Category: Self-Management

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

Leaders often underestimate the value of sustained, determined, annual, personal growth. Just as compound interest can seem inconsequential to teenagers who establish their first savings account, so leaders immersed in the frenetic business of leading can often feel that minimal value can be gained from reading a book or establishing a personal discipline. With so many appointments to keep, fires to douse, reports to write, and personnel to supervise, who has time to read a book or reflect on their current leadership?

In the red hot glare of the daily leadership grind, the call to better ourselves personally can seem as trite, clichéd, and impossible as urging busy executives to take time for a nap every afternoon so they guard their health. Nice idea but entirely impractical.

There is a fundamental danger, however, for those who fail to take time to hone their skills. Every leader is gradually becoming obsolete. Time is passing. New and increasingly complex problems are emerging. Technology development is accelerating. To remain where you are is to fall behind. Furthermore, there is an increasing number of young, talented, confident leaders rising up the ranks eager for an opportunity to lead. To become a stagnant leader today is to become a displaced leader tomorrow.

I served as a seminary president for 13 years. Periodically I would attend training sessions specifically designed for seminary presidents. In one meeting we were informed that seminaries were changing at an accelerated rate. Every five years, the school that called us to our position no longer existed. We may have been qualified to lead our institution five years ago, but if we had not grown as leaders during that period, we might well be out of date today. Not surprisingly, there were very few presidents at those meetings who had served for over ten years.

I believe this is true in every leadership endeavor in our modern age. Let me give you some examples:

Parenting

The family is one of the most ancient institutions in human history. Certainly there are family dynamics that have changed little over the millennia. But some things have. It used to be that conscientious parents warned their children about hanging out with the wrong kind of friends and avoiding looking at pornography in magazines or late night television. Parenting is far more complex now. Children have smart phones upon which total strangers can “sext” them and entangle them as predators. The Internet provides countless opportunities to be inundated with pornography even if the child is not searching for it. Modern education is increasingly pushing secular and even atheistic viewpoints and morals. The media bombards children with images, messages, and music that contradict and challenge the values being taught at home. For parents to assume that parenting is the same as it has always been is to grossly misunderstand today’s issues. There is much that modern parents must learn if they are to safeguard their children from the multiplicity of issues assaulting their children.

Likewise, some parents start off well, but then grow complacent. When parents have their first child, they are fervently reading parenting books and magazines on nutrition. They may be zealous parents of preschoolers. But along the way, they may become comfortable with their parenting style. Everything seems to be going along nicely. Then they have teenagers. Suddenly it seems as if they have complete strangers residing under their roof. Shouting matches and broken curfews ensue. The parents wonder what happened to their cherubic preschoolers. The answer is: they grew up. But the parents didn’t. Now they are finding that preschool parenting techniques don’t work on teenagers. The parents allowed their leadership skills to get out of date and now they are suffering the consequences.

Pastoring

A young man entered the ministry years ago because he loved people and believed God wanted him to spend his life teaching God’s word. In the early days of his ministry, everything went well enough. He bought some commentary sets and even did some studies on certain Greek texts. While never a gifted orator, his people appreciated his friendly demeanor and steady leadership. But twenty years have passed. When the pastor uses an illustration in his sermons today, his people instantly check its veracity with their smart phones. Over the years the pastor developed a preaching style he was comfortable with. But now his people complain it is dull and predictable. Many of his congregants watch celebrated preachers each week on TV or the Internet. They are bedazzled by the cutting edge use of power points, video clips, and drama. It becomes increasingly clear that their pastor is a generation or two behind in modern preaching techniques. Members begin to suggest that their pastor needs to either find a different church or perhaps move to a different pastoral role, such as minister to senior adults.

Furthermore, there are numerous administrative issues engulfing the church that seem beyond the pastor’s competency. Legal issues, technological issues, staffing issues, and financial issues are never properly or decisively dealt with. Being a pastor seems far more complicated than it used to be. The pastor longs to simply preach God’s word each week to appreciative congregants, but that prospect seems increasingly unlikely.

In each of these cases, well-meaning people lacked the motivation or sense of urgency to continually grow. As a result, their skills and leadership contribution became marginalized. The land is littered with broken families and declining, disbanded churches that testify to leadership that became inadequate.

What might these leaders have done? They could have grown. Growth is a process. It is a mindset. Rarely do leaders transform overnight. Typically it takes time, through systematic, intentional, continual growth.

These leaders did not have to end up in this predicament! Take the parents, for example. They might have continued reading at least one parenting book per year in order to be continually gaining fresh insights. They might have attended a parenting seminar at least once every other year. They might have intentionally invited successful parents over for dinner and picked their brain for parental wisdom. The parents might have periodically evaluated the health of each of their children. They might have discussed any adjustments they needed to make as parents or any concerns that were looming. There was no reason for these parents to be caught unprepared.

Likewise the pastor need not have become stale in his work. He should have regularly been reading books on leadership and preaching so he could be aware of new issues and developments in his field. He could have attended at least one professional conference each year that stretched his thinking and provided new insights into his profession. He could have set personal goals for himself such as occasionally attempting a new sermon style, just to stay fresh. He could work on his storytelling if he was not particularly skilled in that area. He might take a sabbatical leave and enroll in a preaching class, just to stay fresh. Instead, the pastor kept cranking out the same type of ministry and then felt hurt when his people no longer appreciated what he was serving them.

Just because we have been doing something for a long time doesn’t mean we are good at it! At least, not any more! I knew a pastor who had served for many years. Yet he had never disciplined himself to be a good preacher. He was often unprepared. He used stale, worn illustrations. He rarely did serious research. He always used the same format for every sermon. Yet he was devastated when his church leaders informed him that he must take a preaching class at seminary if he was to continue in their employ. The pastor was bewildered. After all, he had been preaching for 25 years! The problem was that his preaching had hardly improved over those years, and it hadn’t been very good to start with!

