STANDPOINT360

Consistency is the key to growth and change.

Typically when I hear people talk about the changes needed in their reality I hear about the big moves and the quest for rapid answers.  However, when quick solutions show up there must be a commitment to the disciplines required to sustain the improving direction or any gains will not be sustained and may be incrementally lost.

“I lost 30 pounds in 90 days!”  Sounds like a success story, but without the commitment to consistency in changes to diet and exercise the story turns into “I’ve lost the same 30 pounds at least five times in my life” or “I’ve gained back all the weight I lost and then some.”

Consistency is critical to sustain healthy growth and change in life.

In an organization, two or three decisions that are executed with consistency can begin to really change the trajectory and capacity of the organization and its effectiveness in the world.  Consider this example:

We are going to pay our bills when they are due.  This organization had been strapped with bad cash flow for a variety of reasons.  One of their bad habits was that when cash got tight they stretched out timelines for paying their bills.  In essence, they were using their suppliers and vendors as a line of credit by not paying bills when they were due.  As a result, suppliers and vendors were getting weary of doing business with this well-liked organization.

The commitment was made to pay all bills when they were due.  The organization rethought cash flow, suppliers and vendors were paid promptly.  As a result, people now seek out doing business with this organization.

Here is the point.  The organization made a commitment to consistent pursuit and execution of the decision to pay its bills on time.  This has resulted in better relationships, better cash flow and stronger mission fulfillment.

Consistency of execution is the key.

Consider one decision that you or your organization could pursue with consistency that, if persisted in, would bring about lasting change for the better.  Be patient, be realistic, and above all, BE CONSISTENT.

 

 

Culture thinks of strength in terms of great acts of might or domination.  Media is filled with images reflecting these ideas.  We describe some children as “strong willed”.  Strength is used to describe a young person who is an outstanding athlete. An individual who is intellegent or expresses conviction or opinion is refered to as having a “strong mind.”

The bible talks about a greater and more effective strength.  In a word…LOVE.

One of the bible writers, Paul, says that even if he knew all of God’s plans, even if he could literally move mountains through the power of his faith, even if he had all knowledge, it would all come up empty and weak compared to love.  (I Corinthians 13)

I need to learn to lead my life from a position of love.  Any physical, intellectual or emotional strength applied to this world will only have lasting effectiveness for good if coming from a place of love.

As a husband, my wife must know that all of my care and concern for her flows from a strong love. As a father, all the rules and structure, correction and discipline will come up empty if they are not rooted and expressed in love.

As a leader, any difference I hope to contribute to this world will only be accomplished from a place of love.  From the board room to the front line deliverables of the organization, the primary conduit for long term gains is love.

Love is often portrayed as weak.  Yet there is nothing more powerful than love in overcoming rage, fear, betrayal or honest mistakes.  Love can open up a hardened and wounded spirit.  I see it happen all the time.

I have come to know two things about this incredible love:

• Love doesn’t naturally happen in ourselves.
• The source of love comes from God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God’s Holy Spirit comes along side us to help us live from a place of love.

If you want to live a strong and effective life, live a life filled with love.  Bring love to every relationship and organization in your life.  There is nothing stronger than God’s love.

 

One of the most comon mistakes of leaders at all levels of experience is the decision to “go it alone” on a particular issue or challenge.

We often expect this of younger leaders, simply based on the combination of enthusiasm and limited experience.  We tend to be surprised when experienced leaders go it alone, because they know better, and yet, there seems to come a point where experience creates a vulnerability of independent confidence that is not helpful.

The reality is that we are designed to tackle life together, not alone.  The human spirit is not designed to go solo.  We were made in the image of God, and He sought fellowship with us from the very beginning.

Consider a few benefits of going together:

• Expanded Thinking:  The best ideas are usually discovered and improved by working together.
• Good Energy:  There is a healthy energy that is released when we tackle the issues of life together.
• Sharing the Burden:  Every journey has seasons of burden.  There is nothing more difficult in leadership than the sense of being alone.  There is something awesome about knowing that a group of people share the load together.
• Minimize Pitfalls:  Good counsel, while not a guarantee, is likely to reduce the number of mistakes along the way.
• Others to Share it With:  At the end of the day, we are built for others to share in the wins and losses of any particular day.

I remember finding myself working on a collaborative project with a highly qualified team of people.  At one point in our journey, as an experienced leader, I made the mistake of striking out on my own.  My intent was to “move the ball down the field” at a faster pace.  My mistake was quickly brought to my attention.  I had to circle back to the team and ask for forgiveness and committ to working together to accommplish the necessary goals to overcome the challenges in front of us.

It is much better to go through life together.

As a leader, it is easy to get caught up in a cycle of being overly optimistic or of pessimistic discouragement.  On the overly optimistic end of the spectrum, we are focused on unrealistic goals and expectations for our ministry.  On the pessimistic end of the spectrum we become overly discouraged by the challenges we face as a minstry leader.

To put everyone in a better place, leaders would do well to cultivate honest reflection. Honest reflection provides a better opportunity to assess our reality and to chart a reasonable path forward.

Recently, I sat in a meeting of managers and listened to team members talk openly about the implementation of strategies for effectiveness as well as the continuing challenges and obstacles confronting the team.  The leader of this meeting led the conversation with a level of personal vulnerability which set the tone for everyone else to participate.

By the close of the meeting, with conversation built around a tone of honest relection, the following things were evident:

1.  No Spin:  The mangement team made no attempt to spin or justify current realities.  This allowed the team to face into the challenges together.
2. Trust:  Each team member’s words could be trusted no matter how affirming or challenging the perspective.
3. Uniting:  Being able to think and speak honestly with each other cultivated a strong sense of being together in mission and a willingness to face opportunities and obstacles in a united way.

In conflict the tendency is to overstate one’s position and undervalue the perspectives of others. This does not produce good results.

Honest reflection helps us come to terms with “what we need to own” while maintaining awareness of how others may be relating to the conflict.

I have found that honest reflection takes both time and attentiveness to myself and those around me. Most importantly, it requries a responsiveness to the Holy Spirit that only comes through listening.

 

Recently, Bev and I were reflecting on a shared experience.  As we talked, I marveled at how each of us held such a unique perspective of the same event. I learned so much from listening to how she had perceived the experience we had shared.

One of the challenges of leadership is to learn to draw value from the unique perspectives of our team members. We share common mission, vision and values. The way in which we experience the day to day responsibilities of the organization will be unique. All of these perspectives help us move forward in a healthy direction.

Not long ago, I was part of a team who were working to resolve unmet leadership expectations within their organization. As I sized the situation up, it seemed pretty straight forward to me. With confidence, I proceeded to outline my assessment and recommended action plan. A trusted team member then shared his unique perspective on the situation. It shed new light and provided important insight I hadn’t even considered.

By considering the differences of experience shared by team members, I was able to grow in my understanding of how to be helpful in the situation.

Each team member will have unique perspective on a shared experience.

Take time to understand how those around you are experiencing the situation.