It’s a strange phenomenon…I’ve seen people serve in leadership roles who I don’t even think are qualified to lead, yet they are leading and people are following. And, many times, they are achieving results…
The reason is not their abilities as much as the way they have positioned or presented themselves to a group of followers.
Here’s one principle of leadership:
Busy leaders. You know them. I hesitated to call them “important” people, because frankly I think all of us are equally important, but these are the leaders who have influence in a certain area of expertise and you would love a chance to spend some time with them just to learn from them. Perhaps you need their assistance for a project or you just want to glean from their experience.
The problem is these leaders have limited time to spend beyond what they are currently doing. You already view their time as valuable to you. You want to make the best use of it that you can.
Here are a few pointers to help your interactions with these busy leaders:
Let’s discuss….
As a former business owner, I am a huge proponent for treating a customer well. I don’t know that I would say the customer is king always, but the goal should certainly be that they leave feeling good about their experience. Customer service is the front door of any business (or church). Because of that, I tip well, I express appreciation and I always have a desire to make the waiter or waitresses day better, not worse than before I came. I want to encourage and reward good service and I realize that there could always be personal reasons why a person gives bad service on a particular day. I am always perplexed, however, of the way to respond when I receive bad service.
One night this week, my small group ate together at a local restaurant. From our first encounter, we knew our waiter did not want to be there. He was obviously impatient and snappy with his responses. It wasn’t the worst customer service I’ve ever received, but it was obviously not one of the best. When a large group recognizes the tension in a waiter, it’s probably a good indicator that service is less than excellent. It reminded me, especially with the pressure of my small group around me, that I don’t always know how to respond.
Today’s Friday discussion is:
What kind of customer should a Christian be?
Successful projects and teams require meetings to accomplish goals and objectives of the organization. Busy leaders, however, are usually somewhat anti-meetings because of the interruption they appear to be in getting actual work done. I have found, however, that much of the frustration is found in the lack of proper preparation prior to the meeting. Although, when done well, the time spent in meetings can actually make projects better and strengthen the work of the organization. A large part of making meetings better is found in the preparation prior to the meeting.
Here are 7 ways to prepare for more effective meetings:
I’ve been out of work for a long period of time wondering what I was going to do and how we were going to survive financially. For those who are looking for work…I’m praying for you today.
If you are off today…rest well and be thankful for the job you have now.
I am curious though…
I’ve talked much about extraversion and introversion recently on this blog. It’s a subject that comes up much in my leadership and one I think is helpful in understanding how people relate to one another. Communication is not just verbal, however, and recently I’ve been paying more attention to its other forms. Introversion and extroversion preferences appear to show up in written correspondence as well.
For example, I know some who appear extroverted in their writing styles. They tend to ask questions which require an answer. They tend to add personal information about themselves in emails, in addition to the pertinent facts of the email.
And then there is the issue of listening…. I see introverted and extroverted preferences when it comes to the listening side of the communication process also. Do you know any extroverted listeners?
As an introvert, when I’m watching a movie…
Are you feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Over-worked? Like you can never complete everything you are supposed to complete? Do projects never seem to be as good as you want them to be?
Here’s an illustration I hope will help.
Just discovered this Ted video with Billy Graham talking about technology and faith. He’s humorous, engaging, and helpful about how to deal with technology in the future. He’s talking to a secular audience in 1998, but his words are still practical.
Enjoy some time listening to this honored man:
Here is a principle you must understand for organizational efficiency:
Sometimes the best person for the job may not be the person who (you think) can do the job best.
Let me explain…
Think you have a great idea….sleep on it…
If you read this blog regularly, surely you have learned that I’m a risk-taker by nature. I love to encourage big dreams and I want to be a catalyst for idea generation and innovative thought. I’m even a church planter!!! Talk about risk…
In spite of that tendency in me to act quickly, I have learned one principle of leadership by personal experience…this is one of those wisdom learned by mistake kind of things…so listen closely…
