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How to Overcome Short Term Failures - A Saturday Quote
“You must have long-term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures.”
– Charles C. Noble -
Show Me The Money
Friday is a great day to step back and take stock of your life… to look back over what you’ve accomplished during the week and evaluate some things… to think a little more deeply and ask yourself questions like, “Am I in the right place? Doing the right thing? Am I serving with joy?” Or how about this question that I recently stumbled across on another blog (paraphrasing):
How much money would it take for you to walk away from your current ministry position?
Think about it. If a multi-millionaire appeared in front of you right now and said, “Here’s a blank check. How much money will it take for me to get you to leave your ministry,” what would you say? How high would that number be? Would it be high at all?
Your answer to this question is more revealing than you may realize. It can give you great insight into your fit for your current ministry, your passion for the work God is doing where you are and your fulfillment of your calling. If you know that you are exactly where God wants you, no amount of money should be able to tempt you away. If you are passionate about the work that God is doing through your ministry, that multi-millionaire couldn’t write a big enough check. (Unless, of course, he was writing it as an offering!)
Some of you may be surprised that you have a hard time answering this question. If that’s the case, let this exercise prompt you to do some soul-searching. Maybe you need to re-evaluate the way you have been spending your days. If you can admit that you would walk away from what you are doing for more money, spend some time thinking and praying about whether or not you are truly following God’s call on your life.
When you know that you are fulfilling God’s purpose, no amount of money can come close to equaling what God is doing through you and your church!
- Nelson
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Leadership Lessons… from Zig Ziglar
Zig Ziglar may seem like an unusual addition to this Leadership Lessons mini-series. After all, he is a sales guy - a true businessman. We are not in business, much less in sales. But Zig Ziglar operates on principles that we all believe in. I have learned quite a bit from him and so can you. Many of the ideas he focuses on transcend categorization. They are just good, strong tenets for bettering yourself and anything you are part of - including your church!
Here’s a list of action steps Zig Ziglar has published on Keeping the Right Attitude that we should take to heart every day (taken from Ziglar on Selling, pp. 334 to 336):
- Accept the fact that you CAN control your attitude.
- Make the commitment to do whatever is necessary to take control of your attitude.
- Evaluate each book, television program, movie and video before you start reading or viewing it with a question: “Is this going to help me in my personal, family, or business life, or is there a better use I could make of this time?”
- Learn one new word each day. In less than five minutes per day, you can get amazing results.
- Read something of value to you personally and professionally for at least twenty minutes every day.
- Turn your car into the University of the Automobile (with tapes and cds that can help you grow).
- Choose your associates carefully.
I will let this list stand for itself. Those of you who know me well have heard me talk about many of these principles in the past. Pay special attention to the one about making good use of your time and reading every day!
That wraps up our Leadership Lessons mini-series, but don’t let it be the end of studying great leaders for you. Those who have come before have a lot to teach us, if we will just take a few minutes and tune in!
-Nelson
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Leadership Lessons… from Dale Carnegie
How much time do you spend with great leaders? I suggest that you spend at least an hour or so a day learning from them, however you can (through books, tapes, seminars, etc.) That’s why I’m doing this “Leadership Lessons” blog mini-series this week. I want to encourage you to be proactive about learning from some of the strongest leaders of our time. Hopefully, you’ll use these blogs as a jumping off point for your own study of influential leaders and their leadership principles.
Today, let’s take a look at what Dale Carnegie has to say about Listening to Learn:
“The secret of influencing people lies not so much in being a good talker as in being a good listener. Most people trying to win others to their way of thinking do too much talking themselves. Let the other people talk themselves out. Listen patiently and with an open mind. Be sincere about it. Encourage them to express their ideas fully. They will never forget it. And you will learn a thing or two. Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.”
- Dale Carnegie (The Leader In You, pp. 92-93)
This is great advice for those of us who talk for a living. We get into the habit of using our words to persuade people, when really we would do well to step back and listen to what others have to say. Interestingly, when you let other people talk and you truly listen, you gain much more influence over them than you realize. If you are willing to hear them out, even if you don’t agree, you earn their respect and trust. Take a few minutes today to think about how well you listen to those around you. Are you doing all the talking or are you listening to your staff, your members, your family? Remember, the best leaders are the best listeners.
- Nelson
P.S. - If you want to spend some time reading Dale Carnegie, I suggest How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking and The Leader In You.
