Being a courageous follower of Christ is hard work. Taking up our cross involves sacrifice and a willingness to view the world and our daily encounters through the eyes of Jesus. Exerting leadership for the sake of Christ is also hard work and we can expect to run into obstacles as we live into God’s preferred future. Persistence is key, and as a leader, one can expect to be sabotaged by others. So how do we provide effective leadership as we swim upstream and move people beyond our comfort zones?
When I go river rafting one of things I like to observe is how the guide interacts with the people in his or her raft, and how he or she exerts leadership along the way to the final destination. The guides I’ve been most impressed with exemplify four qualities which leaders must also model:
- They maintain a non-anxious presence in the midst rough waters and changing conditions.
- They address counterproductive behavior immediately
- They celebrate short-term wins
- They adjust their plans as needed to achieve the desired outcomes
MAINTAINING A NON-ANXIOUS PRESENCEI remember leading a youth mission trip to New Orleans many years ago and I brought along an adult leader who was highly organized, had a deep faith, and was a great cook – all traits that were much appreciated for this trip. She also brought along another trait to the experience that I wasn’t prepared for – anxiety. What started out as a minor irritation became a major issue by the middle of the trip. She had a strong need for control, and when she couldn’t control things to her satisfaction (pretty typical for a mission trip), her anxiety levels sky rocketed. By day five of the mission trip, I was spending more time dealing with her anxiety than I was interacting with the young people. I noticed that other people were picking up her anxiety, including myself. It wasn’t until I realized how“viral” I had become that I was able to detach myself from the anxiety and exert more effective leadership. This experience taught me the importance of being a non-anxious presence in the midst of other people’s anxiety.
ADDRESSING COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORBeing a non-anxious presence allows a leader to confront counterproductive behavior that others might avoid. A rafting guide learns to address unhelpful behavior immediately because, not doing so may lead to endangering all participants. When congregational leaders fail to address counterproductive behavior, they risk endangering to fulfillment of their congregation’s mission.
At a leadership team retreat, I noticed that a couple of team members presented major challenges to the team in fulfilling their collective roles. One the team members was extremely rigid in how things needed to be done and frequently shut down conversations among team members that desperately needed to occur. Another team member’s identity was wrapped up in the role she played working at the congregation. She needed to prove herself to others and often chided others who weren’t as committed as she was. When I asked a couple of team members how long these situations had been occurring, one remarked, “Oh, longer than I’ve been here” which was more than seven years. When, asked, “Why hasn’t anyone addressed these situations, several comments came forth:
I didn’t see it as my role to confront them
I know it’s a problem but I don’t have the time to deal with it
I find it’s easier to work around it than deal it
I didn’t want to hurt their feelings
I’m uncomfortable dealing with conflict
As an outsider, it was easy for me to see how the dysfunction was adversely affecting the team’s productivity and cohesiveness. This team had created and regularly recited a covenant that gave every team member permission to address the dysfunction that was present. The “I don’t have time” excuse is simply that – an excuse to remain immobilized. My experience is that these conversations take very little time. Most people are simply afraid of entering into these conversations because we feel ill-equipped to do so.
Small problems often become big ones when we fail to address them as they arise. We hope that these problems will go away on their own and that we won’t have to deal with them. Unfortunately, If we wait too long to tell a person something we should have told them six months ago, that person begins to wonder what else we have not told them, destroying trust in that relationship.
There’s a significant cost we pay when we walk away from these difficult conversations. If we don’t master the art of having crucial confrontations, nothing will get better. Sometimes we think that we can solve performance problems by simply changing the performance review system or changing our personnel policies. These are technical solutions that won’t solve adaptive problems. Situations like the ones described above require a face-to-face conversation held in a safe place.
Before seeking to resolve an issue, we need to be clear about what is the exact nature of the problem we hope to resolve. I’ve noticed that most problems among team members generally fall into one of three categories:
Content (“I noticed that you arrived 20 minutes late to lead the choir rehearsal and some members were visibly upset while waiting for you. Is there anything I should know about what prevented you from being on time?”)
