Pete Brookshaw Leadership Podcast - Episode #2 - The crisis that shaped the world

Easter has come and gone, and we are still navigating our way through multiple crises; a health crisis and an economic crisis.

I don't know about you, but I find that the challenge is to learn how to live through a crisis and as leaders, know how to help others sift their way through the minefield of doubt and uncertainty.

I want to share with you in this episode about 'CRISIS'. How do we move forward in a crisis? How do we cope? What can we learn as leaders to help our people through a crisis?

I'm believing you'll find this episode helpful as I share with you, 'The crisis that shaped the world'. 

SHOWNOTES of EPISODE #2 - The crisis that shaped the world

In Jared Diamond’s 2019 book, ‘Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change' he writes about personal crises.

Jared Diamond’s wife is a crisis therapist, and from her field he borrows a list of factors related to the outcomes of personal crises:

1. Acknowledgment that one is in crisis
2. Acceptance of one’s personal responsibility to do something
3. Building a fence, to delineate one’s individual problems needing to be solved
4. Getting material and emotional help from other individuals and groups
5. Using other individuals as models of how to solve problems (He writes, ‘It’s a big advantage if you know someone who has weathered a similar crisis, and who constitutes a model of successful coping skills that you can try to imitate.’
6. Ego strength 
7. Honest self-appraisal
8. Experience of previous personal crises
9. Patience
10. Flexible personality
11. Individual core values
12. Freedom from personal constraints

Pete's 4 concepts to embrace in a crisis:

1. Adaptability
2. A strong foundation of what you believe
3. Clarity of direction for those around you
4. Creativity

The 5 Stages of Grief:

- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Sadness
- Acceptance

These are the days where we need to know how to navigate our way through a crisis. I hope you've found this Pete Brookshaw Leadership Podcast Episode helpful for you.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know, 'How do you lead in a time of crisis?'

5 Leadership Development Principles I Wish Every Leader Knew

Maybe you've taken on new responsibility at work, or began to take on the leadership role of a ministry in the local church. Maybe you've been a seasoned leader for many years. In recent days I've been thinking about important, yet simple leadership development principles that we often miss (especially when we are starting a leadership journey).

I have some really sound advice. Here are 5 leadership development principles I wish every leader knew.

If you're going to be in a leadership position, then you need to act like a leader. Let me explain:

1. Leaders draw others around them
If you are making the transition into an area of responsibility, you have to understand, your job is not to do everything. You job is to build leaders so that together you can achieve the vision in front of you. I have seen too many new leaders, who don't lead. Some leaders run around busy, photocopying, buying things, coordinating activities, and forget the other aspects of leadership: drawing together a team, articulating what goals they want to achieve and focusing on reaching the vision before them.

Stop for a moment, and begin to think like a leader, not simply a busy volunteer. What would you do differently, if you were to lead effectively right now? How can you draw others around you to be more effective as a leader?

2. Set some goals
Take a few moments. Grab a piece of paper and set some goals. If you aim at nothing you'll reach it every time. I've been challenged recently to set SMART goals: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. You may well be running a business and having a quick speed read of this. Honestly, have you set some goals? Do you know what you seek to achieve in 2019?

Some of my goals in the past, have not always been that realistic. That's why this year, for instance, this blog has a new focus. I have a new goal:

Train and mobilise 100 leaders through this blog by the end of 2019  

This for me is specific. It's measurable (through analytics, feedback on facebook posts, etc). It's achievable and realistic (If I said 1,000 leaders, then to be honest, it wouldn't be as realistic - though possible). Lastly, it's time-bound: by the end of 2019. This is important, I will know whether I have achieved this goal or not, because it's a SMART goal.

Leaders set smart goals.

Stay with me friend. This is important. If you have a vague goal in your head at the start of 2019, you'll only have a vague idea at the end of the year on whether you've reached the vagueness.

Turn a goal like: "Have a great Children's Ministry." to something like, "Build at least 20 young disciples, who choose to follow Jesus by December 31st, 2020."

3.  Leadership and servanthood go hand-in-hand
It's best expressed by Jesus, when he washed the disciples feet (John chapter 13). We see servant leadership epitomised by Jesus. Leaders are willing to go the extra mile. Leaders are willing to stay right til the end. Leaders are willing to serve in whatever capacity is needed to get the job done. Servanthood is a must. It doesn't mean you do everything, because your role is also to empower and equip others to express servanthood alongside you, but leaders have a servant heart and a servant attitude.

