A few weeks ago we started a discussion about The Floundering Leader.  We talked about how to encourage and support the flounder-er and what to do if you are the one floundering.

That discussion got me processing another side of this issue…

What happens when you are trying to lead someone who is floundering in their leadership?

And if everyone flounders from time to time (which I believe they do), as a leader of leaders you are going to find yourself leading a floundering leader at some point.

And here’s my concern… I think sometimes we give up on floundering leaders too soon.  We think they just can’t cut it.  We think the job’s outgrown them.  We point out everything that is wrong and rationalize why they should have handled it differently.

As leaders of leaders, this is where it gets really tricky.  How do you know if someone is really failing or just floundering?  Floundering can look an awful lot like failing for a season.

Before you give up on someone too quickly, let me challenge you to consider a few things:

• What can you own?
• Where could you have provided better direction?
• Have you been too controlling or too hands off?
• Have you, in your busyness, been ignoring the warning signs that this leader was struggling?
• Is there something that you can do to lead them better?
• Do you understand what they need to succeed?
• Are they willing to try?
• Are you engaging the tough conversations and providing them candid, considerate, honest feedback?
• Does this leader feel safe being vulnerable with you about what they are struggling with?

Before you give up, be sure you’ve done your part.  You set the tone and create the culture that allows leaders to thrive or flounder.  Do your best to give them every opportunity to thrive!

Have you ever given up on someone too quickly?

I’m learning there’s never a dull moment in multi-site ministry…

Yesterday I headed to our Dickson Campus to spend the morning.  Things were moving along right on schedule.  We had just finished our program overview meeting and were prepared to do a full run-through of the service when the power went out in the entire building.  We quickly learned that no breakers were blown, that indeed the entire street was without power and we didn’t have any idea when power would be back up.  It was 45 minutes before the first service.

The Dickson Campus staff and I rallied together quickly to come up with a “plan b” (I couldn’t resist ).  Within 20 minutes we had chosen a new location for services that provided natural light, we had put together an acoustic set and I was reading through Pete’s message notes to try to come up with at least a devotional based on the 3rd element of our vision statement.

We pulled together the volunteers that were already there, talked through our plan, assigned new responsibilities, prayed… and I’m not joking… immediately after we prayed, the lights came back on.  Just in time for us to begin the first service.

Scenarios like this morning are just a reminder to me that you never know when you’ll really need to lead.  Leadership happens in the unplanned moments and today I was so proud of how our Dickson staff stepped up to lead through this potential hiccup.

I’m so glad we actually heard Pete’s message because it just might be the most intense, passionate, challenging message I’ve ever heard him deliver.  My notes won’t do it justice, but I’ll try…

DNA – Relentlessly Dedicated by Pete Wilson

The real crisis is that people are going to church but they are not growing in Christ-likeness.

I believe the “space between” is all about us changing the world.

I really believe this church can change the world.  I believe this church is called to change the world.

Somewhere along the way, we bought into the idea that church exists to serve our needs.

If you don’t live like you believe your life was created to impact the world you will miss the point of salvation and sanctification.

Matthew 28:19

Mark 16:15

Acts 1:8

God’s general will for you is summed up in these verses.

There is a disconnect in our lives between the grace of God and the purpose of God.

You were created by God to enjoy His grace, but you were also created to extend His grace.

Isaiah 43:1-2,7

Psalm 67:1-2

The ends of the earth have never needed God’s grace more than today.

Missions shouldn’t be just a program in the church, it’s the whole reason for the church.  Nobody gets a calling to do missions.  It’s what we do as followers of Christ.

Every single one of you are here for a purpose and a reason.

Wake up to God’s call on your life!

What would happen if a group of people rise up and say “it’s not about us”?

Give graciously. God has a purpose for your life and it’s to make a difference!

****************************

Today we also celebrated many of the amazing things we have been able to do as a church thus far.  This is just the beginning!

I can remember rummaging through Nan’s purse to find her brag book.  It was always there… usually not too hard to find because she had likely had it out recently to share our pictures with her friends.

I loved Nan’s brag book.  It was a tangible reminder of how much she loved me (granted that was always measured by how many pictures of me were in the book compared with her other grandkids.) The brag book made me feel special and I know Nan took great pride in showing her friends our pictures and telling them what we were up to.  (Odds are she’s still showing my 4 year old picture and telling people what I’m doing now 30 years later.)

So in memory of the brag book, I’ve decided to start a new segment on the blog by the same name.

Although I don’t have children of my own, I have an entire team that I get to do life with day in and day out.  These guys are my family.

They stretch me.  They teach me.  They tolerate me.  They still love me.

And although most of them don’t hear it as often as they should, I brag about them frequently.  I’m proud of the leaders that they are.  I’m proud of the way they love people.  I’m proud of the way that they give their whole hearts to serve our church and our community.  I’m simply thankful to be a part of their lives.

