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Dr. Chana |
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Lecture of Dr. Soo Chan Kim |
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I. Course Description.
This course is designed to develop the traits and qualities of spiritual leadership for pastors so that they may be effective leaders in transforming the church and local community.
II. Course Objective.
1. To focus on the differences between the secular and biblical leadership.
2. To analyze and develop the necessary factors of spiritual leadership in order to be an effective leader.
III. Course Requirements and Grading.
1. Reading Report: The assigned reading is listed in the course outline. Each assignment needs to be completed before the class session to enable the student to participate in and benefit from the class discussions. The student is required to complete 3 pages, type-written summary of the reading on the day it is assigned.
2. Research Project: 8-10 pages, footnoted, doubled-spaced, should be written on a Biblical character from the perspective of spiritual leadership. The paper is to consist of a short background/summary of person’s life, but mainly to focus on the leadership for today - ministry, church, and missions.
IV. Course Requirements and Grading.
1. Reading Report: The assigned reading is listed in the course outline. Each assignment needs to be completed before the class session to enable the student to participate in and benefit from the class discussions. The student is required to complete 3 pages, type-written summary of the reading on the day it is assigned.
2. Research Project: 8-10 pages, footnoted, doubled-spaced, should be written on a Biblical character from the perspective of spiritual leadership. The paper is to consist of a short background/summary of person’s life, but mainly to focus on the leadership for today - ministry, church, and missions.
V. Bibliography (Recommended References)
John C. Maxwell, Developing the leader within you. Nashville, 1993. Thomas Nelson.
John C. Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville, 1993. Thomas Nelson.
John C. Maxwell, Be All You Can Be. 2002. Cook Communications.
John C. Maxwell, The Gift of Leadership. 2005. Salt & Light Ventures.
John C. Maxwell, The Winning Attitude. Nashville, 1995.
John C. Maxwell, Developing the Leaders Around You. Nashville, 1997.
John C. Maxwell, Becoming a Person of Influence. Nashville, 1993.
J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership. Chicago, Moody Press, 1967.
VI. Course Schedule & Outline.
Lecture 1: Introduction to Spiritual Leadership – 3
Lecture 2: The Definition of Leadership – 5
Lecture 3: Leadership levels – 10
Lecture 4: Biblical principles of servant hood-Leadership – 15
Lecture 5: The Key to Leadership : Priority – 18
Lecture 6: Self-discipline – 25
Lecture 7: Develop your people (1) – 29
Lecture 8: Developing your most Appreciable Asset: people (2) – 35
Lecture 9: People development Principles (3) – 39
Lecture 10: Integrity – 43
Lecture 11: Vision: the indispensable Quality of Leadership – 49
Lecture 12: Attitude : The extra plus in leadership – 53
Lecture 13: Creating Positive Change – 58
1st Lecture
Introduction to Spiritual Leadership
The Plan of Leadership Lectures
(1) The first theme: Be a leader.
(2) The second theme: Act as a leader.
(3) The third theme: train people to be leaders so that they may help you.
(4) The fourth theme: commit trained leaders to the tasks.
Why is leadership important?
• Is a leader born or trained?
• Is it possible to gain leadership?
What is leadership to you?
• If a cultural setting is different, is different leadership required?
• What are the qualities of a good leader?
• What are the external qualities of a leader? (Technical dimensions)
Why is leadership important?
• What are the internal qualities of a leader? (in terms of integrity)
• Why is the relationship so important for a leader?
• Why is it necessary for a leader to have vision?
• What kinds of efforts and trainings do you need to be an effective leader?
The reasons why we have to learn some principles for leadership
One of the most important truths I’ve learned over the years is this: Leadership is leadership, no matter where you go or what you do. Times change. Technology marches forward. Cultures vary from place to place. But the true principles of leadership are constant.
whether you’re looking at the citizens of ancient Greece, the Hebrews in the Old Testament, the armies of the last two hundred years, the rulers of modern Europe, the pastors in local churches, or the businesspeople of today’s global economy. Leadership principles stand the test of time. They are irrefutable.
As you take this course, I would like you to keep in mind four ideas:
① The laws can be learned. Some are easier to understand and apply than others. But every one of them can be acquired.
② The laws can stand alone. Each law complements all the others, but you don’t need one in order to learn another.
③ The laws carry consequences with them. Apply the laws, and people will follow you. Violate or ignore them, and you will not able to lead them.
④ These laws are the foundation of leadership. Once you learn the principles, you have to practice them and apply them to your life.
Whether you are a follower who is just beginning to discover the impact of leadership or a natural leader who already has followers, you can become a better leader. As you learn about this course, you’ll recognize that you may already practice some of them effectively.
Other laws will expose weaknesses you didn’t know you had. But the greater the number of principles of leadership you learn, the better leader you will become. Each principle is like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help you achieve your dreams and add value to other people.
Learn them all principles which I am going to share with you, and people will gladly follow you.
2nd Lecture: The Definition of Leadership
1. What is leadership?
Leadership is influence.
Leadership is ability to encourage people who are reluctant to do some tasks first so that they may volunteer and commit themselves to the tasks because of your leadership. My favorite leadership proverb is: “He who thinks he leads but has no one following him is only taking a walk.”
In other words, leadership is ability to get followers. Leadership is directly influencing in a family, work, church and all kinds of organizations. So leadership can’t be ignored. It is possible to read the Bible from the perspective of leadership that the stories and events in the Bible were written focusing on leaders. (Moses, Joshua, David, Nehemiah, and Paul, so on)
2. Difference between leadership and authority (the importance of leadership)
In 1911, two groups of explorers set off on an incredible mission. Though they used different strategies and routes, the leaders of the teams had the same goal: to be the first in history to reach the South Pole. Their stories are life-and-death illustrations of the leadership. One of the groups was led by Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen. Before his team ever set off, Amundsen had painstakingly planned his trip. He studied the methods of the Eskimos and other experienced Arctic travelers and determined that their best course of action would be to transport all their equipment and supplies by dogsled.
When he assembled his team, he chose expert skiers and dog handlers. His strategy was simple. The dogs would do most of the work as the group traveled fifteen to twenty miles in a six-hour period each day. That would allow both the dogs and the men plenty of time to rest each day for the following day’s travel.
Amundsen’s forethought and attention to detail were incredible. He located and stocked supply depots all along the route. That way they would not have to carry every bit of their supplies with them the whole trip. He also equipped his people with the best gear possible. Amundsen had carefully considered every possible aspect of the journey, thought it through, and planned accordingly. And it paid off. The worst problem they experienced on the trip was an infected tooth that one man had to have extracted. The other team of men was led by Robert Scott, a British naval officer who had previously done some exploring in the Antarctic area.
Scott’s expedition was the antithesis of Amundsen’s. instead of using dogsleds, Scott decided to use motorized sledges and ponies. Their problems began when the motors on the sledges stopped working only five days into the trip.
The ponies didn’t fare well either in those frigid temperatures. When they reached the foot of the Trans-Antarctic Mountains, all of the poor animals had to be killed. As a result, the team members themselves ended up hauling the two-hundred-pound sledges. It was hard work.
Scott hadn’t given enough attention to the team’s other equipment. Their clothes were so poorly designed that all the men developed frostbite. One team member required an hour every morning just to get his boots onto his swollen, gangrenous feet. And every one became snow-blind because of the inadequate goggles Scott had supplied.
On top of everything else, the team was always low on food and water. That was also due to Scott’s poor planning. The depots of supplies Scott established were inadequately stocked, to far apart, and often poorly marked, which made them every difficult to find. Because they were continually low on fuel to melt snow everyone became dehydrated.
Marking things even worse was Scott’s last-minute decision to take along a fifth man, even though they had prepared enough supplies only four. After covering a grueling eight hundred miles in ten weeks, Scott’s exhausted group finally arrived at the South Pole on January 17, 1912.
There they found the Norwegian flag flapping in the wind and a letter from Amundsen. The other well-led team had beaten them to their goal by more than a month! As bad as their trip to the Pole was, that isn’t the worst part of their story. The trek back was horrible. Scott and his men were starving and suffering from scurvy. But Scott, unable to navigate to the very end, was oblivious to their plight. With time running out and desperately low on food, Scott insisted that they collect thirty ponds of geological specimens to take back – more weight to be carried by the worn out men.
Their progress became slower and slower. One member of the party sank into a stupor(인사불성) and died. Another, Lawrence Oater, was in terrible shape. The former army officer, who had originally been brought along to take care of the ponies, had frostbite so severe that he had trouble going on.
Because he believed he was endangering the team’s survival, it’s said that he purposely walked out into a blizzard to relieve the group of himself as a liability. Before he left the tent and headed out into the storm, he said, “I am just going outside: I may be some time.” Scoot and his final two team members made it only a little farther north before giving up.
The return trip had already taken two months, and still they were 150 miles from their base camp. There they died. We know their story because they spent their last hours writing in their diaries. Some of Scott’s last words were these: “We shall die like gentlemen. I think this will show that the Spirit of pluck and power to endure has not passed out of our race.”
The lessons for leadership
Scott had courage, but not leadership. Because he was unable to live by the law of leadership, he and his companions died by it. Followers need leaders able to effectively navigate for them. When they are facing life-and-death situations, the necessity is painfully obvious. But, even when consequences aren’t as serious, the need is just as great.
The truth is that nearly anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.
That is the law of leadership.
According to Proverbs 19:2, “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”
It is not possible to achieve God’s work only by zeal without leadership. Without leadership training it is dangerous for a person to sit on the throne.
3. Smash the wrong conception of leadership
Once we define leadership as the ability to get followers, you work backward from that point of reference to figure out how to lead.
But most people define leadership as the ability to achieve a position, not to get followers.
Therefore, they go after a position, rank, or title and upon their arrival think they have become a leader.
This type of thinking creates two common problems:
Those who possess the “status” of a leader often experience the frustration of few followers, and those who lack the proper titles may not see themselves as leaders and therefore don’t develop their leadership skills.
According to the results of a research taken from 3,000 university students in the USA in 1990, 90% of the respondents answered that they were far from being leaders or had no born-nature qualities of leadership even though they wanted to be leaders. It shows us that traditionally people believe that a leader is born. But they believe that leadership is influence (ability to gain followers), we can learn how to gain and lead people.
4. Insights about Influence
(1) Everyone influences someone.
Sociologists tell us that even the most introverted individual will influence ten thousand other people during his or her lifetime!
It means that each one of us is both influencing and being influenced by others.
In other words, all of us are leading in some areas, while in other areas we are being led.
No one is excluded from being a leader or a follower. Realizing your potential as a leader is your responsibility.