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Leadership Lessons… from Stephen Covey
For the next few days, I’m going to be doing a blog “mini-series” to highlight some of the important truths I’ve taken away from the time I’ve spent studying great leaders - namely, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar. All three of these men have a lot they can teach us about being effective with people. And let’s face it: If we aren’t effective with people, we aren’t effective! Let’s get started today by taking a look at what Stephen Covey says about learning to Synergize:
“As a principle-centered leader, effective delegation takes emotional courage as you allow to one degree or another, others to make mistakes on your time, money and good name. This courage consists of patience, self-control, faith in the potential of others and respect for individual differences. Effective delegation must be two-way: responsibility given, responsibility received.” - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (pp.171 -179)You’ve probably heard me talk about lone-ranger leadership before… So many of us - especially lead pastors - want to do everything ourselves. If we do ever get to the point of trying to delegate, we usually want to keep a pretty high level of control over the things we put others in charge of. But look at what Stephen Covey is telling us here - to create synergy and to raise up leaders, we have to be willing to hand over the responsibility for what we are delegating. We can’t expect those we are calling on to take responsibility for what we are asking them to do if we refuse to let go of the reigns ourselves. You have to trust your people, which really does take courage. But as you truly give responsibility, they will receive that responsibility and impress you with their success. Don’t deny others the chance to step into deeper levels of responsibility. The synergy that results will take you much higher than your lone-ranger leadership could ever take you on its own.
- Nelson
P.S. - If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!
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Voicemail to Text Mail: Ask Nelson Reply
Received this question from David Henderson, Pastor of Eagle’s Landing Church in Port Richey, FL.
“In a recent Time Management post you mentioned that you have automated your cell phone voice mail ‘by having voice messages automatically sent to me as text messages.’ How are you doing this?”
Thanks David! Here’s two websites that do this for you:
www.YouMail.com - their conversion of voice mails to text message is almost instantaneous but its not 100% accurate since its still in beta and is done by a computer, not an actual human. They also will send your voicemails to you as an email. This is the service I currently use. The only charges (at the time of this post) comes from the ‘call forward’ feature on your cell phone.
www.spinvox.com - this is a great service too but doesn’t work with all phone carriers. I used them before YouMail and there are some great advantages. Very accurate.
Hope this helps! For more, use google to search “voice mail to text message.”
If you have a question, please use the Ask Nelson button on the right!
Your friend,
Nelson
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Character and Reputation
“Character is like a tree, and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” — Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
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Do You Feel Stuck?
Have you ever felt like your attendance was just stuck? Like you haven’t grown in eons and don’t know how to? Believe me, I have! Most churches face growth barriers at five points – when their attendance hits 65, 125, 250, 500, and/or 1000. When you feel like you are on the edge of getting stuck, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are asking the right question about growth:
The Wrong Question: How do I get my church to grow? Your job is not to force growth. When you think growth is your responsibility, you will inevitably make bad decisions.
The Right Question: What is keeping my church from growing? Healthy organisms grow. If you feel stagnation setting in, understand that there are barriers inhibiting your growth and put a plan in place to remove them.
Once you have started asking the right question, remember:
God Wants Your Church To Grow - Your church is an essential part of God’s redemptive plan. Of course He wants it to grow. Just take a look at 2 Peter 3:9. Growth signals repentance and life change.
You Want Your Church To Grow - Sometimes thinking about the next phase of growth can scare us into inactivity. Don’t get discouraged or let doubt set in. God never gives you a vision without supplying what you need to fulfill it.
When you are asking the right question, and you know in your core that both you and God want your church to go to the next level, you will be on your way to meaningful, Kingdom-building growth.
- Nelson
P.S. - Do you know what the most common growth barriers are and how to break them? If not, check out these growth barrier downloads.
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The Power of a Doubting Pastor?
It has been said that people will not follow a leader who is not confident. As pastors, we have the advantage of leading people with a confidence that is not rooted in ourselves or a great business plan, but in God himself!
I wish I could say that I have always led with an unshakable confidence in God and His purpose for our church. The reality is that I struggle with doubt just like many other pastors do. In times of doubt I find great encouragement in the “least preached” portion of The Great Commission.” Can you find the portion I’m referring to below?
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:16-28It’s that phrase in verse 17 where I too-often see myself: “they worshiped him; but some doubted.” I know God has called me; I know God wants to reach my community; I even know He has given me “All authority in heaven and on earth,” and yet I still find myself in the “some doubted” group. And then I remember that the “some doubted” group was a part of the eleven men that were accused of “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
So what should a doubting leader do? I find two things in particular have been of help to me when I am struggling with doubt:
1) I make sure that I am taking enough time “away” from the business of ministry to be sure that I am able to listen to God when He is speaking. I ask myself, “Am I in a position on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis to recognize when God is directing me?” The principles that we discuss in “Developing A One Year Personal Growth Plan” have been invaluable to me in this area.
