What are your Intentions?

My church uses the word intentional a lot in its mission and vision statement.  I hear this word from the pulpit too when the Pastors refer to various ministries of our church.  So, I started thinking about how intentional I was being in my daily life regarding the goals that I established for 2012.  I concluded that while I had set solid SMART goals for my life (See my Resolutions post), I am not starting each day with specific intentions that lead to accomplishing these goals.

Each Monday morning, I intend to set weekly objectives that will contribute to achieving the goals that I have established for my spiritual and personal life as well as in my ministry and business.  Then, each morning I intend to set objectives for that day that will lead to achieving that week’s goals.  By doing this, I will stay focused on my goals which will keep me on task.

The old adage, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” applies to achieving annual goals.  Every day I have to break my annual goals down into bite size portions.  Mastering this process will lead to forming a new habit that will lead to successfully accomplishing my annual goals in each area on my life.  

So, consider this: how do you intend to accomplish your goals for 2012?  What are you going to do this week that will contribute to their accomplishment?  Now, what are you going to do today to help reach your goals?  Now, go do it, and may God grant you His success!

Grace Conquers the Fear of Failure

For most folks, the fear of failure is really the fear of the rejection that often accompanies failure.  Many people choose to stay mired in the mud of mediocrity, because they do not live or work in an environment of grace.  Grace (when I get what I do not deserve) and mercy (when I do not get what I do deserve) are keys in overcoming our fear of failure.  In order to risk failure, we need to feel secure in our family and work relationships. 

Business leaders that fail to provide an environment of grace will not see their employees reach their full potential.  The fear of the consequences of failure (demotion, being fired) will inhibit workers from trying new techniques.  In contrast, when employers establish an environment of grace and mercy, their employees will feel safe to develop and communicate new ideas and attempt to implement them effectively.  The safety net of grace promotes creativity and excitement in workers.

An environment of grace fosters hope in both employers and employees that enables both to dream and envision a whole range of possibilities for business and personal development.  When business leaders focus solely on the ‘bottom line’ and quotas, grace is stifled, and fear flows through the hearts of workers often resulting in decreased productivity. 

Grace and mercy are the foundations of Biblical Christianity. For Christian business leaders, maintaining an environment of grace should be paramount in our business approach.  We need to see beyond the profit lines and see that what matters most is having a positive impact through grace on our workers.  Because we have received God’s grace, we need to extend it even to our workers.  When we choose to do this, profits will most likely rise as our workers will be motivated to try new things that might just work.  When we grant our workers grace and challenge them to dream, the result will be growth in our businesses and in our people!

Dare to Dream Again!

Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is the preview to life’s coming attractions.”  How many of adults have stopped dreaming?  When we stop dreaming, we start settling for average.  As a result, we lose hope that our lives will ever be what we once envisioned them to be.  Fear of failure is often the reason that we stop dreaming of a better way of life.  It seems easier to settle for less in life than to risk failure in the attempt to improve one’s lifestyle.  

Another person (sorry, I don’t know the author) said, “In your life, if you can conceive it, you can achieve it.  If you doubt it, you will live without it.”  If this person is right, then it seems that success starts with conceiving a vision that motivates passion.  It takes a passionate vision to keep a person going when adversity hits.  Passion for one’s vision is what will drown out all of the doubts and fears of failure. 

Take some time and envision what you would like your life to be like.  Post your vision by making a photo collage and put it where you will see it often.  This collage will serve as a reminder of why you are working so hard and as a motivator to dispel the doubts and fears.  While we live in difficult economic times, there are countless opportunities out there to generate multiple streams of income.  Dream, explore, grow, prosper!

The Importance of Consistency Between Words and Actions

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, followers desire honesty and integrity in their leaders.  When leaders fail to be consistent in their words and actions, followers are hurt and distrust grows while morale drops.  Rebuilding trust and morale can only be accomplished when leaders humbly admit their shortcomings and then make genuine efforts toward positive change.  Unfortunately, some leaders only seek to create the appearance of change, but followers eventually see through the manipulation, and their distrust grows even deeper.

Followers value humility.  No one is perfect.  How leaders handle their mistakes is a reflection on their character.  Strong leaders admit their mistakes, seek forgiveness, and take steps to correct their mistakes.  The result is that respect for them grows among their followers.  Weak leaders look for a scapegoat, or they cleverly rationalize their actions in attempt to convince themselves and their followers that they made an acceptable decision.  Eventually, followers see through the rationalization and lose more respect for their leaders. 

Leaders who say what they mean and mean what they say cultivate intimate relationships with their followers because of the consistency between their words and actions.  They prove to be both trustworthy and reliable.  In turn, this consistency fosters creative growth in their followers, as they feel safe to express their ideas and try new things.  The decisions made by consistent leaders are more likely to be wholeheartedly supported by their followers who then work hard to implement them effectively.

In short, consistency between words and actions is critical to being a successful leader.  Not only are their relationships with their followers more fulfilling, but the outcome of their collective efforts is more significant and successful.

Effective Leadership is like a Marathon

I have never run a marathon, and thanks to exercise induced asthma, I probably never will.  However, I realize my whole life is a marathon, and I must purpose in my heart to finish well.  As a leader of both a Christian counseling ministry and my Ignite home business, I have to keep my focus on working each at a steady, consistent pace, so that I can finish well.  Being disqualified from the race is not an option.  This may be easier said than done.

The research of Dr. J. Robert Clinton, professor of leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, concluded that more than 70 percent of leaders fail to finish well.  His research found that there are six common traits of those leaders who do not finish well.  They are as follows:

1.         They lose their learning posture by no longer listening and growing.

2.         The attractiveness of the character dwindles.

3.          They compromise their convictions.

4.         They fail to leave behind significant contributions.

5.         They lose awareness of their influence and destiny.

6.         They lose their once vibrant relationship with God.

Some of these leaders quit; some plateau through complacency.  Dr. Clinton states that, “a leader whose… skills outstrip his character formation will eventually falter.”  People intuitively respond to character and desire leaders who demonstrate honesty, integrity, and competency.  Leaders who are both inspirational and visionary will never lack for followers.*

Temptation to compromise in business comes in many forms.  Whether it is to overstate the merits of the business to manipulate clients or customers or to compromise the accounting process, honesty and integrity must be maintained.  Any slight deviation through compromise will eventually direct a leader and their business way off course and possibly to disqualification and failure.  Purpose to finish well by valuing honesty, integrity and those who follow you.

(*Quoted from The Ascent of a Leader by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol and Ken McElrath; Jossey-Bass; 1999; pg.14).