The key is to have a determination to regularly grow. Always have a book you are reading (and make sure the books are not all the same by the same author). Intentionally change things up. Try new styles, even if you don’t use them all the time. Attend conferences. Hire a leadership coach. Conduct a 360 evaluation on yourself. Heed the concerns, especially of your most influential leaders. Undergo the painful process of listening to a CD of your speaking. Don’t take it personally when people don’t appreciate your leadership. Perhaps they have good reasons not to!

Set goals for yourself. If you are a pastor, determine to try at least four sermons throughout the year that are not your preferred style. Determine to read a book a month that stretches your leadership thinking. Schedule an appointment with a leadership coach who will help you evaluate your current effectiveness. Have the courage to grow, no matter how painful it might be.

And whatever you do, don’t decide that you are too busy to grow. Instead, ask yourself, “Am I too busy to do what it takes to remain relevant?”

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

You know them. They show up in a variety of settings. They are often hard to miss.

Bill is always the life of the party (or so he thinks). Loud, often bursting into uproarious laughter, he loves to talk and crack jokes. In fact, he has a humorous comment to make about almost anything, even when such a comment is inappropriate.

Jill is passionate about her work. She is quick to help out her colleagues and often does thoughtful acts of kindness for people in the office. When she is “on,” she brings sunshine in the room as she enters. But when she is “down,” her colleagues tip toe around her as if they were skirting a minefield. When Jill is in a good frame of mind, she is a bundle of kindness, but at other times, something “snaps” in her, and everyone is left wondering if they inadvertently did something hurtful.

Jim is well-educated and endowed with a bumper crop of opinions, usually critical. His dry humor is often applied to people, projects, or trends he feels are deserving of his derision. The problem with Jim is that he tends to immediately see the negative of any proposal. While everyone else in the room may be excited about the possibilities, Jim feels obligated to point out the pitfalls. Jim has an uncanny way of raining on parades.

Becky has not had it easy. In fact, she has been unjustly fired from her last three jobs. This has wounded her and made her wary of people and management. After having been lied to and betrayed at her last three jobs, it is little wonder that she is guarded. She has also grown adept at recognizing the signs of danger to her position or job and is always prepared to retaliate if she needs to.

You have probably dealt with people similar to these at some point in your life. They are often enigmas. On one hand, these people can be charming and productive. However, at other times, they can generate significant tension and conflict. It is as if these people are cursed with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide dual personality. It is not hard to identify some admirable qualities in these people, yet they seem to be consumed and derailed by the negative aspects of their character that always seems to rear it’s ugly head at the most inconvenient moments.

It is one thing for our character issues to interfere with our personal or social lives, but what about when it harms our work life and leadership roles? We can suffer years of frustration, conflict, and futility in our work because we never dealt with our personal issues. There simply is too much at stake to ignore or excuse behavior that inevitably leads to conflict or failure.

I have always liked (and identified with) the apostle Peter. He was a leader with issues! For one, he always needed to be at the center of the action. He was generally the first person to answer the Teacher’s questions. He was passionate for sure, but at times his zeal caused him to speak before he thought. He also had a competitive side. He tended to compare himself and his assignment with others. He was also overconfident. He boldly declared he would die for Jesus on the same evening he ultimately denied Him. Peter had to sort through his own personal issues before he was ready to be used mightily by God. Fortunately, Christ helped Peter face his character issues and the rest, as they say, is history.

The following are a few observations about leaders who struggle with unresolved personal issues:

1. People generally don’t know themselves well.
2. Our friends, family, and colleagues see our ugly side.
3. Sometimes our results reflect our personality.
4. Let Christ change you while there is still time!
   

1. People generally don’t know themselves well. It is amazing that in a society that is self-absorbed, people are often not self-aware. It is possible to spend a lot of time thinking about yourself without knowing truly yourself.

For example, I knew a pastor named Bill who worked extremely hard. If you asked him if he knew himself, he would exclaim, “Of course I do!” with a tone that made you feel foolish for even asking. He would describe himself as a hard worker who liked getting results. And that would be true. But what Bill failed to do was to go deeper and consider, why he was a hard worker. Truth was, Bill’s father was not a Christian. When Bill told his dad he was becoming a pastor, his father scoffed at him and told him he was wasting his life. After Bill became a pastor, he went home to visit his parents. While helping his father around the farm, his father teased his son and exclaimed that he wanted to avoid getting any “preacher sweat” on him because it might be toxic. Unconsciously, Bill sought to prove his father wrong. He might be a preacher, but he knew how to work hard. And he did. He also struggled to delegate, because that seemed like the lazy man’s way of avoiding doing work himself. Bill experienced great success, until the day he burned out. He grew so exhausted that he could not get off his couch for weeks. Bill didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did, and it almost cost him his career.

I know a businessman who became fabulously successful. He had the Midas touch. Yet, regardless of how much money he made, it was never enough. He made plenty of promises to his wife and children that he would slow down soon, but he never did. One day he made a discovery about himself. When he was a child, his parents fought every night about money. He and his siblings would go to bed or do homework in their bedrooms to avoid having to listen to the nightly arguments. As a boy, this man had vowed he would never have to worry, or fight, about money. He was on a relentless quest to keep earning money so he never became like his father. Only years later did he realize that, as a result of his boyhood vow, he had become just as obsessed with money as his father was. The only difference was that he was far more adept at earning it than his father had been.

I am not saying you must have a weekly session with your local psychotherapist to uncover all of your childhood angst. But I would encourage you to dig below the surface and take a good, hard, long look at your motives. What exactly is driving you? Is it really a love for Christ and His Church, or could some of it be an effort to prove your father was wrong about you? Is your anger really righteous zeal, or have you become filled with anger just like your father was? Do you really love the people you work with, or are you afraid of rejection?

I know this sounds eerily Freudian, but I have been around many church and business leaders and I have finally stopped being surprised at how many top leaders are still being crippled by issues from their past that they have never honestly faced.

2. Our friends, family, and colleagues see our ugly side. The truth is, our character leaks through. We may be blind to it, but others are not. It is extremely difficult to keep our mask on all the time. People who work close to us catch a glimpse now and then of what we are really like.

