Don't Mistake "Big Personality" for Good Leadership

As the 2012 Major League Baseball season comes to a close, the usual letting go of some players and managers is taking place. Most noticeable to me is the firing of Boston Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine and the firing of Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the Miami Marlins.

Both men are in their first year as managers for their respective clubs however, both men have served as managers for other teams in the past. What I find interesting is how both men have the reputation of being "Big Personalities" in the baseball world. In fact, I would go so far as to say that both men were hired as much for their big personality as for their ability to lead a major league ball club effectively.

Unfortunately for both men, their teams under-performed in a big way this year disappointing fans, team members and the front office. It has cost both of them their job and the city of Miami the hope of building momentum for their newly renamed and rebranded ball club. 

Which brings me to my Main Observation:

There is a big difference between a "Big Personality"
and good leadership. 

The baseball world is a microcosm of how the world of leadership has changed in the last decade. No longer can a "Big Personality" compensate for poor leadership, especially when you're called upon to lead the young generation. Every 30 and under high capacity leader I know has a radar for authenticity, vulnerability and approachability. No longer can poor leadership hide behind "Big Personality." The proof shows up in the results every time.

The challenging takeaway for us as leaders is to examine ourselves.

• Where are we prone to leverage our "Big Personality" instead of doing the hard work of leading well? 
• Where are we using our personality instead of facing ourselves and becoming a better leader? 
• Where are we hoping our "Big Personality" will cover up poor performance on our part?

The world of leadership is changing both inside and outside the baseball landscape. Wise is the organization and the leader who takes note and acts accordingly.

#AddingValue

@MatthewKeller

"Because you say so..."

In Luke 5, Jesus climbs into Simon Peter's boat and challenges Peter's entire thinking on what he thought he knew. Peter, after all, was a professional fisherman. If anyone ought to know when, how and where to fish, it was him.

However, after hearing Jesus teach a seashore crowded with people, from the bow of his boat, he was willing to reconsider.

In verse 5, Peter makes a statement that changed the trajectory of his entire life from that day on.

"Because you say so..." (Luke 5:5)  

Peter was willing to obey Jesus, not because he understood all his theology. Not because he knew how the journey would end. Not because he had reasoned it all out in his mind.

Peter obeyed Jesus because it was His word.

Peter trusted Jesus at His word.

? Do we?

Who knows, it just might change the trajectory of your life.

Don't you owe it to yourself to obey him and see what happens...

(To hear how the story ends, watch here...)

Rush - Part 1

Why We Use Video Teaching at Next Level Church

          At Next Level Church, we are passionate about using whatever means necessary to reach as many people as we possibly can with the message of Life-Change found in Jesus Christ. A little less than a year ago, we began using video teaching in some of our weekend services each week at Next Level Church. And the response has been incredible! We hear reports every week who "love it" "think its cool," and "forgot they were watching a video at all."  It truly has been an incredible season at NLC and Video Teaching is a big part of that.

Why Behind the What on Video Messages from Next Level Church on Vimeo.

            Here are the reasons behind why we use video teaching at Next Level Church...

1. Sustainability of the Speaking Pastors.
 

          At Next Level Church, we value Health over Growth in every way, including and especially with our staff and pastors. We place a high priority on "Taking a Day Off" and "Taking Care of your Health and Family" for all of our team and leaders. That being the case, we knew that once our church added a 4th weekend service last year, and now, this fall, having added a 5th service to our weekend schedule, it was paramount to the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of myself and our speaking pastors that we not speak "in-person" in all of those services.

          Additionally, our weekend services are not all our pastors do. During a typical week, our pastors are teaching, leading meetings, coaching other pastors, having conversations, etc. It takes energy to lead and motivate the hundreds of volunteers that make NLC the place we know and love, keep a few dozen staff inspired and trained and influence other pastors and leaders across the country. Our leaders work hard not just on Saturdays and Sundays, but throughout the week as well.

