Tevis Austin

Leadership and the Holy Spirit

One of the speakers we heard at Orange last week was Donald Miller.  In short, he respectfully challenged John Maxwell on leadership.  He defined leadership as more than influence.  For instance, Donald Miller says that he influences people who read his books, but he is not a leader.  Leadership is more than influence.  Donald Miller defined leadership this way:  deep love for people and involving people in ownership of your vision.  He said that a leader is a person who gets to know you in such a way that you want to take part in owning their vision.  I'm still processing some of his random thoughts on leadership, but I do agree that I have often felt that leadership is more than simply influence. 

Francis Chan challenged me the most.  He spoke about the Holy Spirit and the importance of being a living example of what God is like.  It was Jesus who said that there was someone great coming after Him.  The Holy Spirit came and transformed lives including those first disciples.  It was when the Holy Spirit showed up that people noticed.  Like Francis said, I doubt anyone walked away on the day of Pentecost simply saying, "That was awesome.  John learned Chinese in 20 seconds."  When the Holy Spirit is involved, supernatural things happened.

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the role of the Holy Spirit in my life this past week  How do I experience God?  How do I experience the Holy Spirit in my life and ministry?  Francis Chan said that there should be a major difference between those who have the Holy Spirit and those who don't.  I know the Holy Spirit has made a difference in my life, but the reality is I think I often rely to much on myself rather than the Holy Spirit.  I often try to take things into my own hands rather than relying on God's power.  I want to figure out how I can fix things or I worry about things as if results depend on me.  I sometimes even have doubts rather than trusting the One who is in control.

I am wondering how I can change my thinking.  What I long to see is for God to show up in such a way that it changes my perception, belief, and ultimately my relationship with Him.  I long to see God working in supernatural ways.  I also believe that our culture today needs God to show up in supernatural ways.  People need to see God. 

Francis Chan challenged us to be living pictures of God individually and collectively.  The problem is that the picture our culture seems to have of Christians and the church is anything but supernatural.  What if we really lived in such a way that people began to say, "No one does that.  No one forgives like that.  No one gives like that.  No one loves like that.  No one cares like that."  Then we would be able to say, "Wait a minute.  There is someone - God.  This is just a glimpse or a picture of God and what He is like." 

What does this mean for me individually in how I rely on God, in what I give up for God, in how I live for God?  What action steps do I need to take?  What does this mean for the small group that I experience community with?  What action steps do we need to take?  How can we collectively ,in the way we care for each other and those around us, be a living picture of what God is like?  These are some of the questions that I am asking.   

Uncertainty

   I can still hear people questioning the decision.  Why did Jim Tressel take a gamble by going for a fourth and one from the Buckeye's own 29 yard line in the championship game against Florida?  However, the momentum was completely going Florida's way and Tressel had to do what every coach does in that situation.  He had to draw upon knowledge and intuition and call the play.  And when the ball was snapped, he found out if he made the right decision.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.

We live with the reality that action must be taken with clarity even in the face of uncertainty in sports.  But in the area of leadership in ministry, uncertainty can be difficult to handle.  Andy Stanley says, "Leadership is all about taking people on a journey.  The challenge is that most of the time we are asking people to follow us to places we ourselves have never been.  There aren't any photographs - we are left with word pictures, metaphors, and illustrations.  There are no maps to guide us - we are left to cut a trail.  Yet as we move forward into the uncertainty before us, we sense the need to turn occasionally and assure those who follow.  This is the tension every good leader lives with:  negotiating uncertain terrain while casting a clear and compelling vision...The more responsibility you assume as a leader, the more uncertainty you will have to manage.  The cost of success as a leader is greater uncertainty, not less.  This is why it is imperative to learn to thrive in uncertain environments.  Your capacity as a leader will be determined by how well you learn to deal with uncertainty."

Dealing with uncertainty is something I am finding myself dealing with more and more as a leader.  The difficult part is that I don't always like to move forward without knowing exactly where I am going.   I am learning how to deal with the tension that uncertainty creates.   

Andy Stanley suggests four keys to clarity in the face of uncertainty:

1.  Express your uncertainty with confidence.  It is sometime easy to feel like people won't follow you unless you are certain of things.  However, Andy Stanley challenges leaders to admit uncertainty but lead with confidence.  I have had to learn that even though you may mentally be prepared to express confidence, you must also watch how you verbally say what you are trying to express.  The vocabulary and body language you use can be very important to what is being communicated. 

2.  Seek wise counsel.  Talking to other leaders, mentors, and friends has helped me many many times.

3.  Measure your success by the scoreboard, not the playbook.  There are times when you must be willing to scrap the playbook or to do some things differently in order to win or reach your goal.

4.  Be willing to act decisively.  Uncertainty can be a leaders downfall especially if it prevents him/her from ever making a decision.  This key is definitely something I have had to work on and will need to continue working on.  I have learned that there are times when I need to be clear even when I am not certain.  There are times when I need to act rather than waiting for all the details.  However, the tension that I often struggle with is knowing when I should go ahead and act.  Sometimes, it may be good to wait just a little longer, while at other times, you may lose momentum if you don't go ahead and act. 

You can find the full article by Andy Stanley on "The Uncertain Leader" here. 

   

Leading People to Places You Have Never Been

What does leadership look like today?
I recently came across a quote from John Maxwell that says, “We cannot lead anyone else father than we have been.” Is that really true for leaders today?

I have to admit that I have operated from that way of thinking concerning leadership for many years. But recently I have found myself more in more in uncharted territory when it comes to leadership. I read more on leadership that I ever have before. My browsing at Barnes and Nobles even usually involves heading straight to the business/leadership section.

I’m not sure I totally understand Maxwell’s statement. Isn’t a large part of leadership sharing a vision and leading people to places you have never been? Here are a few things I am processing about leadership:

Leadership is about a commitment to lead others to a place you are committed to go. Many times leadership may involve going into uncharted territory. I feel like we are at that point in my current ministry setting as we are eading people to serve and understand multi-site. Part of a leader’s commitment may involve being a learner to help paint a clear picture and to understand how to better enable the vision to become reality. Without a commitment to actually lead and sometimes make difficult decisions, there will not be much movement forward. However, it seems like leading people is more about painting a picture and a commitment to go, which may not be to a place you have already been.

Leadership is about journeying with the right people to places you have never been. I came across an image with one penguin in the lead which says "The leader always sets the trail for others to follow." I admit that I agree with the thought that if you are a leader and no one is following, then you are just taking a walk. However, is leadership more about journeying with the right people than just having followers? Are there not times when it is more important for a leader to empower others around him/her to step out and lead due to their strengths and/or expertise? In fact, recognizing another person’s strengths or expertise and allowing that person to lead at times on the journey may be very important in enabling the vision to become reality. Leadership involves understanding your strengths and surrounding yourself with the right people who help to shape the vision and reach the destination.

Leadership is about being just as much as doing. Integrity is critical when it comes to leadership. Integrity involves being who you say you are and following through with what you say you will do. This component is at the very core of building trust with others so one can lead.