thought it meant to lead. But I soon realized I wasn’t having the influence I hoped for.

I was becoming increasingly aware that I needed a different set of skills for leadership. My problem was that I had a hard time keeping up with the rapid rate of growth and change required by my industry, so I was making leadership decisions that were more about my survival than they were about the welfare of my team or the organization.

I was watching my peers burn out at alarming rates because we were operating with a never-ending “get it done” mentality in a culture where hustle was the first priority. The lesson I was quickly learning was that my lasting impact was related to how well I was going to lead myself in the midst of the pressure I felt to perform.

My lasting impact was related to how well I was going to lead myself in the midst of the pressure I felt to perform.Click To Tweet

In fact, I remember one particular Saturday morning during that season. It should have been a relaxing day without a big agenda but I woke up a ball of stress torn between spending time with my family or using the time to catch up on the mountain of work lingering in my mind.

My husband picked up on my stress, so he asked, “What do you want to do, Jen?”

I thought it was a dumb question.  I didn’t have time to think about what I wanted.  I was leading a rapidly growing organization, overseeing a multi-million dollar building project and writing my first book.  There was no time to think about what I wanted. There was barely time to do everything I needed to do!

My husband’s question triggered an avalanche of emotions that took me months of counseling to crawl out of.  What emerged was a realization of how disconnected I had become from myself.

I was lacking self-awareness and it was impacting every area of my life.

Emotional Intelligence expert and psychologist, Daniel Goleman defines self-awareness as, “having a deep understanding of one’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives.  People with strong self-awareness are neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful. Rather, they are honest – with themselves and with others.”

In that season of my life, I wasn’t being honest with myself or with others about my capacity and my limits.  As a result, instead of succeeding, which I was so desperately trying to do, I was floundering everywhere. My relationship with my husband was tense, I was short-tempered with my team, and time with friends was non-existent.

A crash-course in self-awareness opened my eyes to the importance of this topic.

I believe that self-awareness is the secret weapon of successful people.

I believe that self-awareness is the secret weapon of successful people.Click To Tweet

When we have a deep understanding of what is going on inside of us, we can be more conscious of how we impact others and therefore be more intentional in all we do.

My personal mantra has become, “lead yourself well to lead others better.” I can’t lead others to places I haven’t been to.

Lead yourself well to lead others better.Click To Tweet

1. Self-awareness is the strongest predictor of success.

A study by the organizational consulting firm, Green Peak Partners, and Cornell University examined 72 executives at public and private companies and found that “a high self-awareness score was the strongest predictor of overall success”.

The study also showed that while experience, confidence, ability to make tough decisions, and other so-called “hard skills” were important, the researchers concluded that self-awareness was the key differentiator for the most successful leaders.  “The executives most likely to deliver good bottom-line results are actually self-aware leaders who are especially good at working with individuals and in teams.”

Essentially, self-awareness equips us to work with others in a way that leads to results.

2. Self-awareness equips you to know where to focus.

Rewind to a younger you and I bet you had greater clarity about your passions and goals for life.

Fast-forward and layer on the complexity of work experience, family life, and increased responsibilities, and you’ve likely lost that same level of clarity.

When we are responding to all the “shoulds” that come at us, it seems we don’t have the luxury of knowing what we really want.

When we commit to being self-aware, we fight to stay connected to our core longings.

When we commit to being self-aware, we fight to stay connected to our core longings.Click To Tweet

We know our strengths and weaknesses, which equips us to know where to focus our growth efforts.  The tendency is to feel that this is selfish or self-focused, but the reality is that those we influence get our best engagement when we know ourselves well and are leaning into our strengths.

3. Self-awareness actually makes you less self-focused.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but the more self-aware we become the less self-focused we actually are.

The more self-aware we become the less self-focused we actually are.Click To Tweet

When we are self-aware we are more in touch with how we engage others and how they experience us.  We know when we’re under stress and are more likely to catch ourselves before we say that sarcastic comment or respond curtly.

The more self-aware we are the more in tune we will be to our emotions and how they are coming out through our actions.  We notice how we affect others and more deliberately consider what we need to do to act in a way that is considerate of others.

4. Self-awareness prevents you from doing irreparable damage to yourself and others.

Author Parker Palmer shares, “A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside of himself or herself… lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.”

