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Taking New Ground

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This month we’ve looked at team dynamics from multiple angles. As we wrap up the theme of Transformational Teams, let’s dig into what it looks like to move forward, get to the next level, and take new ground!

Once teams get to the “continuous improvement” level (a Stage 5 team), it’s important to be on the same page. To continue growing and advancing as a group, there must be common a vision and set of objectives. In other words, an Action Plan. Transformational Leadership (by Ford Taylor) includes a five step action plan designed to help teams take new ground. Step five of the plan involves a tool called “VPMOSA” (said like v-p-mosa). Here’s the breakdown:

V: Vision
P: Purpose
M: Mission
O: Objectives
S: Strategies
A: Actions

Vision
When teams are driven by a common vision, taking new ground is just about automatic. The “V” in VPMOSA responds to the question “where are you going?”. Consider Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law” (ESV). As followers of Jesus, vision is imperative for the coming Kingdom, Heaven becoming the culture of earth, and the discipleship of the nations.

Purpose
Purpose responds to the question “why are you here?”. As believers we individually have a common purpose. We also have a corporate purpose. Consider Exodus 9:16, “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (ESV). Honing in on and identifying purpose within a team and/or project will become the anchor necessary to take new ground.

Mission
Mission addresses the questions “what sets you apart and what are you willing to do that no one else will do to fulfill your vision?”. Consider Mark 16:15, “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” (ESV). Here’s an example of what missionally sets believers apart and notes the distinguishing factors (the differentiation) between teams advancing “the greater good” (moralism) and teams advancing the Kingdom of God.

Objectives, Strategies, Actions
Objectives outline how to carry out the mission, for the purpose, to see the vision. Identifying 2-3 objectives to be accomplished in a 12-18 month period will help teams meet milestones while keeping things measurable and risk/opportunity conscious. Once you’ve identified your objectives, determine 2-3 strategies to accomplish them. Then, for each strategy, identify 2-3 specific actions needed to execute the strategy and accomplish the objectives that make up the mission that stems from the purpose birthed out of the vision.

Terrain
Taking new ground and advancing the Kingdom depends on the transformation of individuals, teams, organizations, communities, cities, states, and nations. For believers, stepping into new terrain (the promised land) requires us to reign. While transformational teams will take us (believers) the distance, impact starts with identity and personal responsibility. Consider Proverbs 25:28, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (NKJV). As you walk out your pathway to leadership, remember that it takes personal responsibility and continuously improving teams who live out vision, purpose, a mission, objectives, strategies, and actions to take new ground.

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Lindsay Fleming is the State Administrator for the North Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (NC-C3). At heart, she is a God-inspired expressionist. Her driving passion is expressing revelations of God through prayer, writing, and design. Lindsay’s work can be found at PropheticGrounds.com. Lindsay can be reached at office@NC-C3.org.

Transformational Leadership helps you identify, address and remove personal, team and process constraints. Removing these constraints allows transformation to occur and encourages healthy, trusting relationships to grow. Visit www.transformlead.com for more info.

To get more information and join the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (SC-C3) movement, go to www.sc-c3.org and become a member today!

Continuous Improvement

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Every believer is called to be part of a team. Some are called to marriage. Some are called to the mission field being sent out two-by-two. Yet, teams that are actually transformational are rare and hard to come by. Why is this? Could it be we are using the wrong metrics to measure the inner-workings of a team? For example, does monetary value tell us that a team is transformational? Does the testimonial page on their website communicate it? Does the geographic range they are active in make a difference?

It is important to consider financial viability, customer feedback, and territory when evaluating teams. However, looking at external indicators first is a mistake when it comes to evaluating the transformational aspects of a team. Transformational Leadership (TL) teaches that there are ten distinct internal aspects of a team that is continuously improving. For now, let’s look at just five characteristics of a transformational, high-performing, stage-five team:
1. Ability to work, plan, train, and play at the same time.
2. Everyone’s opinion matters (all feedback is relevant).
3. Work is evenly distributed.
4. Ability to lovingly disagree and still move forward with actions and plans agreed upon.
5. New behaviors become the norm.