Pattern (“I’ve noticed that you have a pattern of arriving 5 minutes late each week for teaching Sunday school. This prevents us from greeting each student as they enter the classroom, and sometimes causes interruptions for other teachers. What are some ways you see that we could fix this problem)?”
Relationships (“Tom, the deadlines we assign to you are consistently not met which disrupts our workflow in the office. I’m beginning to wonder if I can trust you with completing upcoming projects on time. Help me understand how I should interpret your behavior.”)
Please note that if the solution you’re applying doesn’t get you the results you want, you’re most likely dealing with the wrong problem. If you’re dealing with the same Issue more than once, you’re probably dealing with the wrong type of problem. Sometimes we need to unbundle the problem and focus on the most significant problem first. Try distilling the problem into a single sentence. Avoid the tendency to sugarcoat the problem by sharing a compliment first and then following up with the “gap in behavior.” Keep in mind that safety is paramount when having these conversations. Listed below are a few phrases I use to help maintain a safe environment while entering into difficult conversations:
Help me understand how you came to that conclusion . . .
Is there a reason you . . .
I’m uncomfortable with . . . the statement you just make . . . this course of action
I’ve noticed . . . and I’m not sure how to interpret your actions.
My dad used to tell me “Rotating bald tires is a time-consuming activity that changes nothing.” I think it serves as a helpful metaphor for all the things a congregation does to dance around problems rather than deal directly with them. These kind of problems will not be resolved unless there is someone serving as a non-anxious presence who willingly addresses the causes of the problem rather than just the symptoms.
CELEBRATING SHORT-TERM WINSI’ve noticed that guides always take time throughout the journey to affirm rafters and celebrate their progress. There are “high fives” after running a set of rapids with frequent words of encouragement to recognize the contributions of each team member. In the same manner, effective leaders identify appropriate short-term goals for a congregation and make note of the progress they’re making. This is where having a written list of 30-day, 60-day and 90-day goals can be helpful in identifying potential short-term wins that are worthy of celebration. In addition to recognizing and celebrating short-term wins, a leader or coach can use these milestones moments to learn from their success and failures, asking questions such as:
What led to the successful completion of the goal?
How do we do more of what made us successful?
What slowed down our progress?
What might we do differently in the future?
When working with congregations, I often encourage Session Moderators and Council Chairs to maintain a “celebrations” list, which ls included at the bottom of every meeting agenda, and is reviewed and updated at every meeting. By reviewing the celebrations monthly, leaders are reminded that progress is being made, God is at work through our efforts, and that attending to results and next steps are important. During this time of reviewing the celebration list, I’ll ask three questions:
“What has been accomplished since we last met that needs to be added to this list?”
“How will we inform the congregation about the progress we’re making?”
“What do we hope to accomplish before we meet again?”
Celebrating short-term wins serve as a launching pad for setting “next steps” and new goals. They remind people of their capacity to make a difference and energize others to “get on board.” How might you make celebrating short-term wins part of your meeting rituals?
ADJUSTING PLANS BASED ON THE SITUATIONRafting guides learn to quickly assess the skills of their group and make adjustments as needed to accomplish their task. They learn when to move people beyond their comfort zones, careful not to push them beyond what they are capable of. They move people to different locations and positions within the raft based on where they can make the biggest difference. They ask lots of questions and seek constant feedback to ensure a safe and memorable experience. Effective leaders are like rafting guides who constantly assess the situation, quickly and accurately gather feedback, and discern how to best exert their leadership in ways that are most helpful for the congregation. They quickly match up the needs of the congregation with the gifts and passions of its members and find ways to make the most of their resources. In short, effective leaders learn to be nimble and adaptive, making changes as needed to fulfill the mission.
RECOGNIZING AND REMOVING ROADBLOCKSEvery goal has obstacles that hinder one’s progress or derail one’s plans. For rafters, it’s rocks and rapids. Sometimes it’s one of the rafting participants. For congregations, it can be a multitude of things. Take time to complete the Removing Roadblocks form (Tool #23) and consider how you might be more proactive in anticipating and dealing with the roadblocks you encounter. As you identify the road blocks in your ministry, schedule time with staff or ministry team leaders to explore options for addressing them in a proactive manner. The road blocks rarely disappear so learn to deal with them sooner rather than later. Please note that most roadblocks congregations encounter are self-inflicted. Listed below are the top five ways I see congregations sabotage their own efforts. .