        I have heard it said that preaching a 40 minute message exudes the same amount of energy as a working an 8 hour day. Speaking personally, preaching on the weekend is the physical equivalent of running hard on a treadmill for 40 straight minutes, taking a 30 minute break and then getting back on again for another 40 minutes of hard running. Having to do that 4 or 5 times in a 20 hour period of time over a weekend exacts a physical and emotional toll that takes more than just Sunday evening to recover from.

          We believe there is a better way to communicate messages at Next Level Church without our pastors paying such a high price. And we do that by leveraging technology and video teaching. By utilizing our 21' HD Screen in 1 or 2 of our weekend services, we are creating a near identical NLC Experience for attenders while honoring our value of health for our pastors.

 
2. Video is a Tool God has given to us to use for Him.

          We believe video teaching is a tool that can expand what we are capable of. In the last 50 years, video has changed the way Americans and the world receive information. With the invention of the television, people suddenly began receiving the majority of their information through a "virtual" person in their living room. I grew up watching my parents and grandparents huddle around the TV to watch a news anchor bring us the day's stories on the Evening News.

          Today, with the advent of the Internet, computers and smart phones, receiving information and content through video is an expected norm. In fact, we prefer it. Video gives us the ability to see angles on things we otherwise couldn't see (think watching a football game from the stands or from your couch...) and be closer to communicators then we otherwise could be. 

          I am always amazed when I'm speaking, at how many people watch the screens, even though I'm standing on the stage in front of them! (Including my wife, by the way!!! She says I'm clearer and she can see me better when she looks at the screen! She says I'm more handsome too?!?)

         Of course the logic makes sense as it relates to our TV's or Videos on our computers, but what about "God's Spirit?" "Can God work through a video in the same way He does when the speaker up front is in-person?" A great question, and for the answer let me say this: Last week in both of our "Video Message" services on Sunday, we had over 30 people raise their hands to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior at the end of the message!

          Thankfully, because our world is so video savvy, our minds have become accustomed to receiving from someone on a video screen. And to our spirit, there is no difference. Video is simply a medium of communication, just like paper and ink are, or an audio CD is. It's merely a platform for communication, and therefore a non-factor for the Spirit of God to flow through. God's Spirit is at work regardless of the medium, be it written, spoken, in-person, or by video. The Word of God is faithful, regardless of the medium!

3. Prepares us for the future

          A third reason we are using video teaching more and more at Next Level Church is because it positions us for the future. The vision of Next Level Church has always been to be 1 Church in multiple locations. We believe the most effective way to reach people in a community is by having an expression of God's Church in that community. Said another way, we believe the best way for people to be apart of the Life-Flow of a Church is not for them to have to drive 30 minutes or more to attend a program or service, but rather for the church to have a "campus" in their city or community.

          Video teaching gives us the ability to do that. We truly can be 1 Church in Multiple Locations. Technology gives us the ability to be growing as a church family together, even though we may be living in different cities or communities across southwest Florida.

          Here are 4 examples of churches who use Video Teaching every week in multiple locations in other parts of the US.

http://churchofthehighlands.com/campuses
 

http://www.lifechurch.tv/locations

http://www.gatewaypeople.com

http://www.newlifechurch.tv

4. We had a choice to make.

          The final reason we use Video Teaching at Next Level Church is because we came to a crossroads about a year ago. When our church began to explode and close to 2,000 people began to attend each weekend, we were running out of space. In that moment, we knew, as a leadership team, we had 2 choices:
 

• First, stop adding services and creating more seats for people to attend. or

• Second, continue to add more services, create more space, and leverage video teaching to make it sustainable and scalable.

          As we pondered that decision, we began to think about so many of the stories we were hearing of friends, family members, co-workers and classmates whose lives were being changed through NLC. The thought of not being able to create space for someone else's friend, or loved one to come and experience Jesus like that was not an option for us. We couldn't stand the thought of turning someone away, or worse yet, seeing a car pull on the parking lot and then drive off again, because they couldn't find a spot in our most popular service times (it happens just about every week).

          If using Video Teaching is a method God has given us to continue to create more Next Level Church environments where people's lives can be transformed then we will do it! People are worth it! Lost people are worth it! We didn't start Next Level Church so we could turn people away, we started it so we could invite them in… into a relationship with Jesus Christ! And praise God, video teaching gives us the ability to do that.