I’m guessing we don’t intend for our leadership to create more harm than good, but in the pursuit of more and better, we neglect some of our most important work.

Where does our journey of self-awareness begin?

Leadership coach, Beth Graybill, says there are three important steps of self-awareness:

1)    awareness of myself

2)    awareness of others

3)    awareness of how others experience themselves around me

Let’s look at these more closely:

Awareness of Myself:

Self-Awareness starts with self-observation. How well do I know myself? Do I know what I think, feel, and believe, and do I act in a way that is an accurate reflection of how people experience me?

Awareness of Others:

Self-Awareness increases with the observation of others. Do I know the people around me and do I understand how they will respond to interactions and conversations?

Awareness of How Others Experience Themselves Around Me:

This final stage involves paying attention to how others feel about themselves when they’re around me. Ask yourself, “Have I ever noticed how I make people feel about themselves around me?” Do you make people feel insecure or confident about their decisions? Do you make them feel empowered or apathetic about their choices? Do I make them feel creative or stifled with their projects?

When we lack self-awareness we miss the social cues that indicate others are walking on eggshells around us or are afraid to speak up.

Greater self-awareness helps you understand how others experience you and you are able to adjust your style to others rather than expecting them to adjust to you.

Ultimately, self-leadership is a journey. I journey that begins with a commitment to growing in your self-awareness and then embracing the behaviors of leading yourself well.

Self-awareness is an essential asset in living out your purpose with confidence.

Self-awareness is an essential asset in living out your purpose with confidence.Click To Tweet

When you have a clear understanding of who you are, what you value, and what you hope to achieve coupled with an awareness of your emotions and needs, you will engage others with an honesty and vulnerability that is contagious and compelling. That’s extraordinary leadership.

Self-Aware Leaders Develop Their Character

I have a new short video series where I share five habits that have helped me work on my character, covering everything from my morning routine to how to avoid moral compromise on the road when you’re away from your family and the people you care about.

These 5 habits are designed to help you build a better character that will help shape your legacy.

The 5 habits are:

An Intentional Morning/Evening Routine
Scheduled Rest
Password Sharing
Monitoring Your Public Talk
Rules for the Road

I would love to send you these 5 videos (for free).

You can sign up to receive them here!

What About You?

Where do you need to grow in self-awareness?

The post The Secret of Successful Leaders: 4 Reasons Self-Awareness is Essential for Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: The Secret of Successful Leaders: 4 Reasons Self-Awareness is Essential for Leadership

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By Dillon Smith. Dillon is content manager for Carey Nieuwhof Communications and is a member of the Speaking Team. You can book Dillon to speak at your next event here.

By Dillon Smith

Raising up new communicators can feel like navigating a minefield.

There is a tension that anyone trying to invest in the next generation of communicators feels. On one hand, you want them to get as many reps and opportunities to practice as possible. But on the other hand, you know that giving inexperienced communicators big opportunities can lead to catastrophic results.

Since there is a massive difference between messing up in front of a small group of 15 people and messing up on a major stage, you want to give new communicators as many small opportunities as you can.

But how do you know when a new communicator is ready to take on a major stage?

As I look back on my own development and the development of others, there are pivotal moments when simple lessons went a long way.

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Here are 4 responses to my early sermons that I needed to hear before taking a major stage:

1. “You need to learn the rules before you can break the rules”

A mistake many young communicators make is trying to preach with style before they preach with discipline.

I have done this numerous times.

Early on in my preaching career, I thought that as long as my preaching style was great, the audience would love it.

Do you want to know what happened? No matter how many times I tried to preach with intensity, the audience never responded the way I expected.

It confused me.

I never understood how I could be so excited about a message and the audience could look so lost at the same time.

This happened because I didn’t know the rules for effective public speaking and as a result, my “style” broke all the wrong rules at all the wrong times.

I saw what other great communicators did and copied it, but I didn’t understand the “why” behind it.

If you see what great communicators do, you can imitate it. But if you understand the “why” behind their “what,” you can begin to innovate with your own communication style.

If you see what great communicators do, you can imitate it. But if you understand the “why” behind their “what,” you can begin to innovate with your own communication style. Click To Tweet

The only way I began understanding the “why” was a mentor making me apply discipline before I applied style.

How did he do this?

He created a list of things that a communicator needs to think about every time they speak.

