“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Lessons for leadership drawn specifically from Scripture
I can remember the first time my oldest child asked me if Santa was real. She must have been about 5 or 6 years old, and I am sure she had heard things from friends at school and wanted to know from her parents if Santa was a real person who delivered presents for Christmas. At that age, she already knew that Jesus was her personal Savior, having come to an awareness of her need for Jesus to save her when she was 4 and 1/2 years old. I know that seems young (and it is), but her decision was totally driven by her own questions and her own choice to follow Jesus, unprompted by us as her parents, and was followed at that young age already with the realization of how that shaped her choices.
But, back to Santa. When she asked us that question – “Is Santa real?” – I was faced with a dilemma. Do I tell a little lie and preserve the fantasy for a little child, or do I tell the truth and squash childhood imagination? In the end, realized that it wasn’t a true “either/or” choice, and so we chose to tell the truth while also preserving imagination and fun. Because she asked, we knew she was seeking to make sense of the world around her, so we told her the truth – “No, Santa is not real . . .” – but then framed it into a purpose of imagination and joy – “. . . but it’s fun to pretend and imagine the stories of Santa, so we do it just for fun at Christmas time. But the real person we celebrate at Christmas is Jesus.”
Why was this important for us? Because we wanted our child to grow up with an understanding of the difference between fantasy (the Santa Clause we talk about at Christmas) and meaningful truth (the significance of the birth of Jesus). That’s the most important message of Christmas. Not that we receive gifts, or that Santa knows who is naughty or nice, or that reindeer can fly. The real message is that at this time, over 2000 years ago, God entered into our physical realm in the person of His Son, born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph. He did this so that Jesus could live His life as both fully God and fully man (theologians call this the Hypostatic Union), and live it sinlessly, so that He would be qualified to become the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins through His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection. In doing this, He paid the penalty for our sins and opened the door for us to be reconciled to God. And that’s the Gospel message: that Jesus paid for our sins so that we could receive salvation by trusting fully in His work on the cross.
That’s the truth about Christmas. It’s the season that brought Jesus into our midst, which in turn would make salvation available to all who believe, not in the “jolly old elf” who brings us presents, but in the real, divine person who came to save us from our sin. My friend, if you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, as the one and only means of salvation from your sin and reconciliation with God, I urge you to do that today. Acknowledge your sin and accept the payment of Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This is a bold ask. I am asking because I want to help people connect faith, wisdom, and leadership, and so I have crafted these resources to do just that. Here is what I am asking: will you follow and share the website and podcast information? I would love your help in sharing this information with as many people as possible.
I am a connect-the-dots kind of person. Therefore, one of the ways God has taught and grown me is by helping me connect the dots between scriptural truth and life application. It is from that perspective that I initially launched this website and its accompanying resources a little less than a year ago. The purpose was to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that would help other followers of Jesus grow in their leadership and make an impact. That original dream of an idea turned into three things: the self-publication of a book on Amazon (Leadership Ezra), the creation of the Leadership Ezra website, and the initiation of a corresponding podcast. The overarching theme became “Faith. Wisdom. Leadership.: Connecting biblical truth with wisdom for leadership.” Therefore, that is the basis of these “Leadership Ezra” resources – a book, a website, and a podcast – that are now available to help you grow in leadership from a biblical foundation.
The book, Leadership Ezra (order your copy on Amazon), is all about connecting the dots between Scriptural truth and life application, specifically within the realm of leadership, using a story in the Bible to do so. In this case, the story is actually the story contained in the book of Ezra, a book comprised of two different journeys of return for the people of God. The experiences in this book demonstrate and illustrate lessons that can then be applied to your practice of leadership today.
The website, www.LeadershipEzra.com, is intended to be a resource to help leaders with this same connection, again providing principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying it to the practice of leadership. If you are new to leadership, if you are struggling in your leadership, or if you simply want to learn more and grow in your leadership, here you will find counsel and insight to help you be more equipped to lead and to do it in a godly way. The goal is to help you lead like Ezra: know God deeply, live by His Word, and apply that wisdom in your leadership of others.