(2) We never know who or how much we influence.
The most effective way to understand the power of influence is to think of the times you have been touched by the influence of a person or an event. Big events leave marks on all our lives and memories.
(3) The best investment in the future is a proper influence today.
The issue is not whether you influence someone. What needs to be settled is what kind of an influence will you be?
Will you grow in your leadership skills?
The rest of this chapter is committed to helping you make a difference tomorrow by becoming a better leader today.
(4) Influence is a skill that can be developed.
(5) Books concerning leadership are rear.
Lots of books concerning leadership today deal with the methods of management or controlling people rather than how to lead followers.
Many people do not understand the difference between management and leadership.
Management is to monitor and control people to make sure that an organization is achieving their goals according to their purpose and plans.
But leadership is to give visions and motivate people to achieve their goals.
People don’t want to be controlled but want to be led by a leader.
You can lead a horse near by a river but can’t force the horse to drink water from the river.
The task of worker is what to do.
The task of a teacher is to teach other how to do the work.
The task of a manager is to monitor workers to work.
The task of a leader is to motivate and influence people to do their work better than their capabilities.
Lecture 3: Leadership Levels and Qualities
Five Levels of Leadership
5. Personhood – Respect:
4. Personnel Development – Reproduction.
3. Production – Results
2. Permission – Relationships
1. Position - Rights
1. Five levels of leadership
Level 1: Position – This is the basic entry level of leadership. The only influence you have is that which comes with a title. A person may be ‘in control’ because he has been appointed to a position. In that position he may have authority. But real leadership is more than having authority. Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.
The real leader knows the difference between being the boss and being a leader. This little bit of prose illustrates the difference:
The boss drives his men; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says “I”; the leader, “we.”
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss says “go”; the leader says “lets go!”
People will not follow a positional leader beyond his stated authority.
Positional leaders have increasing difficult influencing the younger generation.
Positional leaders have more difficulty working with volunteers and white collar people. (Volunteers don’t have to work in the organization so there is no monetary leverage that a positional leader can use to make them respond. White collar workers are used to participating in decision-making and resent legislative leadership.)
Level 2: Permission - relationship
Fred Smith says, “Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obliged.” That only happen when you climb to the second level of influence. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care for them.
Leadership begins with the heart, not the head. It flourishes with a meaningful relationship, not more regulations.
Effective leaders know that you first have to touch people’s hearts before you ask them for a hand.
Level 3: Production
On this level things begin to happen, good things profit increases. Moral is high. Turnover is low. Goals are being realized. Problems are solved with minimum effort. Everyone is results-oriented. In fact, results are the main reason of the activity.
This is a major difference between levels 2 and 3.
On the “relationship” level, people get together just to get together.
There is no other objective. On the ‘results’ level, people come together to accomplish a purpose.
They like to get together to get together, but they love to get together to accomplish something. In other words, they are results-oriented.
Level 4: Personnel Development
Reproduction – People follow because of what you have done for them.
Note: This is where long-range growth occurs. Your commitment to developing leaders will insure ongoing growth to the organization and to people. Do whatever you can to achieve and stay on this level.
A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is failure. A worker’s main responsibility is doing the work himself. A leader’s main responsibility is developing others to do the work.
Loyalty to the leader reaches its highest peak when the follower has personally grown through the mentorship of the leader. Note the progression: at level 2, the follower loves the leader; at level 3, the follower admires the leader; at level 4, the follower is loyal to the leader.
Why? You win people’s hearts by helping them grow personally.
Level 5: Personhood: Respect
Respect: People follow because of who you are and what you represent.
Note: This step is reserved for leaders who have spent years growing people and organizations.
Few make it. Those who do are bigger than life.
How to climb up the steps of leadership
The higher you go, the longer it takes. (Each time there is a change in your job or you join a new circle of friends, you start on the lowest level and begin to work yourself up the steps.)
The higher you go, the higher the level of commitment. (this increase in commitment is a two-way street. Greater commitment is demanded not only form you, but from the other individuals involved.) The higher you go, the greater the growth. You never leave the base level. (each level stands upon the previous one and will crumble if the lower level is neglected.)
For your leadership to remain effective, it is essential that you take the other influencers within the group with you to the higher levels.
A look at each level
Know what level you are on at this moment. (여기서 질문하고 넘어갈것)
In your church or life which level you are standing on now?
Since you will be on different levels with different people, you need to know which people are on which level.
If the biggest influences within the organization are on the highest levels and are supportive of you, then your success in leading others will be attainable.
If the best influences are on the highest levels and not supportive, then problems will soon arise. Know and apply the qualities needed to be successful at each level.
Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level is possible.
Level 1: Position/rights
Know your job description thoroughly. Be aware of the history of the organization. Relate the organization’s history to the people of the organization (In other words, be a team player). Accept responsibility. Do it with consistent excellence. Do more than expected. Offer creative ideas for change and improvement.
Level 2: Permission/Relationship
Possess a genuine love for people. Make those who work with you more successful. See through other people’s eyes. Love people more than procedures. Do win-win or don’t do it. Include others in your journey. Deal wisely with difficult people.
Level 3: Production/Results
Initiate and accept responsibility for growth. Develop and follow a statement of purpose. Make your job description and energy an integral part of the statement of purpose. Develop accountability for results, beginning with yourself.
Know and do the things that give a high return. Communicate the strategy and vision of the organization. Become a change-agent and understand timing. Make the difficult decisions that will make a difference.
Level 4: People development/Production
Realize that people are your most valuable asset. Place a priority on developing people. Be a model for others to follow. Pour your leadership efforts into the top 20 percent of your people. Expose key leaders growth opportunities. Be able to attract others winners/producers to the common goal. Surround yourself with an inner core that complements your leadership.
Level 5: Personhood/Respect
Your followers are loyal and sacrificial. You have spent years mentoring and molding leaders. You have become a statesman/consultant, and are sought out by others. Your greatest joy comes from watching others grow and develop. You transcend the organization.
Conclusion
Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone. Not everyone will become a great leader, but everyone can become a better leader. Now, only two questions must be answered: Will you unleash your leadership potential? And Will you use your leadership skills to better mankind? Action steps to unleash your leadership potential.
Review:
1. Leadership is .
2. The five levels of leadership are:
① .
② .
③ .
④ .
⑤ .
3. What level am I currently on with most people?
4. What level am I currently on with other influencers?
Respond
1. List the five top influencers in your organization.
2. What level of influence are you on with them?
3. What level of influence are they on with other?
Lecture 4: The principles of servant leadership
Leadership that is unlike secular leadership Christian leadership is not like the world’s leadership.
Jesus Christ made this point clearly and emphatically.
The key New Testament text on leadership is Luke 22:24-27. Study this passage in its context, and then answer the question below:
Luke 22:24-27 “Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”
Characteristics of a secular leadership
1. How would you describe the “Gentile” way of leadership?
What are some of the characteristics of people who lead this way?
2. What current examples of this leadership can you think of?
Which government, political, business, or church leaders today lead like “the kings of the Gentiles”? What specific actions, attitudes, or approaches put them in this category?
Leadership That is marked by servant hood
Even though this was not the first time the disciples heard Jesus connect servanthood with leadership, it was still a hard concept for them to grasp.
3. Why do you think they had such a difficult time?
4. Do the two terms “servanthood” and “leader” seem antithetical(contrary)? Why or why not?
5. How would you describe “servanthood” on the part of leader?
Most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of being a servant, and we often have wrong ideas of what Jesus means when He says that a leader must be a servant. We think of servant as passive, humiliating, and powerless; it seems like the way and the philosophy of the weak.
Therefore, servant leadership is considered by some to be a passive style of leadership in which the leader simply does what others want him to do.
But is that what Jesus meant? We should be able to look at Jesus’ own leadership, since He calls our attention to it (Luke 22:27), to help clarify our understanding of servant leadership.
6. How would you summarize Jesus’ example as described in Philippians 2:5-11?
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Joshua 4:14 “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.”
7. Does this mean that Jesus was a passive and cowardly leader?
What do the following passages reveal about Jesus’ leadership style?
Matthew 28:18-19. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
John 13:13-17, “You call me ‘Teacher and Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
One could hardly read the above passages and think that Jesus was a passive leader. Quite the contrary, He gave clear direction and exercised great authority in the lives of His followers.
He also directly and powerfully challenged those who were against Him. When He gave commands, He expected to be obeyed. But in many ways, the kings of the Gentiles acted similarly.
8. So what is the difference between Jesus and the rulers of the Gentiles?
One major difference is that Jesus never exercised authority for His own personal benefit. His motivation was always to fulfill His Father’s plan and serve His followers. Therefore, even when He exercised authority or required compliance, His leadership was always described by service.
Servanthood is not defined by the action themselves but by the motive and goal that generate the actions.
9. Contrast Jesus’ leadership with that of Diotrephes, described in 3John 9.
“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops who wanst to do so and puts them out of the church.”
What was the characteristic attitude of Diotrephes as a leader? What were his motives and goals?
Paul as a servant leader
A difficult concept is always clarified by a good example. To better understand servant leadership, consider Paul’s example of his leadership in the lives of the believers in Thessalonica (1 Thessa 2:1-12).
10. What parallels do you notice between Luke 22:24-27 and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12? Pick up the two Bible passages on the next to note the parallels.
11. in the 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 passages Paul uses three images to describe his leadership.
What are the three images, and what does each contribute to our understanding of servant leadership? Are you surprised at the images Paul uses?
Lecture 5: The Key to Leadership
(Priorities)
Introduction
It is said, “There are two things that are most difficult to get people to do: to think and to do things in order of importance.” These two things are the difference between a professional and an amateur. I also believe that thinking ahead and prioritizing responsibilities marks the major differences between a leader and a follower, because;
Practical people know how to get what they want.
Philosophers know what they ought to want.
Leaders know how to get what they ought to want.
Success can be defined as the progressive realization of a predetermined goal. This definition tells us that the discipline to prioritize and the ability to work toward a stated goal are essential to a leader’ success. In fact, I believe they are the key to leadership
The Pareto Principle. (The 20/80 Principles)
Twenty years ago, I learned about the Pareto Principle. It is commonly called the 20/80 principle. Although I received little information about this principle at the time, I began applying it to my life. Today I find it a most useful tool for determining priorities for any person’s life or for any organization.
Priorities Products
20 percent of your priorities will give you 80 percent of your production, satisfaction and success.
• IF
You spend your time, energy, money, and personnel on the top 20 percent of your priorities.
20% Efforts but 80% Results occur
The first line on the illustration of the 20/80 Principle represents a person or organization that spends time, energy, money, and personnel on the most important priorities. The result is a four-fold return in productivity.
