Building People – A Big Holy Awesome Goal

January 29, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , Leave a comment

When I first joined the leadership team at Church of the King in Mandeville, Louisiana my Senior Pastor asked me a very important question. “Gary, what do we do at Church of the King?” Because I knew this was a very important question and I didn’t want to be the shortest tenured staff person ever on the leadership team, I was nervous as I carefully thought about my answer.  “We build people Pastor Steve”, I responded.  “That’s right Gary! We build people!” exclaimed Pastor Steve. “And I want you to help put in place the professional development processes needed for people to fulfill their potential on our team.”  And with that Big Holy Awesome Goal, I began to work with the members of our team to develop and implement a formal professional development process to support our corporate vision of reaching people and building lives, including the people on our staff.

Leadership Principle #1: Building People Requires Great Coaching Leaders  

Recently, I heard of the Vivian Maier story where a young man discovered that over the course of Vivian’s life, she had taken over 100,000 street pictures which were never developed. As I contemplated this true story, I wondered to myself why would someone take over 100,000 pictures and never share them with anyone.  Could it be that she was afraid of the critique from others?  I’m not sure, but it would not surprise me.  In fact, in the parable of the talents, there was a servant who hid his talents in the ground because he was afraid that his master would be a hard man of critique [Matt 25:24-25].  Or perhaps Vivian Maier suffered the experience of having someone in her life wound her in a way that caused her to never want to risk the vulnerability of sharing her most extraordinary gift and talent – capturing the authentic essence of street life through photography. Either way, it seems sad to me that she would live her whole life and never really share her talent for the benefit of others while she lived.

In an interview, I heard Coach Tony Dungy share a bad experience that he once had with a poor coach when he was a young football player in high school. Being terribly discouraged with his coach, he made the decision to quit the team and never return to football; however, fortunately for him and us, his high school principal took a real interest in him.  So when the principal found out that Tony had quit the team, the principal took the time to speak with Tony and encourage him to never quit on account of someone else, but rather, get back in the game and do what he loved to do – playing football. Just imagine what may have never happened in Coach Tony’s life and ours if his principal didn’t take the time to care about him and be a real genuine life coach to him at a crucial point in his young developing life.  The world may have never seen Coach Tony Dungy become one of the best super bowl world champion football coaches of our time. How thankful we should be for great coaching leaders like Coach Tony Dungy’s principal and Coach Tony Dungy himself!

Leadership Principle #2: Building People Requires A Great Coaching Process

In his book, Becoming A Coaching Leader, Daniel Harkavy states that “Coaching leaders want great people to develop in great ways, and they want to be an integral part of the process.”  To me, that is exactly what it means to be a great coaching leader and is also the reason why it is so important for organizations to have a big holy awesome goal of sincerely developing people through an effective performance review process.  However, to have an effective performance review and people development process, the process must first begin with the establishment of goals and objectives – personal goals that support a person’s life plan and team goals that support their team’s strategic plan.

In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks Cheshire Cat, “Can you tell me which way I should walk from here?” “Well, that depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said Cheshire Cat.  “I don’t much care where” said Alice.  “Then it doesn’t really matter which way you walk” said Cheshire Cat.  Without having to say much more, this little famous tale rings so true in our own lives when it comes to life planning and strategic planning.  If we don’t care where we are going, then it doesn’t really matter if we develop a plan to get there or not.  However, if we have a destiny and a purpose to fulfill in our lives and in our organizations, then it would be very wise to take the time to write down the vision and establish the necessary goals and objectives that will help us get there just as the Bible commands in Habakkuk 2:2.  Unfortunately though, most people don’t like to do this and therefore they don’t.

To me, it’s kind of like choosing to take the stairs or to take the escalators when going to another level in a department store.  I’m told that less than 10% of people will actually take the stairs when there are escalators available because people prefer to take the easy way to the top. When it comes to our goals, people are the same way because less than 10% of people will actually take the time to write down their goals and objectives that support their personal life plans and organizational strategic plans.  But unlike the case of taking the stairs or the escalators to the next level in a department store, there is no escalator or easy way to the top of the next level with our life purposes and our organizational missions.  Writing down our goals and objectives is actually part of the escalator that will take us to the next level and there isn’t really any other intentional practical way to do it.  In fact, it has been shown that people who write down their goals and objectives are much more likely to achieve their goals than those that do not develop such simple discipline and accountability.

Leadership Principle #3: Building People Requires Great Coaching Feedback

Therefore, in order for a person and a team to achieve their goals and objectives, leaders must be intentional about what they want to accomplish in any given year which is why we include a goal setting process for personal and team goals to be reviewed weekly, monthly, and annually through our reporting and professional development process.  To help us do this, we have created the following simple tools to facilitate an effective process:

1)      Goal Templates for Personal and Team Goals

2)      Annual Performance Review and Professional Development Plan Document

3)      Organizational Core Values and Team Values

As it relates to core values, Ken Blanchard teaches that “values are to be lived; not framed”, therefore, it is very important that an annual performance review and professional development process also include a component of review for behavioral alignment with an organization’s values.  In fact, if we don’t include the practical living out of our values in the coaching and development process, but rather only address the technical aspects of people’s personal growth and development, it would be as if we expected people to fly a plane with one wing.  It’s not until we have the courage as leaders to address people’s behavioral development in relationship to our values as well as their technical development in relationship to their job responsibilities that we actually help them grow and develop in a well-rounded way that empowers and equips them to achieve their fullest potential.