I have found, like a lot of other leaders, that our family is not as easily impressed with us as the general public is. I found that when I would have an extremely hectic travel schedule, people would thank me for “working them in” and speaking at their event. My wife, on the other hand, would ask me why I was unable to tell people “no.” When I would socialize with friends, I would tell people about where I had recently been and what I had done. On the way home my wife would reprimand me for doing more than my share of the talking and for failing to ask more questions about the lives of my friends.

As frustrating as this might be at times, I realize that my wife saw things in me that the public at large did not. I have an oldest child’s hyper responsibility syndrome. I carried the weight of my organization’s needs and I felt guilty if I did not say “yes” to every opportunity that came my way. I also took pride in how busy I was. After all, as public speaker, if you aren’t busy, you probably aren’t very good! So I enjoyed letting people know how many states or countries I had spoken in the previous week. My sense of self worth was unhealthily tied to how busy I was. My wife saw that. I needed to listen. I saw my importance and high demand. My wife saw my need to be needed, and busy. I needed to be freed from unhealthy drives in my life that were harming me, my organization, and those I loved.

3. Sometimes our results reflect our personality. Leaders can struggle to

see themselves and their motives clearly, but the results of their leadership are painfully obvious. I once met an exec who was outspoken and seemed a little “off” in his people skills. He was clearly a brilliant man with strong opinions on a wide array of subjects. Nonetheless, I was surprised at his lack of tact. On the last day I was to be with him, he confessed that his organization was facing some belt-tightening and he was going to be laid off. He assured me that he already had some other job opportunities and he was sure he would land on his feet.

I could have left it at that and wished him well. Maybe I should have. But I sensed this man needed to process what was happening to him. I asked, “What have you learned about yourself through this experience?” “I have learned to get a job with an organization that is not going through layoffs!” he retorted. I pressed: “So what changes do you need to make personally and professionally so you are not the first one laid off next time?” Ouch! But it was true. His company was not facing serious cutbacks. Few people were losing their jobs. But the company had determined that this man, though highly educated, and in middle management, was expendable.

This man could have gone through his career, explaining his rotten luck: he always seemed to eventually step on a landmine at work, the boss had it out for him, upper management chose to cut back in his department, his company chose to go in another direction, his boss didn’t keep his promises . . . Or, he could take a hard look in the mirror, and make some major adjustments so he was repositioned to succeed in the future.

4. Let Christ change you while there’s still time! I’ve already mentioned the apostle Peter. On the night he denied he knew Jesus three times, it seemed that Peter was destined to spend the remainder of his life as a failure: As someone with big aspirations who always fell short at crunch time. But God wasn’t finished with him. Jesus didn’t overlook his failure. He didn’t excuse it. He transformed it. We never hear of Peter denying his Lord again, despite plenty of opportunities to do so.

God doesn’t want to give you a pep talk. He wants to transform you. He doesn’t merely urge you to try harder. He makes you into a different person. But the key is: you have to surrender to God’s work in your life. You can’t argue or resist or complain when He begins to do a work in your life. You must surrender. But if you will, there are no character flaws, personality quirks, or sinful habits that He cannot free you from. It really depends on how much you want to change.

Conclusion

Every leader has issues they need to address in their life. No one is perfect. The difference is, some people are so desperate to change, they’ll do whatever it takes. Others are suffering the consequences of their imperfections, but they are not yet desperate enough to make the necessary adjustments. So they continue to languish with a life and career that is beneath what they are capable, and designed, to experience.

Take a long, hard, deep look at yourself. Are there indications you are suffering from issues in your life and character that are hindering you? Denying those issues exist, becoming defensive when someone mentions them, or hoping they’ll go away is a sure recipe for ongoing failure.

Let God address issues in your life that He longs to correct. Submit yourself to His divine hand, and advance into the life that awaits you!

 

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

I recently had a revelation. I am terrible at reading the signs around my own life. I am like the impatient driver who notices the red light flashing incessantly on the dash of his car, but keeps driving anyway, intending to pull over at a gas station further down the highway. I often saw lights flashing on the dash of my life, but assumed the situation either wasn’t urgent or that I had plenty of time to address my problem later.

Leaders are a strange breed. We can be adept at helping others recognize their shortcomings. We can be brimming with possible solutions for the problems of others. Yet we routinely neglect the issues metastasizing throughout our own life and relationships.

That was my problem. I was an extremely busy leader. I had far more tasks to accomplish than I had time in the day. I was speaking on average, four times per week. I was traveling across North America and internationally. I was under contract to write three books. I was leading a busy ministry. I had numerous people who wanted to meet with me or to seek my endorsement. This, in itself, is not bad. But it was in the midst of this frenetic activity that warning signs began flashing on my dash.

My health began to show signs of wear and tear. For years I had been able to push my body to excess and yet bounce back with a little sleep and a dose of Nyquil. But things were changing. I was having more difficulty shedding the excess pounds that were clinging to me. I began to experience various health issues of nausea, lack of appetite, and internal bleeding. Yet I still forged ahead. I was late to meeting deadlines for the first time in my life. My wife of thirty years, a long-suffering saint, was making disparaging comments about my brutal schedule and her unhappiness with our lifestyle. Yet I did what I always did. I promised myself, and her, that things would slow down soon and then everything would be fine.

Looking back, I wonder why it is so difficult for leaders to recognize in themselves what is obvious in others? The problems I faced this summer were the same ones I had been experiencing my entire adult life, only worse. This was nothing new. Only my excuses were becoming threadbare.

The interesting thing with most people is that when we look at others’ problems, we assume it flows from their character and personal decisions. When we look at our own problems, we tend to blame our circumstances and outside forces beyond our control. Even when the signs are screaming out that we have a problem, our defense mechanisms continue to blame our boss or the economy or the bank or our critics.