80% Efforts but 20% results come.
The second line represents a person or organization that spends time, energy, money, and personnel on the lesser priorities. The result is a very small return.
Examples of the Pareto Principles
Time: 20% of your time produces 80% of the result. (이른 아침 공부가 효과적이다)
Counselling: 20% of the people take up 80% our your time. (have a interview and meeting with top leaders in your church)
Products: 20% of products bring in 80% of profit. (focus on your most important business and work in your life. What is that?)
Reading: 20percent of the book gives you 80% of the content. (pick up and read the most important books for your study and ministry. Read it over and over)
Job: 20% of your work gives you 80% of your satisfaction. (what is your main duty and work. Focus on it.)
Leadership: 20% of the people will make 80% of the decisions. (work and discuss important issues with the elders and leaders of your church)
Every leader needs to understand the Pareto in the area of people oversight and leadership.
For example, 20% of the people in an organization will be responsible for 80% of the company’s success.
The following strategy will enable a leader to increase the productivity of an organization.
The 20/80 Principles
1. Determine which people are the top 20% producers.
2. Spend 80% of your “people time” with the top 20%.
3. Spend 80% of your personal developmental money on the top 20%.
4. Determine what 20% of the work gives 80% of the return and train an assistant to do the 80% less effective work. This “frees up “ the producer to do what he/she does best.
5. Ask the top 20% to do on-the-job training for the next 20%.
I teach this principle at leadership seminar. I am often asked, “How do I identify the top 20 percent influencers/producers in my organization?”I suggest that you make a list of everyone in your company or department.
Then ask yourself this question each individual: If this person takes a negative action against me or withdraws his or her support from me, what will the impact likely be?” If you won’t be able to function, then put a check mark next to that name. If the person can help you or hurt you, but cannot make or break you in terms of your ability to get important things done, then don’t put a check mark next to that name.
It is not how hard you work; it’s how smart you work.
A man was told that if he worked the very hardest he could he would become rich. The hardest work he knew was digging holes, so he set about digging great holes in his backyard. He only got a backache. He worked hard but he worked without any priorities.
Organize or agonize
The ability to juggle three or four high priority projects successfully is a must for every leader. A life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes.
Prioritize Assignments
High importance/high urgency: Tackle these projects first.
High importance/Low urgency: Set deadlines for completion and get these projects worked into your daily routine.
Low importance/High urgency: find quick, efficient ways to get this work done without much personal involvement. Delegate it to a “can do” assistant.
Low Importance/Low Urgency: this is busy or repetitious work such as filing. Stack it up and do it in one-half hour segments every week;
Get somebody else to do it; or don’t do it at all. Before putting off until tomorrow something you can do today, study it clearly. Maybe you can postpone it indefinitely.
Choose or Lose
Every person is either an initiator or a reactor when it comes to planning.
An example is our calendars. The question is not, “will my calendar be full?” but “Who will fill my calendar?”
We are leaders of others, the question is not “will I see people” but “Who will I see?”
My observation is that leaders tend to initiate and followers tend to react.
The differences between leaders & followers
Evaluate or Stalemate
A veteran of many years of decision-making gave me this short, simple advise: decide what to do and do it; decide what not to do and don’t do it.
Evaluation of priories, however, is not quite that simple. Many times they are not black or white, but many tones of gray.
I have found that the last thing one knows is what to put first.
The following questions will assist your priority process;
What is required of me?
• A leader can give up anything except final responsibility.
• The question that must always be answered before accepting a new job is “What is required of me?” In other words, what do I have to do that no one but me can do? Whatever those things are, they must be put high on the priority list.
Failure to do them will cause you to be among the unemployed. There will be many responsibilities of the levels under your position, but only a few that required you to be the one and only who can do them.
Distinguish between what you have to do and what can be delegated to someone else.
Take a minute and list what is required of you in your job (by priority, if possible)
1.
2.
3.
4.
What gives me the greatest return?
The effort expended should approximate the results expected.
A question I must continually ask myself is, “Am I doing what I do best and receiving a good return for the organization?”
Don’t waste your time on doing less important duties.
Three common problems in many organizations.
1. Abuse: Too few employees are doing too much.
2. Disuse: Too many employees are doing too little.
3. Misuse: Too many employees are doing the wrong things.
What is most rewarding?
Life is too short not to be fun. Our best work takes place when we enjoy it. Some time ago I spoke at a leaders’ seminar. The title of my lecture was, “Take this job and love it.” I encouraged the audience to find something they liked to do so much they would gladly do it for nothing.
Then I suggested they learn to do it so well that people would be happy to pay them for it. Whey we are making a success of something, it’s not work. It’s a way of life. You enjoy yourself because you are making your contribution to the world. I believe that.
Success in your work will be greatly increased if the 3 R’s (Requirements/Return/Reward) are similar.
In other words, if the requirements of my job are the same as my strengths that give me the highest return and doing those things brings me great pleasure, then I will be successful if I act on my priorities.
Priority Principles
I love this principle. It is a little exaggerated but needs to be said.
William James said that the art of being wise is “the art of knowing what to overlook.”
The petty and the mundane steal much of our time. Too many are living for the wrong things.
Dr. Anthony Campolo tells about a sociological study in which fifty people over the age of ninety-five were asked one question; If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently? It was an open-ended question, and a multiplicity of answers came from these eldest of senior citizens.
However, three answers constantly reemerged and dominated the results of the study.
These three answers are:
1. If I had it to do over again, I would reflect more.
2. If I had it to do over again, I would risk more.
3. If I had it to do over again, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead.
A young concert violist was asked the secret of her success. She replied, “Planned neglect.” Then she explained, “What I was in school, there were many things that demanded my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted the floor, and did whatever else came to my attention. Then I hurried to my violin practice. I found I wasn’t progressing as I thought I should, so I reversed things. Until my practice period was completed, I deliberately neglected everything else. That program of planned neglect, I believe, accounts for my success.”
The good is the enemy of the best
Most people can prioritize when faced with right or wrong issues.
Then challenge arises when we are faced with two good choices.
Now what should we do?
What if both choices comfortably into the requirements, return, and reward of our work?
How to break the tie between two good options
1. Ask your overseer or co-worker their preference.
2. Can one of the options be handled by someone else? If so, pass it on and work on the one only you can do.
3. Which option would be of more benefit the customer? Too many times we are like the merchant who was so intent on trying to keep the store clean that he would never unlock the front door.
The real reason for running the store is to have customers come in, not to clean it up. Make your decision based on the purpose of the organization.
A lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline received his new supply of oil once a month to keep the light burning. Not being far from shore, he had frequent guests. One night a woman from the village begged some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another needed some to lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all. Toward the end of the month he noticed the supply of oil was very low. Soon it was gone, and the beacon went out.
That night several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. To his excuses and pleading their reply was, “You were given oil for one purpose – to keep that light burning.
1) You can’t have it all.
2) Too many priorities paralyze you.
3) When little priorities demand too much of you, big problems arise.
4) Time deadlines and emergencies force us to prioritize.
Too often we learn too late what is really important.
(1) You can’t have it all
Many years ago I read this poem by William H. Hinson;
“He who seeks one thing, and but one, May hope to achieve it before life is done. But he who seeks all things wherever he goes must reap around him in whatever he sows. A harvest of barren regret.”
(2) Too many priorities paralyze you
William H. Hinson tells us why animal trainers carry a stool when they go into a cage of lions. They have their whips, of course, and their pistols are at their sides. But invariably they also carry a stool. Hinson says it is the most important tool of the trainer. He holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal.
Those who know maintain that the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, and it becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented.
If you are overloaded with work, list the priorities on a separated sheet of paper before you take it to your boss and see how well you know your leader. The last of each month I plan and lay out my priorities for the next month. I sit down and plan what to do in terms of priority.
6th Lecture: Self-discipline
(The price that you have to sacrifice and pay to be a leader)
The importance of Self-discipline
“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves. . . Self-discipline with all of them came first.” The Greek word for self-discipline comes from a root word meaning “to grip” or “to take hold of.” This word describes people who are willing to get a grip on their lives and take control of areas that will bring them success or failure.
All great leaders have understood that their number one responsibility was for their own discipline and personal growth. If they could not lead themselves, they could not lead others. Leaders can never take others farther than they have gone themselves, for no one can travel without until he or she has first traveled within.
A great person will lead a great organization, but growth is only possible when the leader is willing to “pay the price” for it. Many potentially gifted leaders have stopped short of the payment line and found out that shortcuts don’t pay off in the long run.
This is what Edwin Markhan has to say about human worth:
We are blind until we see
That in the human plan
Nothing is worth the making if it does not make the man.
Why build these cities glorious if man unbuilded goes?
In vain we build the world unless the builder also grows.”
The process for Developing personal discipline
(1) Start with yourself.
A report once asked the great evangelist D. L. Moody which people gave him the most trouble. He answered immediately, “I’ve had more trouble with D. L. Moody than any man alive.” My observation is that more potential leaders fail because of inner issues than outer ones.
We cannot travel without until we first travel within. When we are foolish we want to conquer the world. When we are wise we want to conquer ourselves. Hard work is the accumulation of easy things you didn’t do when you should have. What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today.
Great leaders never set themselves above their followers except in carrying out responsibilities.
Success depends not merely on how well you do the things you enjoy, but how exactly you perform those duties you don’t.
(2) Start early
Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the things you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; It is the first lesson that ought to be learned and, however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
(3) Start small
What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today. It is essential to begin developing self-discipline in a small way today in order to be disciplined in a big way tomorrow.
A Small Plan that will make a big difference.
① List five areas in your life that lack discipline.
② Place them in order of your priority for conquering them.
③ Take them on, one at a time.
④ Secure recourses, such as books and tapes, that will give you instruction and motivation to conquer each area.
⑤ Ask a person who models that trait you want to possess to hold you accountable for it.
⑥ Spend fifteen minutes each morning getting focused in order to get control of this weak area in your life.
⑦ Do a five-minute checkup on yourself at midday.
⑧ Take five minutes in the evening to evaluate your progress.
⑨ Allow sixty days to work on one area before you go to the next.
⑩ Celebrate with the one who holds you accountable as you show continued success.
Remember, having it all doesn’t mean having it all at once.
It takes time. Start small and concentrate on today. The slow accumulation of disciplines will one day make a big difference. Ben Franklin said, “it is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it.”
(4) Start now.
As John Hancock Field says, “All worthwhile men have good thoughts, good ideas, and good intentions, but precious few of them ever translate those into action.