4. Have a clear vision of why you're leading
I want to mobilise an army to change the world. I have that stamped upon my heart. It drives me from day to day. It gets me up in the morning. It keeps me awake at night. Leadership is about understanding where you're heading and inspiring others to come with you. As a follower of Jesus and a Salvation Army Officer, my goal is to lead people, ultimately to Jesus.

And so with that in mind, irrespective of leadership position, you can be a leader. You can lead people to the Lord.

So, develop some clarity. Why are you working where you're working? What are you trying to achieve? What's the big why? Why are you doing what you're doing?

Clarity helps you say no to the many demands of leadership. Clarity helps you stay focused on what matters most.

5. Don't let your competency outstrip your character
Keeping your character in check is important. I always come back to the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). Am I expressing unconditional love? Am I joyful? Am I self-controlled? Some people let power corrupt them, and they end up being more competent than they are controlled. They become arrogant and self-seeking. They forget that the ideals of compassion and common-decency got them to where they are in the first place. Most leaders I know, would always choose character over competency, but ideally, a leader has both.


This is naturally one blog post. There's so many more leadership development principles to consider. So I'm interested to hear from you. What leadership development principles do you think are most important?


 

The Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Leader

Welcome friends, thanks for taking time to stop by. I'm writing this today, because I feel like some people need encouragement to step into leadership. Now, I'm not talking about stepping into a leadership position, but rather making a proactive shift in your mind, to one of a leader.

See, you influence things already. You already have leadership influence. If you are parent, whether a good one or not, you are making a difference in the lives of your kids. If you a ministry helper in the local church, you have more influence than what you probably think. If you are a young adult, then you no doubt influence friends around you; you probably even influence your boss.

So I want to pass on a few thoughts on starting out as a leader. I'm calling it The Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Leader.

1. Begin to realise you ARE a leader

When the penny finally drops, you look around and see that you already are a leader. You are already making a difference. By choosing to realise you are a leader, you begin to explore a whole new avenue of potential growth opportunities. For the last couple of years at The Salvation Army Craigieburn we've taken half a dozen people to the Global Leadership Summit. It's jammed packed with leadership teachings and bite-sized learning to think about. But the challenge is this:

People who don't think of themselves as leaders, don't immerse themselves in leadership development opportunities

The reason I mention this, is because some people don't attend leadership conferences or leadership growth opportunities, because they've already ridden off in their mind, that they are not leaders. I argue that that is most likely not true.

So, begin to realise you are a leader, and have a greater influence towards people around you.

2.  Choose to grow as a leader

Immerse yourself in world politics for more than 2 minutes and you'll see a world bereft of good leadership. Scratch a little deeper into small businesses, schools, churches and your local sporting club and you'll see a need for more leaders and better leaders. If you first begin to acknowledge you are potentially a leader (again, not dependent upon status as a leader), then you'll see there's now opportunity to grow as a leader.

I don't want to be at the same capacity five years from now. I want to be teachable, reliable and faithful, to becoming a better version of myself than I was the day before!

Choose to grow as a leader.

Here's some ways you can do that:

• Attend a leadership course
• Read a leadership book (ask me and I can recommend some!)
• Have a coffee with a respected leader and ask them what they know
• Read the Bible regularly (how did Jesus lead? how did Paul lead?)
• Listen to a podcast: Try the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, for instance.

3. Think like a leader

I spoke to our church recently and identified the difference between the mindset of a volunteer and the mindset of a leader. There's a difference. I think we need more leaders, who realise they're leaders and think like leaders and operate like leaders:

 



Clearly, leaders act differently. Leaders make it a priority to thank others. Leaders are generally the first ones there and the last to leave. Leaders don't wait to be asked, but they take initiative. So if you're starting out as a new leader, understand that there's a paradigm shift needed to begin to think like a leader.

4. Moving from a me-mentality to an others-mentality

A new Salvation Army magazine was launched some time ago called Others. The more I think about it, the more I love the title. See, it's about others. Your salvation in Christ is important, of course, but as spoken about in Luke's gospel (15:3-7), we see the parable of the lost sheep:

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

We are clearly called to consider others. Paul puts it succinctly in his letter to the church in Philippi (2:3): 'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.'

Followers of Jesus make their life about others. Leaders make it a priority to do something about helping others. If you are just starting as a leader, check your motives: is it about others?


If you ask yourself, 'How do I become a leader?' I suggest, look around, and realise, you probably already are!