The podcast, also called “Leadership Ezra” and available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, is likewise all about connecting biblical truth with wisdom for the practice of leadership. These are short episodes (10 +/- minutes) that share an illustration and provide some explanation and application of topics from the website. The episodes are helpful handles to understand and remember key ideas.
These three resources work together to connect three dots: “Faith…Wisdom…Leadership.” Aimed at Christians in leadership, including those who are leading in Christian schools and ministries, my purpose is to connect these dots so that I can help people lead well. So if you have found any of those to be good for your leadership, would you tell at least three other people? With your help, I believe that God can use these resources to better equip leaders who will make an impact for His Kingdom.
In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week, in part 15, I am pulling out three big ideas that I hope you take away from the series. Here is the transcript of the podcast.
In this series, we have been diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.
We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead. The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead. The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race. We have already talked about the importance of the ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, the importance of celebrating, the process of strategic planning, and restoration, or what to do if things have gone wrong or you have messed up. Last time we reviewed all of these lessons, and today, in the final episode of the series, I am highlighting three big ideas.
For years I have attended professional development conferences. Typically, it involved two or three days of gathering together at some conference center, hearing from keynote speakers, attending breakout workshops and sessions, networking, perusing various vendors, and trying to learn as much as possible. But that’s where the challenge comes. Usually, I would take all kinds of notes, collect lots of samples and examples, and walk away with a ton of ideas. But by the time I got home, the plethora of ideas was too much to practically implement, and in the busyness of work back at home combined with the overwhelming amount of ideas I had collected, most of the wonderful ideas and information were set aside with the intent of coming back to it at a later time . . . which, of course, never happened. At some point over the years, I finally learned the value of taking time at the end of the conference to reflect and review everything I had learned, and to identify two or three big ideas that I could do when I got home. Amazingly, I found myself implementing ideas when I did this. The difference was that I figured out how to focus on a manageable list of ideas I could actually follow up on.
That’s what I hope this week’s article episode does for you – that it focuses in on three big takeaways that you can remember. I hope that everything we’ve talked about in the previous 14 weeks can be a benefit to you, but if nothing else, I pray you can walk away with these three things.
- See the big picture, which is this: God’s sovereignty operates in conjunction with man’s responsibility, in the context and for the purpose of restoration, resulting in relationship and purpose. Therefore, in the application of leadership, it is vital that we begin with an understanding that God has a plan and a purpose, that He is actively involved in the events of our lives, and that we also have a responsibility to act.
- Remember that leadership is hard, but the right skills can be learned to help you succeed. Be intentional about learning them. There are a multitude of valuable resources available to help you in your development of leadership, so study and learn and grow. But don’t forget to also seek out resources that help the spiritual development of your leadership, which is just as important (if not more so) for Christian leaders. So where can you go to get help for understanding leadership principles and practices within a biblical context? This may seem to be an obvious answer, but ironically it is one that is often overlooked by leaders: look to examples of leadership in the Bible.
- The Bible is relevant to leadership. The Bible is not an archaic text with no relevance to modern leadership and living, but is, rather, an incredibly practical source of principles, wisdom, and guidelines that can be applied to leadership to help you become more effective. The secret is in understanding that God, the Creator of man and of this world, and therefore the source of the greatest knowledge and understanding of man, life, and relationships, has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. Therefore, when we can see into the stories and the history with that lens, we can identify the ideas that apply to successful and effective leadership and living today.
My hope is that you learned and/or grew from all the lessons that I drew from this study of Ezra, but it is also my hope that two things have happened in particular: first, that you remember a couple of important lessons from this series that you can implement, and second, that you figured out you also can draw lessons from the Bible that will help you be the best leader you can be. The Bible is a valuable (and valid) source of wisdom, so I would encourage you to become intentional about seeking wisdom from it. I pray that this series has been a blessing to your leadership, and as I have said before, if you want to go deeper in these lessons, order a copy of my book, “Leadership Ezra,” on Amazon. Thank you and God bless.
In thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament (and then published in my latest book). This week, in part 15, I am wrapping things up with 3 big ideas that we need to take away from the series.
For the last fourteen weeks, I shared various lessons on leadership that can be drawn from the story that takes place in the book of Ezra, which included reviewing the whole series of lessons last week. One of those lessons emphasized the importance of seeing the big picture, so allow me to do that here, by zooming out above the whole story of Ezra to identify three of the overarching ideas for us.