2) I pray the prayer of the man in Matthew 9:24: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” I find that nothing invigorates my confidence in God like admitting how deeply I need Him.
God will give faith to doubting pastors who come to Him in humility and ask for it. Why don’t you take a moment right now to pray, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Nelson
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Laws of Lifetime Growth - Book Recommendation
I’ve been reading a lot lately about keeping the ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ alive in a maturing organization. Dan Sullivan, co-author of The Laws of Lifetime Growth, coaches thousands of entrepreneurs each months so his book caught my attention. It’s a quick read with easy to remember laws. Here’s a few insights I found helpful:
Law 2 - Always Make Your Learning Greater Than Your Experience
‘Make each day a source of growth.’
‘You don’t get to choose all the experiences you have, but you do get to choose what to do with them.’
‘Transform your experiences into lessons and you’ll never feel world-weary or disadvantaged by your past.’Law 3 - Always Make Your Contribution Bigger Than Your Reward
‘Always focus on creating new kinds of value for larger numbers of people, and you will ensure that your contribution is always greater than your reward.’
‘People want to align themselves with others who are making great contributions.’Law 4 - Always Make Your Performance Greater Than Your Applause
‘The greatest performers in all fields are those who strive to get better.’
‘Continually work to surpass everything you’ve done so far, and your performance will always be greater than your applause.’
‘The true sign of a talented performer is that he or she can perform the same material over and over and make it seem different every time.’Enjoy!
Nelson
P.S. If you like book recommendations like this one, be sure you sign-up to receive my free monthly newsletter entitled Church Leader Insights, where I offer two book recommendations and six article recommendations. You can subscribe for free by clicking here. Hurry, the next edition comes out in a week.
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Lessons Learned From Rick Warren - Lesson #4
Lesson #4 - Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Rick used to tell us, “If you aren’t failing at least once a day, you aren’t trying hard enough.” I’ve heard Woody Allen put it like this, “If you don’t fail now and again, it’s a sign you are playing it safe.” Notice that the difference between Rick and Woody comes in the frequency of failure. Rick said “once a day!” That’s a lot more failing than “now and again.” But both of these successful men, from completely different walks of life, understand the importance of this universal principle – Failure begets success. The more often you fail at something new, the more you are growing.
I like to tell my staff, “I expect you to fail at something new every day.” Now, if they are failing at the same thing every day, we have a problem. But if they are actually failing at something new every day, I just might promote them. Why? Because that’s evidence that they are pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones. They are proving their willingness to take on new challenges.
What have you failed at today? What did you fail at yesterday? If you can’t think of anything, maybe it’s time to stretch yourself a little. Do something new. Push past what you know. Try harder than you’ve ever tried. Go ahead… fail! When you do, you will be putting yourself on the path to great effectiveness and success.
- Nelson
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Lessons Learned From Rick Warren - Lesson #3
Lesson #3 - You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing
Rick taught me The Principle of Generosity. This principle states that you are blessed to be a blessing. God wants to work through you. He wants the blessings He pours into your life and ministry to flow out of you and bless others. Picture a living river, being fed from the source and giving out to the tributaries. If you just take God’s blessings for yourself and never pass them along, you become more like a stagnant pond.
Not only does Rick teach this principle, he models it. During my years at Saddleback, I witnessed his extraordinary generosity many times over. He was constantly giving away books and materials to pastors who couldn’t afford to buy them. He was always pouring free stuff into the community. When we had conferences, he made sure that price didn’t keep pastors who needed the information from being able to be there – We always sold thousands of tickets to people who could legitimately pay and also gave away thousands to those who couldn’t.
I’ve really tried to take this principle to heart. Through Church Leader Insights, I have made intentional efforts to model generosity. God has blessed me, The Journey and CLI greatly, so it is my responsibility to let that flow through me and back out to you. That’s why we give away almost $7000 worth of free materials every week to church planters. We recently gave away more than $50,000 worth of Evangelism Seminars, and our free reports are packed with information we could sell but would rather give away. And you know what? God continues to bless us even more. I’ve learned that you can never out-give God. This kind of mindset has exponential results. I understand and model The Principle of Generosity because of Rick. Hopefully, in some small way, you will take to heart and model The Principle of Generosity because of me. Who will learn The Principle of Generosity because of you?