Naturally, there is more to be said. But this is a beginner's guide to leadership. If you've found these points helpful, please share the blog, make a comment on the blog, or comment via facebook. Tag a young leader via social media. And just for the sake of it, grab a copy of my new book JESUS CHRIST!

What can you do to become a better leader today?
God bless,

Pete Brookshaw.

Related: Pete's Mammoth Guide to Effective Leadership

Salvation Army Leaders - I Have to Change...

I was not ready for this word from the Lord.

And you might not be either.

I preface what I'm about to say with this:

Have you ever had to endure discipline? Maybe you made a wrong decision or you said something offensive and you had to apologise. We've all been there. Discipline from someone holding you accountable is painful and humbling.

The writer to the Hebrews sums it up well. In the start of chapter twelve he writes that first of all we should throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1b). Then the chapter continues by highlighting the importance of God's discipline in your life. Check out these verses:

'Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as his children.' (12:7)

'God disciplines us for our good.' (12:10)

'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.' (12:11)

Now, if you're still reading (because no one likes to talk about discipline, let alone read about it on a blog), I'm about to tell what I feel God is saying to me.

The words have come from hanging out with many different ministry leaders and other pastors and teachers in recent days. One moment was at a wedding sitting on a table chatting with other Christian leaders. One moment was listening to a leadership podcast. Another moment was listening to a great leader of an effective church speak on leadership.

Here's what I feel like the Holy Spirit has said to me in recent days:

'Pete, your leadership style is not always conducive to producing a flourishing church.'

Ouch! 

Come again Lord... That can't be right?! Are you telling me, I'm not leading well? That I need to change?

I felt a little rebuke. Not a huge one, but like a father disciplining his son. A nudge that says, 'You realise you could change your behaviour and be more effective?'

You may wonder what I'm talking about.

I spent a few hours this week buying skewers to hold together chicken burgers, and a plastic tub for a new ministry. Last week, I spent a few hours in the hardware store buying a new broom and double-sided tape. We needed to purchase these items, don't get me wrong, but the truth is this: When I'm running around buying items for ministry tasks, I'm not doing leadership. Let's not beat around the bush friends. I may be doing nice tasks, but I'm not leading. I'm not empowering someone. I'm not casting vision. I'm just busy doing nice things.

The fact is, I work in the ministry far more than I work on the ministry. It's powerful when you grasp the difference. Salvation Army leaders, dare I say, work tirelessly in ministry, but we don't work on building the ministry. We spend too much time on pragmatic tasks, than we do on developing leaders.

See, failure to operate in a way that identifies, trains and releases leaders into ministry will always cause my ministry to be small. The ministry is like a small tree in a pot; that tree will only grow to the size that the pot allows. In that modus operandi I can only do as much as what my own time and energy allows.

Think about The Salvation Army more generally. The pragmatic nature of Salvos has caused us to neglect leadership development, which has been at the expense of the growth of our movement. We then have had to shift our theological position of 'size', in order to justify to the Lord that we're not doing as bad as what we think we are. I believe (and you know by now, these are personal opinions), that our hands-on approach to serving the lost has not been coupled with an intentional desire to train up people for the work. We have neglected that. At least from a personal perspective, I feel the Lord saying, 'Right, Pete, it's time for your to invest in building leaders! You can do ministry until you fall asleep at night, but unless you raise up other leaders for this work, you are just a one-man-band trying to be a Messiah!'

We must fundamentally shift how we view ministry as leaders. We need to be comfortable with the idea, that as leaders, often we need to spend more time in teaching, leading and empowering ministry leaders, than actually doing the ministry. I am happy to debate this. I think, irrespective of the differing views, discussion on this is worth having. We spend too long doing pragmatic things at the expense of leadership development, which ultimately is at the expense of the growth of what we do.

Maybe the fear is that we are not being true to Salvationism, if we step too far away from the front-line. I understand that. We need to model servant leadership. Jesus washed the disciples feet. He multiplied the bread. He healed the sick. Though he also, sat in the Synagogue and taught. He regularly took the 12 disciples aside and explained what the parables meant. There was a balance in the ministry of Jesus between just doing ministry, to actually training up 12 disciples, who after the resurrection would take on the leadership of the early church!   

When we are doing kingdom work, we should see that work flourishing and multiplying. When we don't see it flourishing and multiplying someone needs to ask some critical questions. But no one likes accountability or discipline right? Also, being nice and happy to leaders, is not necessarily developing leaders. Having coffee with leaders is not necessarily building them up or increasing their performance. Sometimes we can simply become busy touching base with people, with very little intention about growing the person's capacity and maturity in Christ.