1) One of the most important “big picture” lessons to learn from the story of Ezra – the lesson that represents the overall theme for the book – is this: God’s sovereignty operates in conjunction with man’s responsibility, in the context and for the purpose of restoration, resulting in relationship and purpose. Therefore, in the application of leadership, it is vital that we begin with an understanding that God has a plan and a purpose, that He is actively involved in the events of our lives, but that we also have a responsibility to act. I repeated this idea frequently throughout the series because I think it is one of the most important takeaways from the book.
2) A second big picture lesson is the realization that the work of leadership is hard, and it is not for the faint-hearted. There are decisions to be made, problems to be addressed, challenges to be solved, tensions to be managed, conflicts to be resolved, tasks to be completed, and numerous other responsibilities that ultimately have an impact on many people. And add to that the work of leading and managing people, who are imperfect and operate in the context of a fallen world. For the Christian leader – regardless of whether you are a school leader, church leader, ministry leader, or a Christian leading in a secular industry or organization – it can be even more challenging as you seek to reflect Christ in all you do.
The good news is that successful and effective leadership is a skill that can be learned, but it requires intentional effort. In today’s world, there are a multitude of valuable resources available for helping you in your development of leadership, however many of those do not address the spiritual context for the leader who is a follower of Jesus, which is just as important (if not more so) for Christian leaders. So where can you go to get help for understanding leadership principles and practices within a biblical context? This may seem to be an obvious answer, but ironically it is one that is often overlooked by leaders: look to examples of leadership in the Bible.
3) This takes me to the last “big picture” idea I would like for us to take away from this study: the Bible is not an archaic text with no relevance to modern leadership and living, but is, rather, an incredibly practical source of principles, wisdom, and guidelines that can be applied to leadership in order to help you become more effective. The secret is in understanding that God, the Creator of man and of this world and therefore the source of the greatest knowledge and understanding of man, life, and relationships, has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. Therefore, when we can see into the stories and the history with that lens, we can identify the ideas that apply to successful and effective living today.
You see, application is the connecting of one idea or principle or truth or concept to a practice; sometimes it is a closely related practice (narrow), sometimes it is not (broad), in which case it reflects a general, simple truth that applies to multiple scenarios or circumstances. There are principles that apply specifically to certain fields, but there are also ideas that are general and can be cross-applied because they are either 1) examples / representative of principles, or 2) core truths that apply across a spectrum. A leader needs to be able to think abstractly enough to make cross-application, to see ideas and identify how they illustrate lessons, while also being wise and discerning enough to identify and implement specifically related principles. The Bible, as the greatest source of wisdom at our disposal, is filled with illustrations and lessons that can be applied and cross-applied to leadership today.
My hope is that you learned and/or grew from the variety of lessons that I drew from this study of Ezra, but it is also my hope that you learned that you also can draw lessons from the Bible that will help you be the best leader you can be. The Bible is a valuable (and valid) source of wisdom, so I would encourage you to become intentional about seeking wisdom from it.
In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week, in part 14, I am reviewing all the lessons I’ve talked about in the series. Here is the transcript of the podcast.
In this series, we have been diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.
We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead. The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead. The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race. We have already talked about the importance of the ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, the importance of celebrating, the process of strategic planning, and restoration, or what to do if things have gone wrong or you have messed up. Today, as we begin to wrap up the series, we are reviewing everything we’ve talked about.
In my first few years of teaching, I was in a place that had numerous organizational health issues, and the result was that student needs were being affected. Without a lot of support or guidance, I put my efforts into understanding what the students needed, and then figuring out how to meet those needs. Eventually, the head of school approached me and asked me if I would be the guidance counselor, because, he said, “You’re already doing that.” So, I accepted that responsibility and used it to start figuring out more ways that I could use this new official position to do even more. This led to being given more authority. As that cycle continued, I was offered an opportunity to become a head of school in another state, and after much prayer, my wife and I made the decision to take it. I stepped into this new role, like my previous one, having to figure out what steps I needed to take. I had not had formal school leadership training, so essentially, I was learning on the job. God blessed that work, and that school began to thrive. Years later, when I look back, I can see in hindsight the things I did well in my leadership as well as the mistakes I learned from.