Every day, ask yourself: “How can I use my blessings to bless others?” Just imagine the ways God would move if we all committed to being flowing rivers.
- Nelson
P.S. - Speaking of giving away free stuff, if you haven’t had a chance to download the free “Maximizing Summer” special report yet just click here to get it! The information will really help you grow through the summer and set yourself up to have great momentum in the fall!
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Lessons Learned From Rick Warren
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend and former boss, Rick Warren. Being back in the zone with Rick made me start reflecting on some of the key things that he has taught me over the years– both when I was at Saddleback and since starting The Journey. This week, I’m going to pass some of those great lessons along to you, in a new blog series called, “Lessons Learned From Rick Warren.”
Lesson #1: Pastors change the world.
As pastors, you and I have much more influence than we may realize. When we stand up to teach, we have the opportunity to speak into people’s lives in a way that no other community leaders can. Just think about it – Government leaders may have influence over laws and political issues, but not over individual hearts. Business leaders may have power in their area of expertise, but they don’t have the opportunity to speak truth to many people. And if they did, who knows what that “truth” would be? You and I, on the other hand, are uniquely positioned to stand on God’s Word and instill His truths into the people in our churches, in a way that can change them completely.
So, you and I are God’s catalyst for changing the world. It works like this – Change a few individuals and you can change a group. Change a group (an entire local church) and you can change a community. Change a community and you can change a city. Change a city and you can change a nation. Change a nation and you can change the world!
As you go through your daily routines and rigors of ministry, work with purpose! You have a big calling… The calling to change the world one person at a time!
- Nelson
P.S. - Check back tomorrow for the second “Lesson Learned From Rick Warren.” Here’s a teaser: It will help you reach more people!
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The Last Lecture - Time Management Bonus
If there’s anyone out there who understands the 34 Time Management Principles I lay out in my new resource it is Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer. Randy is a Carnegie Mellon Professor who delivered what he called ‘the last lecture‘ on Sept 18, 2007 and it has turned into a phenomena on YouTube and is now captured in his new book.
Check out his website for even more resources and to download the PPT. Thanks for all the incredible positive feedback on my new Time Management for Busy Pastors resource and I’m glad you enjoyed the Time Management posts this week.
Nelson
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Automate Automate: Time Management Part 3 of 3
I love the late night infomercial where the guy puts the chicken on the iron stick, places it in the revolving oven, turns the dial says, “Set it and forget it!“
That’s a great time management tip! And it leads us to our final principle of the week…
Time Management Principle #3: AUTOMATE AUTOMATE
What are you spending time on right now that you could automate so that you do it once and then you ’set it and forget it?‘
I first learned this lesson thanks to bill paying. I used to spend an hour or more each month paying bills that stacked up on top of my computer monitor (that’s what people had before we had laptops). One day, I was reading a book by David Bach (one of my favorite financial writers) and he mentioned that most utility companies would regulate your bill so that you could pay the same amount each month. His point was on budgeting, but it struck a time management nerve with me.
If you could predict how much your bills would be each month, you could pay them automatically by setting up an auto-withdrawal or having your bank send over a check. (Another time management short cut - I can send a check online much faster than I can write one).
I currently auto-pay everything. . . from my monthly bills to my tithe (and when God blesses me I have my bank send another check as an offering). This has saved me at least two hours per month.
But I’ve gone beyond bills. I am constantly looking for things to automate. I have automated my Mac by having it automatically open the three programs I use most when it powers up. I have automated my cell phone voice mail by having voice messages automatically sent to me as text messages. I have automated prescriptions. . . the website for my pharmacy allows me to set-up for refills to be automatically sent (I love it!). Same thing for my daily wear contacts. And for my . . . well, you get the point.
If I can automate it, I will. Set it and forget it!
What could you automate in your life that would save you a ton of time? It may take a few extra minutes on the front end to set it up but it will save you hours each month in the future.
Nelson
P.S. You can find 33 other time management principles in my newest resource. Click here to order Time Management for Busy PastorsP.P.S. I even automated this blog post! I wrote all three of these time management posts in one sitting (another time management practice: group like projects) and then set them to ‘go live’ each morning. Here are the previous two in case you missed one:
What the BEST Use of My Time: Time Management Part 2 of 3
Living Off Peak: Time Management Part 1 of 3 -
What’s the BEST Use of My Time: Time Management Part 2 of 3
Here’s time management principle #2:
Always ask: WHAT’S THE BEST USE OF MY TIME RIGHT NOW?