Sometimes we can even keep someone in a leadership position long after the ministry has outgrown their capacity, simply because it's too difficult and painful to have a conversation about the reality of such matters.

Lastly, the way I spend my week, is not always directly related to my heart for God to transform people's lives. That is, often, if I'm honest, my time is taken up on things that do not add direct value to the kingdom of God, but that I find easy to do. I am challenged to consider what I should do differently to move beyond mediocrity and embrace focused, passionate, intentional leadership that seeks to empower generations to lead the mission of The Salvation Army forward.

There you have it. The discipline of the Lord is gentle, but loud in my spirit. I must change the way I lead. And I say that, because failure to do so will cause me to miss the flourishing and growth that God so intends to provide.

I have to change.

What about you?

Leaders Do This One Thing Frequently

As we embark on a new year, one leadership axiom is ringing in my ears.

See for most of 2017 I spent time recruiting volunteers and empowering volunteers to make a difference in the world. This, on the surface seems admirable. The problem is, all I was doing was delegating tasks.

Whether you work with volunteers or line-manage employees, the truth is you can only do so much if you just delegate tasks to others.

Here's my thought: We must train and develop leaders, not just give tasks to followers.

We effectively need to delegate authority, not just responsibility. When you delegate authority you empower someone to be a leader.

That is surely one of the ways we can maximize our leadership effectiveness in 2018.

God bless.

Pete.

Why are we so Risk Averse? Crucial Challenges The Salvation Army and other Organisations face.

My hands are trembling and my fingers are shaking. I'm nervous even writing this, either that or I've already drank too much coffee this morning. I'll be honest with you, it could be either one.

Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: Change can be painful. Change can be unsettling. Change can even hurt. Though change is necessary for any organisation that seeks to stay relevant and engaged with the world around it. It has been said, that the only thing that doesn't change, is the fact that things change. Actually, the rate at which change happens today is changing. Without spelling out the obvious, change is happening at a more rapid rate than ever before. How do we possibly cope?

In the interest of organisational stability, we attempt to not rock the boat. We do it with great intentions; we want to see great organisations continue to thrive, and not fall apart in the midst of shifting societal values and rapid technological change.

Here is the challenge: The organisation that thrived in its beginnings, generally thrived within a culture of boldness, innovation, a mild disrespect of existing bureaucracy, a little bit of arrogance and risk-taking ingenuity. The organisation some years later tries to hold itself up using fundamentally different ideals, that of, organisational structure, clear administrative processes, authoritative lines of decision-making, risk aversion, workplace health and safety and the list goes on.

The latter list is not wrong, far from it, but it is miles apart from the culture that caused the organisation to thrive in its inception.

So we are seeking to be part of a thriving, growing movement, that has a new learned behaviour of rewarding the fulfilment of the status quo. We then question why the organisation is not thriving to the degree we have in our heart, but fail to recognise we implicitly support an organisation fundamentally different to the one that used to thrive.

The Salvation Army faces that challenge. Right now we are on the precipice of change. We have a decision to make. Who will be in the drivers seat of organisational life? Risk Aversion or Faith-filled visionary ideas?

Let me spell it out. We need good goverance; of course we do. We need to ensure children are safe in our care. We need to ensure the finances are managed well. We need to ensure thrift shops are safe. Absolutely. Though because these things take up so much of our time, they end up being in the drivers seat. Visionary ideas are pushed to the background. Innovation and risk taking are seemingly frowned upon, or atleast perceived to be from leaders who seek to 'do something new.' This happens without a flinch from people upholding good governance, because they seek passionately to keep the organisation stable and productive.

Where do organisations like The Salvation Army move from here?

• We need to communicate VISION more than COMPLIANCE.
• We need to reward INNOVATION more than ORGANISATIONAL Box-Ticking.
• We need to release APOSTLES to be apostolic and allow ADMINISTRATORS to be great administrators that help facilitate apostolic work.
• We must focus on PEOPLE more than TASKS. Tasks are means to an end. The end is surely to ultimately support the transformation of people.
• We must not forget the ministry of JESUS that worked to lighten the load of religious expectation upon the people.

What can YOU do to support the edgy, risk-taking, out of the boat kind of people that God is calling us to be?