One thing I didn’t have that I wish I had was a simple guide to basic leadership skills that would have better equipped me from the beginning, rather than having to learn only by trial and error. That’s what these lessons are for you from the life of Ezra. They are a simple explanation of some of the valuable tools that you can have in your toolbelt to be able to lead well.
I grouped these lessons into three sections, with one brief tangent:
- The first section was the foundation, the big picture lesson and an overall theme of Ezra, that God’s sovereignty works in in conjunction with my responsibility, in the context and for the purpose of restoration, resulting in relationship and purpose. Therefore, in the application of leadership, it is vital that we begin with an understanding that God has a plan and a purpose that can be trusted, and He is actively involved in the events of our lives, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it. Thankfully, His plan is not contingent upon or predicated by our perfection, so He doesn’t wait until we are perfect before choosing you or me as a leader or carrying out His plan.
- In the second section, I talked about the preparation for your leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” This was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming, which gives you your capability to lead; getting into position in the right form by matching your actions and your words, so that you are best prepared to start well, which gives you the credibility to lead; and then beginning the race and maintaining the pace.
- We took a brief tangent to talk about team leadership, learning some bonus lessons from Ezra about the components of a team and how to successfully assemble and navigate the work of the team.
- The rest of lessons focused on specific tools and skills for your leadership. As I said in the opening of this podcast, these included the importance of and ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, the importance of celebrating, the process of strategic planning, and restoration, or what to do if things have gone wrong or you have messed up.
This was a very short summary of a lot of information. The bottom line is that these lessons provide an instruction sheet or a roadmap that you can use to manage your leadership. They are lessons that you can learn from and apply so that you can be better in your leadership. I have said to my own children that you learn most things from experience, but it’s usually less painful if it’s someone else’s experience. I pray that you can learn from my experience so that you can have a greater impact. If you want more thoughts and study of these topics from the book of Ezra, order a copy of Leadership Ezra, available on Amazon.
In thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament (and then published in my latest book). This week, in part 14, I am reviewing all the lessons I’ve talked about in the series.
For the last thirteen weeks, I have been sharing various lessons on leadership that can be drawn from the story that takes place in the book of Ezra, and today I am pausing to review everything we’ve talked about. I started at the beginning by pointing out that this is a relatively short book, with ten chapters, that tells a 2-part story. The general story involves the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Jeremiah 29, when God foretold the return of the people of Israel to Jerusalem. Chapters 1 through 6 describe the return of a remnant of Israelites specifically for the purpose of rebuilding the temple, and chapters 7 through 10 – which take place years later – describe Ezra’s role in leading religious leaders back to Jerusalem to restore the spiritual culture of the people. In essence, it is a story of restoration by God, the restoration of His house and His people. Along the way, there are a great number of lessons that are applicable to the task of leadership for the Christian in today’s world, and those lessons are what I have been attempting to draw out from our study.
- The first thing we talked about, and one of the most important lessons in Ezra, is a big picture lesson, representing the overall theme for the book of Ezra, and it is this: God’s sovereignty operates in conjunction with man’s responsibility, in the context and for the purpose of restoration, resulting in relationship and purpose. Therefore, in the application of leadership, it is vital that we begin with an understanding that God has a plan and a purpose that can be trusted, and He is actively involved in the events of our lives, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it. Thankfully, His plan is not contingent upon or predicated by our perfection, so He doesn’t wait until we are perfect before choosing you or me as a leader or carrying out His plan. He has a purpose, and you get to be part of it.
Get ready to lead – We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!”
- The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. It’s been said that leaders must be learners; but Christian leaders must also be learners of God’s Word. Therefore, in our leadership development, we absolutely must study Scripture, growing in intimacy with God. We need regular time with God, in prayer and in His Word. This must be central and foundational to what we do, how we live, and to our call or purpose from Him. By doing this first, we will learn to see people and circumstances from God’s perspective, shaping how we think and act. It is from this growth of knowledge and relationship with God that we are able to “walk the talk,” modeling and practicing what we know, and living authentic, genuine lives that inspire trust and result in effective leadership. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead.
