My Epic Journey

I had the great opportunity of having lunch with Adam Purcell, the Family Life Pastor at LifePoint Community Church.  We talked about life and ministry and had a great time, but one thing in particular stood out to me that he had said.

When challenging his leaders in relation to serving students he said there are three things he asks them to do:

1.  Pray

You can’t lead someone spiritually if you haven’t asked the Spirit to guide and help.  Prayer is one of those “must” that rarely ever happens.

2.  Prepare

Be ready to for what might come up with students.  Know what they are going through.  And if you are teaching a lesson, definitely take the necessary time to know and ingest the topic you are discussing.

3.  Pursue

Teens like to know they matter and one of the best ways to do that is to pursue them.  I’m not talking about during church or the EPIC teaching times, but outside of GPCC and EPIC.  Contact them through Facebook, text, or call them.  Meet with them for a shake or a burrito.  Show up at one of their sporting events.  Really, just love them throughout the week.

Thanks Adam, for this great reminder!

Excited about heading to Camp Otyokwah this weekend for an EPIC Vision retreat.  I am heading up tonight to spend time in prayer and planning and then will have some of the EPIC staff team join me Friday night and Saturday.

Here are some questions we posed to our leaders:

What do you want to see accomplished in EPIC in the next 365 days?

What does the process look like to achieve that goal?

What needs to be done to see that accomplished?

Who might we need to bring on to the team to help us achieve this goal?

Please pray that God would give us direction and peace concerning the vision for EPIC and the focus for the next 365 days for our students and their family’s. 

Being a great leader means more than just having people follow you. Kouzes and Posner (2008) point out 5 things that leaders can do that will put them above the rest, model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.  

Model the way

The practice of modeling the way is states that exemplary leaders lead by example. “Leaders’ deeds are far more important than their words when determining how serious they really are about what they do” (Kouzes, et al., 2008, p. 27). If a leader desires for others to follow, he must be willing to not only lead the way, but to do some of the dirty work that gets them the team there. A leader is always being watched. Therefore, an exemplary leader will not only recognize that but make sure that, on all levels, they are acting with integrity, excellence and honor (Skovira, 2006).

Inspire a shared vision

Inspiring a shared vision means that leaders not only know the big picture of what their organization seeks to accomplish but knows how to pull everyone into that vision so that they can own the vision as well. Strait (2006) notes that vision helps “define a scope, that provides specific goals, objectives, assumptions, and constraints that will enable this vision to be realized” (p.42). Scripture points out that “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, King James Version). Having a vision is important but unless the leader can transfer that vision to his followers, the vision will be lost.

Challenge the process

Exemplary leaders know the importance of thinking outside the box. To challenge the process means a leader is always looking for “opportunities to innovate, grow, and improve” (Kouzes, et al., 2008, p. 29). They are not satisfied with the status quo but are willing be innovative in their approach and practice. Bossink (2007) notes that “a manager who wants to guide and steer the sustainable innovation processes has to be, or become, an innovation manager with substantial leadership competence” (p. 135).

Enable others to act

Leaders must not act alone. They must be willing to surround themselves with a team of people who can get the job done. Kouzes, et al. (2008), point out that “leaders enable others to act not by hoarding the power they have but by giving it away” (p. 31). Exemplary leaders are able to inspire others without acting like dictators to do so (Hickman & Murphy, 2006).

Encourage the heart

“It’s part of the leader’s job to show appreciation for people’s contributions and to create a culture of celebration” (Kouzes, et al., 2008, p. 32). People we are leading not only want to know they are contributing but need to know they are valuable pieces to the puzzle. Research has shown that those in military leadership gain the trust of their subordinates by showing concern for who they are and by acknowledging the skills they possess (Sweeney, Thomson, & Blanton, 2009).

References:

Bossink, B. A. G., (2007). Leadership for sustainable innovation. International Journal of

Technology Management and Sustainable Development, 6, 135-149.

Hickman, J. L., and Murphy, B., (2006). Strategies for developing leadership for new

supervisors. American Jails, 19, 9-13.

Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2008). The five practices of exemplary leadership. In J. V.

Gallos (Ed.), Business leadership (2^nd ed.) (pp. 26-34). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Skovira, R. J., (2006). An ethical ecology of a corporate leader: Modeling the ethical frame of

corporate leadership. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and

Management, 1, 159-170.

Strait, C. L. (2006). It’s all in the technique. Information Management Journal, 40, 41-46.

Sweeney, P. J., Thompson, V., and Blanton, H., (2009). Trust and influence in combat: an

interdependence model. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 39, 235-264.

Wordsearch 7.0 (2007) [Computer Software]. Austin, TX: Wordsearch Corp.