Abraham Lincoln said, “I will get ready and them perhaps my chance will come.”
Too often the disciplines have not been developed and an opportunity is missed.
(5) Organize your life
“one of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
That statement by A. A. Milne is true, but the discoveries are usually too late and consequently an opportunity is missed. Then you as a leader are perceived as being “out of control.”
This leads to uncertainty and insecurity among followers.
(5) Organize your life
When you are organized, you have a special power. You walk with a sure sense of purpose. You priorities are clear in your mind. You manage complex events with masterful touch. Things fall into place when you reveal your plans. You move smoothly from one project to the next with no wasted motion.
Throughout the day you gain stamina and momentum as your successes build. People believe your promises because you always follow through. When you enter a meeting, you are prepared for whatever they throw at you. When at last you show your hand, you’re a winner.
Christopher Robin, in Winnie the Poor, gives my favorite definition of organization: “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
Top 8 list for personal organization
1. Set your priorities.
Two things are difficult to get people to do. The first thing is to do things in order of importance, and the second is to continue doing things in order of importance. The last week of each month I spend two hours planning my schedule for the next thirty days.
On paper I list all my major responsibilities according to importance and time needed to accomplish those tasks. This becomes the gauge to help me “keep on track” and keep moving.
As each assignment is completed in its allotted time, I check it off my monthly list.
2. Place priorities in your calendar.
Once this list is written out on paper, I put it on the wall of my office in front of my table so that I can see it regularly. This protects me from outside pressures that clamor daily for my time. This also makes me accountable to someone else who will help me stay on track.
3. Allow a little time for the unexpected.
The king of work you do will determine the amount of time you set aside for interruptions. For example, the more you interact with people, the more time you must set aside. I set aside one-half day each week in my calendar for the unexpected.
4. Do projects one at a time
A good general fights only on one front at a time. That is also true of a good leader. A feeling of being overwhelmed is the result of too many projects clamoring for your attention.
5. Work according to your temperament
If you are a morning person, organize your most important work for the morning hours.
Obviously, if you are a later starter do the opposite.
6. Develop systems that work for you.
7. Always have a plan for those for those minutes between meetings.
8. Focus on results, not the activity.
Lecture 7: Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset (1)
(Train Your People)
Introduction
The one who influences others to follow only is a leader with certain limitations. The one who influences others to lead others is a leader without limitations. As Andrew Carnegie said, no man will make a great leaders who wants to do it all himself or to get all the credit for doing it.
Guy Ferguson puts it this way;
To know how to do a job is the accomplishment of labor;
To be available to tell others is the accomplishment of the teacher;
To inspire others to do better work is the accomplishment of management;
To be able to do all three is the accomplishment of true leader.
This chapter will focus on the importance of developing people to share in and assist you with the implementation of your dreams as a leader.
The thesis is: The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your dreams.
There are levels of people / work skills
Level 1: The person who works better with people is a follower.
Level 2: The person who helps people work better is a manager.
Level 3: The person who develop better people to work is a leader.
It is not a difficult job for me to encourage and motivate people because of my character.
I love to help people.
I like to encourage people.
I have a high trust and value on people.
I put my faith in people to develop them.
Principles for people development
My success in developing others will depend on my high:
Value of people – This is an issue of my attitude
Commitment to people – This is an issue of my time.
Integrity with people – This is an issue of my character.
Standard for people – This is an issue of my vision.
Influence over people – This is an issue of my leadership.
Successful people-developers
For several years I have developed people under me, and I have taught and observed other leaders who excelled in this vital area. I have discovered that there are three areas in which successful people- developers are different from those who are not successful in developing others.
1. Make the right assumptions about people;
2. Ask the right questions about people; and
3. Give the right assistance to people.
Tips about people development
The one who influences others to lead is a leader without limitations.
People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become. 사람들은 자기 삶에서 가장 중요한 사람들이 자신에게 기대하는 그런 인물이 되기 원한다.
People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
My assumptions about others is what allows me to continually motivate and develop them. In fact a leader having the right assumptions about people is the key factor in their continual development.
An assumption is an opinion that something is true. My assumptions about people largely determine how I treat them.
Why? What I assume about people is what I look for.
What I look for is what I find.
What I find influences my response.
Therefore, negative assumptions about others will stimulate negative leadership of them.
Positive assumptions about others will stimulate positive leadership of them.
Assumption 1: Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
The most successful teachers, writers, managers, politicians, philosophers, and leaders who deal with people instinctively know this simple fact: Every person in the world is hungry. Yes, every person in the world is hungry for something, be it recognition, companionship, understanding, love - the list is endless.
One thing I always find on a list of people’s needs is the desire to feel worthwhile. People want to feel important! Donald Laird says to always help people increase their own self-esteem. Develop your skills in making other people feel important. There is hardly a higher compliment you can pay an individual than to help that person be useful and find satisfaction and significance.
Napoleon Bonaparte, a leader’s leader, knew every officer of his army by name. He liked to wander through his camp, meet an offer, greet him by name, and talk about a battle or maneuver he knew this officer had been involved in. He never missed an opportunity to inquire about a soldier‘s home town, wife, and family; the men were always amazed to see how much detailed personal information about each one the emperor was able to store in him memory. Since every officer felt Napoleon’s personal interest in him – proved by his statements and questions – it is easy to understand the devotion they all felt for him.
Assumption 2: Everyone needs and responds to encouragement.
Encouragement is oxygen to the soul. For many years I have been involved in developing people. I have yet to find a person who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism. Encouragement brings out the best in people.
Take a moment and link the definition of leadership (influence) with the responsibility of leadership (people development). How do we who influence others truly motivate and develop them? We do it through encouragement and belief in them. People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become.
Henry Ford said, “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” How true. Every leader wants to bring out the best that is in people. And every successful leader knows that encouragement is the way to do it.
Assumption 3: People “buy into” the leader before they “buy into” his leadership
Too often we expect people to be loyal to the position of a leader instead of the person who occupies that position. But people are not motivated by organizational charts, they respond to people. The first thing a leader must declare is not authority because of rights, but authority because of relationships.
People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. You’ve got to give loyalty down before you receive loyalty up. If people do not believe in their leader, anything will hinder them from following. If people believe in their leader, nothing will stop them.
Assumption 4: Most people do not know how to be successful
Most people think success is luck, and they keep trying to win the lottery of life. But success is really the result of planning. It happens where preparation and opportunity meet. Most people think success is instantaneous. They look at it as a moment, an event, or a place in time. It’s not.
Success is really a process. It is growth and development. It is achieving one thing and using that as a stepping stone to achieve something else. It is a journey. Most people think that success is learning how to never fail. But that’s not true. Success is learning from failure. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Failure only truly becomes failure when we do not learn from it. Once people realize that you, as a leader, can help them become successful, they are yours.
Someone said, “Success is relative. Once you have it, all the relatives come.” This is also true in an organization. Once the leader has proven to be successful and shown an interest in helping others achieve success through the company, that leader will have loyal followers who are willing to develop and grow.
Assumption 5: Most people are naturally motivated
Just watch a one-year-old try explore and find out what is in a house. That is natural motivation. My observation is that people begin an endeavor with a desire to participate, but are often de-motivated and then must be re-motivated to participate. Little children want to go to school. Three-and four-year-old children “play” school. They can’t wait to begin. They start off in first grade with shiny new lunch boxes and a high degree of motivation.
However, by the time they are in school for two or three years, they hate it. They make excuses not to go, complaining, “I have a sore tummy.” What happened? The school effectively de-motivated the original high degree of enthusiasm and excitement. The true secret of motivation is creating an environment in which people are free from the influences that de-motivate.
What Motivates?
(1) Significant contributions.
People want to join in a group or pursue a cause that will have lasting impact. They need to see that what they are doing is not wasted effort, but is making a contribution. People must see value in what they are doing. Motivation comes not by activity alone, but by the desire to reach the end result.
(2) Goal participation.
People support what they create. Being part of the goal-setting process is motivating and it allows people to feel needed. They like to feel they are making a difference. When people have given input, they have a stake in the issue. (Matth 6:21) They own it and support it. Seeing goals become reality and helping to share the future is fulfilling. Goal participation builds team spirit, enhances morale, and helps everyone feel important.
(3) Dissatisfaction.
Someone said that dissatisfaction is the one-word definition for motivation. Dissatisfied people are highly motivated people, for they see the need for immediate change. They know something is wrong and often know what needs to be done. Dissatisfaction can inspire change or it can lead to a critical spirit. It can lead to apathy or stir one to action. The key is utilizing this energy toward effective change.
(4) Recognition
People want to be noticed. They want credit for personal achievements and appreciation for their contributions. Often giving recognition is another way of saying thanks. Personal accomplishment is motivation, but it is much more so when someone notices the accomplishment and gives worth to it. Recognition is one way to give meaning to a person’s existence.
(5) Clear expectations.
People are motivated when they know exactly what they are to do and have the confidence that they can do it successfully. No one wants to jump into a task that is vague or a job whose description is uncertain. Motivation rises in a job when the goals, expectations, and responsibilities are clear understood. When delegating responsibility, be sure to give the necessary authority to carry out the task. People perform better when they have some control over their work and their time.
Certain behavior patterns can be de-motivating. We sometimes behave in these ways without realizing the negative influences they have on others. Here’s how we can avoid de-motivating behavior.
What de-motivates?
(1) Don’t belittle anyone.
No one like to feel maneuvered or used. Manipulation, no matter how slight, tears down the walls of trust in a relationship. We gain more by being honest and transparent than we do by being cunning and crafty. Build people up through affirmation and praise, and they’ll be motivated and loyal. Remember, give and it shall be given to you.
(2) Don’t be insensitive.
Make people your priority. People are our greatest resources; therefore, take time to know and care about them. This means being responsive in conversation, never appearing preoccupied with self or in a hurry. Stop talking and develop the art of really listening. Quit thinking of what you will say next, and begin to hear, not only what they say, but how they feel. Your interest in even insignificant matters will demonstrate your sensitivity.
(3) Don’t discourage personal growth.
Growth is motivating, so encourage your staff to stretch. Give them opportunity to try new things and acquire new skills. We should not fell threatened by the achievements of others, but should be very supportive of their successes. Allow your staff to succeed and fail. Build the team sprit approach but says, “if you grow, we all benefit.”
Review
There are five assumptions I need to make in developing people.
1. Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
2. Everyone needs and responds to encouragement.
3. People “buy into” the leader before they buy into his or her leadership.
4. Most people do not know how to be successful.
5. Most people are naturally motivated.
Now we have completed the discussion of how making the right assumptions about people must be our first principle to follow as a successful people developer. Next, we need to become familiar with the right questions to ask people.