- The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. This is the crucial transitional step between the inward (preparing yourself) and outward (the visible work of leadership) pieces. In the word of Ezra 7:10, this is “to do it,” the step I would call “Living,” and it requires putting the Word of God into practice in your life. This means consistently and willingly obeying God’s commands, observing and following the truths of His Word. In doing so, you follow God in obedience with your practice, by what you do, and you provide an example of obedience in who you are. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead.
- The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. At its most basic level, the work of leadership is challenging, and centers around and involves both people and tasks. It is, however, also incredibly fulfilling to be an instrument in God’s plan in that work. As His instrument, our desire and effort should be to do this work with excellence, and understanding these ten components will help us to do so. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race.
Team leadership – We deviated a little bit from our study of leadership applied to you as an individual and turned briefly to the study of leadership applied to teams.
- There are three components of a team that are evident from the study of Ezra: the leader of the team, the team, and (putting those two things together) leadership of the team. As the leader of the team, first and foremost, intentionally recognize and submit to God’s sovereign activity, purpose, and process in your life, in the team, and in the task. Make sure – and this one is absolutely critical, which is why I have included it so often in each of the articles in this series – that you are aggressively pursuing an intimate relationship with God and living a life consistent with God’s truth. Next, intentionally gather the right people around you, including those with leadership ability and those with wisdom, but especially include spiritual leaders who are humble and committed to God. Then, and only then, lead your team. Set the example in attitude and humility, assign responsibility, provide motivation, and work to maintain unity.
Tools and skills for your leadership – For the final seven weeks, we discussed several tools and practices based on Ezra’s leadership model that can be applied to your leadership.
- See the big picture – It is always important for a leader to determine and define the necessary and intended direction (where we are going), but part of understanding this comes from seeing the bigger picture of context from God’s perspective. When you are able to do that, you have an understanding of the destination that goes beyond the visible and immediate future. You recognize a purpose that is bigger than you, that is bigger than your big picture, and that has an eternal impact. What follows is an impact on motivation (why we’re going there) because people can see a clearly established and communicated purpose and motive, one that makes sense to and resonates, and helps them to understand and believe in why they are doing what they are doing. So, seeing the big picture is important, but seeing it from God’s perspective is more important. The challenge for you and me is to learn to open our eyes to God’s presence and intentional involvement, not just in the history recorded in Scripture, but in our lives today. It is to see the events and circumstances that are taking place in our daily experiences from His perspective. And when our eyes have been opened, and we recognize His sovereign purpose and see the big picture from God’s perspective, then our responses, our purpose, our motives, and our motivation rise to a whole new level.
- Let them be heard – I have learned that many people know much more than I do about many things, and there are many things that others can do better than I. I don’t know everything, and I am not the most skilled at everything. Therefore, I can be more effective when I tap into the knowledge and skills of others, but that, in turn, means giving them an opportunity to contribute. In addition, those who are closest to a situation – those on the ground floor – generally have the greatest understanding of what is taking place. The people actually doing the job often have the best understanding of what works and what does not. That’s why I need to give people a voice, especially in the process of implementing change. If people are given the ability to speak into the process, they will in turn take more ownership of it and will be more involved and more committed. That means I need to: 1) include those who will be affected, 2) provide a time/place for dialogue, 3) provide motivation to meet, 4) clearly define the issue, 5) give people an opportunity to safely speak, and 6) listen and take their input into consideration. Giving the people a voice will bring the best ideas, and it is then the responsibility of the leadership to filter the responses, seek God, and determine the direction.
- Light a fire – We all struggle with the question of how to motivate ourselves and how to motivate others. There are plenty of theories and ideas about motivation, and I won’t claim to have the corner on an exclusive motivational secret, but Ezra provides us with a scenario that teaches us two important components of motivation: 1) exhortation, being confronted with the difference between where you and where you need to be, and 2) encouragement, building the belief that it can be done and will be worth it. We need to confront people with the need for change by providing contrast, but we also need to encourage them with the view of the future that creates a belief in its value. Therefore, combine exhortation with encouragement but remember to keep your plan aligned with God’s.