Then, he made write and deliver multiple sermons to him or a very small audience. After that, he would meticulously grade me on every single thing on that list.

If you are looking to teach your young leaders (or yourself) to be a better communicator, try working on your speaking disciplines, not style.

Here is a sample of the list I had to follow for every talk I gave:

Define the purpose of every talk, and every point within the talk.
Every talk needs to be between 2 and 5 points that are pointing towards one main purpose.
Write ALL of your main points before your sub-points, ALL of your sub-points before your sub-sub-point, etc…
Hook the ENTIRE audience with every opening line.
Build credibility with your audience every time you speak.
Every point, sub-point, and sub-sub-point must be exactly one sentence. No more, no less.
Have a specific purpose behind every story/illustration.
End every sermon with fireworks. [This is usually metaphorical. ;)]

The list was longer, but I wanted to give you an idea of just how strict your standards should be while training.

As I did this for multiple talks, I began to understand how each rule works together, and when and why it’s appropriate to break the general rules of public speaking. I began innovating.

Today, every single one of those disciplines has a clear, logical explanation of why I am or am not doing it for every talk I give.

Young speakers need to learn the rules to break the rules, and someone has to teach them.

If a young speaker doesn’t understand the rules of public speaking, they are not ready to take a major stage.

Young speakers need to learn the rules to break the rules, and someone has to teach them. Click To Tweet

2. “Your ability to think needs to exceed your ability to speak”

The person on stage needs to have a deep understanding of whatever they are going to talk about. If they aren’t, why should anyone listen to them?

So how do you know if a young leader has a deep understanding of what he is expected to talk about?

A general rule I follow is this:

If someone can’t converse about a topic at a high level, they won’t be able to speak about a topic at a high level.

If someone can’t converse about a topic at a high level, they won’t be able to speak about a topic at a high level. Click To Tweet

So if you can’t have a serious, engaging conversation about the topic with them, they aren’t ready to preach on that topic.

So how do you fix this?

You have deep conversations about the topic with them months before they are set to preach on it.

Give them books to read, podcasts to listen to, and experts in the field to learn from.

After they have done their research, sit down, ask hard questions, and wait for them to come up with good answers.

These will be some of the most formative conversations a young leader can go through. You are teaching them how to learn, think, and articulate their thoughts clearly.

This will take a lot of time, but the young leader that comes out on the other side will be worth the effort.

When you can have deep, engaging conversations about the topic with that leader, they are ready to take a major stage.

3. “That was rough, but you’re just beginning”

That sounds harsh, and maybe it is, but here’s the reality:

Everyone who speaks from stage will deliver a terrible talk. The real tragedy is that not everyone will learn from those terrible talks.

Everyone who speaks from a stage will deliver a terrible talk. The real tragedy is that not everyone will learn from those terrible talks.Click To Tweet

The best thing an influential leader in the audience can do is pull that communicator aside a couple of days later and say:

“Hey, I think you have a ton of potential as a communicator, but I think you could have done better. How do you think you can improve?”

This conversation is key.

Applied honest feedback is what separates the mediocre communicators from great communicators.

Applied honest feedback is what separates the mediocre communicators from great communicators. Click To Tweet

This conversation will be painful, but in the long run, that pain is good.

When young leaders feel the pain of failing on stage, we become motivated to do everything they can to never fail like that again.

You have to let us learn from failure on a small platform, so we don’t fail on a major platform.

When young leaders feel the pain of failing on stage, they become motivated to do everything they can to never fail like that again.Click To Tweet

4. “Do you think you could be called to this?”

The journey to becoming a public speaker can be pretty discouraging.

Not only are you signing up to do something that most people are more afraid of than dying, but almost nobody is good at public speaking the first few times they speak.

So young communicators are:

Terrified out of their minds.
Have a long way to grow.
Able to choose to do anything else in the world besides public speaking.

So why do they stick around?

Usually, there is someone in their corner cheering them on and mentioning that they might be called to be a preacher or motivational speaker.

Someone sees potential in them and asks, “Do you think you could be called to this?”

So how do you know if you need to have this conversation?

I see 2 major indicators:

Passion – Do they deeply care about what they speak on?
Character – Are they someone worth following?

Notice what isn’t on the list:

Competency – Are they already good at public speaking?

Just because a young leader isn’t good at communicating now, doesn’t mean they never will be.