There are six. (to be continued)
Chapter 8: Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset (2)
(Train Your People)
Who is a successful people developer? Now, we have completed the discussion of how making the right assumptions about people must be our first principle to follow as a successful people developer.
(1) Am I building people or am I building my dream and using people to do it?
People must come first. Fred Smith says that Federal Express, from its inception, has put its people first because it is right to do so and because it is good business as well. “Our corporate philosophy is succinctly stated: People-Service-Profits.” This question deals with the leader’s motives. There is a slight but significant difference between manipulation and motivation:
Manipulation is moving together for my advantage.
Motivation is moving together for mutual advantage.
(2) Do I care enough to confront people when it will make a difference?
Confrontation is very difficult for most people. If you feel uneasy just reading the word confront, I’d like to suggest that you substitute the word clarify. Clarify the issue instead of confronting the person. Then follow these ten commandments.
The Ten Commandments of Confrontation
① Do it privately, not publicly.
② Do it as soon as possible. That is more natural than waiting a long time.
③ Speak to one issue at a time. Don’t overload the person with a long list issues.
④ Once you’ve made a point don’t keep repeating it.
⑤ Deal only with actions the person can change. If you ask the person to do something he or she is unable to do, frustration builds in your relationship.
⑥ Avoid sarcasm.(ridicule) Sarcasm signals that you are angry at people, not at their actions, and may cause them to resent you.
⑦ Avoid words like always and never. They usually detract from accuracy and make people defensive.
⑧ Present criticisms as suggestions or questions if possible.
⑨ Don’t apologize for the confrontational meeting. Doing so detracts from it and may indicate you are not sure you had the right to say what you did.
⑩ Don’t forget the compliments. Use what I call the “sandwich” in the types of meetings:
Am I a good listener?
Give yourself 4 points if the answer to the following questions is Always; 3 points for Usually; 2 points for Rarely; and 1 point for Never.
1____ Do I allow the speaker to finish without interrupting?
2____ Do I listen “between the lines”; that is, for the subtext?
3. ____ Do I actively try to retain important facts?
4. ____ When writing a message, do I listen for and write down the key facts and phrases?
5. ____ Do I repeat what the person just said to clarify the meaning?
6. ____ Do I avoid getting hostile and / or agitated when I disagree with the speaker?
7. ____ Do I turn out distractions when listening?
8. ____ Do I make an effort to seem interested in what the other person is saying?
Scoring
• 26 or higher: You are an excellent listener.
• 22-25: Better than average score.
• 18-21: Room for improvement here.
• 1 or lower: Get out there right away and practice your listening.
David Burns, a medical doctor and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, says: “The biggest mistake you can make in trying to talk convincingly is to put your highest priority on expressing your ideas and feeling. What most people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.
What are the major strengths of this individual? Anyone who continually has to work in areas of personal weakness instead of personal strengths will not stay motivated. If individuals have been grinding away at tasks assigned in their weak areas and you reassign them to work in areas of strength, you will see a dramatic increase in natural motivation.
Have I placed a high priority on the job? People tend to stay motivated when they see the importance of the things they are asked to do.
The five most encouraging words in an organization are: “It will make a difference.”
The five most discouraging words in an organization are: “It won’t make any difference.”
Have I shown the value the person will receive from this relationship?
People tent to stay motivated when they see the value to them of the things they are asked to do. The simple fact is when we hear an announcement, see a commercial or are asked to make a commitment a small voice in the back of our minds asks, “what’s in it for me?
The reason people skip the meeting you worked so hard to plan is simple: They haven’t seen the value (benefits and rewards) they will receive by being there.
Answer this simple question: considering all that you give to your relationship versus all that you are getting from it, who is getting the better deal? Choose your answer from the following three options:
I am getting a better deal. This can produce complacency and ingratitude.
The other person is getting a better deal. This can produce resentment.
We are getting an equally good deal. This is usually produces mutual respect and motivation.
1. People evaluate relationships by comparing what they give to a relationship with what they get from it.
2. When what people give does not equal what they get, they feel distress.
3. People who feel distress because they give more than they get will restore equity. This becomes a negative. Do you commit here?
Successful people developers
1. Make a right assumptions about people;
2. Ask the right questions about people; and
3. Give the right assistance to people.
I need to give assistance.
I must give CARE to each person – Communicate
Appreciation – give thanks personally.
Recognition – give thanks corporately.
Encouragement – give hope continually.
1. I need to work out their strengths and work on their weakness.
The question that as a leader I must continually ask is not, “How hard does this person work?” but “How much does this person accomplish?”(is he fruitful?) Some of the most capable people in an organization never utilize their greatest strengths.
2. I must give them myself.
You can impress people at a distance but you can impact them only up close. List all the people you spent thirty minutes with this week. Did you initiate the time or did they? Did you have an agenda before the meeting? Was the meeting for the purpose of relationships, counseling, communication, or development?
Was it a win-win meeting? Was it with the influential top 20 percent or the lower 80 percent? Love everyone, but give yourself to the top 20% in your organization.
Encourage the many; mentor the few.
Be transparent with them.
Develop a plan for their growth.
Become a team.
3. I must give them ownership.
People want to be appreciated, not impressed. They want to be regarded as human beings, not as sounding boards for other people’s egos. They want to be treated as an end in themselves, not as a means toward the gratification of another’s vanity.
4. I must give them every chance for success.
My responsibility as a leader is to provide assistance for those who work with me by giving them:
An excellent atmosphere to work in. it should be positive, warm, open, creative, and encouraging.
The right tools to work with. Do not hire excellent people to do excellent work with average tools.
A continual training program to work under. Growing employees make growing companies.
Excellent people to work for. Develop a team. Coming together is the beginning. Working together is success.
A compelling vision to work toward. Allow your people to work for something larger than themselves.
Great leaders always give their people a head start over those who work under an average leader. Excellent leaders add value to their people and help them become better than they would be if they worked alone.
The first question a leader should ask is: “How can I help make those around me more successful?” When the answer is found and implemented, everyone wins!
Lecture 9: Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset (3)
(People development principles)
1. People development takes time
At one time Andrew Carnegie was a wealthiest man in America. He came to America from his native Scotland when he was a small boy, did a variety of odd jobs, and eventually ended up as the largest steel manufacturer in the United States. At one time he had forty-three millionaires working for him.
In those days a millionaire was a rare person; conservatively speaking, a million dollars in his day would be equivalent to at least twenty million dollars today. A reporter asked Carnegie how he hired forty-three millionaires. Carnegie responded that those men were not millionaires when they started working for him but had become millionaires as a result.
The reporter then asked how he had developed these men to become so valuable to him that he would pay them so much money. Carnegie replied that men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce.
Robert Half said, “there is something that is much more scarce, something rare than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.” There is still another step that must be taken beyond the ability to discover the gold that is in the leader’s mine. It must also be developed. It is better to train ten people to work than to do the work of ten people, but it is harder. “The man who goes alone can start the day. But he who travels with another must wait until the other is ready.”
2. The ability of working together is essential for success
Companies that go along successfully have leaders who get along with people. Dave E. Smalley records in his book Floorcraft, that Andrew Carnegie once paid Charles Schwab a salary of one million dollars a year simply because Schwab got along with people. Carnegie had men who understood the job better and who were better fitted by experience and training to execute it, but they lacked the essential human quality of being able to get others to help them – to get the best out of the workers. Most chief executives of major companies, when asked what one single characteristic is most needed by those in leadership positions, replied, “The ability to work with people.”
Teddy Roosevelt said, “The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” John Rockefeller, who built giant corporations, stated that he would pay more for the ability to deal with people than any other ability under the sun.
The Center for Creative leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, studied 105 successful executives and discovered the following;
They admitted their mistakes and accepted the consequences, rather than trying to blame others.
They were able to get along with a wide variety of people.
They had strong interpersonal skills, sensitivity to others, and tact.
They were calm and confident, rather than moody and volatile.
Unsuccessful executives tended to be too tough, abusive, sarcastic, aloof, or unpredictable. Lack of people skills can result in the kind of situation former Denver Bronco coach, John Ralston, experienced when he left the team. “I left because of illness and fatigue – the fans were sick and tired of me.”
3. Be a model that others can follow
The number one motivational principle in the world is: People do what people see. The speed of the leader determines the speed of the followers. And followers will never go any farther than their leader. For years I have followed and taught this process for developing others:
4. Lead others by looking through their eyes
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing; while others judge us by what we have already done.” Any leader who successfully deals with a group of people realizes that they each have their own agenda and perception of how things are.
Long ago I learned that people think their:
Problems are the biggest,
Children are the smartest,
Jokes are the funniest, and
Faults ought to be overlooked.
5. Discover another person’s agenda
I have discovered that the development of people is more successful when I:
Listen well enough to lead through their eyes;
Relate well enough to communicate with their hearts;
Work well enough to place tools in their hands;
Think well enough to challenge and expand their minds.
6. Leaders must care for people before they can develop them
Too often I see leaders who request commitment from people without showing them proper care. They are like Narvaez, the Spanish patriot, who while dying was asked by his father-confessor whether he had forgiven all his enemies. Narvaez looked astonished and said, “Father, I have no enemies. I shot them all.”
Telemetric International studied the perception high achieving executives have of the people in their organizations compared to low achieving executives. Their results were reported in the Wall Street Journal. Of the 16,000 executives studied, the 13 percent identified as “high achievers” tended to care about people as well as profits.
Average achievers concentrated on production, while low achievers were preoccupied with their own security.
High achievers viewed subordinates optimistically, while low achievers showed a basic distrust of subordinates’ abilities.
High achievers sought advice from their subordinates; low achievers didn’t.
High achievers were listeners: moderate achievers listened only to superiors; low achievers avoided communication and relied on policy manuals.
7. People developers look for opportunities to build up people
Most people in leadership positions daily steal someone’s ego food – the satisfaction of their needs for esteem. In fact they steal it and don’t even know it. For example, someone says, “I’ve really had a busy day,” and the leader replies, “You’ve been busy! You should see all the work piled on my desk and I can’t even get to it.”
Or someone says, “I finally finished that project I’ve been working on for eight months,” and the leader replies, “Yeah, Jim finally finished that big project he’s been working on too.” What is the leader doing? Well, he’s taking away the food that people need for their ego. In effect, he’s saying, “You may think you’re pretty good, but let me tell you about someone else who is probably better.”
Just for fun, check yourself tomorrow and see how many times you catch yourself satisfying your own esteem needs by stealing away someone else’s ego food. J. C. Staehle, after analyzing many surveys, found that the principal causes of unrest among workers are actions good leaders can avoid. They are listed in the order of their importance.