Leadership Principle #4: Building People Requires Great Coaching Love For People

And lastly, because Colossians 3:14 (CEV) states, “Love is more important than anything else and it ties everything else together”, we believe the fundamental purpose of any performance evaluation is to speak the truth in love in order to sincerely help people grow and develop.  It’s certainly not to give a pass or fail grade that values and devalues people through a numerical rating system, but rather, an effective life-giving performance evaluation offers the opportunity for great coaching leaders to provide genuine feedback that will help people learn, grow, and develop their extraordinary God-given potential to make a real difference in life.

Question: How does your organization help coach people in developing their extraordinary God-given potential to make a real difference in life?

Building People – A Big Holy Awesome Goal Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Building People – A Big Holy Awesome Goal, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

5 Reasons We Can Make It Happen In Faith

January 1, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights 1 Comment

As a believer in Jesus Christ for more than 20 years, I have learned that some things in life are impossible with men, but with God, all things are possible as stated in Mark 10:27.  Additionally, I have learned that with God I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me as stated in Philippians 4:13.  These two truths are paramount to my faith as I dream big in God and consider the make it happen possibilities of my faith in this new year.  To me, these Scripture verses are huge because they convey the powerful truth that with God I can do anything in Christ that He has called me to do in the power and might of His strength to make it happen in faith this year and each year of my life.  Furthermore, as born-again children of the Living God, I believe we can each make it happen in faith because God is with us and His Word is true.  Therefore, as you dream big in God this new year and consider the make it happen possibilities of actually living your life in faith with Him each day, I pray that the following 5 reasons we can make it happen in faith will engage you at a new level of faith and hope in Christ this year:

Faith Reason #1: God has given us a future, a hope, and a God-ordained destiny to live in faith with Him each day of our lives

  • I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
  • For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
  • Before I [the Lord] formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
  • Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (Psalms 139:16-17)
  • Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)
  • But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
  • The smallest of them will become a family. The weakest of them will become a mighty nation. At the right time I, the Lord, will make it happen quickly. (Isaiah 60:22 from GOD’S WORD translation)

Faith Reason #2: God has given us gifts and talents to do good works that glorify Him on earth

  •  Then God blessed them, and God said to them,”Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)
  • Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
  • “Most assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)
  • For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
  • “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’  His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”  Matthew 25:20-21
  • But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)
  • You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 2:24)
  • Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. (Psalms 37:5)
  • The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (Daniel 11:32)

Faith Reason #3: God has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us, teach us, and strengthen us in our faith

  • And I [Jesus] will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)
  • But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I [Jesus] said to you. (John 14:26)
  • You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
  • Have I [the Lord] not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
  • [It’s] ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)
  • The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. (Psalm 34:7)
  • Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)

Faith Reason #4: God has given us overcoming victory in Him to be more than conquerors in Christ

  • What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
  • Thus says the Lord to you: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
  • No weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
  • For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
  • The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. (Deuteronomy 28:7)
  • So he answered,”Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16)
  • For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (Psalms 5:12)
  • The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10)
  • We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
  • Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
  • For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Faith Reason #5: God has given us His Word and His authority to make it happen in faith and build His kingdom on earth

  •  And I [Jesus] will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
  • Again I [Jesus] say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
  • For assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  (Mark 11:23)
  • Behold, I [Jesus] give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)
  • Your Word [God’s Word] is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalms 119:105)
  • For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
  • God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)

As children of God, surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, fully equipped with the promises of God’s Word and the free gift of His Holy Spirit living inside of us, there is no reason to believe that we cannot dream big in God and make it happen in faith with Him.  In fact, every day that we allow a spirit of can’t to speak into our lives, we give the devil access to steal, kill, and destroy our everyday victory that already belongs to us through overcoming faith in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, please join me in dreaming big in God this year and believing that we can make it happen in faith with Him each day of our lives as make-it-happen people fully equipped with His Word and fully empowered by His Holy Spirit to build His kingdom on earth.

Thank you and have a blessed make-it-happen New Year!

Question:  What is holding you back from dreaming big in God this year and believing that you can make it happen in faith with Him to build His kingdom on earth in your sphere of influence?

5 Reasons We Can Make It Happen In Faith Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, 5 Reasons We Can Make It Happen In Faith, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Life Planning

December 23, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights 1 Comment

A stack of manila paper.