- Face what’s in front of you – The obstacles and opposition we face can be overwhelming and disheartening, and therefore we must be ready to handle it. Ezra models three action steps we can take to handle them well: 1) be proactive by planning for potential difficulties, 2) be reactive by responding in the right way regardless of how we are attacked, and 3) consciously and willingly submit all circumstances to God’s plan and timing. There is no guarantee that doing work for God will be easy; if anything, there is a certainty that there will be difficulty in work (remember that God cursed the work of man when He confronted Adam in the Garden of Eden). We will encounter obstacles and we will face opposition. But if we are prepared, and if we respond in the right way, and if we trust God’s sovereignty, we can handle whatever comes our way.
- Celebrate! – Celebrations are important, giving us a way to mark those meaningful occasions and reminding us of the moments that really matter. When should they happen? Throughout the process: at the beginning, at the end, and at milestones and accomplishments along the way. How should they happen? Officially, visibly, and in a way that involves people. Why should they happen? To give praise to God and credit to people, and to remind people of what has been accomplished and overcome. Celebrations are good for the organization and for the people in the organization, and they keep God at the forefront of all that is happening. Celebrations build positive culture and build value in people, and those are things that should characterize effective Christian leaders. So, look for opportunities to celebrate, and make them a part of the life of your organization.
- Make a plan – Although there are many tools, strategies, and principles for strategic planning that can help you in your effectiveness as a leader, I discussed eight that are illustrated through Ezra’s experience provide some basic steps that we can use: 1) preparing yourself, 2) gathering the right people, 3) identifying the need/issue, 4) identifying the goal to be achieved, 5) taking time to listen, 6) establishing a process, 7) identifying obstacles, and 8) implementing the plan. Along the way, one of the tasks of a leader is to periodically assess what is happening, in order to confirm that the process is working (so that adjustments can be made if needed) and to ensure that the goals are being reached.
- Fix what you broke (or what somebody else broke) – Whether you, or those around you, have messed up by doing wrong, or even if something has gone wrong that has nothing to do with you and was not caused by wrongdoing, I see six steps should be taken: 1) own it, 2) admit it, 3) address it, 4) change it, 5) share it, and 6) check it. The bottom line is, ff you have blown it, own it. That’s where it starts. Get on your knees before God and take the steps you need to take to bring about restoration. There may still be consequences that have to be faced, but healing can’t happen until you humble yourself, and God is able to do great things as a result (as James 4:10 tells us, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up”). The grace of God is such that He can and will bring restoration, and He can do it in any circumstances. But it begins with you.
That was a lot of information, but important. It encapsulates everything we’ve talked about in the last 14 weeks. If you want more thoughts and study of these topics from the book of Ezra, order a copy of Leadership Ezra, available on Amazon.
In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week, in part 13, I am discussing one of several lessons on the practice of leadership, this one is about navigating restoration when you have messed up. Here is the transcript of the podcast.
In this series, we are diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.
We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead. The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead. The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race. We have already talked about the importance of the ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, the importance of celebrating, and the process of strategic planning. Today, in the last of these tools before wrapping up the series, we are discussing the topic of restoration, or what to do if things have gone wrong or you have messed up.
In one of my experiences as a head of school, I was also the self-appointed student government advisor. I did that because I wanted to be connected to the student leaders, and through them, the student body. In addition, I had lots of good ideas in my mind from previous school experience that I knew were going to be a great blessing and benefit to the students. So, as we were preparing to plan the first big student event, I came into the planning meeting and immediately dove into my ideas with great gusto and enthusiasm. In my enthusiasm, I failed to think about the fact that I wasn’t listening first, and did not see their faces begin to shut down. When I left the meeting, I was so excited about “our” ideas, but the next day, the board president called me to tell me that I had alienated the students and they were very upset. I had to acknowledge how I had blown it, and then I had to call the students in, humble myself, sincerely apologize, and give them the authority to make the plans for this event. I had messed up, and in the process had damaged relationships, and I had to bring about reconciliation and restoration.
Sometimes you mess up. Sometimes other people mess up and you have to take ownership of it anyway. Sometimes things happen that are nobody’s fault, and you get to deal with the fallout. Regardless, one of your responsibilities as a leader is to take the blame and make it right. Ezra modeled this in Ezra 9 and 10 when he took responsibility for the sin of the people, even though he had not committed that sin. I demonstrated this when I had to take responsibility that was my own fault. I don’t know what your circumstances are, but you need to be ready to do what is necessary to make things right when you, or someone else, have messed up.
