Blog My Sojourn Live

High Altitude Leadership   Danger   #4    Arrogance

Back to reading High Altitude Leadership tonight.  What a great read for leaders for people like me—in a place called leadership.  Interesting this chapter about what Arrogance brings to leadership.  I have so many things running through my heart and head at this point.  Arrogance when leading a team up Everest is a very large issue—at least I concluded that before I even read the chapter.  After all—if the leader thinks he is on top of his game—isn’t that an obvious problem?  I mean I have been there a zillion times—thinking I’m doing great things and I know so much and I am good with this or that and wham—the street is a great teacher.

“Humility fuels high performance—only solid teams grow stronger when humbled.”   Now that is a mouthful from High Altitude Leadership   Danger   #4    I will be the first to admit that these past 7 months of leading a team—has been a humbling experience for all of my team.  In truth it goes way back for me.  All the way back to the days of being a successful student min pastor at Fairhaven church.  Almost 10 years in the same place is considered a great run for a youth guy.  I though I was ready to take on a Sr.role—but it was soon into my leadership time that I realized—wow, I cannot lead people by being a lone ranger.  I cannot lead people by finessing them.  My leadership skills were all about leading a team of sold out adults to do student ministry and student ministry has built in goals.  Really—students leave after 4 years.  Students grasp giving up everything to follow Christ.  Students are much more pliable than most adults.  Students are teachable.  Students love being led.

I had to find out for myself, that leading is about serving.  And the only way I was going to ready to serve anyone was to be humbled and broken—by going out into the corporate world—possibly to never get a chance to do ministry again.  Ahh but God had a plan—I needed to let it all go, desire the right things and serve a company and a president that didn’t even like me.  I had to go in everyday, make cold calls and sell sell sell.  Would I?  I didn’t have a choice—it was time to put bread on the table and work work work.

"It is doubtful that God can use anyone greatly until He hurts him deeply."

-         A.W. Tozer

It was now my time—my time to be humbled, broken, hurt—so that I would learn to trust in the Lord.  To love Him no matter what.  To obey Him no matter what.  To live for Him in circumstances that were—were less then what I had wanted.  I was broken.

It wasn’t long after I understood the “pit” (Psalm 40) I was in that I let go of my passion to serve in a church and moved my passion to serving the Lord no matter what it was I was doing. 

Now—here I am, almost 3 years later—the only pastor of a church just serving period.  Oh every once in awhile I think “it’s about me”  but I remember.

Tags: httphighaltitudeleadership.com

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“Before the deed comes the thought.

Before the achievement comes the dream.

Every mountain we climb, we first climb in our mind.”

     --Royal Robbins, climber and entrepreneur

Team players can never afford to be selfish.  The team matters most.  Is that what you’ve been taught?  Is that the way you or I operate when it comes to the team?  I have been around teams since I was a boy playing little league.  I don’t think I was ever the star of a team—just one of the team.  I never had people watching the team because I was on it—but I do know that I had a position to play and without me playing my best—I might cost the team or the coach would sit me in order for someone else—someone ready, someone focused.  Was that o.k.?  Yes—why?  I understood that the team mattered more than me.

I was watching a hockey game the other night—and the goalie that had won the Stanley Cup for this team was sitting on the bench.  Another goalie was playing in his spot— a  younger goalie, a goalie that had been playing better through the last part of the season was playing instead of the star.  The goalie that was proven, been there was on the bench.  Was that o.k. for him? 

A selfish player would have sulked, squirmed, been uncomfortable on the bench—maybe even made a scene (I have seen this on the sidelines in another sport).  He could have cried out for his job back.  But not this proven veteran of the blue crease.  No he knew his place.  He would choose not to be selfish—in order to benefit the team. 