Image via Wikipedia

Life Planning Principle #1: Learn How To Number A Day

As this year closes to an end, let me challenge you with a few thoughts about your life.  If the average person lives to be 84 years old, for the sake of argument, you could subtract your current age from 84 and that would be how many years you could reasonably assume that you might have left to live.  So in my case, at age 44, I can reasonably assume that I might have approximately 40 years left to live, although I do realize that only the Lord really knows how many days I have left to live because Psalm 139:16, states, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  However, for the sake of challenging your thoughts about living each day of your life to your fullest God-given potential, if you were 44 years old like me, and I gave you 40 sheets of paper potentially representing each year of life that you may have left to live on earth, assuming you would live to age 84, what would you write on each page as your personal life goals and objectives? What if you were 64 and only had 20 sheets of paper? With only 40, 20, or even 10 sheets of paper to plan how you would like to live your life to its fullest God-given potential, it becomes a sobering reality of how little time we actually may have to fully live our lives and fulfill our God-ordained purposes on earth from this day forward.  With that said, I think it is wise to learn how to number the days that God has given us by taking the time to make a life plan of personal goals and objectives for each year of our lives.  In fact, Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Life Planning Principle #2: Learn How To Value A Day

I once read a story about a man who retired at a certain age and to help him value his retirement days, he estimated how many weeks he would have left to live if he lived to the average age.  So let’s say he was 64 at the age of retirement and he figured that he would live to an average age of 84; therefore, doing the math, he estimated that he would have approximately 1,040 weeks left to live [20 yrs X 52 weeks]. He then went to a local hobby store, purchased 1,040 marbles, placed them in a jar, and began removing one marble at a time as each passing Saturday came and went to help remind him how valuable and precious each week was to him.  As a result, he learned how to value his days and fully enjoy each passing week to its fullest.  In Psalms 39:4 David says, “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.” With a proper perspective regarding the frailty of life, we can learn how to appreciate each day that the Lord has given us and enjoy life to the full like the psalmist in Psalm 118:24 singing, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Life Planning Principle #3: Learn How To Plan A Day

By this point, I sincerely hope that I have stirred you to a place of thoughtful contemplation and deliberate action regarding your plans for your life in this next year and each year thereafter.  Proverbs 21:5 states, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” Therefore, to help me develop an effective life plan each year that leads to plenty in all aspects of my life, I have learned to focus on 5 major areas of my life [spiritual, social, intellectual, physical, and financial] by establishing personal life goals and objectives in each one of those areas.  To do so, I take time at the end of each year to review my prior year goals and objectives, pray about the upcoming year, and then write my new personal goals and objectives for each major area of my life in my journal. For years, this simple discipline has helped me to live my life on purpose and fully enjoy the journey along the way, regardless of life circumstances that try to knock me off course.  This year will be no different; however, this year I have created a simple to use Annual Life Planning Tool in Excel to help document my personal life goals and objectives for this next year in a digital format.  Should you like to use this simple Annual Life Planning Tool as well, it will be my sincere pleasure to send you the file if you would kindly send me an e-mail request at gborgstede@makeithappenbooks.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you and have a blessed Make It Happen New Year!

Question: What kind of life planning tools do you have to help you live life on purpose?

Life Planning Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Life Planning, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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Fighting The Good Fight Of Faith

November 3, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights 2 Comments

In reading the biblical account about the story of David and Goliath in the 17th chapter of 1 Samuel, we read in verse 40 that David, “took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.”  From this verse and the rest of David’s story leading up to his battle with Goliath, we can learn from David that there are five fundamental faith principles in fighting the good fight of faith in Christ.  To me, the five smooth stones that David chose for battle as he drew near to the giant represent five things we can do to help us effectively fight the good fight of faith in Christ.  The apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:12 that we should fight the good fight of faith; therefore, I’d like to share five practical faith principles that can help us better approach our own spiritual battles and effectively fight the good fight of faith in Christ.

Faith Principle #1: Ignore the false accusations of the enemy.

When David came to the battlefield and saw that Goliath was taunting the armies of the living God, he spoke against Goliath; however, David’s oldest brother became angry with David and falsely accused him of pride and insolence of heart. 1 Samuel 17:26-28 states, “Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?  For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?’ And the people answered him in this manner, saying, ‘So shall it be done for the man who kills him.’ Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, ‘Why did you come down here?  And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.’  What Eliab was actually saying to David was this.  “Who do you think you are coming down to the battle?  You are nothing but a little shepherd boy who watches a few sheep.  You can do nothing great and you have pride in your heart to come watch the battle.”  But the truth is that David was sent to the battlefield by his father.   He didn’t have pride in his heart.  He actually had obedience in his heart. 

It is important for us to understand that when our Heavenly Father sends us to the battlefield and we show up to fight the good fight of faith in Christ, the devil will become angry with us and he will falsely accuse us.  This is because the devil is the accuser of the brethren and he doesn’t want us to fight the good fight of faith in Christ.  But that does not matter because the devil is nothing but a liar and the father of lies; therefore, we must simply ignore his lies just like David did.  In verses 29 and 30, David says, “’What have I done now? Is there not a cause?’ Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.”  Additionally, we must clearly understand that David’s brother was not the enemy.  The enemy was just using his brother to bring discouragement and doubt to him; however, David simply responded by turning the other way and focusing on the cause which is the second faith principle in fighting the good  fight of faith in Christ.

