Tag: momentum

Who Sets the Target?

As leaders, I don’t think we have to trick people into accomplishing a task, but I do think our role becomes one of setting the target, or inviting people into the conversation as we seek to set the target.

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When my girls were younger and in the “I don’t want to eat all of my food stage”, I would try to trick them. When they got to what they thought would be the end of their meal, I would say, “why don’t you take three more bites?”. From there, I would repeat the challenge until their food was gone. Eventually they caught on, but the effectiveness was surprising.

We had different targets. Their target was to finish eating as quick as possible and get back to playing. My target was their health.

As leaders, I don’t think we have to trick people into accomplishing a task, but I do think our role becomes one of setting the target, or inviting people into the conversation as we seek to set the target.

If we as leaders don’t at least help define what we’re aiming for, then the people we lead will decide instead. Letting someone else decide the target may not always be a bad thing, but you always run the risk that they will choose something that is actually the opposite of the progress of the ministry.

If our goal is to grow disciples, then having the best video games may not be the win.

If our goal is to impact our community, then having the cleanest space may not be the win.

If our goal is to lead people to worship, then having the best a/v system may not be the win.

But unless we take the time to communicate the target for which we’re aiming, we run the risk of wasted effort.

Andy Stanley talks about this as “Clarifying the Win” (you can listen to a conversation on this here, and it’s worth your time!).

At the end of the day, you have been placed in a leadership position for a reason. Take the necessary steps to make sure everyone you lead is on the same page and moving in the same direction. this happens most naturally by making sure you choose, clarify, and communicate the target at which you’re aiming.

Lessons from the Farm: Keep Going

Success is not a calling. Success is a result.

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To finish out Lessons from the Farm for 2021, I thought I would repost a few lessons from years past. Enjoy!

I grew up working with my dad on his farm. We raised cattle, wheat, cotton, and whatever else he thought would make a profit. Lucky for me, I learned a few things along the way.

Can I confess something? Even now, at my age, I’m not entirely sure what to do when driving through mud. I know experience is supposed to be the best teacher, but here’s what my experience taught me: don’t stop.

The picture featured today is 100% authentic. I was driving down a river bed (dry for the most part), and found myself in sand. I was going pretty slow, so I decided to stop and switch to 4×4 low.

That was my first mistake. I stopped and lost any momentum I had. What happened next is exactly what you see. All four wheels started spinning, but I only went deeper.

The same is true in leadership. You will have days where you feel like you can’t do anything wrong. And other days, you will feel like you’re barely moving at all.

In ministry, this looks like seasons where you’re baptizing every week, and then you go months without any baptisms. Or maybe your attendance is up higher than it’s ever been, and then all of a sudden you notice a steady decline.

In business, it looks different. Never give up trying to build your client list, even when you think it may be time to throw in the towel.

Don’t stop. Do not forfeit your momentum. Find the good things that are happening, and hold on to them. You may not be making the progress you want to make, but keep making progress.

Success is not a calling. Success is a result. I cannot think of anyone who became successful because they surrendered their momentum.

Faithfulness is a calling. You are being called to be faithful to what you’ve been called to do. Even when you feel like giving up. Even when you feel like you’re not making a difference. Push through.

Keep your eyes fixed on Christ, and keep going.

Will You Lean Into Momentum?

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One of the things that has shocked me was how old I was when I first read John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I’m ashamed to admit that it was only a couple years ago. As I read about each law, so many of them made sense, but a few went further than that.

For example, Law 16 is the Law of the Big Mo. Simply put, Maxwell says, momentum is a leader’s best friend.

I’ve spent a lot of time pondering this law lately. We are starting to see some momentum building in our ministry, and so I’ve been asking myself how I can make the most of the momentum we are sensing. Is there some way to take the momentum and curtail it into growth? Is there some way to replicate the momentum down the road? How long should I wait to act?

I’m starting to see momentum all around me. The way things progress and grow (momentum building). The way things slow down (momentum waning). The way I handle things in those moments–my response, my actions, my inaction.

So today I have two questions for you: Where is the momentum around you? And how can you make the most of the natural momentum you’re seeing?

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Want to Make 2021 Even Better?

2020 was monumental, to say the least. But at the beginning of the shutdown, and throughout, my mantra was simple: this could be one of the worst things for us as individuals, or it could be one of the best.

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My church hosted an event this past weekend. I ended up being the guy making most of the decisions, and as such, I spent a lot of time mentally evaluating how things were going, how I was doing, and what I would do differently with time and knowledge.

All of that is great, except if I never write it down, so much of it goes away completely.

That’s why I’m such a fan of taking time to review things. As a church leader, it pays to review events, and makes the next one that much better.

But as a person, every year around this time, I set back a little bit of time to review the previous year.

2020 was monumental, to say the least. But at the beginning of the shutdown, and throughout, my mantra was simple: this could be one of the worst things for us as individuals, or it could be one of the best.

Let’s set aside the social impact of the shutdown in April and May. Think for a moment about yourself: how did you grow in that time? Did you maintain that growth for the rest of 2020? Are you a better person for how you spent that time?

This week, I want to give you something. A simple gift to help you evaluate 2020 and dominate 2021. There’s really nothing magical about the gift, but if you take the time to work through it and answer the questions, I think you’ll be pleased with what you walk away with.

But here’s the catch. It’s for subscribers. If you’re signed up and receive 3QL emails in your inbox each week, then on Friday, you’ll find the gift waiting for you.

If you haven’t signed up, then click here to subscribe!

Learn and Grow

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Short post today, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about mistakes and mishaps. I blog on this regularly, partly because it’s a fear of mine.

I fear mistakes. I fear a mistake means I’m not good enough. I fear a mistake means I’m not valuable.

Ultimately, I don’t fear failure. I fear surrendering to failure. Until I learn to reframe my fear, I will never be able to grow.

Great leaders know failure is part of life. So take that step today. Have that conversation that may not go your way. Learn from it and grow.

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