Attitudes to avoid in leadership
① Failure to give credit for suggestions.
② Failure to correct grievances.
③ Failure to encourage.
④ Criticizing employees in front of other people.
⑤ Failure to ask employees their opinions.
⑥ Failure to inform employees of their progress.
⑦ Favoritism.
Note: every issue is an example of the leader stealing or keeping ego food from the workers.
8. The greatest potential for growth of a company is growth of its people
In a survey of workers across the United States, nearly 85% said they could work harder on the job. More than half claimed they could double their effectiveness “If (they) wanted to.” People are the principal asset of any company, whether it makes things to sell, sells things made by other people, or supplies intangible services.
Nothing moves until your people can make it move. In actual studies of leadership in American business, the average executive spends three-fourths of his working time dealing with people. The largest single cost in most businesses is people. The largest, most valuable asset any company has is its people. All executive plans are carried out, or fail to be carried out, by people.
According to William J. H. Boetcker, people divide themselves into four classes:
1) Those who always do less than they are told.
2) Those who will do what they are told, but no more.
3) Those who will do things without being told.
4) Those who will inspire others to do things.
It’s up to you. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.” Some of the best advice you can find about being a good leader is found in the old Chinese poem.
• Go to the people, Live among them.
• Learn from them. Love them.
• Start with what they know, build on what they have.
• But of the best leaders, When their task is accomplished, their work is done, the people will remark, “We have done it ourselves.”
Lecture 10: Integrity
(The most important ingredient of leadership)
What integrity is - The dictionary defines integrity as “the state of being complete, unified.” When I have integrity, my words and my deeds match up. I am who I am, no matter where I am or who I am with.
Sadly integrity is a vanishing commodity today. Personal standards are crumbling in a world that has taken to hot pursuit of personal pleasure and short cuts to success. The White House, the church, the sports arena, the academy, even the day care center have all been hit hard by scandal.
In every case, the lack of credibility can be traced back to the level of integrity of the individuals within those organizations and institutions. A person with integrity does not have divided loyalties (that’s duplicity), nor is he or she merely pretending (that’s hypocrisy). People with integrity are “whole” people; they can be identified by their single-mindedness.
People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
Their lives are open books.
Integrity is not what we do so much as who we are.
And who we are, in turn, determines what we do.
Our system of values is so much a part of us we cannot separate it from ourselves. It becomes the navigating system that guides us. It establishes priorities in our lives and judges what we will accept or reject.
It determines who we are how we will respond before the conflict even appears. Integrity welds what we say, think, and do into a whole person so that permission is never granted for one of these to be out of sync. When integrity is the referee, we will be consistent; our beliefs will be mirrored by our conduct.
If what I say and what I do are the same, the results are consistent.
For example, I say to the employees; “Be at work on time.” I arrive at work on time. They will be on time.
I say to the employees; “Be positive.” I exhibit a positive attitude. They will be positive.
I say to the employees; “Put the customer first.” I put the customer first. They will put the customer first.
For example, I say to the employees; “Be at work on time.” I arrive at work late. Some will be on time, some won’t.
I say to the employees; “Be positive.” I exhibit a negative attitude. Some will be positive, some won’t
I say to the employees; “Put the customer first.” But I put myself first. Some will put customers first, some won’t.
Eighty-nine percent of what people learn comes through visual stimulation, 10 percent through audible stimulation, and 1 percent through other senses. So it makes sense that the more followers see and hear their leader being consistent in action and word, the greater their consistency and loyalty. What they hear, they understand. What they see, they believe!
Too often we attempt to motivate our followers with gimmicks (=trick) that are short-lived and shallow.
What people need is not a motto to say, but a model to see.
Therefore, Integrity is not what we do as much as who we are.
The credibility acid test
The more credible you are the more confidence people place in you, thereby allowing you the privilege of influencing their lives. The less credible you are, the less confidence people place in you and the more quickly you lose your position of leadership.
Many leaders said, “I hope you can give me some insights into how I can change my company.” My response is always the same; “My goal is to inspire you to change; if that happens, the organization will also be changed.” As I have said time and time again, everything rises and falls on leadership.
The secret to rising and not falling is integrity.
(1)Leadership functions on the basis of trust
Let’s look at some reasons why integrity is so important. Dwight Eisenhower said; “In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
If a man’s associates find him guilty of being phony, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.” Too often people who are responsible for leading look to the organization to make people responsible to follow.
They ask for a new title, another position, an organization chart, and a new policy to curtail insubordination. Sadly they never get enough authority to become effective. Why? They are looking to the outside when their problem is on the inside. They lack authority because they lack integrity. Only 45 percent of four hundred managers in a Carnegie-Mellon survey believed their top management; a third distrusted their immediate bosses. With so much depending on credibility and trust, someone in every organization must provide the leadership to improve these numbers.
Cavett Roberts said: “If my people understand me, I’ll get their attention. If my people trust me, I’ll get their action.” For a leader to have the authority to lead, he needs more than the title on his door. He has to have the trust of those who are following him.
(2)Integrity has high influence value
Emerson said: “Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization.” According to 1,300 senior executives who responded to a recent survey, integrity is the human quality most necessary to business success.
Seventy-one percent put it at the top of a list of sixteen traits responsible for enhancing an executive’s effectiveness. Regrettably we also forget the high influence value of integrity in the home.
R. C. Sproul, in his book Objections Answered, tells about a young Jewish boy who grew up in Germany many years ago. The lad had a profound sense of admiration for his father, who saw to it that the life of the community revolved around the religious practices of their faith. The father led them to the synagogue faithfully. In his teen years, however, the boy’s family was forced to move to another town in Germany.
This town had no synagogue, only a Lutheran church. All the best people belonged to it. Suddenly, the father announced to the family that they were all going to abandon their Jewish traditions and join the Lutheran church. When the stunned family asked why, the father explained that it would be good for his business. The youngster was bewildered and confused.
His deep disappointment soon gave way to anger and a kind of intense bitterness that plagued him throughout his life. Later he left Germany and went to England to study. Each day found him at the British Museum formulating his ideas and composing a book. In that book he introduced a whole new worldview and conceived a movement that was designed to change the world.
He described religion as the “opiate for the masses.” He committed the people who followed him to life without God. His ideas became the norm for the governments of almost half the world’s people. His name? Karl Marx, founder of the communist movement. The history of the twentieth century and perhaps beyond was significantly affected because one father let his values become distorted.
(3)Leaders are to live by a higher standard than followers
Leaders are to live by a higher standard than followers. But this insight is exactly opposite of most people’s thoughts concerning leadership. In a world of perks and privileges that accompany the climb to success, little thought is given to the responsibilities, either for themselves or their organizations.
Too many people are ready to claim their rights, but not to believe their responsibilities. There is a tendency today to absolve individuals of moral responsibility and treat them as victims of social circumstance. What limits people is lack of character. When the character of leaders is low, so are their standards.
(4) Our tendency is to work harder on our images than on our integrity
Image is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are. Two old ladies were walking around a somewhat overcrowded English country churchyard and came upon a tombstone. The inscription said: “Here lies John Smith, a politician and an honest man.” “Good heavens!” said one lady to the other. “Isn’t it awful that they had to put two people in the same grave!”
All of us have known those who were not the same on the outside as they were inside. Sadly many who have worked harder on their images than on their integrity don’t understand when they suddenly “fall.”
In ancient China the people wanted security against the barbaric hordes to the north, so they built the great wall. It was so high they believed no one could climb over it and so thick nothing could break it down. They settled back to enjoy their security. During the first hundred years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times. Not once did the barbaric hordes break down the wall or climb over it. Each time they bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right through the gates. The Chinese were so busy relying on walls of stone they forgot to teach integrity to their children.
(5) Integrity means living it myself before leading others
We cannot lead anyone else further than we have been ourselves. Too many times we are so concerned about the product we try to shortcut the process. There are no shortcuts when integrity is involved. Eventually truth will always be exposed.
Recently I heard of a man who interviewed a consultant to some of the largest U.S. companies about their quality control. The consultant said, “In quality control, we are not concerned about the product. We are concerned about the process. If the process is right, the product is guaranteed.” The same holds true for integrity; it guarantees credibility. “You play like you practice; you play like you practice.” When we fail to follow this principle, we fail to reach our personal potentials. When leaders fail to follow this principle, eventually they lose their credibility.
(6) A charismatic personality will draw people; only integrity will keep them
I heard one story from my friend. One wise businessman told the difference between being clever and being credible. He said that clever leaders never last. That statement reminded me of the words of Peter Drucker. His closing remarks to about forty pastors gathered to discuss important issues in the church were, “The final requirement of effective leadership is to earn trust.
Otherwise there won’t be any followers. And the only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. To trust a leader, it is not necessary to agree with him. Trust is the conviction that the leader means what he says. It is a belief in something very old-fashioned called ‘integrity.’
A leader’s actions and a leader’s professed belief must be the same or at least compatible. Effective leadership-and a gain this is very old wisdom- is not based on being clever; it is based primarily on being consistent.” Leaders who are sincere don’t have to advertise the fact. It’s visible in everything they do and soon becomes common knowledge to everyone. Likewise, insincerity cannot be hidden, disguised, or covered up, no matter how competent a manager may otherwise be.
The only way to keep the goodwill and high esteem of the people you work with is to deserve it. No one can fool all of the people all of the time. Each of us, eventually, is recognized for exactly what we are – not what we try to appear to be.
(7) Integrity is a victory, not a gift
Integrity is not a given factor in everyone’s life. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations in our lives. Unfortunately in today’s world of quick fixes and easy believism, strength of character is a rare commodity. As a result, we have few contemporary models of integrity. Our culture has produced few enduring heroes, few models of virtue. We have become a nation of imitators, but there are few leaders worth imitating. The meaning of integrity has been eroded.
Billy Graham said, “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
(8) You will only become what you are becoming right now
“Though you cannot go back, And make a brand new start, my friend. Anyone can start from now, And make a brand new end.” Write out what you value in life. A conviction is a belief or principle that you regularly model, one for which you would be willing to die.
What are your convictions? Ask someone who knows you well what areas of your life they see as consistent (you do what you say) and what areas they see as inconsistent (you say but don’t always live).
Lecture 11: Vision
(The Indispensable Quality of Leadership)
Introduction
Robert K. Greenleaf, in his book The Servant as Leader, says, “Foresight is the ‘lead’ that the leader has. Once he loses this lead and events start to force his hand, he is a leader in name only. He is not leading: he is reacting to immediate events and he probably will not long be a leader.”