Faith Principle #2: Focus on the cause of the afflicted.

David cared more about fighting the cause of the afflicted than he did about the lies of the enemy.  So when the lies came, David’s heart did not condemn him because his heart was right before the Lord.  1 Corinthians 2:11 says “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” David was being led by the Spirit of God to fight the good fight of faith for the cause of God’s people.  In fact, in Psalm 140:12-13, David says, “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor.  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence.”  When we stay focused on the cause of the afflicted in fighting the good fight of faith in Christ, we can be confident that the Lord will fight for us because the Lord promises to maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor.

Faith Principle #3: Build your faith during the wilderness trials of life.

In 1 Samuel 17:33-37, the Bible records that Saul said to David, “’You are not able to go against this Philistine, for you are a youth and he is a man of war from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ’Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’” From the challenges and trials of life that David experienced in the wilderness, he learned how to build his faith and fight the good fight of faith.  In his wilderness battles, David learned that he could completely trust God to deliver him from the hand of the enemy and give him the victory.  We are no different from David.  In our challenging times of life in the wilderness, we too can learn how to build our faith and trust God to deliver us from the hand of the enemy and give us the victory.  In fact, in 2 Timothy 4:18, the Bible says, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.”

Faith Principle #4: Depend upon the armor of God for protection and not the armor of man.

In 1 Samuel 17:38-39, the Bible says, “Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.  David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them.  And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off.”  David knew that he could not depend on armor that he had not tested in battle so he did not use Saul’s armor.  David only trusted the armor that God had given him to fight the battle and we must do the same thing. God has given us special armor to fight the good fight of faith in Christ.  In fact, the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Additionally, the apostle Paul tells us further that the armor of God includes the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and the gospel of peace.  The truth is that we cannot fight the good fight of faith in our own armor nor our own strength.  Zechariah 4:6 states that it is, “’Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” 

Faith Principle #5: Speak bold words of faith and promise directly to the enemy of your spirit in Christ.

In 1 Samuel 17:45-47, “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.’” In the power and might of the Lord, David spoke bold words of faith directly to the giant because he knew that the Lord was for him and the giant could not win against him.  When we fight the good fight of faith, we must do the same thing as David.  We must boldly speak words of faith and promise in the power of God’s might and not our own.  The Bible says, “If God be for us, then who can be against us”: therefore, we must believe this awesome promise of God in fighting the good fight of faith in Christ.  Furthermore, in Luke 10:18-20, Jesus says, “I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” As believers in Christ with our names written in heaven, this is really good news!

Fighting The Good Fight Of Faith Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Fighting The Good Fight Of Faith, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development

October 4, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights Leave a comment

As a leader, I know that performance evaluations are an important part of life.  Additionally, I know that performance evaluations, if given and received properly, can be a critical tool for helping to build people as leaders and professionals.  But before I share some personal leadership insights on this important subject, I’d like to share the results of a quick math test with you to illustrate the first of four leadership principles I’ve learned as a leader about evaluating performance for growth and development.

1+1=2

1+2=3

1+3=4

1+4=6 

1+5=6

1+6=7

So what can you quickly tell me about the results of this simple math test?  How easy was it to notice that one equation is totally incorrect?  If you are like most people, it is pretty easy to spot poor performance, but what about spotting good performance?  While it is true that one of the equations in the above math test is completely wrong, how quickly did you also notice that five of the equations are completely right?  Unfortunately, most of us have been trained to evaluate performance by first looking for what is wrong in people’s performance with more of a judging spirit rather than looking for what is right in people’s performance with more of a coaching spirit.  As a leader for many years, I’ve done both; however, as I learn and grow as a life-giving leader, my sincere desire is to help people grow and develop by focusing more on their positive performance rather than their negative performance.       

Leadership Principle #1

  • Life-giving leaders look for more good than bad and more right than wrong in people’s performance.

The Bible states in Psalms 139:14-17, “I will praise You [God], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!”  If we know that God has wonderfully and skillfully made each one of us and He has precious thoughts toward us, then why should we think differently about God’s most valuable creation when it comes to evaluating performance? In fact, when we think about people the way God thinks about people – His most prized creation – it becomes easy to be a source of real encouragement in people’s professional growth and development by focusing on their positive performance and not their negative performance.  I’ve heard it said that “encouragement is oxygen to the soul” and I believe it because I have personally experienced the real power of encouragement in my own professional growth and development as a leader.

Leadership Principle #2:

  • Life-long disciplined learners can grow tremendously by learning from their successes and their failures in life.