How Congregations Sabotage Their Change Efforts
1. They send out mixed messages. Leaders must speak with one voice and vision. Change is disconcerting enough, but even more so when the leaders are not on the same page. A clear and powerful vision, undergirded with a strong, credible strategy is almost unstoppable. This vision must be focused, flexible and easy to communicate. It must be communicated in a way that inspires action and guides people’s actions and decision-making.
2. They fail to obtain adequate buy-in. Not only must your congregation have a clear picture of what the future will look like, it must be embraced by key stakeholders of the congregation. Before a congregation announces a capital campaign, they typically have in place a guiding coalition, dozens of committed donors, and plenty of advocates ready to support the campaign process. When considering who might be part of your guiding coalition, ask yourself:
Who are influential people that shape the opinions of our members?
Who has expertise in areas that would help move this initiative forward?
Who has earned the respect of our members?
Who has proven leadership skills that can help drive the change process?
Focus on getting 20 percent of your congregation to “buy-in” on the initiative BEFORE publicizing the project to all members.
3. They fail to create an “actionable” ministry plan. Most plans I see only scratch the surface of what’s possible and are not designed to “go deep” within the congregation. Superficial efforts will not be sustained and eventually you’ll hear people say, “we tried that before and it didn’t work. We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” If your plans does not identify action steps that will involve the majority of your members, it will most likely fail. All good plans help people understand the big picture, the next steps that need to be taken, and what role each person will play. If your plan leaves out any of these three items, expect to experience a few roadblocks. You may wish to review the section in the Navigating Change chapter about setting 30-day, 60-day and 90-day goals.
4. They work on too many projects at once. Remember the phrase “do less and go deeper.” Focus on just one or two initiatives rather than a laundry list of projects. Many congregations create an annual theme for the year and address just one project at a time. Successful initiatives always have a sense of urgency built into them that provides a compelling reason for why others should get involved NOW. It’s very hard to communicate this urgency when you’re working on multiple projects at once.
5. They under-communicate. There are three questions everyone wants answers for:
What is the change?
Why is it happening?
How is it happening?
The “why" questions are what motivate people to take action. The "how" answers help people understand how the change will unfold and how they can contribute to the effort. When leaders spend months working on a plan, it's easy for them to lose site of the fact that others aren’t as fully invested at this point. This is like being on a roller coaster where the people in front (leaders) are well aware of what’s about to happen and the people at the end (members) are clueless about what’s about to transpire. When in doubt, always over-communicate. Use at least seven different communication mediums such as:
1-to-1 meetings and phone conversations
Website, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, other social media venues
Emails
Texting
Posters and entryway signs and banners
Video clips and storytelling
Cottage meetings, dinner discussions
Newsletters, flyers and handouts
I can't think of a case when a program failed because there was too much communication. Make sure your communication efforts are focused your primary goals and key messages - avoid allowing less important projects and programs to overshadow your main talking points. Keep in mind that your communication plan must also address ways your congregation intends to address short-term wins and key accomplishments. People are energized by and will continue to support efforts if they see that they’re making progress and making a difference. Without continued support of your members, your change efforts will die a slow death.
6. They under-estimate the power of entropy. I’m often amazed at how quickly congregations will revert back to their old, counterproductive behaviors. Resistance is always waiting in the wings to re-assert itself. The consequences of letting up, becoming complacent about your communication and behaviors can be very dangerous. Whenever you let up before the job is done, critical momentum can be lost and regression may soon follow. The new behaviors and practices must be driven into the culture to ensure long-term success. Once regression begins, rebuilding momentum is a daunting task.