One of the most powerful truths of Scripture is this: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Truth sets you free! But here’s the key: you have to truly know it. Not just know about it. Christian ministers typically don’t lack knowledge about God’s word. The problem is that they have never personally experienced it. I knew about the truths of margin, boundaries, and balance. I knew about developing healthy schedules and about caring for the health of my body and family. Yet that knowledge had never worked its way into my experience or my calendar.

I have been encouraged by the psalmist Asaph who struggled as he watched the wicked prosper. Then one day he declared: “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their end” (Psalm 73:16-17). Asaph was experiencing turmoil. Life seemed unfair. He questioned his beliefs and values. Maybe he had made a mistake with his life. Then one day he went to the temple. And, while there, he experienced a spiritual breakthrough. He suddenly saw life as it really was. His confusion vanished. The truth had always been there, but it took the Holy Spirit to open his eyes so he could see and understand it.

As leaders, we are running blind if don’t allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the realities of our life and organization. We may be highly intelligent people and yet miss problems in our life that are obvious to others:

Ben has terrible eating habits and is 100 pounds overweight. Yet despite shortness of breath, lack of energy, the onset of Type 2 Diabetes, and pains in his knees, he refuses to acknowledge that he needs to drastically change his eating habits.

Susan is regularly receiving complaints from school teachers and youth workers at her church that her teenage daughter Sarah is struggling and needs immediate parental intervention. Sarah is dressing provocatively, is obsessed with boys, and is neglecting her studies. The woman is extremely busy at work and assumes her daughter is simply going through normal teenage transitions.

Cam is an extremely busy businessman who maintains a brutal travel schedule. His wife has been constantly complaining that their marriage is in shambles. Cam promises that at the end of the business cycle, he’ll take her somewhere for a holiday. Inside, Cam is frustrated that his wife does not appreciate how hard he works on behalf of their family.

Looking back on personal or corporate disasters, it is clear that there were all kinds of warning signs leading up to the eventual crisis. However, too often, leaders fail to heed them.

That is why we need moments of personal insight. Those are times when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and He makes it clear to us what the problem is. If you are experiencing chronic problems in your marriage or with one of your children or in your health or at work, then there are root causes that must be addressed. Don’t assume you already know what the problem is! Hint: if you are certain that the cause of your problems lies with someone other than you, then you may indeed be blinded to reality.

Asaph’s his eyes were finally opened as he was worshiping in the temple. My eyes were finally opened as my health and marriage experienced great strain. What would it take for you to clearly see your life, and problems, the way God does?

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

It is a simple, two letter word, but its absence has led to the downfall of many a promising leader. It seems like such an easy word. It is one of the first phrases that children learn to utter (Often before “daddy!). Yet as we get older, it often becomes increasingly difficult to say.

We often think of great leaders as the people with the most opportunities. They are the ones with numerous job offers or book contracts or invitations to speak or to serve on prestigious boards. But often this is not the case. What makes some people outstanding leaders is their ability to say, decisively, and irrevocably, “no.”

I have found in my own leadership journey that the farther I go in leadership, the less I do. But here is the caveat: the “less” I do must be done superbly. Leaders don’t do the most work, but they should perform the best work. You don’t have to be swinging the bat at the plate all the time, but when you are, you need to hit a home run.

And this is the downfall of many a leader. Instead of becoming a racehorse, we hitch ourselves to the plough and become a worn out, mule. While there is nothing wrong with getting a lot of work done, it robs us of the excellence we might have achieved.

The truth is that as you rise in your leadership positions, you will have an increasing number of distractions. People will want you to endorse their new book, or serve on their board, or speak to their gathering. If you are driven by ego, or a desire to please others, you will feel compelled to accept most or all of your invitations. Before long, you will be so busy helping other people be successful that you have no time to accomplish what only you can do.

That book you always meant to write will sit languishing on your desk. Those books you needed to read will remain unopened. You will be filled with good intentions but your calendar will absolutely forbid you from following through on them. You may find some consolation in complaining to others about how busy you are. But at the end of the day, being busy does not change the world. That comes by doing your best.

The great temptation is in believing that because you can do something, you should do it. Most leaders have a high capacity to get things done. They are generally hard workers. So it is easier to take on more than to take time to consider whether it is their responsibility or not. The harsh reality is that most leaders are currently doing work they should have delegated.

Whenever I talk with a leader who is burning out, or plateaued, or discouraged, I generally discover someone who has not said “no” enough. When I meet a leader who does not spend as much time with God in prayer as they ought, I know I have found someone in desperate need of “no.” When leaders bemoan the fact their children are struggling or their marriage has suffered neglect, they are inadvertently confessing they do not know how to say “no.” “No” is the answer to much of what ails leaders!    

Here is a check list for you:

1. Do I have a list of books piling up I never have time to read?
2. Has it been a long time since I took a quality, restful, vacation?
3. Do I always have a stack of unanswered e-mails?
4. Do I never have enough time to spend adequate time with: God, spouse, children?
5. Do I never have time to get enough exercise?
6. Do I feel like I am stuck in a rut in my personal or professional life?
7. Am I burning out?
8. Am I discouraged?
9. Am I tired all the time?
10. Have I developed a critical or negative attitude?

Carefully review your answers. They might well reveal that you have not been saying “no” enough. If so, begin saying it today! Who knows? You might get used to it, and even enjoy it! And, along the way, you might just reach new heights as a leader you never imagined were possible.

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

Over the years I have met many well-meaning leaders who were plagued with baggage. They meant well, but no matter how hard they worked or how boldly they dreamed, their efforts were always shackled by their personal limitations. These men and women experienced enormous frustration and disappointment. They sensed God wanted to do far more through them than He was, but nothing they tried could break free from mediocrity that continually plagued their efforts. Many of these people eventually quit trying and resigned themselves to living out their lives in the realm of the mundane.