Some time ago I learned from another leader that effective leaders reflect upon their successes and their failures in life and they learn from them.  Personally, I have found this to be true if someone really wants to be an effective life-long learner.   In fact, Proverbs 24:16 states, “For a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”  Plus, as a Christ follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, I’ve learned that a life-long disciple is actually a life-long disciplined learner.  Therefore, as a life-long disciplined learner, I realize that I must exercise discipline in self-reflection in order to effectively learn from my personal successes and failures in life. Furthermore, I have personally found that it is much easier to reflect upon my successes in life and learn from them versus my failures in life; however, I have also found that while it may be more emotionally difficult to reflect upon my failures, some of my most significant learning and growth has taken place when I have honestly sought to learn and grow from my failures.  As a result, I’ve learned that failure is never really failure unless we fail to learn anything from it.

Leadership Principle #3:

  • Criticism or evaluative feedback is critical information that is necessary to help people learn and grow. 

Once I attended a leadership seminar with author and speaker, John Miller, who wrote the book titled, QBQ – The Question Behind The Question.  In that seminar, John shared this powerful leadership principle for personal growth and development.  As leaders, if we truly embrace the revelation that criticism is actually critical information that is necessary to help us learn and grow, we will have found a powerful key to learning and growing as people.  Such a definition helps us understand that criticism or evaluative feedback is actually about the performance of a person, and not the person.

For example, when one of my sons was performing on stage in a drama skit, he forgot to turn on his microphone as well as a couple of other things that needed a little tweaking.  However, when he was critiqued, he didn’t like it and didn’t receive the evaluative feedback very well…just like you and I when our performance is being critiqued.  The reason we tend to feel this way is because we take the criticism personally rather than receive it as an opportunity to receive new information about our performance that can help us learn and grow.  Once I explained to my son that criticism was necessary critical information that he needed to help him improve his performance, he became much more open to the opportunity it provided for his personal growth and development.  I know that this is not an easy thing, especially when our own performance is being critiqued; however, I also know that we can all grow through this process if we are willing to receive criticism as critical information necessary to truly help us learn and grow as people.

Leadership Principle #4:

  •  Life-long disciplined learners effectively apply what they learn to grow and develop in life.

It is one thing to learn something, but it is another whole level of learning when we actually apply what we learn by doing it in real life.  James 1:22-25 states, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”  Therefore, to help us be “doers” and not just “hearers” only, we can effectively apply these leadership principles by asking the following four practical questions when evaluating people’s performance for growth and development.

  1. What did a person do well?  By asking this question, we intentionally look for good performance that we can affirm through encouragement as a life-giving leader.
  2. What did a person not do well?  By asking this question, we demonstrate the courage to risk the approval of people by giving them honest evaluative feedback on performance that can be improved. 
  3. What can a person do differently to improve his or her performance to another level?   By asking this question, we seek to provide practical information that people can effectively apply to help them learn, grow, and develop to a greater degree in life.
  4. What did you most and least like about a person’s performance? By asking this question, we may be able to help people self-reflect upon their successes and their failures so they can learn from them.

 In Summary:

  • Life-giving leaders look for more good than bad and more right than wrong in people’s performance.
  • Life-long disciplined learners can grow tremendously from their successes and failures in life.
  • Criticism or evaluative feedback is critical information that is necessary to help people learn and grow.
  • Life-long disciplined learners effectively apply what they learn to grow and develop in life.

Thanks and have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Evaluating Performance For Growth And Development, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Forget About It

September 2, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights 2 Comments

The other day I was talking with my wife and shared with her that I could prove from the Bible that God is Italian.  You see, while my family has told me that my surname is German, some people have also told me that it is Dutch, and others have even told me that it is Afrikaans; therefore, I am not completely sure which it is.  However, I do know for sure that my grandfather and my great grandfather and all other grandfathers of my grandfather on my mother’s side of the family, well, to say it proudly, they are FBI – Full Blooded Italian.  Now whenever I bring up my Italian heritage with my wife, she expresses a little umbrage over the matter because I think the simple truth is that she’s a little envious of my Italian roots… :-)

But nonetheless, one morning after my personal devotions in the book of Psalms, the revelation came to me that God most definitely had to be Italian and with such profound revelation bursting inside, I just had to share it with my wife.

“Honey, you would have never thought about it, but I can prove from the Bible that God is Italian!”

“God is not Italian and neither are you” she responded rather smartly as I could still sense a little envy coming over her…but I had to share my extraordinary theological revelation anyway. 

“It’s true baby. You know how Italians in New York end their sentences with ‘Think about it’ (New York accent emphasized)?  Well, God must be Italian because He does the same thing in the book of Psalms.”

So she thought about it…and then she said, “The Italians in New York don’t say ‘Think about it.’  They say ‘Forget about it’ and if you’re Italian, you should do the same.”

So I thought about it and came to the same conclusion.  God has to be Italian because not only does He say ‘Think about it’ at the end of His sentences, but also, after we confess our sins to Him, He forgives us, He cleanses us, and then He says…‘Forget about it!’ :-)

Isaiah 43:25 “I [God], even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Now obviously, I’ve had some fun with this post and please know that my wife actually does love and appreciate my Italian heritage as well as every other ethnic part of my heritage; however, there are some important leadership insights that I would like to highlight with this playful leadership post.

