Are You a Storyteller?
Revelations 12:11 “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”Are you a story teller? The other day I was watching a show about a Native American Indian. He was talking to some young boys about an upcoming Indian festival in which he was asked to share stories about the past. He went on to tell them that the art of storytelling is a much-respected position among tribes and is usually reserved for the elders of the tribe. The distinctive work of the storyteller is that of acquainting the children with the traditions and beliefs of the tribe. It is reserved for storytellers to repeat the ancient tales with dignity and authority, so as to lead the child into the inheritance of the stored-up wisdom and experience of the tribe. The children develop self-awareness and self-esteem as they provide a sense of one’s place in the world. He also went on to say that even though storytelling was a much respected position, he was sure to address the “honor” that came with being a storyteller. The honor was due to the story itself that he was able to share, not because it was about the storyteller. Read more
Controlling What You Can Control…a Balanced Approach to Organizational Success!
In my posting prior to this one I discussed leadership versus management, if you have not taken time to read that leadership lesson, I encourage you to do that first by clicking here. It will give a bit more insight and maybe give this posting a bit more context of where I am coming from. I will also refer back to that post some, so it will give you a frame of reference as well. 
Previously, we discussed the 10% that is not going well in your organization and the 10 times longer it may take to identify, fix and change the behavior behind the 10% not going well. Why is controlling the 10% so critical to your organizations success? The answer lies in the fact that there is so much outside of your control that you absolutely have to control the things you can control. If you are only controlling 90% of the 100% you can control, then you and your organization are not hitting the maximum potential of the organization. And eventually that will be discovered and someone will be in place that will control 100% of what is controllable. Organizational success is based on 10% of what is outside your control and 90% what you do control. If you don’t control it someone else will.
Are You A 9-1-1 Leader Or A Manager?
9-1-1 Leadership. How do you know if you are a leader or a manager? Certainly if you Google this topic you will get a laundry list of different articles or answers. There are many well known spiritual leaders who have written numerous books on leadership; my favorite being Bill Hybels. I would like to take an approach that comes from personal work experience as well as a biblical example. I have never heard it explained the way I will attempt to in this blog. I like to call this the 9-1-1 approach to leadership. The “9” stands for the 90% that is working correctly in your organization day in and day out. Let’s face it, not everything is broken on a daily basis. If you are a positive person it is easy for you to identify the areas that are hitting on all cylinders. The first “1” stands for the 10% that is not going well and is causing you headaches. Some organizations recognize the 10%, while others do not even know the 10% exist. And the last “1” stand for the up to 10 times longer it will take to identify, fix and change the behavior behind the 10% not going well.
So back to the initial question, how do you know if you are a leader or a manager? In my opinion, if you focus and spend a majority of your time on the 90% that is going well…then I would call you a manager. However, if you spend most of your time and energy in the 10% area that is not going well…I would call you a leader. Managers keep the organization rolling and steering the ship on a day to day basis. They are there to “manage” what processes/policies already exist within the organization. They quickly identify situations that start to slip or get out of whack with what is the norm. Managers have typically been handed a proven solution and told to carry on the way it was designed.
Where is God Leading You?
Let me share a brief thought. We know that God is omnipresent… He is everywhere. Because we know this, we can never be without Him or His Holy Spirit. This is comforting news for you and me who know God as our personal savior. No matter what you or I do or where God leads us, we can never be far from God’s comforting presence. Psalm 139:7 says: “where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” What an awesome gift that God allows me to know Him like that.
So as God leads you in a new direction or even keeps you right where He has you, pray and ask God to touch those you come in contact with that they will see something different in you that will allow God a chance to draw them closer to Him. After all, reaching a lost world is our responsibility.
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