Helen Keller was asked, “What would be worse than being born blind?” She replied, “To have sight without vision.” Sadly, too many people are placed into leadership positions without a vision for the organization that they will lead.
All great leaders possess two things: They know where they are going, and they are able to persuade others to follow.
All effective leaders have a vision of what they must accomplish.
That vision becomes the energy behind every effort and the force that pushes through all the problems. With the vision the leader is on a mission and a contagious spirit is felt among the crowd until others begin to rise alongside the leader.
The word vision has perhaps been overused in the last few years. The first thing to accomplish in a management workshop is to develop a statement of purpose for the organization. Others will look at you oddly if you cannot recite your organization’s purpose by memory and produce a card with the statement of purpose printed on it.
Why all the pressure to develop a purpose for your organization? There are two reasons. First, vision becomes the distinctive, rallying cry of the organization. It is a clear statement in a competitive market that you have an important niche among all the voices clamoring for customers. It is your real reason for existence. Second, vision becomes the new control tool, replacing the 1,000page manual that is the way to the front line is required to survive, the vision is the key that keeps everyone focused.
Vision Statements
What you see is what you can be. This deals with your potential. I have often asked myself: Does the vision make the leader? Or, does the leader make the vision? I believe the vision comes first. I have known many leaders who lost the vision and, therefore, lost their power to lead.
People do what people see. That is the greatest motivational principle in the world. Stanford Research says that 89% of what we learn is visual, 10% of what we learn is auditory, and 1% of what we learn is through other senses. In other words, people depend on visual stimulation for growth.
Couple (combine) a vision with a leader willing to implement that dream and a movement begins. People do not follow a dream in itself. They follow the leader who has that dream and the ability to communicate it effectively. Therefore, vision in the beginning will make a leader, but for that vision to grow and demand a following, the leader must take responsibility for it.
Four Vision Levels of people
1. Some people never see it (they are wanderers.)
2. Some people see it but never pursue it on their own. (They are followers)
3. Some people see it and pursue it. (they are achievers)
4. Some people see it and pursue it and help others see it. (They are leaders)
Leadership proverbs - “You see what you are prepared to see”
1) All great leaders possess two things: one, they know where they are going and two, they are able to persuade others to follow.
2) Leaders can never take their people farther than they have travelled. Like leader, like people.
3) God’s gift to me is my potential. My gift back to God is what I do with that potential.
What you see is what you get.
“Have you ever tasted a nice, cool, refreshing Coke? Very good. So have hundreds of millions of other people all around the world.“ Robert Woodruff served as president of Coca-Cola from 1923-1955. While chief executive of the corporation, he had the boldness to state, “We will see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever its costs.”
After World War II ended, he said that in his lifetime he wanted everyone in the world to have tasted Coca-Cola. What a vision! With careful planning a lot of persistence, Woodruff and his colleagues reached the generation around the globe for Coke.
When Disney World first opened, Mrs. Walt Disney was asked to speak at the Grand Opening, since Walt had died. She was introduced by a man who said, “Mrs. Disney, I just wish Walt could have seen this.” She stood up and said, “he did,” and sat down. Walt Disney knew it. Robert Woodruff knew it.
This is the point, I feel compelled to ask a question before we go on to the subject of personal ownership of a vision: “Is my dream going to make a difference in the world in which I live?
Keep asking yourself, “Survival, success, or significance?” Are you striving to simply survive, are you dreaming about success, or are you really out to make a truly significant different?
If I had ________________________________,
I would ________________________________.
If you had anything you wanted-unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited information, unlimited staff-all the resources you could ask for, what would you do? Your answer to that question is your dream. Make it worthwhile.
Personal Ownership of a vision
Leaders can never take their people farther than they have traveled. Therefore, the focus of vision must be on the leader-like leader, like people. Followers find the leader and then the vision. Leaders find the vision and then the people.
One of the most common questions asked by those in leadership positions is: “How do I get a vision for my organization?” This question is crucial. Until it is answered, a person will be a leader in name only. Although I cannot give you a vision, I can share the process of receiving one for you and those around you.
Look within you: what do you feel?
“The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision. Its got to be a vision you can articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” Certain trumpet sounds come forth from a leader who has birthed a vision for within. There is a vast difference between a person with a vision and a visionary person.
A person with a vision talks little but does much.
A visionary person does little but talks much.
A person with a vision finds strength from inner convictions.
A visionary person finds strength from outward conditions.
A person with vision continues when problems arise.
A visionary person quits when the road becomes difficult.
Many great people began life in the poorest and most humble of homes, with little education and no advantages. Thomas Edison was a newsboy on trains. Andrew Carnegie started work at $4 a month, John D. Rockefeller at $6 a week. The remarkable thing about Abraham Lincoln was not that he was born in a log cabin, but he got out of the log cabin.
Look behind you: What have you learned?
A person without experience sees a vision idealistically. To that individual he believes if he has a vision, the vision alone is enough. Naively this person casts the vision to others, expecting the dream to do the work and failing to realize that a vision needs support. A person with experience learns that people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.
A good idea becomes great when the people are ready. The individual who is impatient with people will be defective in leadership. The evidence of strength lies not in running ahead, but in adapting your stride to the slower pace of others while not forfeiting your lead. If we run too far ahead, we lose our power to influence.
Look above you: what does God expect of you?
God’s gift to me is my potential my gift back to God is what I do with that potential. I believe great leaders sense a “higher calling” – one that lifts them above themselves. Great visions are bigger than the person.
My definition of success is: Knowing God and his desires for me; Growing to my maximum potential; and sowing seeds that benefit others
Look beside you: what resource are available to you?
Understanding what Hinders a vision – level 1.
① Limited leaders.
② Concrete thinkers.
③ Dogmatic talkers.
④ Continual losers.
⑤ Satisfied sitters.
⑥ Tradition lovers.
⑦ Census takers.
⑧ Problem perceivers.
⑨ Self-seekers.
⑩ Failure forecasters
Setting the proper environment - level 2
1) Come alongside of them: People by into the leader before they buy into that leader’s vision.
2) Paint the picture for them. A leader is the one who shows the vision rather than explaining to followers.
3) Put the tings they love in the picture.
Put the things they love in the picture. Put what is important to the people within the frame of the vision and you will have transferred the vision to the people.
Lecture 12: Attitude
(The extra plus in leadership)
Introduction
Write the name of a person whom you greatly admire or respect.
Write one thing that you admire most about that person.
Chuck Swindoll said, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home.
The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We also cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you – we are in charge of our attitude.” Just as our attitudes are the extra pluses in life, they also make the difference in leading others. Leadership has less to do with position than it does with disposition. The disposition of a leader is important because it will influence the way the followers think and feel.
(1) Our attitudes are our most important assets
Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere that enable the right responses from others. The Carnegie Institute not long ago analyzed the records of ten thousand persons and concluded that 15% of success is due to technical training. The other 85% is due to personality, and the primary personality trait identified by the research is attitude.
A recent survey indicates that people with emotional problems are 144% more likely to have automobile accidents than those who are emotionally stable. An alarming factor revealed by this study is that one out of every five victims of fatal accidents had a quarrel within six hours before his or her accident.
It is improbable that a person with a bad attitude can continuously be a success. Norman Vincent Peale relates this story in his book, Power of the Plus Factor: “Once walking through the twisted little streets of Koloon in Hong Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever.
But what struck me with force were three words that could be tattooed on one’s flesh, Born to lose. “I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, ‘Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?’ He replied, ‘Ye, sometime.’ But, I said, ‘I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.’
The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and in broken English said, ‘Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.’” Once our minds are tattooed with negative thinking, our chances for long-term success diminish. We cannot continue to function in a manner that we do not truly believe about ourselves.
Often I see people destroy themselves because of wrong thinking. The sports world has always appreciated Arnold Palmer. This great golfer has got a slogan for his success. “If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win but think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t. Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. It is the attitude that makes the difference. People with negative thinking may start well, have a few good days, and win a math. But sooner or later, their attitudes will pull them down.
(2) We are responsible for our attitudes
Our destinies in life will never be determined by our complaning spirits or high expectations. Life is full of surprises and the adjustment of our attitude is a life-long project. It’s not what happens to me that matters but what happens in me. I am responsible to have a great attitude and to maintain it.
My attitude does not run on automatic. We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it is a continuing choice. A large number of people fail to take responsibility for their attitudes.
President Lincoln- every man over forty is responsible for his face An advisor to President Lincoln suggested a certain candidate for the Lincoln cabinet. But Lincoln refused, saying, “I don’t like the man’s face.” “But, sir, he can’t be responsible for his face,” insisted the advisor. “Every man over forty is responsible for his face.” replied Lincoln, and the subject was dropped.
No matter what you think about your attitude, it shows on your face.” We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it is a continuing choice. I am amazed at the large number of adults who fail to take responsibility for their attitudes. When grumpy and someone asks why, they’ll say, “I got up on the wrong side of the bed.”
When failure begins to plague their lives, they’ll say, “I was born on the wrong side of the tracks.” When life begins to flatten out and others in the family are still climbing, they will say, “Well, I was in the wrong birth order in my family.” When their marriages fail, they believe they married the wrong person. When someone else gets a promotion they wanted, it’s because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Do you notice something? They are blaming everyone else for their problems. The greatest day in your life and mind is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. It’s not what happens to me that matters but what happens in me
Hugh Downs says that a happy person is not a person with a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. Too many people believe that happiness is a condition. When things are going great, they’re happy. When things are going bad, they’re sad.
Some people have what I call “destination disease.” They think that happiness can be found in a position or a place. Others have what I call “someone sickness.” They think happiness results from knowing or being with a particular person. Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, understood the importance of choosing a right attitude even in wrong situations. She was never known to hold a grudge against anyone.
One time a friend recalled to her a cruel thing that had happened to her some years previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident. “Don’t you remember the wrong that was done to you?” the friend asked. “No,” Clara answered calmly. “I distinctly remember forgetting that.”
Many times people who have suffered adverse situations in their lives become bitter and angry. Over time, their lives will be negative and hardened toward others. The tendency for them is to point back to a difficult time and say, “That incident ruined my life.”
What they do not realize is that the incident called for an attitude decision – a response. Their wrong attitude choice, not the condition, ruined their lives. C. S. Lewis said, “Every time you make a choice you are turning the control part of you, the part that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before.
And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, you are slowly turning this control thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish one. The leader’s attitude helps determine the attitudes of the followers
Leadership is influence. People catch our attitudes just like they catch our colds – by getting close to us. It is important that I posses a great attitude, not only for my own success, but also for the benefit of others. My responsibilities as a leader must always be viewed in light of the many, not just myself.