Leadership Insights:  

1)      Let us enjoy who God created us to be because we are valued by Him.

2)      Let us not take ourselves too seriously because life is too short to live it without any fun.

3)      Let us laugh when it is time to laugh because laughter is good for the heart and soul.

4)      Let us forgive others and ‘forget about it’ because the Lord does the same for us. 

Forget About It Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Forget About It, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Counting The Cost

August 23, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights Leave a comment

2007 RAAM Start in Oceanside, CA. Photo: Kayvo...

Image via Wikipedia

 

I’d like to share a few leadership insights about counting the cost to finish well.  Recently I was part of an 8-person cycling team that raced across America in the 29th annual Race Across America bicycle race.  It took our team 6 days, 14 hours, and 55 minutes to complete the race and cross the finish line as the 5th place team in the 8-person team division and 14th overall.  As I look at the map and reflect upon what we did, I am still amazed that we were able to finish the race as well as we did.  And I’d like to tell you that from the very beginning, I had no fears or worries at all about completing the race; however, the truth is, I had some significant fears and worries about being able to do it because I had never done anything like that before.  Plus, the fact that the race is actually called the toughest bicycle race in the world, I had a pretty good inclination that it was going to be a huge challenge for me and our team.  In all seriousness, I was very concerned about the challenge of taking 14 people across 14 states, 3,005 miles, 24 hours per day, over 100,000 ft of elevation through the mountains of Colorado and West Virginia, the sweltering hot deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, and the windy plains of Kansas and Missouri from the West Coast of California to the East Coast of Maryland.  In other words, I was nervous about the magnitude of the endeavor and needed to seriously sit down and count the cost of what it was going to take in order to finish the race.    

Do you know that this is something we must all do anytime we want to seriously do something in life bigger than ourselves?  Therefore, I’d like to share with you some of the things I learned about counting the cost to finishing well with any significant challenge.  In retrospect, as I think about the Race Across America experience, I’ve come to realize and appreciate that my fear of starting the journey and potentially not being able to finish it, actually challenged me in some very positive ways and required me to ask myself three very important questions.   

The first question was: “Do I have what it takes to finish the race?    

In Luke 14:28-31, the Lord teaches the principle of counting the cost to finish well by sharing, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —   lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”  This is a scary thought and I can totally relate to it through my experience with RAAM.  After my friend Scot and I received approval from the Ochsner Executive Leadership Team to sponsor a RAAM team named Team Ochsner to support the fight against childhood obesity, the reality of meeting the RAAM challenge began to soberly set in as we left the executive meeting and walked down the hallway.   Our unspoken thoughts and fear was, “Do we really have what it takes to finish the Race Across America?”   

To adequately answer this question, each of our team members had to consider our foundation of health and fitness as well as develop an effective training plan to build upon it.  You just don’t decide to do Race Across America one day and then the next day get on a bike and ride all the way across America without having a significant foundation of health and fitness.  It really takes years of building a firm foundation of riding capability and physical health to even consider RAAM.  For me personally, it was 10 years of training – 3 years spinning and 7 years riding outdoors.  Additionally, to help me be accountable to my personal training plan and to my team, I began recording my daily training activity with the iMapMyRide training tool as well as sharing it on twitter.  Simply put, accountability for any project or endeavor, big or small, begins when you first tell others that you are going to do something and it continues every day when you daily affirm that decision by your disciplined actions towards completing that project or endeavor.    

Leadership Insight #1: Without a solid foundation, the discipline to build upon that foundation, and the commitment to be accountable to an effective training plan, it really doesn’t make much sense to attempt the achievement of something bigger than yourself.   

The second question I had to ask myself was: “Is God with me in this race?”   

In my walk with the Lord over the years, I’ve learned that things go much better when God is with me; therefore, with the Race Across America challenge, I needed to make sure that I wasn’t going to be picking up a load that God did not want or intend for me to carry alone.  In my prayer time, I had to seek the Lord about this matter and get the green light of His peace to proceed.  James 4:13-16, says “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit?’ whereas, you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.”   

For me, embracing the Race Across America challenge was more than just a huge potential accomplishment. It was actually something I felt the Lord leading me to do.  As a result, even though it was a tremendous weight for me to carry, I was well equipped to carry it in the strength of the Lord because I knew He was with me to do the race.  In my spirit, He was softly speaking to me, “From faith to faith, strength to strength, and glory to glory, I will take you.”  With that personal word from the Lord to me, I knew that He would give me the strength and everything else I needed to complete the race, although I still had to trust Him and exercise my faith every step of the way.  And now that the race is over, I can honestly tell you that God was so tremendously faithful and the only reason that we were able to finish so well is because the Lord was with us.    