There are six steps you need to take to do this:
- Own it: take personal responsibility even if it’s not your fault (it starts with you)
- Admit it: give a public acknowledgment and statement without casting blame
- Address it: determine and identify the change that needs to happen to bring about restoration and healing
- Change it: put the change into process (and involve everyone as you do it)
- Share it: talk about it to everyone who has or will be affected
- Check it: check to make sure the process has been completed and the change has happened
Whether it’s your fault or not, when you are the leader, you need to take charge of the healing process. Jim Collins talks about a leader as someone who is both humble and bold, and this is the humble side. You’ve heard the saying, “The buck stops here,” and in part, that includes taking responsibility when things have gone wrong or aren’t working. The bottom line is that when something has gone wrong or has messed up, or when you’ve done wrong or messed up, you need to take responsibility for it, and then follow a process to repair, restore, reconcile, and heal. When you’ve blown it, own it, and then make it right.
In thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament (and then published in my latest book). This week, in part 13, I am discussing one of several lessons on the practice of leadership, this one is about navigating restoration when you have messed up.
Leading Through Restoration
Sometimes, you mess up. Sometimes things go wrong, you experience loss or defeat, you become overwhelmed by change, or you fall under insurmountable obstacles. Whether it’s your fault or not, it all falls apart, and then you experience shame, chastisement, rejection, and other consequences, and you’re left wondering what you are supposed to do next and questioning everything you’ve been doing. But your greatest question is a difficult yet very important one: What is it that you are supposed to do when something goes wrong?
This is the place where Ezra finds himself when we get to the end of his story, and his response to the cultural failure of his people is an excellent example of navigating restoration. By this point in time, the people had returned to Jerusalem, the temple had been rebuilt, and the statutes of God and the sacrifices had been re-instituted with a large degree of autonomy for the nations of Israel. But then, the bomb was dropped – the leaders (part of Ezra’s own team) brought a significant internal issue to Ezra. In fact, there were two serious issues that were presented: unholiness (they had not separated themselves from those things that were contrary to God and to His holiness) and unfaithfulness (they had committed spiritual adultery by merging with the surrounding culture and in the process, absorbing and accepting ideas, beliefs, and practices that were contradictory to and unfaithful to God).
Essentially, the people had turned away from God (unfaithfulness) and toward worldliness (unholiness). At the realization of the depth of failure in the people he was leading, Ezra immediately took the burden upon himself; he humbled himself before God and began pursuing the steps that would be needed to restore his people. Throughout the remainder of this and the next chapter, this process of restoration is modeled, first by Ezra and then mirrored by the people, and then followed by action steps that were intended to ensure that the change had taken place.
The process that was modeled and then mirrored took place in four steps: remorse, acknowledgement, response, and repentance. Ezra walked through these four steps first (in chapter 9). His reaction upon learning of the sin of the people reveals the first step of remorse, a genuine heartbrokenness over what had happened. He immediately followed this with the acknowledgement of the wrong that had been committed as well as an acknowledgement of the grace that God had demonstrated in spite of what had been done. What is really noteworthy, though, is that in this step, Ezra took ownership of the sin that had occurred even though he had not personally committed it. Finally, after remorse and acknowledgement, he responded with a determination to make things different, and repented for the wrong that had occurred. Then his followers walked through the same process. Ezra didn’t keep the problem to himself, he didn’t try to hide it or cover it up, and he didn’t try to fix it without the awareness of anyone else. Instead, he made it public with his followers, and their reaction was the same as his. They immediately expressed great remorse for what they had done, they acknowledged the wrongfulness of their actions and recognized the grace of God, and they responded with a determination to make things different and with repentance for their sin.
So, then, what about you? How does this reflect your reaction when you mess up? It should begin with remorse, a genuine distress over what has occurred. There should be a willingness to humble yourself and own the problem, acknowledging what has happened and expressing gratitude for God’s grace. There should be a determination and an intentional plan to address the issue. And there should be repentance for wrong that has been done, which brings it all together – recognizing your sin and God’s grace, confessing your sin to God, and then changing your behavior in obedience to him. Ultimately, the change in behavior must be moving toward faithfulness to God, and toward holiness.