I have a few thoughts:

• Remind people to fix their eyes upon Jesus (Remember Peter walked on water when he fixed his eyes/heart/faith upon Jesus)
• Encourage new ideas. Don't let your first position be, 'No.' Let it be, 'Tell me more...'
• Get the right people on the right seats on the bus. Allow the prophetic organisational leaders be free to be who they were created to be. Have the people gifted in administration in roles of administration. People need to be working in their gifting.
• Strongly encourage people to pray with great faith. To believe for the impossible. To believe God for a miracle. To pray with fervour and expectation.
• Remind people of the history of the organisation - Remind them of the faith-filled stories of days gone by. Reignite in people a belief for greater things!
• We need to legitimize innovation.

Organisations that succeed find the right balance between risk aversion and innovation. They place vision in the drivers seat and governance in the back seat. (Don't worry, governance will be a good back-seat driver and yell out occasionally when you need to be reminded).

Let me finish with this: Change can be painful. Innovation can be risky.

If we learn to empower dynamic, faith-filled, risk-taking, bold leaders who seek to establish God's kingdom in a broken world, we honour the past, provoke the present and forge a tremendous future!

Leadership Lesson 101 - You Can't Manage TIME!

I once said to a friend, 'I don’t have enough time'. Well, the response was classic. He said that everyone has '24 hours in the day'. Everybody has the same amount of time. It's not about how much time you have, but how you prioritize your time that is important. You can’t manage time. The clock ticks over, every second of every day. You cannot manage that or control that.

We can manage our priorities around the time we have. That's priority management. God has blessed us with time. While God may preside outside of time, time has been given to us and we live within the confines of it. As leaders we have the free will to decide how we work, rest and play within ‘time’. It is our choice. What priorities are the most important? What work should I complete first? Which email is urgent? What personnel need my attention most?
Even as I write this I have to practice what I preach. I was sitting in two meetings recently, where each meeting not only informed me of particular organizational expectations, but each meeting came with a list of items that needed my attention. As I sat in the second meeting, sipping an instant coffee, with my mind wandering, I received a couple of emails. My phone buzzed. I quickly had a glance, and the email both had attachments with paperwork that was expected to be completed. How I now prioritize my work within the time I have is important.

Some quick tips on Time Management (Priority Management):
- Check your emails only 2-3 times a day
- Anything that can be completed in 60 seconds, complete it straight away
- Don’t worry about something longer than the time it takes to complete
- Delegate actions items that are not urgent nor overly important
- Stay focused on completing something when you start it
- Consider the MoSCoW leadership tool – What Must you do? What Should you do? What Could you do? What Would you do?
- A long term tip - Work your way out of a job. Train up people around you. In the long term you won't have to complete some tasks, because you have trained up someone else!
- Drink coffee (Ok, that's just my added tip for all aspects of leadership).


What does the Bible say?

2 Timothy 4:2-5 - Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction…..But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

What will I do now?

How will you prioritize work, rest and play within the time that God has given you?


* This is Day 22 of my series 100 Days of Leadership

Model the Way - The Leadership Challenge for all Leaders

I have a friend who challenged me recently to continue my series on leadership. Here's Leadership Post number 21. Click here for more on the 100 days of leadership series. 

When I’m looking for an example of someone who showed selfless, compassionate support to people in need, I think about Mother Theresa. When I want to emulate perseverance in the midst of conflict, I look to military and political leaders who have pursued the advancement of their cause despite huge obstacles.

Good leaders 'model the way'. This is one of five practices of exemplary leadership as noted by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Modelling the way is about firstly clarifying values and then aligning your behaviours and actions with those values. Your behaviours will highlight your values irrespective of whether you clarify them, but by spending a few moments to consider what you value, you can see whether your behaviours align with those values. If they don’t, then something needs to change!



From a faith perspective, I have been a part of a church that says that ‘Prayer is our number one value.’ Though, when only 2 people turn up to the prayer meeting, you know the value is merely an aspirational value. The behaviours that are being modelled are what characterizes what you value. The prayer meeting has since grown and what once was aspirational is becoming a core value.

Great leaders, ‘…create standards of excellence and then set an example for others to follow.’ (www.leadershipchallenge.com). Nelson Mandela chose forgiveness and reconciliation even when he was imprisoned for 27 years. I have witnessed Salvation Army leaders who have had someone say something negative to their face, and their response was one of compassion, understanding and respect.

I long to be a leader who models the behaviours of great leaders.