Think about this.  We rode day and night for 3,005 miles from California to Maryland and we did not have a drop of rain nor did we have any significant head wind. For me, this is a miracle and a true testament to the awesome faithfulness of God and His goodness!  Additionally, while we were in Kansas riding through the plains, one of my team mates decided to ride along with me while the wind was at our backs.  And I can tell you, it was so much better to have the wind at our backs propelling us forward than to have it working against us as a headwind.  Similarly, it is the same way with God for any endeavor purposed in your heart.  It is so much better to have Him with you to strengthen and help you accomplish the endeavor He has put on your heart rather than trying to do something big on your own and God has not given you His grace nor His favor to do it.   

Leadership Insight #2: Don’t dare go if God says no; but in faith go large if God is with you to help push the barge.   

The last question I had to ask myself was: “Who will go with me and what character do they have to meet the challenge?”    

I knew that this race was going to be tough and everyone was going to be tested along the way; therefore, I knew that I needed to choose team mates with the strength of character to withstand the testing and be willing to work together as a team to overcome every challenge and adversity in faith.  Proverbs 17:17 states that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  Furthermore, Matthew 7:24-25 says “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” Without much exception, the people on our team were strong believers in Christ which helped us to lift one another up during the tough moments and demonstrate that the foundation of our team was built on a rock of strong character in the Lord.  And when the testing came – and it did – everyone overcame the challenges despite our differences along the way.  There is no doubt about it, without the character and commitment of every person on the team to do their part, stay in faith, and work as a team, the Race Across America would have been an impossible challenge for our team.   And this holds true for any team with dreams and goals bigger than themselves.     

Leadership Insight #3:  Everyone on a team must do their part, stay in faith, and work together as a team to see God do the impossible in and through them as a team.    

All praise, glory, and honor be to the Lord for strengthening my Race Across America team and protecting us every pedal stroke of the way!   

Counting The Cost Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Counting The Cost, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved. 

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Spirit Of Inclusion

August 12, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights 2 Comments

Today I’d like to share with you some leadership insights about the spirit of inclusion – an essential ingredient for building a healthy growing community.  Last week as I was driving to work, a group of bikers passed me on the other side of the highway riding the kind of bikes you don’t have to pedal. As I think back on the Race Across America, it would have been a lot easier if our team would have learned how to ride bikes like this group…with motors instead of pedals.  However, in many respects, that group of riders was very much just like our Race Across America team.  They were all riding bikes, they all had helmets, they were all going in the same direction, and they were all wearing the same shirts.  On the outside, the only real seemingly difference between their team and ours was that they rode bikes with motors while we rode bikes with pedals.  And the thing that caused me to begin thinking about this in terms of community was the fact that each of the bikers in the motorcycle group was wearing the same bright red color t-shirt indicating that they were all part of the same group just like the really cool team uniforms that my team wore for the Race Across America.

When our 8 person riding team had completed the 3,005 mile bicycle race across America in 6 days, 14 hours, and 55 minutes, we were given the opportunity for the entire team to parade across the finish line together, including our 6 crew members and our two support vehicles.  Although difficult to adequately describe, it was a tremendous experience when our entire team successfully paraded across the finish line as a road tested, RAAM accomplished, 5th place team in the 8-person team division. It is still hard for me to believe that our team successfully rode day and night nonstop over 100,000 feet of elevation through the mountains of Colorado and West Virginia, through the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, the plains of Kansas and Missouri, across 14 different states from the West Coast in Oceanside, California to the East Coast in Annapolis, Maryland.  And I can tell you that the only way we were able to accomplish this huge challenge was to do it together as a team.

It is interesting to me that no matter how young or old someone may be in life, whether it’s a t-ball team, a high school volleyball team, an NFL football team, a group of red hat ladies, or even an informal group of motorcycle riders, people have an inherent desire to belong to a healthy community of people who accept them, embrace them, and help them accomplish something bigger than themselves.  But unfortunately not every group welcomes people and instead of cultivating a spirit of inclusion, some groups cultivate a spirit of exclusion which in the end produces an unhealthy, dysfunctional community. As soon as a group begins to think “us four and no more”, it becomes warped because people are created in God’s image and He thinks of community in terms of inclusion, not exclusion.   Genesis 2:18 states, “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” With that Word, God created Eve as a helpmate to Adam.  Furthermore Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 states that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”   It is clear from the Bible that there is great value in friendship and even greater benefit in community.

Think about this reality expressed in our culture through America’s beloved television shows of the past: Andy Griffith had his deputy friend Barney Fife; The Skipper had his little buddy Gilligan; Oscar Madison had his opposite roommate Felix Unger; and even The Lone Ranger had his Indian riding partner Tonto.  And even though these awesome television shows are of a time long past, it is still true today: people need one another to successfully do life. We are all created by God to be in healthy relationships with other people and if we want to become more like Him we need to embrace people into our communities with a spirit of inclusion. In Acts 10:34-36 from the Message Bible, Peter states, “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from — if you want God and are ready to do as He says, the door is open.” So it doesn’t matter who you are, if you want to be part of God’s family, He will welcome and include you in His family.