Just because a young leader isn’t good at communicating now, doesn’t mean they never will be. Click To Tweet

Early on, natural gifting to communicate is a “nice to have” but not a “need to have” for potential public speakers.

But they’ll never learn to speak if nobody ever encourages them to try.

The most important asset a young communicator has is a leader cheering them on.

If you are an older leader and see a young leader who is passionate and has good character, consider challenging them to be a voice for what they are passionate about. Their voice is needed.

The most important asset a young communicator has is a leader cheering them on. Click To Tweet

Want A Complete Guide to Preaching and Speaking?

When it comes to communication and preaching, there are a lot of ways to go wrong that you usually don’t expect.

Ever wish someone could come alongside you to walk you through the finer points of the art of better preaching?

That’s exactly what my good friend Mark Clark and I do in our course, The Art of Better Preaching. We’ve even got a full unit on how to leave your notes behind the next time you give a talk.

Every week, Mark and I preach to thousands of churched and unchurched people, Mark at Village Church in Vancouver BC, and me at Connexus Church north of Toronto. We have very different styles, which means this course is not a preach-just-like-me approach to preaching.

You can customize it to help you preach better messages, and it draws from the rich tradition of different approaches that actually connect with unchurched people. Plus, we share our best secrets on how to craft the best messages we know how to create.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

The Why and How of Preaching
How to Preach to the Unchurched
How to Give a Talk Without Using Notes
How to Craft a Killer Bottom Line So People Remember Your Talk Years Later
How to Stay Fresh over the Long Haul

And much more.

The price of the course is going up soon.

You can get access here!

How Do You Develop Communicators?

What methods/practices do you use to develop leaders in your organization?

Leave a comment below!

The post 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage

The post 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: If you were in charge, everything would be different, wouldn’t it?

But you’re not. At least not yet.

You think you’re right (you have some great ideas). And you’ll do anything to convince your boss to do what you think your church or organization needs to do.

Which leads us to the big question.

How do you affect change when you’re NOT the senior leader? How do you lead change when you’re a staff member or simply a volunteer?

I’ve written two books on change, so I get that question all the time.

It’s easy to think you’re powerless or that you need to try to work around a leader with whom you disagree. But neither is a great strategy.

So what do you do if you want to bring about change, but you’re not the key decision-maker?

If you do a little homework and learn to think differently, you can be exceptionally effective at leading change well, even when you’re not the senior leader. Even if you’re ‘just’ a staff member or ‘just’ a volunteer.

How?

Here are five ways you can ‘lead up’ to your boss when you want to broker change:

1. Think like a senior leader

So you’re not a senior leader, but try to imagine that you were. Imagine the pressures and issues facing your senior leader and approach the conversation accordingly.

Think through how it impacts the entire organization.

Understand that your senior leader may have budget restraints and many other interests to balance, like a board of directors or elder board. Show him or her that you understand that and you’re willing to be flexible on some points.

Showing your boss that you understand the bigger picture is a huge step in the right direction.

As a senior leader myself, I’ll disclose a bias here.

When someone on my team comes to me with any idea, and I realize they have thought it through cross-organizationally (that is, they’ve thought through how it impacts the entire organization), I am far more open to it.

Why?

They’re thinking about more than just themselves.

They did their homework.

They helped me do my homework.

They showed me they’re leading at the next level.

I always try to be open to new ideas, but here’s the truth. Often before the person is done with their presentation, or we’ve finished the discussion, I’ve already thought through 15 implications of their idea.

If they show me they‘ve thought through the 15 implications before they got to my office, I’m thoroughly impressed and very open.

I’m not saying that’s a good thing; I’m just saying it’s a true thing.

And I think it’s true of most senior leaders.

When you think like a senior leader, you’re more likely to persuade a senior leader.

When you think like a senior leader, you’re more likely to persuade a senior leader.Click To Tweet

2. Express desires, not demands

No one likes a demanding person.

In fact, when someone demands something, there’s something inside me that doesn’t want to give them what they asked for.

I don’t always follow that impulse, but expressing demands damages relationships. Instead, talk about what you desire.

Show respect and tell him how you feel – don’t tell him how you think he should feel. And above all, don’t be demanding.

When you’re asking someone to change, express desires, not demands.Click To Tweet

3. Explain the why behind the what

As Simon Sinek has so rightly pointed out, people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.