One pastor is laid back and a poor administrator. He genuinely wants his church to grow and expand its outreach, but his casual approach to ministry continually frustrates the leaders in his congregation. The pastor knows his people are discontent but he views it as a spiritual issue among his people rather than a leadership problem of his own. A business leader lacks focus. She is continually dreaming of new projects to expand her business. But she has terrible follow through. Rather than bringing one vision to reality at a time, she juggles dozens of ideas but never brings any of them to the light of day. People have stopped taking her seriously, even though she continues to passionately herald her next great idea. Another leader has been careless with his health. He has put on a lot of weight that is causing him various health issues. His knees are in pain, causing him to walk awkwardly. He is short of breath, causing him to breath heavily and to speak in broken sentences. People have lost confidence in him, as it is clear he has failed to manage his own life properly.

These are all well-meaning people whose personal self-management has cost them in their leadership roles. Perhaps this is what the writer of Hebrews was touching upon when he said, “. . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).

Everyone has baggage. We all have weaknesses, harmful habits, and negative tendencies. These issues will continually limit us from achieving our potential unless we manage, by God’s life-transforming grace, to overcome them.

In many ways, this is what separates great leaders from mediocre ones. Superior leaders don’t necessarily rid themselves of weaknesses, but they learn to overcome them. They don’t deny them or dodge them or make excuses for them. They deal with them.

I have an issue common to many middle-aged men: I like food! And I don’t burn off the calories like I used to, so it seems I’m always carrying around extra, unnecessary weight. That tonnage doesn’t look attractive. In fact, it makes me look slovenly. When people see me standing in the pulpit when I am carrying that extra weight, I am sure there are those who legitimately wonder what I could possibly have to say about “overcoming” or “victory” or “self-control.” I know this hurts my overall effectiveness as a speaker and leader.

What’s worse, I know what it takes to lose that weight. At different points in my life, I have grown serious about weight loss and I have lost weight. My problem is that sometimes I know I should lose weight, and I’d really like to lose it, but I am just not serious enough to make it happen. I make excuses. “As soon as this busy stretch in my travel subsides, I am getting serious about my diet! . . . Once the holidays are over . . . once the last piece of my favorite pie is gone . . . then I’ll get serious!” I have a whole arsenal of explanations for why I am not in the shape I ought to be: “It is hard to eat right when you are on the road all the time . . . I was jet lagged . . . It would have been rude not to eat the twelve-layer chocolate cake they offered me . . . My metabolism has slowed . . .” And while my excuses sound reasonable enough to me at the time, my problem remains.

At some point I have to decide: Am I going to simply accept my current state, or am I going to tackle the issue in my life that is harming my effectiveness as a leader? We all have issues. The question is not: “Do you have issues in your life that are hindering your effectiveness?” The question is: “Are you finally prepared to do what is necessary to overcome the encumbrances in your life that are preventing you from becoming the leader God called you to be?”

The great reality of a new year is that we have the opportunity to make fresh, new decisions. Consider the habits or issues in your life that, if dealt with, would allow you to accomplish more than you ever have before.

Now, what have you decided to do?

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

The world is divided into various divergent groups of people. There are the night owls and early birds, givers and takers, extroverts and introverts, cognitive and affective, men and women, visionary and pragmatic, and so on. But I’d like to suggest another category: truth tellers and grace givers.

Scripture tells us: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus may well have been the only person who ever walked the earth who was full of both! People have a tendency to gravitate to one or the other.

Truth tellers are people who like to tell it like it is. They shoot straight. The truth might bless you or crush you, but when you are with them, you’re going to get it! Of course, telling the truth is a good thing. Jesus said that when you knew the truth, it would set you free (John 8:32). But human frailty being what it is, some people can only handle it in manageable doses!

Over the years I have had to share the “truth” with numerous people. At times it was a reprimand I had to administer to a staff person. At other times it was an encouragement for a job well done. Since I am a cognitive person, I like to hear the facts. I hate it when people aren’t honest with me about what they think. I grew up thinking you should treat others in exactly the same way you wanted to be treated yourself. I found that didn’t work! At times I would tell someone some hard information about their sub par performance and, instead of thanking me for sharing the facts with them, they became hurt, or angry. All I was doing was being honest with them! But it hurt them. I have some painful regrets for times I shared more with people than they were prepared to receive. I should have demonstrated more grace.

Grace is the way God relates to people. Grace is kind. It builds people up and makes them like Jesus. It forgives. It is others-centered rather than self-centered. We live in a broken, hurting, and often, dysfunctional world. People need grace. That’s what Jesus showed the woman caught in adultery and Peter after he denied Him three times. There are times when people don’t need more truth hammered over their head; they need grace.

Of course, sometimes this can go too far. Some people are so “gracious” that they never confront behavior that is unChrist-like. These leaders allow sub par performances and lack of effort to continue even when it is damaging the organization. They give endless second chances even when it doesn’t appear to be improving performance.

The classic tale of this contrast occurred with history’s most famous missionary duo: Paul and Barnabas. These two men set out for the Church’s first missionary journey. They took the young man John Mark with them. However, their associate got cold feet and abandoned them for home (Acts 13:13). When it came time to go on their second missionary journey, these two spiritual giants had their first falling out (Acts 15:36-41). Barnabas wanted to give John Mark a second chance. Barnabas was your classic “grace” guy! After all, when no one would give Saul of Tarsus a chance, Barnabas had! But Paul refused. The truth of the matter was that he was unreliable. These men were going to face numerous challenges and dangers; they needed someone they could depend upon.

Who was right? They both were! Paul and Barnabas just looked at the situation from opposite ends of the truth-grace continuum. Paul saw the facts. Barnabas saw the hurting person. Did Paul need more grace? Yes. Did Barnabas need more truth? Probably. While Barnabas fades into the mist of history, Paul clearly learned to show grace to John Mark and as a result, came to greatly appreciate his ministry.

As leaders we will lean to one side of the spectrum or the other. Some of us tend to immediately lay out the facts without considering the pain threshold of the one we are speaking to. Others of us are too lenient and long-suffering. Sometimes we need to have the courage to speak the truth. To be a Christ-like leader, we need to exercise both grace and truth. On which side of the continuum do you lean? How does God want to bring more balance into your leadership?