          Let me say thank you to so many of you who get this vision. So many of you who give up your seat at the "most popular times" and serve. So many of you who sacrifice and give and leverage your talents, gifting and abilities to make a difference in someone else's life.
 

         It's working, Next Level Church, let's keep doing everything we can to reach more people for Jesus Christ!

I love being your pastor,

Pastor Matt Keller
@MatthewKeller

Teachability at a Large Level

When leaders get better, everybody wins..

     I believe this with all my heart. If we can keep the leader growing, the organization they lead wins, other leaders around them win and the people they serve, win. And the key to a leader getting better is found in the presence of teachability in their life.

Teachability is the Key to Everything!

     However, here's the secret of teachability in a leadership context…

The most valuable people to help you grow are those who work with you everyday.

     This means our team. They are the ones who know us best and can see our quirks and blind spots in the leadership context. However, the larger an organization grows, the more difficult it is for the leader at the top to remain teachable. Not because of a lack of desire, in most cases, but because the world has changed.

There is an invisible magic line in organizational life where a leader goes from being a "Normal Leader" at the table to being a "Large Leader." "Large Leaders" are perceived differently by their team around them. Its just an organizational fact of life.

     Suddenly, what used to be easy, effortless conversations about a leader's blind spots become infinitely more difficult to have with a "Large Leader." Why does that happen? And what can a "Large Leader" do about it?

3 Reasons Why:

1. "Large Leaders" are perceived to be a little bit "Larger than Life."

     When an organization grows and reaches a certain size, the leader of that organization takes on a bit of a "Rock Star" status in the eyes of people and team members. It's just an inevitability. It's not bad, it's just reality. And in most cases its not something a "Large Leader" desires or wants to happen, it just does. But this presents a difficult reality for maintaining teachability for a "Large Leader." Teammates who at one time could walk in and say things that helped keep the leader accurately grounded, feel like they have to be a bit more guarded in their words or protective. 

2. People want to "Please you."

     At the end of the day, the majority of people who serve in your organization want to "please you." Said another way, they want to know the vision, run the plays and paint the picture you see in your mind's eye for your organization. However, when it comes to the teachability of a "Large Leader," hearing honest feedback becomes more difficult the bigger an organization gets.
     Wise team members understand the pressures on their leader at this level. The see the stress in their eyes. They know how busy they are. So the last thing they want to be is the "nagging" or "nitpicking" voice pointing out an area in a leader's life or leadership that could use some attention.


3. Your Voice is Amplified.

     A wise friend and mentor told me several years ago, "When your organization gets big, you have to understand that your whispers are heard as shouts," to the people you lead. I can't even begin to tell you how true this is! I have learned this the hard way over the last couple of years. As a "Large Leader" if I walk into a room and ask a simple question about the light fixtures, by next week people will be ripping them out and replacing them, if I'm not careful.
     The bigger your organization grows, the more amplified a "Large Leader's" words become. This means there will be times where you think you're just having open dialogue, but in your team's mind, they are hearing something completely different and much louder.

     So what do we do?

How can a "Large Leader" position themselves to get feedback from those who are closest to them?

4 Ideas on how a "Large Leader" can Remain Teachable:

1. Invite It.

     Unless we invite feedback, it will not happen. Our teams are not going to go out of their way to tell us what they see in our blind spots unless we proactively ask. My recommendation is to build a culture where feedback is expected, sought out and highly valued. And as the leader at the top, you must model that for your team. Our teams will be as teachable as we are. This means, leaders, we must go over and above to keep inviting feedback from those around us. Even when we don't think we need it. And especially when we don't think we want it.
     Get in the habit of inviting feedback in the big and the small. When it becomes a habit, it will become part of the leadership culture of your organization.