Sharing is Caring
Let’s take a moment to dig deeper into characteristics #1-4. At this point, everyone should be well on their way to being a Relactional leader, the kind of leader who is able to balance their own tasks and relationships while appreciating and respecting how other team members are wired similarly and differently. To continuously improve, responsibility must be shared to allow all teammates to work, learn, and rest in a healthy way. Beyond that, it is critical to recognize that in the midst of simultaneously working, learning, planning, and playing, sharing feedback and opinions is just as critical. To continuously improve, the channels of communication must be open and active. The phrase sharing is caring comes to mind when we think about characteristics #1-3. In short, sharing creates balance and freedom while caring creates respect and accountability. To be a continuously improving team, each of these ingredients must be part of the recipe.

Depending on You
It’s a wonderful notion to believe that team dynamics can be as seamless as I’ve just described. Yet, most often, that is not the case…and, the reason is pride. Every single human being faces pride which makes continuously improving transformational teams rare. When they do exist, it is because they are made up of individuals who are God-fearing and function interdependently with others. Characteristic #4 speaks to conflict (which is almost exclusively caused by pride in one form or another). When (not if) a disagreement surfaces in a stage-five, to continually improve, teammates must be secure enough in their own identity (role) to submit to others, intimate enough with God to walk in true forgiveness, and compassionate enough to move forward even if they’ve experienced insult or injury along the way. In other words, relational longevity and health is dependent on identity (who you are, who God is to you, and who others are to you). In essence, to exemplify characteristic #4, we must go back to basics and keep personal responsibility ever in view.

ReNEWing Life
As if characteristic #4 wasn’t tough enough, #5 brings us to a whole new level! There are plenty of biblical instances that testify to why constant flow and renewal are indicative of God’s character. For example, the train of the Lord’s robe is continually filling the temple (Isaiah 6:1). God’s tender mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22/23). Believers are called to be transformed through consistent renewal (Romans 12:2).

Now, in our very materialistic world, new for the sake of new has become a perversion of the Kingdom dynamic wherein new = transformation (health, revitalization, refreshment, holy increase, and the like). The principle of “new” and “constant” may seem contradictory in our natural mind; but in the Lord, they are one and the same. As individuals and teams, we can emulate the character of the Lord and the ways of heaven by walking out characteristic #5. In the process, rely on characteristics #1-4, as they’re necessary for “new” to be the “norm.”

As you consider your own relationships and teams, remember that we were made by God for continuous improvement. To believe that we can “get there” or “arrive” is simply low-level thinking. We were created by an infinite God who made us in His image. Today, I challenge you to dream with your team/s and ask yourself, “What would it look like if new were the norm?”

Matthew Fleming is the State Director for the North Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (NC-C3). Matthew has a strong vision for the functionality of the Christian community as believers endeavor to operate in unison. He believes alignment and co-laboring from a united reality will be the catalyst for sustained Restoration in our world. Matthew can be reached at Matthew@nc-c3.org.

Transformational Leadership helps you identify, address and remove personal, team and process constraints. Removing these constraints allows transformation to occur and encourages healthy, trusting relationships to grow.

Want more Transformational Leadership? Join us at TL Charlotte, OCT 29-30, 2018 www.TLConference.com.

To get more information and join the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (SC-C3) movement, go to www.sc-c3.org and become a member today!

Barriers to Breakthrough

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God’s Global Marketplace

Today’s world has become a global village with ‘multitudes of people from different races, tribes, languages, etc’ needing to work together in teams to achieve common objectives and deliver shared vision. Some organisational development experts say that one of the most valuable skills required for success in the corporate world is cultural intelligence (the capability to relate and work effectively across cultures). This is relevant across all spheres of society – in churches, ministry, businesses, government, educational institutions and even in our social lives.