I worked with a congregation that spent considerable effort reframing their leadership meeting agendas and integrating their key messages into everything they did. About six months into the coaching process, I noticed that their newsletter no longer included faith formation stories about their members (one of their goals), the meeting agendas no longer included time for caring conversations and for evaluating their meetings. Nor were they regularly reviewing their goals, tracking their accomplishments and planning new 30-day goals . The pastor continued to preach great sermons (I’d listen to his podcasts) but was no longer weaving the congregation’s mission and vision into them. In essence what I was observing was entropy in action where the positive changes they had made earlier were no longer being observed and reinforced. I didn’t wait to discuss this with him at our next coaching session. I called him immediately because I knew that the longer we waited to correct the action, the harder it would be to reverse course.
Leaders must avoid declaring victory too soon and moving on. They must focus on driving the desired change deeper into the congregation. They must take the time to ensure that the new practices are firmly grounded in the organization’s culture. I encourage leaders to keep and regularly review a list of “new behaviors and practices” that they have implemented. I inform leaders that when the behaviors or practices are no longer being consistently observed, it needs to become an agenda item at their next leadership team meeting and framed in a way that states, “How to we get back on track?” If we fail to address problems when they’re small, they almost always become larger and more significant problems later. It reminds me of how most congregations deal with inactive members. When members haven’t been active for one or two years they end up on a list where most denominations send a letter to the household asking if they intend to continue their membership. In my experience, less than five percent of the inactive people ever become reactivated through this process. Most congregations call this process “cleaning up our membership list.” Let’s face it, if we were really concerned about their spiritual well-being, we’d be contacting after a month of inactivity, not waiting a year or more to find out their status. I call this practice the “too little too late” syndrome that plagues most of our congregations and hinders our capacity to do our best work on behalf of the kingdom.
How Leaders Sabotage Their Congregation’s Change Efforts
As individuals and leaders of the congregation, we need to acknowledge that we play an important role in whether or not our congregation fulfills its mission. We may lament that our congregation is drifting, lacks clarity of purpose, and it can’t seem to sustain positive change. In many ways, it’s not much different than what most of us experience in our own lives. How many of us have created a personal mission statement or clearly understand what God is calling us to be and do? How many of us consistently eat well, exercise, floss our teeth, read the Bible, pray regularly and more? Unfortunately, it is much easier to set goals than it is to achieve them. Individuals encounter many of the same roadblocks as congregations, such as lack of a clear vision and trying to do too many things too quickly. The roadblocks I find most common in congregational leaders include:
They lack a clear understanding of their own vocation: Leaders are often unclear about their vocation, or Jesus is calling them to be and do for the sake of the kingdom. This understanding of one’s vocation is a spiritual discernment process that involves looking at one’s areas of giftedness, passions, life experiences and more. It’s hard to be a self-differentiated leader and a non-anxious presence if we are unclear about who we are and whose we are, and what role we play and we interact with other congregational leaders
They lack the necessary knowledge and skills to provide effective leadership. It’s hard for leaders to be effective if they lack critical knowledge about the congregation, family systems dynamics, how the congregation makes decisions. etc. Is it fair to expect leaders to lead effective meetings if they’ve never been trained how to moderate one? Is it fair to expect leaders to know how to deal with a member’s inappropriate “venting” if they haven’t role played similar situations? Does your congregation provide tools and training to help leaders facilitate focus groups, lead a task forces, or serve as a project manager? If high performing teams are made up of high individuals, then how are we making sure that we’re helping leaders perform at their very best? Have you considered helping leaders create a Personal Developing Plan to make the most of their giftedness? Do you provide mentors for new leaders? Are your leaders required to read certain books or articles? Do you include continuing education presentations and resources at your monthly meetings? If we invite people into ministry, then we have to have a plan for equipping and supporting them.