Recently my daughter said directly to me, ‘Can I have a drink of water?’
I replied, ‘Please, can I have a drink of water?’
‘Please, can I have a drink of water?’ She said a little indignantly. I wanted her to know that using your manners was important.
Five minutes later. I looked over to my wife, and said, ‘Can you pass over the sauce?’ My wife gave me a look. My brain couldn’t cope. I’ve seen this look before. What was I doing wrong? Why was I receiving this sour face? Like a typical man in a marriage, I think I have messed up, and I don’t even know how.
She put me out of my misery… ‘Please, can I have some sauce?’
‘Oh yeah. Please can I have some sauce?’


Leaders model the way.

What does the Bible say?

Philippians 4:9 – Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What will I do now?

What are your standards of excellence? How can you better model the way to your areas of influence?

Will the Real Salvation Army Leader Please Stand up?

Many Salvationists witnessed history in the making. In Melbourne, Victoria, within the awe-inspiring walls of the Melbourne Town Hall, we gave thanks for the life of General Eva Burrows. The testimonies were rich: General Eva, was an amazing, 'indefatigable' woman of God, focused on Jesus with the character to match.

And here's the thing:

We have lost an incredible leader in The Salvation Army.

That goes without saying.

She was someone who Salvationists looked up to; someone who salvos around the world learnt from and were inspired from.

Though, here is the question I want you to ponder. Maybe it's one of the most pertinent questions that Salvationists need to consider the world over.

Who will lead The Salvation Army?

Now, I'm not asking for the most obvious answer: General Andre Cox. That's the surface answer. In organisational terms that is true, and he leads well. God bless the General.

Though, I'm asking a deeper question here. We cannot expect that 'someone else' will simply fill the void of leadership in future years while we continue to play a spectator role in the grander mission of God.

Here is the word that is ringing in my ears and pounding on my heart right now. If it's from the Holy Spirit, then run with it.

If you are Salvo, then what are doing to step up to the leadership call?

Now, I'm not talking about positional authority. You might not have a title. You might not even have hair. I can relate. I'm talking about taking the fire that is in your belly, the covenant that is on your mind and the mission of God that is on your heart and stepping it up ten notches.

Call others to follow Jesus. Call others to innovate and create new expressions of Salvation Army ministry. Challenge people to sign up to soldiership. Lead communities of faith with passion, expectant faith and persistence. Say no to the devil! Say yes to everything God has laid on your heart.

We cannot expect the next season of Salvation Army ministry to be simply carried out by someone else.

Let me cut to the chase. God is calling you to LEAD. So LEAD. Ask the Lord to anoint that which you have to offer and let God multiply the fruitfulness.

We surely best mobilize an Army for Godly service when we each understand the innate giftedness and grace that the Lord Jesus has bestowed upon each one of us.

Now step it up. Get ready for this new season.

Helpful Tips on Mentoring - Day 20: 100 Days of Leadership

Leaders have mentors. They need them. The mentors encourage them, challenge them and reveal to them things about themselves they didn’t even know.

Banking businessman David Gonski gives some helpful tips on mentoring. He says:

1.    You’re never too old to learn new tricks (so have a mentor)

2.    Do not pick your boss as a mentor

3.    Have more than one mentor (e.g. a leadership coach, a social media expert, a finance mentor, a personal coach, etc).

4.    Mentors share knowledge that you would not have gained but through the mentoring relationship (Adapted from Australian Financial Review, 13/2/15, page 3).

Let’s stop and look at a definition of mentoring. ‘Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.’ Eric Parsloe, author of Coaching and Mentoring.

If you’ve been on the leadership journey for a while, then who are you mentoring? How effectively are you supporting and encouraging, within the mentoring relationship, to help bring about the best success for the one you mentor? Take a leaf out of the Apostle’s Paul’s book. He mentored Timothy and allowed his life and ministry be an example to him.

I thank God for the different mentors I have had over the years. One mentor could challenge me lovingly about my health. One mentor would give me tips on how to preach. Another mentor would pat me on the back and assure me, that it’ll all work out in the end. Leaders need mentors.

What does the Bible say?

2 Timothy 1: 13-14 - What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

What will I do now?

Maybe for you, it is time to explore a mentoring relationship with someone; be it a leadership coach, a personal coach or a mentor in a specific field of expertise. Maybe for you, it is actually time to start mentoring someone. Have you learnt some lessons along the way? What if it is time to support and encourage someone in mentoring?

What's the Big Idea? Day 19: 100 Days of Leadership

Ideas are great. I come up with a few every day. I’m like the Thomas Edison of Christianity. I tell my wife and she smiles. She knows something that I am only just learning. She understands that ideas are only ideas that are worth value once they are acted upon. I could have ‘all the ideas in the world’ but if I never do anything about them, I may as well be blowing hot air.