Identifying Barriers

The reality is that we also live in a world where the levels of cross-cultural relational barriers are higher than ever (and seem to grow daily). The ‘5 Goliaths’ of prejudice, bigotry, bias, perception and assumption are constantly taunting us – drawing us into divisive behaviour with those people who are different to us. These have become such big barriers to relational breakthrough (especially with regards to attitudes between entire people groups) that it’s important that we define what each of these words mean for clarity sake.

  • Prejudice – preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
  • Bigotry – intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from oneself.
  • Bias – inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.
  • Perception – the way that you think about it or the impression you have of it.
  • Assumption – a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

The Conflict Culprit

Interestingly the behaviour that comes from these ‘5’ is based on our feelings being driven by thoughts that are birthed in a lie (which we believe to be true). Without discovering the source of the lie and replacing it with the truth it becomes impossible to change the thought, and hence the feeling and the resulting behaviour. Understanding how our brain works and how our memory storage banks have been conditioned through our experiences (and even through our family bloodline lineage) plays a critical role in the breaking of these relational barriers.

Kingdom Culture

The journey towards cross-cultural relational breakthrough is one that requires self-evaluation and selfless humility and love to step out of our comfort zones in the pursuit to better understand the people who are different to us, to hear their stories, and to look beyond what we might see as their  unacceptable behaviour so that we can understand the source of their pain and fears.

As believers of Jesus Christ we have the privilege of being exposed to a culture that is superior to every other culture known to man – it is a culture founded on the selfless love that Jesus taught so extensively about and then demonstrated in the most remarkable way by going to the Cross and dying for every human being from every race, tribe, language, etc. He gave us a culture that is higher than American, African or European culture – it’s a culture that is higher than any church denominational culture – it’s a culture that is higher than Republican or Democrat political culture – it’s a culture that transcends any racial culture. Jesus commands us to lay down our lives (lay down our personal agenda – lay down our man-made culture) so that we can take up the Kingdom culture. If we obey Him in this regard He elevates us into the amazing position of being His friends where He reveals all things to us and gives us the privilege to be channels that produce much lasting fruit.

When we embrace this Kingdom Culture we will accelerate our levels of team and organisational performance as new levels of confidence and trust are achieved. In business this means our sales, productivity, efficiencies and profitability will go through the roof. In our churches we will attract those who are seeking the true nature and heart of God and send them out as transformational discipliers who will turn cities and nations upside down.

John 15:9-17. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Patrick Kuwana (Johannesburg, South Africa) is a Certified Trainer with   Transformational Leadership. He is also the Founder of Crossover Transformation. He is passionate about Value Co-Creation, Cultural Intelligence, Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development, sustainable economies, and wealth creation. Patrick can be reached at patrick@crossovertransformation.co.za .

 Transformational Leadership helps you identify, address and remove personal, team and process constraints. Removing these constraints allows transformation to occur and encourages healthy, trusting relationships to grow.

Want more  Transformational Leadership? Join us at TL Charlotte, OCT 29-30, 2018 www.TLConference.com

To get more information and join the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (SC-C3) movement, go to www.sc-c3.org and become a member today!

High Performing Teams

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Identity & Personal Responsibility

You may have experienced the kind of leadership where you’re expected to hold others accountable but certain leaders expect to be exempt from accountability. In other words, hold those people accountable . . . . but don’t hold me accountable . . . .

“Can we install security cameras to find out who is vandalizing our pool area?”

“Whoever is letting their dog defecate in my yard needs to be reprimanded!”

“Someone needs to…”

Being on the board of my HOA, I am privileged to hear a litany of complaints like these on an ongoing basis. Some complaints are valid. In those cases, we take care of the neighbor’s need as quickly as possible. Most complaints, however, have very little substance and validity. They are based upon generalizations, lack of information and understanding, and a desire to be heard. I have such a fun time responding to neighbors’ complaints; they allow me to educate neighbors about the finances, laws, needs of others, etc. I also usually ask the complaining neighbor(s) to become part of the solution. 99% of the time, the neighbor determines their complaint isn’t that big of a deal.

