Individuality and group thinking

(By Henry Cloud, from a Facebook post)

Great discussion with a board chairman today about the tendency of small groups of people (like a board, or other teams) to get into a kind of "group think" where individuality of opinion is lost. We have a tendency to kind of "go along," if a few people are thinking in a certain way, especially if they are "strong" personalities or have a position of authority.

But....we each have been created with a brain, experiences and abilities that we bring that are valuable to add to the conversation. That is the reason there is a group! But the power of the group can sweep us up and we lose our separateness.

I was thinking also of how this can happen in other relationships, where someone does not feel enough safety or permission, sometimes even inside, to just say an opinion. Over time, a person can lose themselves by not speaking up.

Think of places where you might not show up with your opinions or thoughts. In a work team? A friendship? A spiritual relationship? A close relationship? Ask yourself why not? If your first thought is "because they......" then get back in touch with your individuality and brains, and show up. They need your opinion!

Also, at some time other than the scary discussion, talk about the issue itself. Say, "sometimes when we discuss things, I find myself not saying what I really think or believe or feel because I am afraid of your reaction. I would like to talk about how to feel more free to just say things to each other (or in this team)."

Good things can happen when you begin to talk!

Gordon MacDonald on Leadership

“I have been broken so badly (in leadership) it is a wonder the pieces ever got put back together again. You have a choice you must make every day. Most people will choose to deny the pain or blame others, or you can accept it and in the middle of that pain, you can listen to God. He will say things to you He could not say under any other circumstances.” -- Gordon MacDonald at Germany WCA Conference.

Citado por Peter Scazzero no FB.

How I Almost Quit (John Piper)

If you are a disheartened pastor or leader, this is for you.

Are you so discouraged you don’t know what to do next? I want to help you get through this. Maybe this will help.

The following quote is from my journal dated November 6, 1986. I had been at Bethlehem 6 years. If you have ever felt like this, remember this is 24 years ago and I am still here.

The point is: Beware of giving up too soon. Our emotions are not reliable guides.

Am I under attack by Satan to abandon my post at Bethlehem? Or is this the stirring of God to cause me to consider another ministry? Or is this God's way of answering so many prayers recently that we must go a different way at BBC than building? I simply loathe the thought of leading the church through a building program. For two years I have met for hundreds of hours on committees. I have never written a poem about it. It is deadening to my soul. I am a thinker. A writer. A preacher. A poet and songwriter. At least these are the avenues of love and service where my heart flourishes. . . .

Can I be the pastor of a church moving through a building program? Yes, by dint of massive will power and some clear indications from God that this is the path of greatest joy in him long term. But now I feel very much without those indications. The last two years (the long range planning committee was started in August 1984) have left me feeling very empty.

The church is looking for a vision for the future—and I do not have it. The one vision that the staff zeroed in on during our retreat Monday and Tuesday of this week (namely, building a sanctuary) is so unattractive to me today that I do not see how I could provide the leadership and inspiration for it.

Does this mean that my time at BBC is over? Does it mean that there is a radical alternative unforeseen? Does it mean that I am simply in the pits today and unable to feel the beauty and power and joy and fruitfulness of an expanded facility and ministry?

O Lord, have mercy on me. I am so discouraged. I am so blank. I feel like there are opponents on every hand, even when I know that most of my people are for me. I am so blind to the future of the church. O Father, am I blind because it is not my future? Perhaps I shall not even live out the year, and you are sparing the church the added burden of a future I had made and could not complete? I do not doubt for a moment your goodness of power or omnipotence in my life or in the life of the church. I confess that the problem is mine. The weakness is in me. The blindness is in my eyes. The sin—O reveal to me my hidden faults!—is mine and mine the blame. Have mercy, Father. Have mercy on me. I must preach on Sunday, and I can scarcely lift my head.

Source: Desiring God

Authority Under Control (Steve Berger)

Humility isn’t incompatible with great power or influence; if you’re humble, you don’t have to be a person who just sits in the corner and never accomplishes anything. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus had authority and they were humble. Humility is authority under control. It is velvet-covered steel. Humility is handling the power, influence, and authority in such a way that God is honored and you are not compromised.

Full text here.

The Disease Of Leadership Regression (Bryan Dodd)

How many leaders want to go back to the “good old days” when life was much simpler? Often we wish to go back to a time that we feel was safer and felt much more in control. Leaders, this is an illusion! Don’t go there!

When we take our churches, organizations, and thought processes back to an earlier time, we run the risk of contracting Leadership and Organizational Regression. Though it feels safe, the “good old days” were not that good. In reality, going there can, in worst cases, destroy your organization.

“Been there. Done that” was cute when said by Forrest Gump but is not a leadership statement. Leaders should be “Going there. Doing that.” For leaders, the best days are always in front of us. Leaders by definition are taking people somewhere. They love breaking new ground.

Choose Innovation. Choose Spontaneity. Reject Regression. Reject Repackaging and Recycling Old Ideas.

Leaders, yesterday ended last night. Seize the day. Make a difference. Be the leader you were created to be. And for the sake of your leadership and all those you are responsible for, keep moving forward!

Source: full text here

7 Characteristics of Cowardly Lion Leadership

Para o post de Ron Edmondson, clique aqui.