Your best argument is not the what (we need to transform our church altogether) or the how (here’s how you should do it).

It’s the why (I think I’ve discovered a better way to reach families in our community and help parents win at home… can I talk to you about that?)

The more you explain the why the more people will be open to the what and the how.

Lead with why. Season your conversation with why. And close with why.

When you explain the why people become open to the what and how.Click To Tweet

4. Stay publicly loyal

Andy Stanley has said it this way: public loyalty buys you private leverage.

It’s so true. Your senior leader isn’t dumb; if you start complaining about how resistant your senior leader is, he’ll probably hear about it. Not only is your personal integrity compromised, but your senior leader will also lose respect for you.

In my mind as a senior leader, the team members who conduct themselves like a cohesive team always have the greatest private influence.

Your public loyalty will buy you private leverage.

Public loyalty buys you private leverage.Click To Tweet

The title of this blog post explains how we all feel at times (why can’t everyone see I’m right????).

But when it comes to leading change, respect and character will win you more points than your ideas.

Your character speaks far more loudly than any arguments you make. Loyalty and respect spring from your character.

Your character speaks far more loudly than any arguments you make.Click To Tweet

5. Be outstanding at what you do

I’ve left what I think is the most persuasive factor until last.

You know what gets the attention of senior leaders? Team members who are amazing at what they do.

If you go above and beyond expectations, exceed the hopes leaders have for you and consistently over-deliver results, you already have the attention of a leader before you walk in the door.

If you don’t, well, it will take a lot of convincing that you’re right.

Your senior leader knows how well you’re performing, and their opinion of you directly impacts their receptivity to your ideas. Don’t think of it as judgment. Think of it as discernment.

If you were thinking of investing money, which investment adviser would you listen to, the adviser who gets a 20% return for clients year after year, or the one who loses 15% of their client’s money annually?

Exactly.

Leaders respect the team members who consistently deliver above expectations. Before you get upset, think about how your respect fluctuates with other leaders. You do exactly the same thing.

The best way to get a senior leader’s respect is to be outstanding at what you do.

The best way to get a senior leader’s respect is to be outstanding at what you do.Click To Tweet

Leading at the next level takes more time

If you are going to lead up to your boss, you need to be able to manage your time like a next-level leader. When they see you value your time more, they will value your time more.

If you’re trying to find the time for what matters most in life, my High Impact Leader course, is my online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favour.

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

“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 reflect, rest and reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

Speaking Of Leading At The Next Level, Two Can’t-Miss Events This Fall:

To reach the next generation, we have to stay relevant to them.

One of the best ways to stay relevant is to keep learning and growing.

Registration for two premiere events is now open!

Andy Stanley is heading to four cities this fall with his Irresistible Tour…picking up where his best selling book of the same name left off.

Register today and get the best rates.

Orange Tour 2019 with Reggie Joiner, Jon Acuff, and many others will help you reach the next generation. Orange Tour is coming to 15 US cities this fall. I’ll be speaking in Irvine CA, Phoenix AZ and Austin TX.

You can register for Orange Tour here and get the best rates.

What Have You Seen?

If you want more on change, I wrote about effectively leading change in my book Leading Change Without Losing It.

Non-senior leaders, what would you add?

Senior leaders, what other advice would you give?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 5 ways to lead when you’re not the senior leader appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 5 ways to lead when you’re not the senior leader

The post 5 ways to lead when you’re not the senior leader appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: There’s no question we’re undergoing one of the biggest transformations in history, but the digital disruption that’s happening around us every day has caught most church and business leaders off guard.

Clay talks about how large and small organizations are missing out on one of the greatest opportunities there is, and some ideas on how to respond.

Welcome to Episode 193 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Clay on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | ClayScroggins.com

How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge

CNLP 035: Leading Young At North Point – An Interview With Clay Scroggins

CNLP 153: Clay Scroggins On How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge

Free Downloads

Carey Nieuwhof Resource: Connexus Church Online Philosophy Document

Clay Scroggins Resource: 4 Big Moves

Links Mentioned

Join The Art of Better Preaching waitlist today! Don’t miss out on open enrollment coming summer 2018!