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

I am addicted to multitasking. After all, how can you experience leadership success in these complicated times if you are not juggling a dozen different tasks at any given moment? Many organizations have downsized and are attempting to “do more with less.” With so many job-seekers hungrily standing in the wings looking for work, overworked leaders dare not complain about their heavy workload. The consequence is that many leaders today are being buried in good projects so they have no time to effectively accomplish what is crucial.

Compounding this problem is that many leaders are multi-talented. How is this a problem, you ask? It causes difficulty because possessing diverse talents tempts leaders to invest themselves in many different directions. The assumption is: “Because I am good at this” or “because I can . . . I should.” The result is leaders attempting to do many things poorly rather than a few things well.

Leaders are used to being in high demand. Everyone wants to meet with them and to get them involved in their project. Could they just: serve on this committee . . . be the chairman one more year . . . attend this fundraiser . . . look over this manuscript . . . take a quick phone call . . . Before long another day is spent engaged in a wide array of activities while nothing of major consequence has been accomplished.

Here are some suggestions that could help you to achieve greater accomplishments as a leader in the future.

1. Keep your focus on Christ and His calling. People are always going to be clamoring for your attention. If the “squeaky wheel gets the grease,” you will find yourself inundated with squeaky wheels! But you were not called to be a leader so you could keep all of your people happy. God called you to your post because there were certain things He intended to accomplish in your organization through you. You must keep you eyes on Him or you will miss your divine calling. I am reminded of Stephen. Even as his enemies were mercilessly hurling lethal stones at him, he kept his eyes on his risen Lord (Acts 7:56). Don’t let your friends, or your enemies cause you to take your eyes off of your Lord and what He called you to do.
2. Consider what only you can do. People have a tendency to want the leader to do their work for them. If you, as the leader, will make the decision for your associate, or attend and direct the meeting, or be on the crucial phone call, or find money for his project, then you can carry the weight of the responsibility instead of them. But, as kindhearted and as willing to help others as you may be, you cannot do others’ work, and yours, at the same time. By investing yourself in what someone else should be doing, you are neglecting the work only you can do. The irony is that the same people who clamor for you to help them, rarely help you accomplish your leadership work.Wise leaders will refrain from involving themselves in other peoples’ jobs. They will delegate any of their tasks that can be reassigned. The fact is: if one of your leadership tasks can be delegated to someone else, it should be delegated! Identify those tasks that only you can do; then embrace them with vigor!
3. Guard yourself from distractions. Many well-meaning leaders cannot resist seeing who it is that just sent them an e-mail or text. When their cell phone or computer alerts them to an incoming message, they immediately turn their focus from what they were doing to satisfy their curiosity. The problem is that much of a leader’s work requires focused concentration. You cannot do quality work in a distracted way. Nicholas Carr in his book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, offers a devastating indictment to those who are letting their brains and mode of thinking be “re-wired” by the Internet. He argues that we no longer can think deeply or read material more than a blog’s length. There is a battle for the mind currently taking place that leaders must win.
4. Don’t put off the tough stuff. I can’t tell you how many people have recently told me that they have a book they want to write. They’ll share their idea with me, and generally, these people have some marvelous insights. However, to get a book published, you must first write one! In the long run, a book you write may have far more lasting and widespread effect than certain e-mails you answer or web sites you surf. Yet it takes far more discipline and effort to write a book. So we check one more website instead. If you are going to accomplish significant tasks, you cannot put them off. Only after having weeded your schedule of non-essentials, however, will you have the time, or energy to tackle the big jobs.
5. Stop making excuses. I have leaders explain to me all the time why they have not yet accomplished what they need to do. The truth is: great leaders don’t make excuses. They make adjustments. They do whatever is necessary to overcome their obstacles and get the job done. As long as you allow people or circumstances to prevent you from accomplishing your important tasks, they will continue to do so.

Take a moment and make a list of the important accomplishments you have achieved so far this year. How long is the list? If it is paltry, you may well be the victim of a lack of focus. Don’t squander your valuable time investing in the unnecessary. Jettison anything from your commitments and schedule that is preventing you from doing what must be done. Take charge of your schedule and hence your life. There is too much at stake for you not to!

by Dr. Richard Blackaby

New Year’s resolutions have become something of a joke. In fact, they are synonymous with broken promises. As a result, most people don’t make them and those who do, don’t generally keep them. Some people have failed to achieve their personal goals so often that they adamantly refuse to set new ones. This is unfortunate. The reality is that goal setting, done properly, can provide direction and focus to life and can enable you to greatly increase your productivity. Let me share four basic truths related to setting goals that could dramatically affect your life and leadership.

1.         The Motivating Power of Goals

Goals provide at least three important motivational functions. First, they give a sense of direction. As you enter each New Year, they provide a road-map for where you are going. In a memorable encounter between Alice and the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks, “’Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat. ‘I don’t much care where—–‘ said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.”

As I work with leaders, I have been surprised at how many have no specific goals for which they are striving. These people are often busy, even swamped, but they lack focus. Without clear goals we can be drawn into secondary activities and ineffective busyness. Bureaucrats tend to focus on keeping the machinery going without any sense of reason for their activity. In the challenging days in which we live and work, we can’t afford to go to work in the morning without a clear sense of why we are going and what we need to accomplish before we leave at the end of the day.

Second, goals provide a benchmark for success. Simply being busy all year does not mean you were effective! Working hard, doing more than last year, and staying under budget do not guarantee success. The truth may in fact, be far different. Leadership guru Warren Bennis once commented that he saw many executives doing the wrong things well. Goals provide clear benchmarks at year- end for measuring your effectiveness. It is hard to be motivated when you have no idea where you are going or if you are getting close.

When I was in the seventh grade, I had one role in the school play. I was to pull the curtain closed after the last act! But, wanting to be helpful, I scurried around backstage helping move props and encouraging the actors as they exited stage left. In my zeal to be busy, I inadvertently forgot to close the curtain at the end of the performance! I had been busy, but I had failed in my assignment. It was easy to measure my effectiveness. Just check my goal-accomplishment. PULL CURTAIN AT END OF PLAY: Not done.

