I was extremely glad this morning as I logged into my admin side of this blog to check out the stats and the awaiting moderation comments. Yes there in one of the comments was one by a person who has a blog titled Coffee Shop Journal.

This person had left a nice comment on my blog and told me of where she too had written on a topic that I had recently written on from John Maxwell’s book Leadership Gold. Come to find out John goes to her church, what a temptation that would be for me if he was to go to my church. I think he would have to get a restraining order on me as I would always try to pick his brain about everything.

So, I want to encourage you if you want to read another good blog or add another good one to your reader, jump on over to Coffee Shop Journal and enjoy another blog by someone who appears to enjoy coffee, books, and leadership.

What does the congregation members or the community truly value?

This is an important question to ask but yet it seems like one that often times doesn’t get due service in finding the answer to.

According to Peter Drucker, where he has said: “Non-profit leaders tend to answer this for themselves instead of asking their target”. You can hear, “it’s the quality of our programs”, “It’s the way we improve the community”, “It’s the type of worship we provide”. People are so convinced they are doing the right things and so committed to their cause that they come to see the institution as an end in itself. But that’s a bureaucracy. Instead of asking, “Does it deliver value to our target audience?” they ask, “Does it fit our rules?’ And that not only inhibits performance but also destroys vision and dedication.

What are your thoughts on this?

If you are reading this blog and you lead people or oversee a group of people and you wish to develop leaders then you have some responsibilities. First you must appreciate them for who they are; then you must believe that they will try and do their very best; and lastly you must praise accomplishments and accept your personal responsibility to them as a leader.

One thing we must all keep in mind is that an organization, business or the such cannot increase what they are attempting to do, whether it is to make a profit, be productive, or win souls – but people can! This asset of people is truly what will appreciate in any organization, business, or church. All of our buildings wear out, machinery wears, systems become dated and yes as much as it pains me to say even my G4 Macintosh PowerBook becomes outdated in time. But people grow, they develop, and become more effective if they have a leader who understands their potential, appreciates them, and will believe in them even when they may not see their true value.

So how are you developing people? Who right now are you developing, believing in, and appreciating?

I am reading as many of you know if you follow my twittering, this blog or my Facebook a wonderful book by John Maxwell titled Leadership Gold. In this great book that John Has written he has a chapter on ‘Being a Connector of Climber”.

As I read this chapter I thought what a great summary of a life lesson. Here is the summary that i think any of us who are leaders or who know leaders will identify with. CLIMBERS are those in leadership who:

• Think Vertically
• Focus on position
• Value Competition
• Seek Power
• Build their image
• Want to stand apart

And then you have your CONNECTORS who are those in leadership that:

*Think Horizontally

• Focus on Relationships
• Value Cooperation
• Seek partnerships
• Build Consensus
• Want to stand together

Maybe as you read down through that list you identified yourself in mainly one of those groups? Maybe you saw yourself in both of those groups? I think the goal would be to know first where you stand and then find a way to incorporate some of the other style as well.

If you want to become a better connector you may want to work on:

• Walk slower through the halls to connect to people more. Climbers are usually those who once they get out of their car in the parking lot they are like a missile with the straightest path to where they are going and until they get there nothing will sidetrack them. If something does look out for the explosion.
• Keep in mind that people are people not just resources to be used. Climbers tend to see every relationship more from what they can help the climber with instead of look at the cool person God created with their own uniqueness.
• Get off your agenda for maybe just 15 minutes a day to use that time instead to foster some relationships.
• Put the spotlight on others. Climbers tend to want the spotlight because it helps them to climb faster. So putting the spotlight on others will help become a connector.

Maybe you want to become a better climber then you may want to try to:

• Define your purpose. Spend some time on the strategic side of leadership. Connectors could spend more time on seeing why they are where there are.
• Sharpen your focus by setting some time to do un-interrupted work without having to interact with people. Connectors by nature want people interrupting, so it will take some work to lock yourself away to actually do some uninterrupted work.
• Pick up the pace. I think you can spot connectors in meetings because they are the ones who spend forever on the little stuff and chase most of the rabbits while you have your climbers who come into every meeting with an agenda and time table.

It has been a while since I last blogged because I have been taking some time away and getting perspective on a few things in my life. I actually think this is only the 3rd time ever in over 15+ years of being in full time children’s ministry that i have taken off and went some where.

That all being said, I have run across today a blog post by Sue Miller where she is writing about the ministry monsters. In this post of hers she writes:

“After years of making almost every mistake possible, I have consolidated my learning into four key lessons on how to treat people who join our ministry. These lessons began with awareness of four big problems sure to prevent successful serving. I think of these problem areas as “ministry monsters” that can slip into our ministries unnoticed and wreak havoc.