2. Listen Intuitively.

     I would be willing to bet that feedback concerning our blind spots exists in the meetings we are in, throughout the week. However, the majority of the time, we miss it. Leaders, this is where we need to keep our intuitive ears up and open to see and hear what is being insinuated and what isn't being said because we're in the room. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there are things my team doesn't say because I'm in the room during certain meetings.
     Don't we owe it to ourselves to know what it is and why our team feels its best to not mention it? And let me say, I'm not talking about destructive or divisive things, not at all. There are certain details we don't need to know about because it will cause us to spend emotional energy our team knows we need to be spending on higher level things.
     However, I would be willing to bet there are a few areas your team guards from the conversation because they are particular hot buttons for us or are areas in our blind spot. Come on leaders, we've got to humble ourselves, listen and intuit what those areas are and attempt to grow there.

3. Shun Selective Teachability.

     If you ever find yourself thinking or saying, "That's just the way it is. That's what I believe. That's a fact. And its not open for discussion." Then that's probably an area you have selectively declared, "Off-Limits."
     And we are the biggest fool in the room, if we think our team doesn't know exactly what those areas are. Where are you particularly dogmatic about something? Is it doctrine for you, or dogma? As "Large Leaders" we must be careful not to make doctrines out of dogmas. A doctrine is a biblical imperative. A dogma is a personal preference. "Large Leaders" are capable of making dogmas into doctrines that will keep our teams from being able to speak perspective into our blind spots.
     We must fight against that with everything within us. Come on leaders, there's too much at stake for us to allow our dogmas to get in the way of the mission of the organization we lead.

4. Refuse to "Get Loud" to win.

     As "Large Leaders" we have an extra card in our hand in most meetings. Unfortunately, we leaders think its a trump card, when in reality its a Joker card that will erode our credibility long term. That card is the "Get Loud" or "Get Big" card. When something is being said we don't agree with or want to talk about, a "Large Leader" can feel the temptation to simply leverage their "Largeness" and shut the whole thing down. We do this when we raise our voice, sharpen our tone or "get big" at the table.

When we do this, we may win the battle, but we will ultimately lose the war. 

     In spiritual circles we are tempted to take it one level further with the, "God Card." Spiritual leaders, when we play the "God Card" we undermine our team's voice in a huge way. After all, why should they think creatively, push hard, enter the discussion and participate when at any moment, we're just going to throw down the "God Card" and trump all their ideas and do what we want anyway?
     Many great organizations have had their potential sabotaged because of a leader who "Got Big," got their way and then led the organization only as far as his insecurity and lack of teachability would take it.

     If you are a "Large Leader" congratulations, you've reached a place many others aspire to be. However, you're going to have to work 3 times as hard to be teachable at this level. Remember, your team loves you and wants you to become the best possible leader you can be for everyone's sake. Open yourself up to them, invite them in, and watch what happens.

Challenge:

     Have a conversation with 3 people on your team this week and ask them to give you 3 areas where they think you could do better in your leadership. Don't fight back. Embrace what they tell you. And at the end of it, thank them for their feedback and tell them you want to be the model for teachability in this organization. Then give them a gift card to take their spouse to dinner.

Watch what happens next…

That's the power of teachability. It really is the Key to Everything...

#AddingValue

@MatthewKeller

Developing the Art of Asking Great Questions

One of the most powerful concepts I learned along time ago was the art of asking great questions. What I came to realize is that every person you meet is a deep well, with much to teach us, the crux is finding a way to mine out what's inside of them. 

Proverbs 20:5 says it so well: "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." 

The way we draw out the deep waters of those around us is by developing the art of asking great questions. I truly believe that  

He who asks the best questions wins...

(and learns the most!) 

Here's a few ideas on the art of asking great questions.

#1: Be Ready. 

It should go without saying, but it all starts by constantly and strategically doing 2 things:

       * Learning Up. 

We must be ready to take advantage of every opportunity to learn from the leaders that God has placed around us. Those within the organization we find ourselves in are definitely the starting point for each of us. It should go without saying that the people close to you have something to teach you. Don't miss the opportunity to benefit from them.

        * Learning Out. 

We must Systematically keep forcing ourselves to find others whom we can be learning from. Let me strongly encourage you to be reading at least 12 books per year and having at least 12 conversations per year with leaders you admire and can learn from.

#2: Come Ready. 

