If you have been with me from the beginning, or even for the past few months, you have likely read about the foundation for 3QL. If not, please check it out by clicking here.
The short version is a few years ago I stumbled onto three questions I have since been teaching student leaders. I hope to train and equip student leaders (and adults, too) to change their mindset when encountering different situations.
Here’s why: I believe we, as leaders, can influence the direction of an organization (or a situation) by being intentional. The influence may not provide immediate results, resulting in a painstakingly slow process, but it can be done.
Let’s think about this another way: when I become part of something, I want it to get better. How do I help make it better? By increasing my awareness (what needs to be done), my willingness (what can I do), and my leadership (who can I get to help).
One of my main goals is to raise up a generation of leaders who get involved, stay involved, and when they leave, leave things better because they were there. In student ministry, the results seem simple enough to measure. In the real world, however, things are usually trickier.
But the question has to start with me: am I making the things around me better? Am I equipping and training other people to accomplish what I’m accomplishing? Am I hogging responsibilities and thus preventing someone else from doing something they love? Am I setting my church (and not just the student ministry) up to win because of my time spent serving?
The goal of leadership is to make the world a better place because of our having been in it. What are you doing to equip those around you to be influencers and not participators? What steps can you take this week to help others grow their influence?
I have been using the 3 questions in my approach to equipping people in my church to affect a positive change in their environments. It has been very helpful. What I have found is that many people are not increasing their awareness (question #1). We, as a society, have been taught to simply play the role dealt to us. Do our job and don’t stir the waters. I think this is because poor leadership does not like others asking questions of contributing to the agenda because they fear that challenges their authority or at the very least their leadership.
The truth is that good leaders and good organizations latch onto people who make an impact for the positive. Those who leave a project, ministry, or organization better for having been involved are usually sought out in priority by healthy leaders and organizations. So when I ask myself the question do I make others better? I realize I need to improve. If I want to create a culture of folks who do this I need to MODEL it!
Thanks for the good word!
I agree wholeheartedly. The biggest surprise for me has been the difficulty I’ve encountered is getting students (and people) to change their mindset. I came to the same conclusion–the best way is to model what I’m trying to communicate.
Thanks for the shared thoughts!