So from time to time I’ll share a moment to brag on one of our staff.

Indulge me.

Here’s what I’m bragging about this week…

Our Community Groups Team

This past Sunday, our Community Groups Team led by Chris Surratt, hosted our Fall Community Groups Kick-off.  Chris and his team are passionate about getting people connected in community and this weekend alone they signed up 1000 people!

Did you catch that?

1000 MORE people who want to be in community!

That’s above and beyond those who are already connected to a group.

The number is simply staggering and reminds me just how hungry people are for authentic relationships and spiritual formation.

I’m so proud of this team, the group coaches and the group leaders who are making it possible for authentic community to be a part of our DNA at Cross Point.  Simply amazing!

You can learn more about our Community Groups on their blog Continue the Conversation.  Go check it out!

Who can you brag about this week?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

Another GREAT “grey” leadership issue is finding the balance between ambition and self-promotion, especially as church leaders.

In our ambition we pursue the dreams that God has laid on our hearts.  I believe that God expects action, intention and drive from us.  He doesn’t want us to be passive and lazy.  He’s chosen us for the greatest calling we could ever have – to make His name known in all the world.

However, when does our ambition cross the line and become self-promotion?

When does chasing our God-given dreams and passion become a chance to make our name known rather than His name known?

Do you know when you’ve become more concerned about others knowing you rather than others knowing Him?

That line gets really fuzzy.  Most times we don’t know we’ve crossed it until well after we have and we have trouble looking back and finding the step that took us over the edge.

Do you ever wrestle with this?

If so, how do you keep yourself in check?  Who holds you accountable?  Who speaks truth into your life?

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, three you find disorder and every evil practice.  James 3:16

Whew!  It’s been a full week.

It’s Friday… my day for catching up.  My day for reading, running, Cultivate Her planning, errands, writing, dreaming and shopping (if I can fit it in.) Oh and laundry, but I try not to think about that one.

I always try to pack more into Friday than I ought to since it’s supposed to be my winding down day, however today my mind is racing.  I didn’t get everything done that I needed to this week.  In fact I missed a few things that I really needed to get done.   But here is some of what I did do this past week:

• Partnered with Justin to lead the very first Discovering Cross Point class for the Bellevue Campus. So fun to share vision with a new group of potential CP members.  It was a great night!
• Had a great “All Staff” meeting with our team.  We’re gearing up for some fun stuff with our staff this fall including attending The NINES conference on September 9th.  Are you registered yet – it’s free?  Our team is going to making a fun day of it.
• Had the privilege of hanging out with the Buckhead Church staff on Wednesday and I got to share my passion for being “Confident in our Calling” as church leaders.  I love how Jeff Henderson leads his team.  I’m always trying to learn as much from him as I can.

I’m also excited about the launch of our new series this Sunday!

DNA returns, now in 3D.

Seriously, be ready to get your 3D glasses when you arrive Sunday at all of our campuses and prepare for some Cross Point DNA delivered to you in 3D!  Here’s a little preview:

Love our team and the work they put into making this stuff happen!

** This is a pondering left over from this past Sunday.  Have you ever felt this way?

I wasn’t needed today.

3000 +  attendees

25 staff

Hundreds of volunteers

Baptism at one campus

Communion at the others

And I wasn’t needed.

I wasn’t needed to:

• Solve a problem
• React to a crisis
• Identify something that was missed
• Be worship assistant
• Substitute for a campus pastor

Nope.  Everyone was there playing their part and I wasn’t needed… actually, I wasn’t needed for the obvious or urgent.

I WAS needed though, for what I really ought to be doing most days.  I was needed to:

• Coach/encourage our staff and volunteers
• Praise what went well
• See my team in action and celebrate their unique contribution
• Pray for those attending and ask God to meet them today
• Encourage someone who had a tough week

I was needed today for what doesn’t come easy.

It wasn’t to be in the spotlight.  It wasn’t to be the hero.

It was to let my team play those roles.  It was to celebrate their victories and to see them succeed.

I hope I did my job today.

August 18th is our next Cultivate Her event here in Nashville and our team is excitedly gearing up for it!

This month we’re going to be talking about the power of influence.

We’ll be celebrating stories of women who have influenced our leadership in a significant way.

Was there someone in your life who believed in you even when you didn’t believe in yourself?

Is there someone in your life that is a constant support and encouragement to you?

We want to hear YOUR stories and we want to inspire you with the stories of others.

Here’s my story…

I was 15.  shy.  insecure.  timid.  nervous.  scared.

Standing over to the side of her busy ice cream shop, I waited patiently for an opportunity to inquire about a job.  I’m quite certain that I nearly bolted out a few times, but I needed to do this.  I wanted to work here.  I needed a job to earn money for college and I was going to stretch myself to branch out.

But she noticed me. This kind, outgoing, sweet woman noticed me.

