John Maxwell and Peter Drucker versus Jesus

Leadership is so personal and so individual that learning from a “great leader” is like trying to copy Tiger Woods clothing choices

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to improve one’s golf game. We can’t clothe ourselves with someone else’s techniques. An author I once read thought that if he just practiced tennis a little harder each day he could get to the pro level. In a word, he said he was filled with arrogance. Leaders who think they can lead like John Maxwell to get recognition as a “pro” level leader can be summed up in one word: arrogant.
When trying to lead cats, aka leading church people, Maxwell seems to do well. On one face he’s all about the leader growing, getting organized, and discerning right times, actions, and influential people. On the other face, he proposes techniques to control who is in control, who is delegated the important tasks, and which charted course one should follow. I believe that he needs to be read, but others can flesh out his two faces with a complete body.
Michael Hyatt wrote last week in his blog that the single most important trait of a leader is the ability to make decisions. Unfortunately, Maxwell would modify that: people follow leaders who make the right decision 80% of the time.
Peter Drucker has taught management courses for sixty years. He says the best leaders don’t use techniques or control to get people to follow. The best leaders can see the future, can step outside of their organizations to see it objectively, and can cut off people, activities, and even entire divisions or companies because they have the most powerful trait of a leader: they always operate with the end in mind (which BTW, is one of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People). Leaders have purpose and drive to get to their objective. Drucker says in business the objective is always easier to see. The objective is the bottom line. For non-profits, the objective is serving without the bottom line in mind first.
How successful was Jesus at leading? He chose the wrong followers. He set death as his objective not profits. He ostracized the people who had the greatest influence in society. He let the big fish get away (centurions, Nicodemus, Pilate, etc.). He spent way too much time with odd ducks, the powerless, and the diseased. He didn’t leave any great plans to change society, didn’t have planning meetings, and didn’t leave a prayer book behind.
However, he taught people to love God and others. He acted in love all the time. People saw raw, pure love. He let people be people. He let them enjoy their time with him at countless meals and banquets. Christian leaders ought to wake up and put love back at the top of their to-do lists instead of learning great techniques and making great plans. I think we’d make a more lasting impact since no other business model has that as their primary purpose!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ( John 13:34-35)
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “And a second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” ( Matthew 22:37-40)

Related articles

• Why Peter Drucker Distrusted Facts – Stephen Wunker – Harvard Business Review (amvaishnav.wordpress.com)
• Jesus’ Key Message from Jesus Central
• 100 Years of Drucker (prweb.com)
• The 360° Leader – John Maxwell Book Review (diakrinomusings.wordpress.com)

Related articles

• 100 Years of Drucker (prweb.com)
• The 360° Leader – John Maxwell Book Review (diakrinomusings.wordpress.com)

Calendaring for Counseling and Ministry

Lionkeepers and leadership folks have similar jobs. Our schedules, like lions in a circus, need taming.

I use iCal to help me stay in touch. I’m a Mac guy (since ’88), but Microsoft Office is similar. I switched from using Entourage for Mac about three years ago and haven’t looked back.

Here is the left side of my iCal calendar. I cannot show you the rest of the calendar due to confidential information, but you can catch an idea for how you might use iCal more effectively. I am also under supervision training so I have color coded these events, as well.

I split my calendar by the hats I wear into color coded calendars (actually, subcalendars) within iCal:

1. Family (includes Doctor appointments, birthdays, kids events, holidays, etc.),
2. Church (Two subcategories)
3. Counseling Appointments (I split these into subcategories: individual, couple, family, and group),
4. Reminders (I use a widget by caseapps.com in my Dashboard which I reach by moving my mouse to the lower left corner of my screen. Use System Preferences/Screen saver/Hot Corners to program this action)
5. My Counseling Company (for special events I sponsor, networking, speaking engagements, etc.)
6. The Online Google Calendar (listed as “Domain Administrator”)
7. Battery Maintenance (this is a downloadable program to help lengthen the life of my battery which seems to last about three years the way I use it)

I use an auto reminder for appointments set to two days ahead of each appointment. When the reminder pops up on my screen I reset it to remind me 2 hrs before the appointment. If I had a Smart Phone (which I do not) I would synch with the phone’s calendar to send me a reminder.

I also use a Google apps account (a glorified Gmail account) which is free and for companies even our church. Within my email account I have Google Calendar which syncs with my iCal account. Google gives ample instructions on how to sync with iCal. It’s very easy if you can follow directions.

In my Google email account, I have turned on the “Create Contacts for Auto Complete” so that all people I write to or reply to are automatically adding to my online address book. Under settings, the “Labs” section has incredibly helpful reminders, auto calendar postings, Google maps links, different colored stars for different priority mail, and chat/video options. I have turned on the priority setting for my mail so that most of my important email is always at the top of my page.

Often, email gets lost by people because they don’t follow a simple rule. My good friend, Rich, and a another Productivity guru, David Allen, both clued me in to responding to emails as soon as they come in or by the end of the day. Even a short reply, such as “I’ll get back to you on that,”  will cut down on lost emails.

Calendaring is a process of trial and error for what works for you. Apple has wonderful online instructions, and many forums will be able to point you to the right instructions if you simply google you’re specific problem. The main point is to try to use iCal or another program like it, and find a few tricks that keep you moving in a positive direction with fewer and fewer scheduling errors.

Top Ten WORST Small Group Ice Breakers

10. Share the worst sin you’ve ever committed.

9. If you were God, whom would you punish first?

8. Which person in this group do you think needs to find Jesus the most?

7. Which people at your church do you wish would find a different church, and why?

6. If you could erase any verse out of the Bible, which one would it be?

5. Share the juiciest piece of gossip you know so we can pray about it.

4. If you could have anything from your neighbor’s house, what would it be?

3. What’s your favorite of The 10 Commandments to break?

2. If you could change anything about your spouse, what would it be?

1. If you could commit any sin and get away with it, what would it be?

From: http://mondaymorninginsight.com/blog/post/top_ten_worst_small_group_ice_breakers/

Leadership Pepper

Winston Churchill and his only bodyguard, Walter Thompson

You made ‘em giddy up, Joe. How you got thirty folks to follow you to Or-gun with only a horse, side arm and a rifle makes me think you was a great leader, Joe!

Naw, not really, Hoss. I just did my job to get them folks a new home in Or-gun.

Joe, not many of us followed you, but you got us all there safe and sound. We will be forever grateful to you for leading the wagon train. We did have a few scares, like that one over the Missou-rah River. Lost two wagons and six oxen, but you kept us goin’.

The way I remember it, Hoss, you doused me with some peppery words ‘‘bout keepin’’ on and ‘don’t let the folks down now by quittin’’. I don’t think I could have rode another mile without that pepper shakin’ you give me.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ah, leadership. Some mysterious mix of qualities that can smack of arrogance and self adulation, but comes off as confidence and charisma. The good leaders just do a job and some folks come along to help. Great leaders need pepperin’ once in a while.
Winston Churchill’s body guard, Walter Thompson, guarded the British bulldog for 38 years. He knew more state secrets than anyone other than Churchill, but he also knew the depressions and insecurities of that great leader. He gave countless pepperings of encouragement to keep going, to get out of bed and even to get dressed. Who would have known that such a relationship was such a huge asset to such a great world leader?

And the amazing thing is that the great Winston Churchill listened to his “lowly” bodyguard!

Leaders never go the distance alone. Great leaders have great leaders around them. Great leaders help others to be great leaders. The best organizations have people willing to pepper their boss and keep on going themselves. What may look like confidence and charisma covers an anxious load of self doubt and insecurity. Ask anyone who has ever lead anything!