Have you ever seen a flock of geese with little goslings in their flock?  If so, you may have noticed that there is a lot we can learn from them about real community.  Since we actually do have a little “goose family” on our church property, it’s been fun to watch the little baby goslings follow their “goose parents” all over our property and actually grow up into full-fledged flying geese.  And you know, the way that the little “goose family” has lived together and taken care of their goslings is in many ways similar to the way we take care of people in our spiritual family. 

On the weekends, the Lord will bring lost hurting people into our family so that we can help take good care of them and help them grow up into full-fledged spiritually mature Christ followers. When new people come into church many are born again as babes in Christ needing a lot of care and spiritual development.  As a result, we invite them to go through biblical foundations to learn the Bible and how to feed on the word of God by themselves, just like the momma and poppa geese teach their little goslings how to find food around our ponds.  Then we encourage new people to get connected in a small group with a small group leader to learn how to apply the Bible in real life practical ways in the same way that the mamma and poppa geese teach their goslings how to fly.  And then once new people have been flying in small group long enough to know how to fly on their own, we release them into leading their own small group to help take good care of people and help others grow into full-fledged spiritually mature Christ followers as well.  And this is basically the way we do life together and learn how to fly in our church family.  And because we do not have an “us four and no more” spirit of exclusion in our spiritual family, but rather, have an “us four and many more” spirit of inclusion, the Lord continues to bless our house with growth and favor in our community.

In fact, in John 15:9-17 we can learn straight from the Lord Himself about how to build a healthy community with a spirit of inclusion.   The scripture reads, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  These things I command you, that you love one another.”

Therefore, from the Bible, we can learn five specific ways to build community with a spirit of inclusion:

 1.      Love others in the group in the same way that Christ loves you.

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 2.      Sacrifice personal comforts to make room for new people in the group

John 15:13, states “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”” and Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

3.      Become genuine friends with new people in the group

John 15:15 states that “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

 4.      Intentionally choose to invite new people to the group

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” 

 5.      Intentionally receive new people in the group as Christ has received you.

Romans 15:5-7 “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”

In closing, I’d like to emphasize that we should never underestimate the power of inclusion in the family of God as a child of our heavenly Father.  When we embrace others and help them become all that they were created to be in Christ as a child of the living God, there is no telling who they may become or what impact they may have in the world!

Spirit Of Inclusion Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Spirit Of Inclusion, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Leaders Make It Happen In Faith

August 3, 2010

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights Leave a comment

Recently, I learned from reading Dr. Myles Munroe’s book, The Principle And Power Of Vision, that there are basically three types of people in the world: 1) those who never seem to be aware that things are happening around them, 2) those who ask, ‘What just happened?’, and 3) those who make things happen.  Of the three types of people mentioned in Dr. Munroe’s book, what type of person would you most rather be as a leader in your home, business, church, and community?

For me the answer is clear.  I want to be a person that can make things happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence serving people and solving problems that make a difference in life.  And if I had to guess, I’d say that most people would rather be someone who can make things happen too.  Well, the good news is that God gives us the free gift of the Holy Spirit so that believers in Christ can make things happen in the power and might of His strength regardless of the challenges we might face in the process.  In fact, the Lord declares through the prophet Zechariah that “’It’s not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Furthermore, in the book of Numbers, the Bible shares the story of Joshua and Caleb, two of my favorite Make It Happen people in the Bible.  When Moses sent out 12 spies to spy the Promised Land, 10 spies came back with a bad report and a “can’t do” spirit of fear; whereas, Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report and a “can do” spirit of faith.  I personally like the way the Message Bible records their good report and “can do” spirit of faith in Numbers 13:33 stating, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.” Despite the potential challenges and significant adversities they would have to face in the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb possessed a “can do” spirit of faith believing that all things were possible with God; but unfortunately, they weren’t able to possess the Promised Land until 40 years later because of the “can’t do” spirit of fear among the leaders on their team. 

Therefore, to make it happen with a “can do” spirit of faith, leaders must work diligently in the Lord to create a team culture of empowerment that reaches people and unleashes their extraordinary God-given potential to make a difference in life.  I have personally found that leaders can effectively do this by building teams upon the following nine faith-based Make It Happen team values:

1.      Make It Happen people possess a positive Make It Happen attitude

2.      Make It Happen people are led by servant leaders

3.      Make It Happen people are service enthusiasts

4.      Make It Happen people take calculated risks in the pursuit of excellence

5.      Make It Happen people work extremely hard and have lots of fun

6.      Make It Happen people invest and participate in training and development

7.      Make It Happen people celebrate individual and team accomplishments with abundance mentality

8.      Make It Happen people foster a safe environment of teamwork and mutual respect

9.      Make It Happen people are professionals

Building teams on a foundation of Make It Happen team values will help create an environment where people can flourish and make it happen in life, being all that God created them to be, and doing their part to fulfill the vision and mission of their team. Thanks and have a blessed day!

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