10 Questions with Leader Mac Lake (Seacoast)

The team at Seacoast Church is packed with sharp people and Mac Lake is one of their best.  Mac and I have never met, unless the world of social media counts.  If it does we’ve met frequently. I’ve enjoyed our emails, Twitter, blog and TokBox correspondence.  Mac is a deliberate and strategic thinker.  I don’t know anyone currently more passionate about developing leaders than Mac Lake. You can follow Mac on Twitter HERE.

Here are 10 questions with Mac Lake:

10 Questions with Mac Lake:

1.    When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally?  If not, what did you want to do?

Up to the age of 16 Jerry West legendary guard for the Los Angeles Lakers was my hero so I wanted to be a basketball player.  Since I had no skills that career pursuit sort of ended for me with my middle school basketball team.  I actually began to feel called to ministry around age 17.

2.    What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now? I’ve had several really strange jobs I worked for a funeral home, sold cemetery property and was a telemarketing for a brief time.  The job outside of ministry that was most helpful to me was sales.  I worked for Kaufmann Department store selling suits which gave me the daily opportunity to interact with people.  To this day I tell my kids it’s more important to me that you develop strong people skills rather than make straight A’s.  They remind me of that every time one of them brings home a C on their report card.

3.    Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?
I worked for a pastor in Dallas named Knox.  He shaped me more than anyone in my life.  He met with me every week to mentor me.  He believed in me, pushed me, took risks with me and helped me believe in God’s work in me.

4.    Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?
The book that has shaped me in a big way and that I go back to constantly is Ken Blanchards “The One Minute Manger”.  The simplicity of Blanchards management method left a huge impression on me from the first time I ever read it.  From that day I’ve always said, “I want to be the One Minute Manager” The book gives three simple secrets for leading others.  The principles that Blanchard promotes can be used not only in ministry but in parenting as well.  I think one of the greatest needs leaders have is a in intentional leadership system and there’s no better system than One Minute Management.

5.    What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?
Relational, Belief, Empowering

6.    What is your greatest strength in leadership?
I believe in people.  I love to look for the potential in people and then help them to discover that in themselves.  If you really want to energize people help them see their potential.  Most people see themselves smaller than they really are and risk missing some of the greatness that God has gifted them with.

7.    What is your greatest weakness in leadership?
My mind is moving fast most of the time so I tend not to communicate enough detail to those I work with.  John Maxwell’s old saying runs through my mind a lot, “People will be down on what they aren’t up on.”  I need to slow down and be more thorough.

8.    What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?
Firing an employee.  I’ve had to do it on several occasions and it’s never easy.  It’s always best when someone is struggling in a position to try to retrain them first, if that doesn’t work reposition them and if that doesn’t work you have to release them.  I like the first two steps but that third one is gut wrenching.

9.    What is one misconception about your work you think people may have?
People may think that as the Leadership Development pastor I train all our leaders.  While I do mentor several leaders here I mostly oversee the leadership development strategy which is providing a system and tools for our leaders to reproduce themselves.

10.  If you could give one piece of advice to young leaders from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?
I would tell young leaders to develop their leadership spirit as well as their leadership skills.  My life verse is Psalm 78:72 that says of David, “He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with skillful hands.”  If you only have leadership spirit people will like you but only follow you so far because you don’t produce results.  If you only have leadership skill people will admire you for a season but will eventually feel used by you because they don’t feel valued.  David was an effective leader because he developed his leadership spirit and skills.

I continue to be encouraged by your feedback on these interviews.  Please leave a comment here if you are enjoying them, as well as, let me know whom you think I should attempt to interview.