BelaySolutions.com/Carey

How to Do Crazy Good Turns – Frank Blake on The Tim Ferriss Show

CNLP 174: Jeff Henderson On The Dos And Don’ts Of Marketing Your Church Or Product And The Backstory To The #FOR Initiative

CNLP 173: Craig Groeschel Deconstructs His Approach To Preaching, Leadership, Success, The Future And More

CNLP 115: Sean Seay On Winning In Leadership While Failing At Home And How He Got Healthy

3 Insights from This Episode

1. Ignoring digital disruption is a bad idea

Many churches and businesses are staring at their declining numbers and scratching their heads; totally dismissing the digital explosion happening around them.

The largest car service in the world owns zero cars.

The largest hotel industry in the world owns zero rooms.

The largest retail store in the world owns zero inventory.

It’s unwise to ignore what’s going on in today’s culture. In order to reach more people, the church has to work through what it looks like to engage a digital world.

2. Live experiences matter, but today’s culture calls for a screen-first mentality

Live experiences are absolutely relevant and matter, but don’t be limited to the boundaries of a building. The needs of people can’t be left to be met only on Sunday mornings or weekdays from 9 to 5.

There are very few places anyone goes in life prior to first visiting them on a screen. A quick search online is the first impression that can lead to continued online and physical engagement. Buildings can host a lot of people, but websites can reach so many more.

3. It’s hard to leverage digital touches with an analog mindset

The digital world and analog world need each other, because they fuel each other’s growth. We Amazon Prime some things and drive to a store to purchase others. Online and in-store go hand-in-hand and the same is proving true in churches who keep track of their online attenders. The more people watch church online, the more people engage in the church community.

The definition of attend is changing. It’s hard to keep track of how many people are engaged in your services online, but digital attendance needs to count in some way. Every church has to figure out a strategy for what to do after someone clicks on your site. What’s the pathway in place for them? Start with what you want to measure and build a strategy around it.

Quotes from This Episode

Leverage the tools of the day to reach people with the message and hope of Jesus.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

Engagement is the new attendance.” – @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

There are very few places we go in life that we don’t go to a screen first.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

The front door of the internet is way bigger than the backdoor.” – @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

A building can’t create the boundaries of your ministry.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

The map will appear when the car is in motion.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

Join The Art of Better Preaching Waitlist Today

Carey teams up with Mark Clark in his next online course The Art of Better Preaching. Join the waitlist now to receive exclusive insider bonuses and secure your spot when enrollment opens summer 2018!

The podcast releases every Tuesday morning

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Ravi Zacharias, Craig Groeschel, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Chuck Swindoll, Greg McKeown, Jon Acuff and many others.

Subscribe via

iTunes

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn Radio

Plus, I host a second podcast every month called the Canadian Church Leaders Podcast. If you’re Canadian, or just interested in ministry in a post-Christian culture, you can subscribe for free as well at:

iTunes

Google Play

Appreciate This? Rate the Podcast.

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn Radio as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Jerry Hurley   

Jerry Hurley joined the staff at Life Church in 1998, when it was a single campus and running about 600 people. He’s been on the senior leadership team as it’s grown to over 80,000 attenders and 29 locations today. Jerry shares his top insights on scale, leaving the corporate world and recruiting staff and volunteers. Plus, he tells the story of how he challenged Craig Groeschel to make a change that Craig calls one of the most important in his early ministry.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 194.

The post CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses

The post CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Christine Birch has been part of three large churches in both Canada and the US. How do you connect people in a large church and how do you connect them at your church? Christine shares her experiences on both sides of the border as they apply to large and small churches alike.

Welcome to Episode 013 of the podcast, which you can access on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Guest Links

Christine on Facebook

Christine on Instagram

Christine at Connexus Church

Links Mentioned

Compassion Canada

Canadian Church Leaders Conference

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation

The E-Myth Revisited

A Mission Partner

Looking for a mission partner? Compassion Canada helps release children from poverty around the world, and they do it through the local church.

They can help you develop a mission strategy for your church that can change the world, whether your church is large or small.

For a free consult, contact them at church@compassion.ca.

Want to Reach More People?

How different is ministry in Canada?

Join us June 14-16, 2018 in Barrie, Ontario for the Canadian Church Leaders Conference, a conference designed to help Canadian Church Leaders reach people.  Intimate, interactive and featuring all new talks. This years speakers include Laurel Buckingham (Moncton Wesleyan), Shaila Visser (Alpha Canada),  Jon Thompson (C4 Church), Jeff Brodie (Connexus) and Carey Nieuwhof.