** Hop on over to the Cultivate Her blog for the rest of the story and the details for the August event.

“The Leader’s voice always speaks the loudest”

“When  decision needs to be made, a leader will eventually emerge.”

I’m not sure if these are direct quotes from anyone, but they are phrases that have stuck with me.

Leaders are seemingly born to take charge.  We do this naturally.  If we feel the slightest bit of lack of direction, we step in to save the day.

But when positional leadership collides with natural leadership, you may find a gap in leadership development throughout the organization.  Natural leaders will always step up and speak up, and when that natural leader is a positional leader, both that leader and the team expect him to always play the part.

As the leader of your organization, how are you letting other leadership voices surface?

In meetings and decision making environments, does your team always wait for you to speak up?

What happens if you don’t?

I’m gonna bet it gets really quiet until you just can’t stand it and you take charge once again.  Right?

This is another big, massive grey leadership issue for us to tackle as leaders.

We’ve got to understand the power of our voice and we have to be willing to muffle it sometimes for the sake of the development of our teams.

So how do you muffle your voice?

1.) Allow awkward moments to exist. Get comfortable with the silence and encourage others to speak up.

2.) Remove yourself. Are there meetings that you need to purposefully NOT be a part of so that another leader has to take the reigns?

3.) Don’t answer questions directly.  Don’t spoon feed instruction.  Ask questions that help your staff make decisions on their own.

As leaders we become so programmed to provide direction, solve problems and take charge that we sometimes forget that our most important responsibility is to develop others around us. There are plenty of times where your natural leadership or positional leadership will require you to be a strong voice, but look for the opportunities to muffle it and let other voices shine!

I seriously get a little giddy when I discover leadership development opportunities that really have some teeth to them.

Leadership gets talked about a lot these days… and sometimes I’m afraid that that’s all we do – we talk about leadership.

But what about learning it and living it?

I’m a firm believer that while leadership is sometimes innate and sometimes it’s a spiritual gift, leadership can also be learned.   But to learn leadership you’ve got to study it fiercely and live it passionately.

That’s why I’m excited about Backstage Leadership.  Greg Darley and his team have put together an awesome program that blends the learning of and living out of leadership.  If you’re ready for a focused next step in your leadership development, let me encourage you to check it out.

Here’s some more info:

Backstage Leadership gets you behind the scenes with today’s top influencers

Our vision is to create intimate environments for exponential growth.  We believe this happens best in smaller environments. By adding small group coaching, networking and accountability to amazing speakers, you get a recipe for huge leadership growth.

Each month you get to ask amazing leaders like Chuck Colson and Dan Cathy any question you want.  But the learning process does not end there. Unlike other learning opportunities that stop at information, we help you get to application.  Each month, our coaches help all participants find ways to apply what they are learning and then hold them accountable.

Apply HERE for the next class which begins in September 2010.  (Best rate ends Aug 1.)

What leadership environments are most actively challenging and developing your leadership growth?

I remember very vividly the first time I served under a floundering leader.  I was a pompous 20-something that was actively reading everything by John Maxwell that I could get my hands on, so I thought I had leadership all figured out (in spite of the fact that I really wasn’t leading anything.)

My arrogance and attitude of superiority caused me to think things like:

“I could do this so much better than them.”

“Don’t they understand how frustrated everyone is?”

“Why aren’t they doing anything?”

I learned a lot about leadership during that season.  I really did.

Since I’ve now experienced my own seasons of floundering, I have so much more compassion and grace for that leader.

If you’re following a floundering leader, here are a few things I would caution you to consider:

• You have no idea what that leader is facing. You may think you do, but I guarantee that you don’t.  Give them grace.  They need it.
• Pray, watch, observe and journal what you see. Don’t talk to others about it – that just turns into backbiting and gossip.  Study what that leader is doing and how they are doing it and make some notes that you’ll want to read when you find yourself floundering sometime down the road.  (Because if you are leading, you WILL flounder at some point.)
• Engage that leader in conversation. Don’t give them an earful of everything you think they are doing wrong – they probably know everything you’ll tell them.  Tell that leader that you are praying for them.  Ask if there is anything that you can do to help them or support them.

If you’re the flounder-er, here’s my advice to you:

• Don’t deny it. Floundering is one of the seasons and passages of leadership.  Don’t try to convince yourself it’s not happening.
• Humble yourself. Everyone knows and sees that you’re floundering, no matter how hard you’re trying to cover it up.
• Be honest with your team and find ways that they can help you pick up some of the things that are weighing you down.  I bet they would be honored to help you.
• Talk openly with whomever you are accountable to. You need to set some purposeful time to share with them what has you floundering and work together to create a plan to pull you out of this season.  It’s detrimental to everyone, especially yourself, to stay in this space.

Have you ever observed a flounder-er or found yourself floundering?  What did you observe?