I know people who had a goal of planting a church. They met lots of people throughout the year, helped serve in a local soup kitchen, attended the meetings of the ministerial, and performed several acts of kindness, yet at year’s end? No church. There are others who set a goal of losing twenty pounds. At year’s end they had eaten plenty of salads and gone to the gym several times. They had even purchased an elliptical trainer. Yet on December 31 they weighed the same as January 1. Goals provide a clear measuring stick for our effectiveness.

Third, properly set goals can provide motivation. Simply declaring, “I’d like to lose some weight” is powerless. It provides no focus. No measuring stick. Saying “I want to lose twenty pounds this year. Ten pounds by July 1 and twenty by December 31” is a plan that can propel you forward. Goals can focus your efforts and provide the motivational spark-plug to reach milestones you would never have accomplished through normal living.

2.         The Compelling Source of Goals

One of the main reasons we fail to achieve our goals is because they originate from the wrong source. At times we set goals merely by adding a little to last year’s results. We add 5% to last year’s sales or attendance, or donations and then announce our goals for the New Year. As long as we achieve a little more than we did last year, we assume we are successful. At other times we exuberantly set extravagant goals, assuming that their sheer magnitude will energize us to strive for them. I have especially noticed this among pastors and church leaders. We assume that we are “honoring” God by setting high goals. Yet we neglect the truth that our ways are not God’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). We will never come up with a plan big enough that it impresses God (Ephesians 3:20).

There are at least two ways to set goals that are achievable. First, do the obvious. For example, if you are 50 pounds overweight, you don’t need to go off to a mountaintop retreat to pray for a week about whether God wants you to lose some weight (although fasting during that time might not be a bad idea). There are some things that are obvious. If we neglected our family last year because of our work commitments or we neglected spending time with God each day, then we can immediately set some goals to rectify those shortcomings.

More importantly, we must allow God to guide us to know what our goals should be. The book of James warns that it is futile to confidently make your own plans for tomorrow when only God knows the future (James 4:13-17). The writer of Proverbs declared: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end s the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Furthermore, when we make our plans apart from God’s guidance, He can thwart them so we are reminded of our absolute dependence upon Him. The psalmist declared: “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations” (Psalms 33:10-11). The key is to let God set our goals. Only then is He committed to their success.

I found that as a leader, the goals I achieved were the ones in sync with God’s heart. That was when I experienced His blessing and guidance throughout the year as I sought to achieve them. Furthermore, as a leader, I would seek to mobilize my people to accomplish our organizational objectives. When I looked into the eyes of my staff, donors, and volunteers, I had to be certain that I was not merely using these people to accomplish my own goals. If I was calling on people to give themselves to the accomplishment of certain objectives, I had to be convinced that they originated from God.

One of my favorite stories of personal goal setting is that of John Hyde, missionary to India. One year he felt God leading him to set a goal of leading one person to faith in Christ, every day. God enabled him, and, at the end of the year, Hyde had personally led over 365 people to faith in Christ. Next year he set a goal of two people each day. He achieved it. The next year he set a goal of four people each day. Amazingly, he reached that goal too. When God leads you to adopt great goals, be prepared to see God do amazing things in your life!

The key is to take time with God. Let Him take an inventory of your life and work. Physically, what is God leading you to do? Lose 25 pounds? Exercise four times each week? Take a Sabbath and get much needed rest? Ride your bike to work instead of driving your car? What about spiritually? Is God leading you to memorize 52 new scripture verses this year? Rise thirty minutes earlier before work to spend additional time with Him? Strive to share your faith with at least one person each week? What about your work? Are there specific goals He is leading you to embrace? It is exhilarating to know that almighty God intends to accomplish certain things in your life.

3.         The Practicality of Goals

Another goal-killer for many people is that, after they set their goals, they fail to acquire the necessary tools and support to achieve them. They set high-sounding goals but then never take the necessary actions to accomplish them. For example, it is fine to say “I need to stay current in my field.” But what will that look like? Do you need to identify 12 books you will read in your field this year, and then put them on your wish list on Amazon? Do you need to purchase a Kindle so you can download them and read them in your spare moments? Do you need to identify two professional seminars you will attend this year? Perhaps you need to find a colleague who will accompany you so you are more inclined to follow through. If you have a goal of losing weight, what practical steps are you going to take? Will you purchase new tennis shoes and buy a membership at the local gym? Will you absolutely swear off dessert of any kind until your reach your goal? What specific, reasonable, attainable actions will you commit to so your goals are realistic? If we do not acquire the proper tools, we are simply setting ourselves up for frustration.

The apostle Paul declared: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Paul understood that great goals required sacrifice. But the prize of achieving the goal makes the effort worthwhile. The reason some people never reach their goals is that they are fundamentally unwilling to do what it takes. Are you prepared to take the necessary steps so you achieve the goals God has for you?

4.         The accountability of Goals.

The final principle that is crucial for goal-achievement is accountability. If you don’t build in accountability to your goal setting, you are merely making empty promises. That has been the key to such groups as Weight Watchers. Everyone weighs in each week!

In major companies, missing quarterly projections can be grounds for dismissal. Goals are set and leaders are accountable for reaching those benchmarks. Yet too often in church leadership or in our personal lives, we do not hold ourselves accountable for the goals we set. I have known pastors who constantly declared that they had “turned a corner” in their church but there was no noticeable improvement. People complain about their diets or their exercise regimes but they never lose weight. People bemoan how hard they are working but they never experience significant progress. The reality is that if God has given us a goal, we ought to take it seriously. If God has told us what is best, anything less ought to be totally unacceptable.

Task oriented, driven people are generally more comfortable with goal setting than are other personality types. But the truth is that if God has spoken, we must focus our life on the achievement of what He said. And, if God spoke, we can be assured that His Holy Spirit will be empowering and encouraging us along the way to accomplish what He said.