Remember the four-minute mile? People had been trying to achieve it since the days of the ancient Greeks. In fact folklore has it that the Greek had lions chase the runners, thinking that would make them run faster. They also tried drinking tiger’s milk. Nothing they tried worked. So they decided it was impossible for a person to run a mile in four minutes or less. And for over a thousand years everyone believed it. Our born structure is all wrong. Wind resistance is too great. We have inadequate lung power. There were a million reasons.
Then one man, one single human being, proved that the doctors, the trainers, the athletes, and the millions of runners before him, who tried and failed, were all wrong. And, miracle of miracles, the year after Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, thirty-seven other runners broke the four-minute mile. The year after that three hundred runners broke the four-minute mile. And a few years ago in a single race in New York, thirteen out of thirteen runners broke the four-minute mile.
In other words, a few decades ago the runners who finished dead last in the New York race would have been regarded as having accomplished the impossible. What happened? There were no great breakthroughs in training? No one discovered how to control wind resistance. Human born structure and physiology didn’t suddenly improve. But human attitudes did.
You can accomplish your goals, if you set them. Who says you’re not tougher, smarter, better, harder-working, more able than your competition? It does not matter if they say you can’t do it. What matters, the only thing that matters, is if you say it. Until Roger Bannister came along, we all believed the experts. And “the experts” continue to keep others from reaching their potential. Why? Because experts have influence.
In fact, I believe that a leader’s attitude is caught by others even when they don’t follow the action. An attitude can be expressed without a word being spoken.
Take a moment and list the negative attitudes you possess that are influencing others right now.
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How to change your attitude
The following sections will help you to help yourself in changing your attitude.
Review.
① Identify problem feelings.
② Identify problem behavior.
③ Identify problem thinking.
④ Identify right thinking.
⑤ Make a public commitment to right thinking.
⑥ Develop a plan for right thinking.
Lecture 13: Creating Positive Attitude
(The Ultimate Test of Leadership)
Change the leader, change the organization
Everything rises and falls on leadership! I have found that it’s not easy to change leaders. In fact, I’ve discovered that leaders resist change as much as followers do. The results? Unchanged leaders equals unchanged organizations. People do what people see.
The story of the digital watch Seiko
In the 1940s the Swiss watch was the most prestigious and best quality watch in the world. Consequently 80% of the watches sold in the world were made in Switzerland. In the late 50’s the digital watch was presented to the leaders of the Swiss watch company. They rejected this new idea because they knew they already had the best watch and the best watchmakers.
The man who had developed the digital watch subsequently sold the idea to Seiko. In 1940 Swiss watch-making companies employed eighty thousand people. Today they employ eighteen thousand. In 1940 80% of the watches sold in the world were made in Switzerland. Today 80% of the watches are digital.
This story represents what happens to many organization and people: we choose to die rather than choose to change. Change the leader, change the organization. The first order of things to be changed is me, the leader. After I consider how hard it is to change myself, then I will understand the challenge of trying to change others. This is the ultimate test of leadership.
A Middle-Eastern mystic said, “I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’ As I approached middle age and realized that my life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me, just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’ Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I had prayed for this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.”
Howard Hendricks, in his book Teaching to Change Lives, says: if you want to continue leading, you must continue changing. Many leaders are no longer leading because they won’t be changing anymore. They have become like Henry Ford who is described in Robert Lacy’s best-selling biography, Ford: The Man and the Machine.
The story of the Ford Car Company
Lacy says Ford was a man who loved his Model T so much he didn’t want to change a bolt on it. He even kicked out William Knudsen, his ace production man, because Knudsen thought he saw the sun setting on the Model T. That occurred in 1912, when the Model T was only four years old and at the crest (peak) of its popularity.
Ford had just returned from a European jaunt (trip), and he went to a Highland Park, Michigan, garage and saw the new deign created by Knudsen. On the scene mechanics recorded how Ford momentarily went mad. He spied the gleaming red lacquer sheen on a new, low-slung version of the Model T that he considered a monstrous perversion of his beloved Model T design.
“Ford had his hands in his pockets, and he walked around that car three or four times,” recounted an eyewitness. “It was a four door job, and the top was down. Finally, he got to the left-hand side of the car, and he takes his hands out, gets hold of the door, and bang! He ripped the door right off! . . How the man done it, I don’t know! He jumped in three, and bang goes the other door. Bang goes the windshield.
He jumps over the back seat and starts pounding on the top. He rips the top with the heel of his shoe. He wrecked the car as much as he could.” Knudsen left for General Motors. Henry Ford nursed along the Model T, but design changes made it more old-fashioned than he would admit.
Competitive necessity finally backed him into making the Model A, though his heart was never in it. Even though General Motors was nipping at Ford’s heels, the inventor wanted life to freeze where it was. Underpinning this theme, William A. Hewitt, Chairman of Deere and Co., says, “To be a leader you must preserve all through your life the attitude of being receptive to new ideas.
The quality of leadership you will give will depend upon your ability to evaluate new ideas, to separate change for the sake of change from change for the sake of men.” Supervisory Management In this world of rapid change and discontinuities, the leader must be out in front to encourage change and growth and to show the way to bring it about.
The leader must become a change agent.
Change the leader – change the organization. (If a leader changes, then, the organization changes.) Change equals growth.
A historical account of resistance to change.
Resisting change can unwittingly affect one’s health and life, as the following account portrays. Hippocrates described scurvy in ancient times. The disease seemed to especially plague armies in the field and cities that were under siege for long periods of time.
Later, following the discovery of America, when long sea voyages became common, scurvy became rampant among sailors. Little was known about what caused scurvy and less about its cure. In 1553, Cartier made his second voyage to Newfoundland. Of his 103-man crew, 100 developed agonizing scurvy and were in great anguish
When the Iroquois Indians of Quebec came to their rescue with what was described as a “miraculous cure.” The Iroquois Indians gave the sick sailors an infusion of bark leaves of the pine tree. In 1553, Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins noted that during his career on the high seas ten thousand seamen under his command died of scurvy.
He also recorded that in his experience sour oranges and lemons had been most effective in during the disease. Yet these observations had no sweeping effect in bringing about an awareness of what could prevent scurvy, and the observations of this admiral went unheeded.
James Lind, a British naval surgeon, who later became the chief physician of the Naval Hospital at Portsmouth, England, published a book in 1753 in which he stated explicitly that scurvy could be eliminated simply by supplying sailors with lemon juice. He cited many case histories from his experience as a naval surgeon at sea; he proved that such things as mustard cress, tamarinds, oranges, and lemons would prevent scurvy.
In fact anything that contains enough vitamin C, which is most abundant in citrus fruit, tomatoes, and to a lesser degree in most green vegetables and other fruits, will prevent scurvy. You might rightfully expect that Dr. Lind would have been highly honored and praised for his great contribution, but the reverse is true. He was ridiculed. He became frustrated and remarked bitterly:
“Some persons cannot be brought to believe that a disease to fatal and so dreaded can be cured or prevented by such easy means.” They would have more faith in an elaborate composition dignified with the title of “an antiscorbutic golden elixir” or the like. The “some persons” to whom Dr. Lind referred were My Lords of the Admiralty and other physicians.
In fact, they ignored Dr. Lind’s advice for forty years. One sea captain did take his advice – the now famous Captain Cook, who stocked his ships with an ample supply of fresh fruits. The Royal Society honored Captain Cook in 1776 for his success, but the officials of the navy ignored his report.
Not until 1794, the year of Dr. Lind’s death, was a British navy squadron supplied with lemon juice before a voyage. On the voyage, which lasted twenty-three weeks, there was not one case of scurvy, yet another decade passed before regulations were enacted requiring sailors to drink a daily ration of lemon juice to prevent scurvy. With this enactment, scurvy disappeared from the British Navy.
The needless loss of life simply because masses of people were resistant to change was more than unfortunate. It was outrageous.
Why people resist change.
1) Change isn’t self initiated. When people lack ownership of an idea, they usually resist it. They simply don’t like the idea of being manipulated or feeling like pawns o the system. Wise leaders allow followers to give input and be a part of the process of change.
2) Routine is disrupted. Habits allow us to do things without much thought, which is why most of us have so many of them.
3) Habits are not instincts. They are acquired reactions. They don’t just happen; they are caused. First we form habits, but then our habits form us. Change threatens our habit patterns and forces us to think, re-evaluate, and sometimes unlearn past behaviour.
4) Change creates fear of the unknown. Change means travelling in uncharted waters, and this causes our insecurities to rise. So many people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions.
5) The purpose of the change is unclear.
6) The rewards for change don’t match the effort change requires.
7) People are not too satisfied with the way things are. Many organizations and people will choose to die before they will choose to change.
8) Change won’t happen when people engage in negative thinking.
9) The followers lack respect for the leader. When followers don’t like the leader who oversees the change, their feelings won’t allow them to look at the change objectively.
One of the principles for leadership is “You’ve got to love them before you can lead them. When you love your followers genuinely and correctly, they will respect and follow you through many changes.
10) Change means personal loss.
11) Change requires additional commitment.
12) Tradition resists change.
Creating a climate for change
Human behavior studies show that people do not basically resist change; they resist “being change.” This section will emphasize how to create an atmosphere that will encourage others to be change. Unless people are changed, change will not happen.
The first statement of this chapter read, “Change the leader, change the organization.” Now we will start with the leader and develop a strategy for the organization.
① The leader must develop a trust with people. The more people trust the leader, the more willing they will be to accept the leader’s proposed changes.
② Creating a climate for change
③ “Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.”
④ My first question to a leader who wants to make changes within an organization is always, “What is your relationship with your people?” if the relationship is positive, then the leader is ready to take the next step.
⑤ Creating a climate for change
⑥ The leader must make personal changes before asking others to change.
⑦ Good leaders understand the history of the organization.
Leaders have two characteristics. First, they are going somewhere; and second, they are able to persuade other to go with them.
They are like chairman of a large corporation who was late for a meeting. Running into the room, he took the nearest available seat rather than moving to his accustomed spot. One of his young aides protested, “please, sir, you should be at the head of the table.” the executive, who had a healthy understanding of his place in the company, answered, “Son, wherever I sit is the head of the table.”
① Place influencers in leadership positions.
② Check the “change in your pocket.”
③ Good leaders solicit the support of influencers before the change is made public.
④ Show the people how the change will benefit them.
⑤ Give the people ownership of the change.
Wyclif University In Bangkok
Spiritual Leadership
(Lecture Notes on Spiritual Leadership)
Prof.: Dr. Soochan Kim (Ph.D)
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