There is something else you need to see in Ezra’s story: God did not make the people change all their external behaviors before bringing them back into the land. Rather, He first restored them to the land, and then He brought about change within them (individually and corporately) by confronting their sin, so that they could confess it, remove it, and become more faithful to God and to His statutes. The same is true for you! God doesn’t wait for people (you) to be perfect and have everything in order before He comes looking for you (remember what happened in Genesis, after Adam and Eve sinned? God came looking!). Nor is He interested in saving and/or using people only after they are “holy” and completely righteous. If that were true, none of us would ever be ready to be used by God. No, God wants you to “come as you are,” and He will first save, then change and restoration will begin to happen.
What we have looked at so far helps us work through a problem when we, or those around us, have messed up by doing wrong. However, this process also helps us with a blueprint for leading through change when something has gone wrong, but not necessarily because of wrongdoing. If we apply the same principles when something isn’t working and needs to be changed, I see six steps that should be taken:
- Own it: take personal responsibility (it starts with you)
- Admit it: make a public acknowledgment and statement
- Address it: determine and identify the change that needs to happen
- Change it: put the change into process (involve everyone)
- Share it: again, involve everyone and communicate
- Check it: check to make sure the process has been completed and the change has happened.
If you have blown it, own it. That’s where it starts. Get on your knees before God and take the steps you need to take to bring about restoration. There may still be consequences that have to be faced, but healing can’t happen until you humble yourself, and God is able to do great things as a result (as James 4:10 tells us, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up”). The grace of God is such that He can and will bring restoration, and He can do it in any circumstances. But it begins with you.
In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week, in part 12, I am discussing one of several lessons on the practice of leadership, and this one is the process of strategic planning. Here is the transcript of the podcast.
In this series we are diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.
We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead. The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead. The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race. We have already talked about the importance of the ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, and the importance of celebrating. Today we are discussing the process of strategic planning.
I have been involved in some sort of strategic planning process numerous times. Each one was a little different, yet they all shared some common characteristics as well. Sometimes I was part of a committee, while other times I primarily had to do it by myself. Sometimes it was for a specific change initiative, while other times it was for a 5-year organizational plan. But whether it involved me standing in a room and putting different-colored 8×10 post-it notes on a wall or assembling committees of parents, employees, and board members to work together, and regardless of what it was for or who I was working with, what didn’t change was that there was an intentional process that produced an intentional plan.
You see, strategic planning is just that: an intentional process intended to produce an intentional plan. There may be many forms that the process can take, and the community of leaders, employees, and customers or stakeholders need to agree on what the outcome should look like. But it still needs to be intentional. Therefore, you need to assess and identify the process that will work best for your organization, and you need to drive the determination of what that goal needs to be. Although not the only process or method that you can use, I love the model that is shown in the book of Ezra that I break down into 3 phases – Prepare, Share, and Dare – with three steps each.
- Step one is to Prepare, which is about setting yourself up for success.
- First, prepare yourself spiritually and emotionally, to ready yourself for the task ahead of you, and especially humble your heart before God.
- Next, identify the right people who need to be part of the process, the issue or vision that needs to be addressed, and the goal that is desired.
- Finally, adjust based on the obstacles and opposition that looks like will present itself
- Step two is to Share, which is about effectively communicating.
- First, Communicate. Talk about the plan, the need that will be met, what will be involved, and why it matters.
- Next, Listen to others. Give people an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, so that they are involved and can take ownership
- Finally, Adjust based on the feedback and input you receive. Make sure you really listen and then apply valuable input to make things better.
- Step three is to Dare, which is about launching the plan.
- First, Establish the process and procedures you will be following.
- Next, Implement the plan! Take the first step and start the ball rolling. You don’t need to wait until everything is perfect, because it probably never will be.
- That’s why, finally, you can Adjust along the way. Continue to get feedback, pay attention, and modify where necessary.
There are lots of ways to create and carry out a strategic plan. The best one to use can vary, depending on the circumstance and the leader, but it is important to be intentional about having one. What I have shared is only one way to look it, but there are valuable lessons and tools that are found in it. Your job now is to take the lead and start the process. What do you need to address, and how are you going to go about it?