Of course, this premise goes well beyond my neighborhood. It’s become a favorite Facebook pastime to opine that others need to be held accountable. “Someone needs to do something about [insert whatever here]”, yet the person hailing the complaint won’t step in themselves. Instead, they just want to be heard.

So what does this have to do with building high-performing teams that move together to accomplish a shared goal? Very much. People want to be heard. When people are heard, they feel significant. People experience significance when they know who they are . . . when they know their identity. (Eph 2:10, Rom 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:7, 1 Pet 4:10)

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” When Jesus tells us who we are, that’s final. That’s who we are. He made us and it’s His Word that matters. We need to encourage each team member to hear for themselves who Jesus says they are, just as He did for Peter.

Most people want to get some “playing time,” especially on a championship caliber team. Who wants to tell their grandchild they came off the bench as a “scrub” at the end of the blowout in the basketball championship? No way! We want to let our children and grandchildren know we played meaningful minutes on the way to winning the championship. (Col 3:23-24, Mt. 25:21, Jer 29:7-11)

This is true with all of our teams. We all want to play “meaningful minutes,” so to speak. So how do we get there?

Role Clarity, Listening, & Accountability

This is one of the hardest tasks that you will ever accomplish on a team but one of the most essential. If people don’t know where their role ends and someone else’s begin, you can expect conflict. Every time. Also, if they don’t know their role in general, they won’t get much done that moves the team towards the shared goal. (Ex 28:3, 1 Cor 14:26, Eph 4:7, Eph 4:12)

A second step to keep in view for high-performing teams is to simply listen to your team. Listen to their complaints. Attempt not to defend. Ask for input into what needs to be changed or made better. Invite constructive feedback on your leadership and the team. I personally ask people for their feedback all the time so that I can continue to grow as a leader. Did you know the average person has 3.4 blind spots[1]? Since that is the case, we can all invite feedback about ourselves. (1 Pet 5:6, Js 1:19, Pr 19:20-27)

Third, accountability is necessary on a great team. I don’t know anyone who loves being “held accountable.” Is it necessary? It is only necessary if we want to achieve goals and minimize hurt. If we are okay with missing goals and excusing behavior that irritates and hurts others, then let’s not hold each other accountable. (Rom 14:12, 1 Cor 3:12-15, Mt. 12:36-37)

What does accountability in an organization look like? It means agreeing to a shared expectation of attitude, behavior, tasks, and outcomes which reward expectations that are met and which have a consequential process for unmet expectations. Who is responsible for accountability in an organization? It’s always the leader. They set the expectation with truth in love.

So, if we are going to build high-performing teams, some of the greatest work comes on the front end. We need to help each other know “who” we are in essence and giftings. A strong identity of self with great role clarity maximizes the potential of contributors as they offer their best gifts to achieve the shared goals of the team. We need to listen to our team, we need to ask for constructive feedback, and we need to set accountable goals.

There is so much more that goes into high-performing teams, but may this be a good starting place.

“Where brothers dwell in unity, there I will command my blessing.” Ps 133:1

[1] http://www.ldninternational.com/resources/13%2009%2002_Self-awareness%20article%20Website%20Article3.pdf

Demarick Patton of Orlando, FL us a Certified Facilitator and City-Wide Coordinator with   Transformational Leadership. In addition, he has been on staff with Cru for many years. He is passionate about advancing the Gospel on college campuses and in the marketplace. Demarick can be reached at demarick.patton@cru.org.

 Transformational Leadership helps you identify, address and remove personal, team and process constraints. Removing these constraints allows transformation to occur and encourages healthy, trusting relationships to grow.