I know this sounds simplistic, but you wouldn't believe how many times I meet with someone and they have nothing to write with or to write on or to be able to take notes of any kind. When you meet with a leader, come expecting to learn something. Every meeting, no matter how matter of fact, has the power to teach us something. BUT ONLY... if you're ready to capture a nugget when it comes out. Only then will you truly make the most of your time with someone.  

One of the primary ways we learn is through on-the-job interactions on a daily basis. Be ready to capture a nugget of wisdom in the hallway or in the lunch room on a break. It only takes a little bit of intentionality on our part to train ourselves to be looking for them. Trust me, teachable moments are around all the time.

#3:  Be Willing to Relearn that which you think you already know. 

 One of the biggest mistakes we make is to shut down when we hear something that is contrary to what we believe or have always been told. Most people do. But one of the greatest keys to being able to learn is to stay open in the moment, and then filter and sift through what they said later.

Additionally, another tendency people often fall into is to shut off when we hear something that we have already heard before. Again, most people do this. However, repetition is a marvelous teacher. One of the best in fact. The more we hear something, the more we'll see it. I am always amazed at how God seems to arrange learning and situations at the right time in my life to reinforce an idea or principle or concept over and over again. Repetition is a great teacher if we don't turn it off in the name of familarity. 

Remember, there is power in a new wrapper. Different people will package their ideas differently and you'll be amazed at how differently the same concept or principle can sound if we don't just shut them off or tune them out.

 

#4: How to Ask Great Questions:

• Have more questions than you need for a particular meeting or interview. I like to think of questions as camera angles, and certainly when it comes to an instant replay in an NFL game, the more camera angles the referees can have the better off they'll be when the game is on the line and there are several million people needing them to get this right. The same is true for us. The more ways we can see something, the better and more accurate picture we'll have.

• Keep your Opinion to a Minimum. Put simply: If you're talking, then you're not learning. Never forget you're not there to justify yourself in front of them. You're not there to try and prove how smart you are or how much you know, just the opposite, you're there to find out and discover how much they know that you don't know! 

• Frame it Up, then Shut Up! Give enough information to sum up the situation or question, and then be quiet and listen. They only need enough information to be able to put themselves in your shoes and speak from their experience. Don't drag on with information and useless details that will only distract from what you're trying to learn and accomplish with the question in the first place.

• When you get in a flow with a train of thought, keep it going. When the person you are asking questions of begins digging into something meaty or in depth, by all means, don't interrupt their flow of thought. You want to keep them in that vein of thought for as long as you possibly can. That's where the richest stuff lives! This is why its so important to not just have a few questions, but to have way more questions then you need. Because even if you don't have every single question memorized, in the moment, your brain will have the ability to find questions that will help your subject continue in their train of thought. Thus allowing you to mine the deepest parts of their mind on a particular subject or topic. 

• Do your Homework Prior.Several years ago, I was able to arrange a meeting with the mayor of our city. I was so excited and had prepared several dozen questions going in varying directions. However, when I got into the meeting and asked the Mayor about his vision for our city in the coming days. He replied, "Well, being as I've been in office for 9 years and I only have 6 weeks left in my final term, not much." I felt like an idiot. Do your homework.

•  Key in on Their Expertise. Whatever someone's passion is, that's where they'll be most excited to talk. When you feel their pace quicken that's where you’ll get maximum engagement from them. 

• Commit to Becoming a Great Question Asker. Learning the Art of Asking Great Questions is truly an art. It is developed over time. Pay attention to what questions open people up and which ones close people down. Become a student of the great question-askers of our day. Matt Lauer, David Letterman, Brian Wiliams, Ken Coleman, etc. Additionally, do a mental review of the questions you asked and how they worked. 

• Never forget the Greatest Question Ever for Leaders. Several years ago I came across what I consider to be the Greatest Question ever for leaders, here it is.

      “If you were me, what would you do?

The power of this question is that it takes all of the other person's life experience and belief system and instantly transports them into your life context. This is a Can't Fail Question and its one I use all the time.

Proverbs 20:5 “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”

? What Questions are your favorite "Go-To's" when wanting to learn from someone else?

I'd love to hear your comments below...

#AddingValue

@MatthewKeller