Registration is officially open.

Secure your spot now to grab the early bird rate before the tickets are gone. It’s already 40% sold out!

3 Insights from This Episode

1. Posture your church so that guests feels expected and accepted

People assume that community will just happen organically, but no matter the size of your church it takes intentionality and hustle. Size doesn’t have anything to do with how warm or cold a church can feel to a new attender and church staff must develop a welcoming posture to ensure a guest feels expected and accepted.

2. Make your follow up with new guests quick, personal and generous

Connexus Church has a great system for following up with guests. It isn’t time consuming and offers personal notes with generous gestures to make people feel welcomed into community. Here’s an overview your church can use and modify to fit your needs.

First Sunday: Connections Card & Small Gift (example: coffee mug)

Week One: Handwritten Post Card from a volunteer, Bombbomb Email from Campus Pastor, Personal Phone Call from a staff member

Week Two (Attender): Hand written, stamped and addressed Note with Gift Card

Week Two (Absent): If a family doesn’t return,  mail a hand stamped and addressed Letter with incentive to return (example: coupon for a free book)

If attenders opt in to receive emails, send regular invitations to attend a new members style class and any current events happening on campus.

3. Honouring the personal space and privacy of attendees shows them respect and protects your church, too

Never force attendees to identify themselves. Instead, respect personal space by allowing them to remain anonymous until they feel comfortable being known. In the mean time, make sure that those next steps are clear and easily available so people can engage your church when they are ready.

If people have volunteered email addresses to receive information about your church you have the responsibility to continue communicating to them until they opt out, but take the time to learn Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation to protect your church from legal battles.

Quotes from This Episode

The average church sees 1 in 10 of their first time guests return. – Christine BirchClick To Tweet

Our follow up should be generous. – Christine BirchClick To Tweet

Persistence is a good virtue. – @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

Does Church in Canada Have to Stay Small?

So you would love to reach more people, but how? Your church just can’t seem to sustainably grow past the 200 barrier.

You’re reaching new families every month, but it’s like pouring water into a leaking bucket: you just can’t grow past your current plateau. What gives?

Breaking 200 Without Breaking You can help you and your team break through the barrier 85% of churches never move past: the 200 attendance barrier.

So many leaders who try to break it either get stuck at 50, 100 or 200 in attendance or burned out in the process of trying.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Believe it or not, the reasons most churches never break 200 aren’t spiritual reasons, they’re practical reasons. Strategic reasons.

The course tackles eight key issues that keep churches from passing the 200 barrier and beyond. It includes:

8 videos designed to guide you and your leadership team through all the key growth barriers smaller churches face.
150 page downloadable workbook for you and your team.
12 licenses, so you can take your entire team through it—board, staff, key volunteers—whoever you want (that’s about $20 a person).
A bonus cheat sheet with access to 20 free resources designed to take you further.
A private Breaking 200 Facebook Group access exclusive to the first 1000 purchasers.

So whether your church is 50, 150 or 250 in attendance, the principles will help you gain the insight you need to break the barrier more than 85% of churches can’t break.

Click here to get instant access!

The podcast releases the first Monday of every month.

Subscribe for free if you’re Canadian, or just interested in ministry in a post-Christian culture.

Subscribe via

iTunes 

Google Play

Plus, I host a weekly podcast called the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast.  Subscribe below and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Ravi Zacharias, Craig Groeschel, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Chuck Swindoll, Greg McKeown, Jon Acuff and many others.

iTunes

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn Radio

Appreciate This? Rate the Podcast.

Hopefully, this episode has helped you and your church reach more people. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief review!

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Brett Ullman

Mental health is not a subject we discuss well in the church. But at any given time, about 20% of your church and leaders are struggling with various mental health issues. Brett Ullman, a nationally respected speaker and authority on parenting and teens, talks about how his struggles started and how to respond in the church and in leadership when mental health issues arise.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 014.

The post CCLP 013: Christine Birch on Connecting New People Who Come to Your Church appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CCLP 013: Christine Birch on Connecting New People Who Come to Your Church

The post Connecting New People Who Come to Your Church appeared first on Passion for Planting.