Don't just be an ‘ideas man’. Don’t just be known as the person in the office who comes up with the latest thought and latest program. That's not leadership. Be an implementer. Find out whether the idea has merit, and if so, then run with it. Implement the idea. An idea is like a seed; if it is never planted and given an opportunity to grow, it will always simply remain a seed.

What role does the Holy Spirit play in producing ideas?

As a follower of Jesus, hearing from God is paramount. Here’s the risk: You may know your trade well and have great ideas to implement. You may be very well equipped in a field of expertise. But without the whisper of the Holy Spirit you could end up spending your days busily doing that which God never intended. We need to learn to hear the whisper from the Holy Spirit; the whisper that sent Paul to Macedonia and took Elijah from the mountain of depression. We need to learn to hear the whisper of God of when to start something and when to stop. The Holy Spirit can spark an idea, that we could never dream of conjuring up in our own minds.

The best ideas are God-inspired ideas and with God’s help, find a way to turn ideas into fruitfulness.

What does the Bible say?

Acts 16:6-10 - Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.\

What will I do now?

Will you spend a moment and listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit? What is the Lord asking you to stop doing? What is it that the Lord is asking you to start?

How do Leaders Deal with Conflict? Day 18: 100 Days of Leadership

Leadership would be easy, if people just got along. I mean, how much time do leaders spend fixing conflicts that wouldn’t exist if we simply loved each another? Let me move on quickly, because I don’t need to convince you that conflict exists and is a reality in organizational and family life. The bigger discussion is how do leaders deal with interpersonal conflict?

I want offer one thought for dealing with negative conflict.

Nip it in the bud. Yes, that's right. When a relationship issue arises, do something about it. Cool it down before it flares up. Bad leaders throw fuel on the fire and cause explosions. Good leaders find ways to deal with conflict. They don’t let it fester like an infected, pus-wound. Leaders take initiative in this respect. If the conflict isn’t resolved, the passive aggressive nature kicks in. Let me explain. If there is not a mediation or resolution to the interpersonal conflict, then quite often people will hold onto the hurt and pain. Six months later, everything rises to the surface again because the original conflict wasn’t resolved. So do your best to nip it in the bud.

 I used the word ‘negative’ conflict earlier. Patrick Lencioni in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team speaks of teams needing to have a healthy conflict culture. He’s not speaking about the heated argument that gets out of hand. He’s saying that a team environment needs to be able to rigorously debate ideas, and not just agree on everything because people are too afraid to speak up. Leadership teams need to foster that kind of positive conflict, that creates better outcomes than if conflict didn’t exist.

What does the Bible say?

Matthew 18:15-17 -  “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

What will I do now?

Will you deal with conflict as it arises? What does the Matthew 18 passage suggest is the process for conflict resolution?

Are you Emotionally Resilient? - Day 17: 100 Days of Leadership

We’ve all had times when our emotional buttons have been pushed. But have we controlled them? Have we used our emotions to be a good leader or have we exploded under the pressure?

Emotional resilience is of paramount importance in leadership. As the pressure increases and as the conflict arises, a leader must be resilient with his/her emotions. A leader shouldn't 'crack under pressure' or 'flip out' when something doesn't go his/her way. You must find a way to be emotionally resilient.

One avenue, in which emotional resilience is absolutely crucial, is the cut-throat, never-forgiving, circus-like arena of politics. In Australian political history, of recent years, as soon as a leader sneezes, another leader is trying to cause a leadership spill and force a change of positional leader. Political leaders are dragged through the mud in social media, television and newspapers, and put on the spot by the political journalists in confronting interviews. Without emotional resilience, a politician will make an early exit from the volatile arena.   

How do you build emotional resilience?

I believe one of the greatest ways to build emotional resilience is to tackle problems head on. Let me explain. When a work colleague abuses you verbally in a board meeting, you know very well that you need to have a chat with the person involved. Now, you can choose to avoid the encounter, or you can choose to make an effort to build your emotional intelligence. Granted if the person has been abusive, you may want to have someone with you in the meeting. Take the opportunities to have safe, but candid discussions with people (be it about behaviour or work performance, etc). Tackle these opportunities head on. You will build your emotional capacity as you engage with such relational opportunities.   

What does the Bible say?

Acts 7:54-56 - When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

What will I do now?

How do you rate yourself out of ten when it comes to your emotional resilience? What relationships and situations can you better embrace to grow in this area?