1. Used and Abused—shows up when volunteers feel that they are asked to show up on Sunday morning to get ministry done for someone else. 2. Isolation—appears when volunteers feel disconnected and even alone in ministry work—feelings that rob fun from serving. 3. Power Monger—leaders invite this monster into a ministry when they insist on making decisions without the input of volunteers, and also when changes are made without any explanation. 4. Stagnation—takes over a ministry immediately after boredom and lack of purpose arrive. The first group to suffer under this monster is kids, followed by volunteers.”

When I read this I have to say that I have recognized that I have fallen before now into number 2 & 4. This time away has helped to reorganize my thinking. I agree with Sue that these are definitely monsters. These little monsters have to be addressed before they start to effect not only you but those you lead as well.

Thanks Sue for the reminder. Now jump on over and read the full blog post of Sue Miller’s and maybe you will identify if you are fallen prey to these little monsters.

I have a great friend named Karl Bastian who had created years ago a great web site called Kidology. I have had the privilege of being member of this site since around 1994 and since 2004 or 2005 being the Captain of a great team of children’s pastors that we have put together who invest their time and energy into keeping the site advancing all the time.

Well, just recently Karl and I had put together (after much percolating in the brain of Karl’s) a way to really invest in the incredible CP Team who are constantly investing their time, energy, expertise, and more into the lives of thousands of other children’s pastors and volunteers around the world.

Allow me to just close this post off by saying, Thanks to all of you CP team members for being Kidologist yourselves. I thought it would be appropriate to end this post with a picture that my friend Karl had sent me that he even made a video out of as well, but I can’t direct you to the video – It is top secret. But enjoy the Bobble head looking picture of myself as a Kidologist, I know I enjoyed it.

Today will be just a collection of pictures that will finish up my blogging about my families time in Hawaii without me. This is how I had to live my Hawaii experience was through these pictures my wife so kindly took with her phone while they were there. I am sure that when she gets back we will download the camera with the high rez pictures and post them on our family blog. thanks for allowing me the trip to Hawaii through this blog though.

Now for the last pictures.

I This here is my sister in-law getting married (which is really the whole reason my family went down to Hawaii, so I thought it important to include this picture).

Then one day the waves were to big for my kids to go out into the ocean so my wife took them to the swimming pool at the penthouse they were staying at.

Then my daughter is very creative and here is her version of using chop sticks while she eats.

My son really became attached to living in Hawaii and on the beach as well. Here is a picture of him with a toy sea turtle which they were able to see every day live swimming in the ocean. If you look close it is on his shoulder.

Again, thanks for going to Hawaii with me through my wife’s camera phone pictures. i also hope that if any of my son or daughters friends and families or even teachers stop by here to look at their adventure, you take the time to say “Hello”.

A leaders credibility begins with personal success. It ends with helping others achieve personal success. To gain this credibility, you must demonstrate three things:

1. INITIATIVE: You have to get up to go up.

2. SACRIFICE: You have to give up to go up.

3. MATURITY: You have to grow up to go up.

If you show the way, people will want to follow. The higher you go, the greater the number of people who will be willing to travel with you.

Yesterday was the wedding rehearsal day. Yes the day they were to go down to the beach where Becca and Adam were going to get married in just a few days and go through the steps. I believe it was to help everyone know where to stand and all of that, but to me, it looks like my kids knew exactly where to stand – IN THE WATER!!

First, here we have a picture of the beach and my son being tempted to get in.

Then I believe this next one is a progression of the waves hypnotizing my son to come and get in.

But wait, my daughter begins to feel like she is being left out and soon she hears her name being called out by the ocean as well.

Ahhhh, the sand feels so good between our toes, maybe we should get closer now.

There you go the cycle of temptation seen through these ocean pictures.

I know this is nothing new, but sometimes the greatest information if not implemented remains only that – great information. It was years ago that I had heard about the Pareto principle. I think it was way back when the church I was at went through Steven Coveys leadership training and then again, maybe not. But here is a principle that basically says as interpreted by me;

80% of traffic jams occur on 20% of the roads
80% of profits come from only 20% of the customers
80% of problems are generated by 20% of the employees
80% of all decisions can be made on 20% of the information
80% of the work at your church is done by 20% of the people and on.. and on.. and on.

If this is true when was the last time you not only asked yourself about what do you do that is in that 20% but have you made the adjustments needed to live in that 20%? If not, maybe this is still an area that is only remaining great information for you, instead of life transformation.