This principle is the second principle in the book High Altitude Leadership by Chris Warner and Don Schmincke  The title of chapter 2    Danger #2 Selfishness   When leading people it is true—self cannot get in the way—protecting oneself from criticism, or what others may say, or not wanting to deal with people that disagree is centered around selfishness.  “I want it my way, I will do it my way--- does not work with teams.  I once worked for a Sr. Pastor that told me “my job was to make him look good.”  Did I try?  Yes—in the long run as the student ministry grew and people noticed the student ministry growing he took great pride in me—but for the wrong reasons—it wasn’t about the ministry reaching students.  It was about him looking good.  That is a selfish leader.  I know I have much to learn, but that lesson is deep in my gut.  Leading for me is not about me as much as it is about the doing as unto the Lord, the team, the people, the big picture.  This is learned on the street, in the trenches—20 years of team leading—with plenty of times I have led out of selfishness—but learning and relearning—selfishness does not fit leadership.

--Paul said it like this—‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”  Phil. 2.3

--Jesus said it like this- a—“I’m the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  John 10.11   

This is the heart of a leader—a leader that is about the people he leads and not at all about himself.  I believe that is a problem in ministry today—my hope is that my leadership will continue to not be about me—but about Jesus and the people that follow Him and will someday follower of Him.

“Before the deed comes the thought.

Before the achievement comes the dream.

Every mountain we climb, we first climb in our mind.”

     --Royal Robbins, climber and entrepreneur

Tags: httphighaltitudeleadership.com

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I am constantly thinking—thinking about leadership is a thread that continues on and on and on.  Mainly—I think about the benefit of real leadership versus just doing things the way you’re supposed to do it.  Perhaps because that is the way the last leader did it.  (that is not much of a leader)  Maybe because I think leadership is defined by those that follow leaders.  I so enjoy the whole discussion of leadership—fascinating topic.

The reason I am so fascinated is because by call and by vocation I am a pastor.  Is that the same as a leader?  That depends on to whom you are listening and who defines leader.

The role of leader has not always been the role of the pastor.  A pastor was called other things i.e., shepherd, caring for the flock, a highly relational role and then sometimes leader but not in the same sentence.  Today a pastor is by the nature of the job a leader first.   He leads with vision.  He leads with production pressing upon him--pushing him--the numbers matter.  They have to matter—there are big bills to pay.   The pastor today has a staff to lead, a board to lead-- the “flock” can sometimes become the last part or the biproduct of his leadership.  Today "the flock" may only be about the Sunday event.  Things have changed.

I think of the way Jesus led.  He dealt with His 12 men.  He taught them.  He gave them hands on training.  He loved them.  He bonded with them.  Those men became the next leaders after Jesus.  Exactly!  He left the next movement in the hands of the men He spent time with, built relationships with, developed—oh and served.

That word serve is the word of the hour—Pastoral leadership in this day and age is about building relationships with the staff—training, giving vision, direction, care and building the core so that the Pastor can serve in a much needed capacity.  I was thinking about this leadership issue tonight as I watched hockey.  Really—a hockey game brings out leaders.  Leaders lead when it’s time to be the first.  When its time to score.  When its time to battle.  Leaders jump in first.  Why?  Because they know that the core, the team is watching.  The leader knows that without him, the team is leaderless—he must lead the way-- by getting dirty first-- by being the one to go and get it done-- so that others will follow and then do the same.  I am very saddened by the # of pastors I know today that actually lead as if the people he is leading are actually there for him rather than the pastor being there for the people-- that is not right-- and not at all like the leadership of Jesus.  The more I get to know Jesus, the more I appreciate the way he led-- out in front-- living out His vision-- He did it.

Is that serving?  I think it is.  When Jesus showed the extent of His love to His disciple He jumped in and washed their feet.  He was the first to serve.  He took it upon himself to show the team what leadership was about.  It was about doing what His vision called for.  He knew that He would have to show them that leadership was not a title, is not a name, is not just a role to play, is not an entitlement.  Leadership is fulfilling personal vision for the benefit of those he leads-- and Jesus did just that.  Church leadership is not about a title—it is not about sermons first, the worship event the Sunday morning-- those are products of a leadership being lived out.

I am reading a great book--  High Altitude Leadership by Chris Warner and Don Schminke.  What a timely book for leaders--- point 1 Chapter 1 the Fear of Death  Why?  Because those the lead expeditions can not fear...

Tags: httphighaltitudeleadership.com

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