 Want more  Transformational Leadership? Join us at TL Charlotte, OCT 29-30, 2018 www.TLConference.com

To get more information and join the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (SC-C3) movement, go to www.sc-c3.org and become a member today!

 

Building Teams

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Our theme this month is Transformational Teams. As I pursued the Lord for guiding verses for the month, I landed in John 15. In just five verses, John captures more about teams than we may have ever supposed.

Team Trinity

Jesus is, by nature and substance, part of a team. Not only is He the “only begotten” of our Heavenly Father, at His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and did not depart. As Christians: Christ’s image bearers, how do we exemplify “Team Trinity”? How do we build an effective team based on love, trust, and forgiveness (a triple braided cord)?

By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.
– Ecclesiastes 4:12

A Team of 12

Jesus, the ultimate team embodied in One, built his own team to conduct ministry. First, He called twelve working guys, average marketplace men to follow Him, to become ”fishers of men” (The Visionary Stage) (Mark 1:17). Then, He appointed them (Mark 3:13-15) and imparted a Kingdom message (Matthew 5:1-20) (The Cohesive Stage & The Functional Responsibility Stage). The development of the disciples consisted of experiencing Jesus’ preaching, teaching, healing, and the like (The Relactional Stage). Alongside Him, they also engaged their world with a gospel message and practical (natural and supernatural) ministry (The Continuous Improvement Stage). How do we, as the Lord’s chosen ones in this modern era, follow in His footsteps and those of the team of twelve?

The 5 Stages of Building Teams*

As believers today, we can utilize the biblically based recipe captured in Ford Taylor’s Transformational Leadership to build, grow, and maintain thriving teams.

1: The Visionary Stage

In this stage it’s important that team members talk to each other openly and honestly. As trust is developed, discomfort is removed, and anxiety is eliminated. As you may be considering, trust takes time. Sometimes, it’s important to be in stage one (or revisit it) until team members are truly ready for the next level.

2: The Cohesive Stage

Once trust is established, team members can start accepting one another and each other’s roles (even though they may not be clearly identified yet). As I mentioned in our post about “Leadership Foundations,” personal responsibility is key in this stage, especially as roles are being determined.

3: The Functional Responsibility Stage

By now, each person accepts responsibility for his or her own thoughts, feelings, and actions. In addition, the role of each team member is clearly identified. Once teams reach this critical juncture, members are free to focus on each other feelings and departments, not just their own.

4: The Relactional Stage

Last week we got a preview of “Relactional Leadership.” At this stage, team members can examine individual, group, and organizational concerns free of fear and threat. In other words, where there is trust, personal responsibility, and role clarity, evaluation becomes friend, not foe.

5: The Continuous Improvement Stage

A stage five team can self-evaluate and corporately pursue improvement. At this stage, groups and individuals pursue better thoughts, feelings, and actions as a group and as individuals both inside and beyond their group.

“T” is for Trust

You may have noticed that each stage rests on a trust foundation. When building teams, if there are cracks, breaks, or breaches of trust…disaster usually ensues. That’s why Jesus’ commandment to “love one another” (John 15:12) is so important. As we extend love as it’s described in 1 Corinthians 13, real, lasting trust can be built, teams can grow, communities can thrive, and the world can heal.

Lindsay Fleming is the State Administrator for the North Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (NC-C3). At heart, she is a God-inspired expressionist. Her driving passion is expressing revelations of God through prayer, writing, and design. Lindsay’s work can be found at PropheticGrounds.com. Lindsay can be reached at office@NC-C3.org.

*The 5 Stages to Building Teams are adapted from the  Transformational Leadership training manual.

Transformational Leadership helps you identify, address and remove personal, team and process constraints. Removing these constraints allows transformation to occur and encourages healthy, trusting relationships to grow.

 Want more  Transformational Leadership? Join us at TL Charlotte, OCT 29-30, 2018 www.TLConference.com

To get more information and join the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce (SC-C3) movement, go to www.sc-c3.org and become a member today!