Having goals you are striving for gives your life purpose, direction, motivation, and accountability. Over the long run, achieving your God-given goals will enable you to accomplish far more than those who merely work hard. Take time with God and ask Him to show you what areas of your life and work He wants to improve. Let God show you some practical steps you can take so you begin making real progress toward your objectives. May this year be your most profitable and rewarding year yet!

by Richard Blackaby

At the age of 31, Julius Caesar happened upon a monument in Spain commemorating the feats of Alexander the Great. Caesar was overcome with despair knowing that when Alexander had been his age, he had already conquered the known world. No less ambitious than his Greek counterpart, Caesar would achieve fame himself before his life was cut short. Thomas Carlyle popularized the notion of the “great man.” He postulated that history could be understood in terms of how “great men” had changed the course of history. While this view is largely scoffed at today, there is no denying that ambitious, driven people have radically affected their societies.

When studying military leaders, it is clear that ambition drove those who reached some of the greatest heights. Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, Duke of Wellington, Duke of Marlborough, and a host of others were driven by visions of glory. Great business leaders were also transparently ambitious. Astor, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Ford, Gates, Buffet, Jobs all were driven so fiercely that they not only overcame their competition; they demolished it. When you read the biographies of these leaders, you continually find that they rose early, worked hard, set high standards, did their homework, and refused to fail. You certainly will not agree with the morality, religious views or ethics of many of these people, but you cannot deny that they succeeded where countless others failed, and in so doing, they changed their world.

What has intrigued me my entire adult life is the origin and nature of the forces that drive people. Why is it some leaders are lackadaisical or careless while others are driven to take their organizations to unprecedented heights? Why can some people lazily shrug their shoulders and declare, “It’s good enough,” while others refuse to settle for anything less than excellence?

There is an interesting story found in 2 Kings 13:14-21. The aging prophet Elisha told King Joash to shoot arrows out a window. Elisha told the monarch that he must strike a blow against the Syrians who were the enemies of God’s people. Then Elisha instructed Joash to strike the ground with the arrows. Joash struck the ground three times. This angered the prophet who lamented, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria until you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times” (2 Kings 13:19). God’s messenger had clearly instructed the king to prophetically “strike” his enemies, but he had been satisfied with doing so only three times. Such a half-hearted response to a divine invitation would have enormous repercussions for God’s people.

Elisha understood holy ambition. When the prophet Elijah had first called him, the young farmer had slaughtered the twelve yokes of oxen and burned up his equipment as a sacrifice. There would be no looking back or second-guessing. As Elijah had approached the end of his life, the aged prophet instructed the young Elisha to remain behind in Bethel (2 Kings 2:4). Elisha would have none of it. Then Elijah suggested he remain in Jericho, but Elisha declined (2 Kings 2:6). Finally Elijah asked his young protégé what he desired. “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me” was his reply (2 Kings 2:9). Some suggest Elisha desired greater power than his master. Others believe he was asking for a spiritual inheritance as the rightful heir. Either way, Elisha boldly asked for all that God had for him. Not surprisingly, the miracles attributed to Elisha were twice those performed by Elijah. Elisha had one life to live for his Lord, and he was not one to do things in half measures.

Sadly, that is not true for every spiritual leader today. It has been my privilege to travel the world and to meet outstanding leaders. These people were constantly reading and growing. They were passionate about their calling. They were optimistic about the future. They worked hard and made great sacrifices. And, they were accomplishing amazing things.

But there have been others. These people claimed they were too busy to read or to attend conferences. They were disinterested in bettering themselves physically, academically, or spiritually. They made the least effort necessary. They felt no shame in mediocrity. They blithely wasted hours of their day in meaningless or frivolous activities. They had no great vision for what God would do through them or their organization. Such people have often been bewildered when they were fired from their company or when their church declined in attendance. How pitiful to be a follower of such indifferent people.

Why are some people so driven and others so casual? There are several possible reasons.

First, it begins with parenting! I grew up in a modest home economically but in a family that believed God would do God-sized things in our lives. University was not an option for me as I graduated from high school! Even though my grades were less than stellar, my parents encouraged me to prepare myself fully for whatever God intended to do through my life in the future. I am so glad my parents helped me believe that God could use even my ordinary life. Other children, however, are never challenged to do much more than to get married, obtain a job, and earn a living. Too many people growing up in Christian homes are being grossly under-challenged.

Second, some people are unaware of what God is capable of doing with their ordinary life. What are the limits to what God could do through one life wholly surrendered to Him? Knowing what God could do, how could anyone be satisfied with anything less?

Third, people get distracted. They focus on secondary issues and unimportant matters and do not aim their lives toward God’s kingdom purposes. Jesus commanded us to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Too many leaders are so consumed with hobbies, entertainments, and mindless activities on the Internet, that they have no time to focus on weighty matters that could exert a major impact for God’s kingdom.

Fourth, many people are too easily satisfied. They are like King Joash who only struck the ground three times rather than like Elisha who boldly asked for a double portion of the spirit of the mighty prophet Elijah. For some, earning a living is satisfactory. For others, nothing less than changing the world will do.

You may be thinking, “Isn’t ambition wrong or sinful?” I would answer resoundingly, no. Ambition for worldly pleasures or for self-centered attainments is dishonoring to God. But striving for all God created you to become and to accomplish, honors God. Desiring to exert the greatest impact for God’s kingdom is a noble way to live. That is the pathway to a life without regrets. That is how you live a life that makes a difference.

So how are you presently motivated? Do you need a boss to be constantly hovering over your shoulder to ensure you do a proper day’s work? Or, would you go the second and third mile even if no one but you ever knew that you did? Are you spending your life fully for Christ? Have you been satisfied with second best or mediocrity? If you are holding yourself back, what are you saving yourself for? I have often been inspired by the life of William Borden, who spent himself fully for Christ. After his premature death, someone found written in his Bible, “No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.” I pray we could all have that written on our tombstones.