Who is the Greatest Leader in the World? - Day 16: 100 Days of Leadership

You may not have deliberated much about this, but if you had to choose the greatest leader in the world, who would you choose? Actually, take a step back. By what criteria would you make that choice? I mean, is the greatest leader, the one with the most influence (however that is measured), the most followers, the one who caused the most significant social change, or someone who had the greatest impact on the global economy?

I may sound biased, but the best leader in the world is surely, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I mean let’s look at the resume:

He has billions of followers today and has had millions for the last two millennia.

He revolutionized how we thought about hate and love.

He expressed an upside down kind of leadership model, where titles, position and prestige were not the priority, but rather a servant style of leadership.

He has led many out of hurt, pain, brokenness to a life of peace, purpose and fulfilment.

His teachings were nothing less than transformational. He taught people about forgiveness and humility. He taught people about living a focused, prayer-centered life.

As a leader he empowered disciples to follow him, learn from him and take his message of the Kingdom of God to the surrounding towns and villages and finally, to the ends of the earth.    

Jesus exemplified leadership qualities. He was and is the greatest leader in the world. My leadership tip? Follow Jesus.

What does the Bible say?

Colossians 1:15-18 - The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

What will I do now?

If you could emulate Jesus as a leader, what would you do differently to what you’re doing now? How would you live differently? 

Leadership is more than Personality and Charisma - Day 15: 100 Days of Leadership

I like my personality. I won’t lie. It’s God-given. It’s unique to me. It makes me who I am. Yes. I like it. Though, here is the thing: Leadership is not about personality.

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner say, 'Leadership is not about personality; it's about behavior; an observable set of skills and abilities'.

There’s no doubt personality is uniquely a part of a leadership toolbox. I am who God has made me. Though what Kouzes and Posner are saying is that ultimately, your behaviour is what will separate you from a mediocre leader and a great leader. To say it differently, the choices you make in the way you behave and act will ultimately determine your effectiveness as a leader.

I used to think charisma was the crucial gift needed for good leadership; you know, the ability to make people laugh, speak an arousing message to those listening and to have people love me. Well, charisma and personality aren’t everything. Now, of course we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water and suggest that a God-given personality and a charismatic type style of engaging with others is futile, far from it. Though, here’s the key: behaviour trumps charisma. Behaviour also trumps personality.  

Let me clarify, that behaviour is not about whether you ‘behave’ yourself, but rather what Kouzes and Posner suggest, ‘an observable set of skills and abilities’. So good leadership then is not about personality and charisma, but how you utilize skills and abilities to enact change.  

What does the Bible say?

Jonah 1:1-3a - The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.

What will I do now?

Take a closer look at the story of Jonah. Jonah became a leader of influence when he chose through his behaviour to honour God and preach to the city of Nineveh. What are you doing to ‘utilize skills and abilities to enact change’? What do you need to stop doing?

How to Develop Your Character - Day 14: 100 Days of Leadership

There are many things we prioritize in life, be it, spending time with the family, attending the birthdays of relatives, having a coffee in the morning and finishing off the administrative work. Though I wonder how often we prioritize character development.

Now, here me out on this one. Leaders prioritize character development; that is, they spend time working on developing their character and they make it a priority! This is a leadership tip that cuts to the heart. Try to be nicer to your spouse, do the laundry without whining, be aware of how you speak and act to other employees.

Developing your character is not a given. You do not just turn up to work one day, and 'character' is in an envelope waiting to be pried open. Jack Hayford says, 'Our human disposition finds it easier to spend time "tweaking systems" than prioritizing honest-to-God introspection and constant availability to transformation'.

Many a times I have laid on my bed at night and said, ‘Lord, I want the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’ See, the thing is, without character, my leadership capacity or otherwise is totally irrelevant. I need God to show me how to develop my character. One may say that we need God to help us live in the fullness of who he created us to be.

I think the key here is to recognize character flaws when they appear. Is that not the first point of call? To grow in maturity in Christ, you must first have an awareness of where you are falling short. It is difficult to grow in an area in which you are blinded to the problem. I would be continually asking Christ, to make me more like him, so that my life might reflect his.  

What does the Bible say?

1 Corinthians 13:1 – If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but I do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

What will I do now?

Spend some time, right now focusing on your own character. Pause for a moment. Don’t move on to the next task or the next thing. Ask God to show you your character. Ask God to reveal that which you need to ‘work on’. What part of your character needs to better reflect Christ?