They forget which hat they’re wearing. I remember working with a congregation who had a delightful, bubbly office manager named Ruth who made everyone feel welcome and special. She radiated hospitality and knew just about every member of the congregation. Unfortunately, she was also organizationally challenged, computer illiterate, frequently forgot to pass on critical messages (i.e. “a member just died”) to pastors, and viewed deadlines as mere suggestions. The organization was paying a huge cost for not addressing the inadequacies of this person’s administrative skills related for which she was hired. As I sat in on a meeting where leaders were discussing how to deal with Ruth, it was obvious that people’s friendship with Ruth were causing people to discount the adverse impact she was having on the work flow and overall ministry of the congregation. When there was a break in the conversation, I interjected a series of questions:
Does anyone have concerns about Ruth’s character? (All shared a resounding “No”)
Does anyone have concerns about Ruth’s competence related to her position? (All “Yes”)
Is it fair to say that a person in this position should have good character AND be competent? (All “Yes”)
Is it fair to say that Ruth’s lack of competence is negatively impacting ministry efforts of paid and volunteer workers? (All said “yes”)
Is it fair to say that Ruth’s lack of competence in hurting this congregation’s ability to fulfill its mission? (Most said “yes”)
Is it fair to say that your role as a Congregational Elder is to make decisions that are in the best interests of the congregation rather than on your personal friendship with Ruth? (eventually became “Yeses” for everyone)
The conversation continued but was framed in a much different manner now that leaders were aware that they needed to wear their “Council” hat at the moment rather than their “friend” hat.
Arrogance, defensiveness and rigidity. Leaders that exhibit an arrogant, “I know best” mindset shut down constructive conversations. Leaders who are defensive also shut down conversations when they erupt in anger, or are obviously irritated by the discussion. Defensive leaders avoid being held accountable or project blame elsewhere. Leaders known for being rigid impose confining structures on their organizations, often because they lack basic confidence in their own abilities and the abilities of others. Their energy is focused on controlling everything and are frequently perceived as micromanagers. If not addressed, all three of these behaviors tend to immobilize leadership teams where important issues no longer get discussed and new ideas never get shared.
Are your leaders willing to name the “elephants in the room?” Do you have a strategy for dealing with these situations BEFORE they actually occur? Do you have a covenant that gives you permission to confront inappropriate behavior?
Final Thoughts on Addressing RoadblocksEvery congregation I’ve worked with related to strategic planning has had to address the following roadblocks or obstacles at some point throughout the implementation process. I name them to provide you with “heads up” rather than offering a bevy of solutions.
Procrastination: The hardest part for many people is just getting started. When you think about your goal in its totality, it may seem daunting. The key is to break it down into doable steps. Once you do that it's easy to get started. I encourage leaders inform their colleagues in ministry of their “next steps” in ministry and to ask people to hold them accountable.
Murphy's Law: "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." Just when you were making real progress towards your goal, something unexpected happens and causes a set-back. Your attitude of how you approach a setback is critical. Some people will become discouraged while others give up. Others will handle this in stride and find a way to get to their goal. Do your best to plan ahead and anticipate problems, refusing to let these challenges derail you from moving moving forward.
Plateaus: It's normal after working on your goal for a period of time to hit a plateau. You know when you've hit a plateau because the same things that were working before, suddenly aren't working - and that's exactly the problem. You need to do something different. Hitting a plateau means you need to shake things up, do things in a different order or try something new until you start seeing progress again. What worked when you first started on your goal may not work several weeks or months later. The key is flexibility and a willingness to try new approaches.
Discouragement: Along the way to your goal you may hit a rough patch and become discouraged. The important thing to know about discouragement is that it's temporary. This is when it’s helpful to have a prayer partner or a network of support to sustain you in times of disappointment.
There’s never a “right time” to facilitate change. We must learn to be resourceful without resources. we must accept that we are going to experience obstacles along the way. We don't know exactly which ones, but we know it's inevitable. So, when something does happen, we're not shocked and we're not discouraged; it’s simply part of the process. Dealing with these obstacles will require moving beyond our comfort zones and moving into uncharted territory. In most cases, when the comfort zone is at odds with our goal, the comfort zone usually wins unless we remind ourselves why we’re seeking the desired change. If the “why” is big enough, the “how” won’t hinder us from living into God’s preferred future.
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Questions to Ponder- Which of the four leadership traits found at the beginning of this chapter do you most readily exemplify?
- Which trait is needed most for your particular setting?
- What are the roadblocks or obstacles facing your congregation?
- How might your congregation be more proactive in dealing with the roadblocks?
- In what ways are you your own worst enemy when it comes to providing effective leadership for your congregation?
- What are the comfort zones that you need to move beyond in order to achieve your personal goals? The goals of your congregation?