This nine word question can change everything. When you get up in the morning, ask: What’s the BEST use of my time right now? (Devotions anyone?)
When you first arrive in the office, ask: What’s the best use of my time right now? This question should help you focus on your most important project and get it done straight away.
When it’s date night with your spouse, ask: What’s the best use of my time right now? (Hint: Put away the iphone and give your spouse your undivided attention.)
Get the idea? For me, this question has become a prayer. I’m constantly asking God to show me: What’s the best use of my time right now? This gives me focus and helps me prioritize.
In real estate, they will often say that the value of a property is determined by ‘its highest and best use.’ Its the same way your time. The value of your time is measured by ‘its highest and best use.’ Make the decision this week to make the BEST use of your time on every occasion!
Nelson
P.S. You will discover 33 other time management principles in my newest resource. Click here to order Time Management for Busy Pastors
Previously:
Living Off Peak: Time Management Part 1 of 3 -
Make Progress - Be Unreasonable
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.”
– George Bernard Shaw, Playwright -
The Breakthrough Company - Book Recommendation
Each month in the Church Leader Insights newsletter I recommend two books. This month one of the books was:
THE BREAKTHROUGH COMPANY
How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers
by Keith R. McFarlandThere are two diagrams in the book that have changed my leadership thinking forever. One is a diagram that shows how to move from start-up to mature organization and the other is a ladder that shows how your leadership style must develop as the organization (read: church) grows. In many ways this book is a ‘Good-To-Great-for-smaller-companies’ but the parallels to church leadership are just as relevant as those from Jim Collins.
Here’s just one quote:
‘However good you are—or think you are—you can’t do it alone. Learn how to surround your company with networks of outside resources, aka ‘scaffolding,’ and how to enlist the aid of ‘insultants’—people who are willing to question a firm’s existing assumptions and ways of doing business.’
Nelson Searcy
P.S. If you aren’t getting my free newsletter you are missing out on reviews/recommendations like this one plus six key articles each month to help you lead better. You can sign-up for The Church Leader Insights Newsletter Here
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Taking Off The Mask
Most pastors want to be perfect. But we can’t be. So what do we do instead? We try to make people think we are perfect. We put on the mask of perfection and go about our day, never letting anyone get too close. Because, if they did, they might see that we are actually (gasp) human. I hope no one minds if I quote Jim Morrison…
“That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is… You get to love your pretense. We are locked in an image, an act. The most important freedom is to be who you really are.” – Jim Morrison
I would add that the most important freedom is to be who you are in Jesus. Thanks to what He has done, we don’t have to walk around pretending to have it all together. The people in our churches don’t want to see our act. They aren’t looking for a performance. They want and need to see leaders who are real people, complete with imperfections, transformed by and walking in grace.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating that we air our dirty laundry for the world to see. I am simply saying that we don’t have to spend our days pretending to be something we are not. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to keep people at arm’s length so that they won’t see the chips in our armor. Some of us need to work on being ourselves, authentically, all the time, no matter who we are with or what the circumstances. Let’s start leaving the mask at home. There is truly great freedom – and great love – in being every ounce of who God has created us to be for this moment in time.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…” – Paul (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
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Why Your Ministry Should be Messy (at least a little)
For me, one of the great challenges of Church Leadership is the tension of not getting everything done that I would like to get done every day. With several billion people on the planet who still need to be reached, I may not get to check everything off my “to-do” list before the day is over. Let’s face it, if we are committed to reaching and disciplining people, things are going to get a little messy.
The great king/philosopher Solomon said it like this:
“Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
- Proverbs 14:4
We all have to resist the temptation to make the church a place with the primary purpose of “keeping the stables clean” instead of our God-given purpose of reaping a harvest. We may feel a little more in control if we focus on “keeping our stables clean” but our church will never reach it’s full redemptive potential.The great car racer/philosopher Mario Andretti said it like this
“If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”
I’m not saying we should take this to an extreme. Mario Andretti took pit stops in every race and even the cattle were to observe The Sabbath. But I am saying that a ministry that is moving forward will be (and maybe should be) messy (at least a little).
So let’s take seriously our God-given responsibility to plan and prepare and let’s also not be a afraid of the mess from time to time.
Nelson
P.S. For more on the Sabbath check out check out my resource “Leadership Skills For A Growing Church.” And yes, that’s a picture of my messy desk above!
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