5 Rules with a Mentor March 24, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Methods & Strategies, Leader Zone, DifferenceMakers, Entrepreneuring, Faith at Work , 2commentsAs a serial entrepreneur, I love to spend time with folks who are getting their own company going. I remember the days when I was getting started and I was searching for people who knew more than me that would take time to meet with me and impart some wisdom into my situation. I tell everyone who asks — get a mentor…get someone who will help you as you grow as an entrepreneur.
I recently came across a great post by Perry Noble about the “5 Rules with a Mentor”. Here is what he said:
I have had the privilege of being mentored by some incredible leaders, some you would know, others you might not–but nonetheless, God has used them to teach me SO MUCH about life and ministry. Over the years I have developed five rules for meeting with a mentor that I would love to share here today…you may agree or disagree, all I know is that they have worked for me.
#1 - I Always Adjust To Their Schedule–ALWAYS!
When I am attempting to set up an appointment with someone I want to meet with–I always ask them (or their assistant) to throw two or three dates at me that is most convenient for them…and then I adjust my schedule to make the meeting happen. I NEVER send them the times I want and then ask them to adjust their schedules. I am the one who wants the meeting…and if they are available to me I will bend over backwards to hang out with them.
#2 - I Am Always Early For The Appointment
If I am driving from out of town I always make sure I arrive around (more…)
The Joy of Abby-Jill March 16, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Family, Church, Inside Park, Leader Zone , 3commentsThis weekend I sat with hundreds of others (really an old-timers Park alumni meeting, it seemed like) and celebrated the life of Abby-Jill Marie Brauhn, a friend and former staff-member at Park Community Church, who lost her battle with cancer this week. Rich Case did an excellent job in his message and Rich Johnson was superb leading the worship…..there were so many Park alums who joined together to do the set-up food and singing….. it was Park at its finest. The stories that people told were so funny and so typical Abby-Jill.
My most stiking memory was how Abby loved everyone. Yes, she was very skilled at business, yes she was a terrific organizer, yes, she was a top-notch leader….but she loved people. From the rich to the poor, from the “got-it-together” to the down-trodden and broken-spirited. I learned a lot about people caring from Abby — she wanted each person to know the security she had through her faith in Jesus Christ. She has such joy in her relationship with Jesus. That’s what I will remember most…..
I know there were lots of people whose life she touched in dramatic ways over the years through coffee conversations, to late night dinners, to pajama parties for her girlfriends to travelling with others. More than 300 people took Park trips to the FFHM orphanage under her watch and had their lives completely changed. I am profoundly sad and greatly grieving her loss.
I also realized, like my friend Jill’s post, that in that celebration service with so many 1990’s Park alumni there, I yearned for a moment in time that I can never go back to (and so that is probably part of my grief too). We got to sing all my favorite praise songs (which were also Abby-Jill’s favorites) with so many people that I love to hang out with, yet many have disbursed all over the country with scores of kids and new responsibilities.
As Jill said so well “This week Abby-Jill got to fully realize what I got a glimpse of this weekend. We aren’t meant for this world and I find myself strangely longing for that place when I am once again singing in a room full of “family” without a care in the world. Thank you AJB for reminding me and for touching my life once again.”
God gave us Abby-Jill for a moment and she is home now with the Father.
Man, heaven is going to be a good place, dontcha think?……..
Check out another Park alum’s thoughts here.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES? LEAVE A COMMENT
How’s Your Dialogue? June 21, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Methods & Strategies, Leader Zone , add a comment“When it comes to improving performance, most organizations’ problems can be traced to their inability to think and talk together at critical moments.”– Paraphrased from William Isaacs’s book Dialogue, p.3
How do you talk to your staff? How do you conduct a meeting? Do you generally have good dialogue with your staff, first talking, then listening and then responding appropriately? Doug Sundheim of Fast Company tells us that “What passes as “communication” in most organizations is nothing more than people talking AT each other. Firing different opinions around a room with little structure to productively move any action forward. The dialogue is dysfunctional - meaning that it doesn’t produce a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Eventually, when a decision must be made, it’s often the person who has spoken the loudest, longest, or with the most conviction that wins - whether it was the best idea or not.”
Good dialogue can be boiled down to 5 key elements - Listening, Respecting, Suspending, Voicing, and Inquiring. When dialogue breaks down, it’s usually because one or more of these are missing between the players involved.
Think of an unproductive conversation you’ve recently had. Consider the following questions to see where you might have been contributing to the problem.
1. Listening - Did I truly hear what the other person(s) said?
2. Respecting - Did I respect their opinions - even if I didn’t agree with them?
3. Suspending - Did I suspend my own opinions long enough to create an opening for new perspectives?
4. Voicing - Did I say what I truly thought and felt in a responsible way?
5. Inquiring - Did I probe for clarification when things weren’t clear?
6. When you find that one or more of these are missing, experiment with ways to bring them into the conversation.
Missional Living as Leaders May 12, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Church, Inside Park, Methods & Strategies, Missional, Leader Zone , add a comment
Last night, we gathered 150 of our leaders and celebrated the incredible work that God is doing in and through Park Community Church. One of the highlights was the message given by our Lead Pastor, Jackson Crum, on the need for our leaders to live missionally in the city. Have a listen here.
Leader Zone Tonight May 10, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Chicago, Inside Park, Urban Church, Methods & Strategies, Leader Zone , add a comment
Tonight, we gather our 200 leaders at the Kitsch’n Restaurant by our new warehouse building (restaurant is at 800 N Larrabee St at 6:30 p.m.) and get a chance to interact, to inspire, to spend time together and plan for the summer. In 2007, we are striving to be more intentional about growing and developing our leadership community at Park Community Church, as we begin to think about reproducing, adding a fourth service, adding a location and growing to reach many more people in Chicago this summer who do not know the life-changing message of the Gospel. If you are a leader at Park (small groups, ministry leader or team leader), please join us for our second Leader Zone Meeting of 2007, tonight. God is up to something BIG here in the city and we are excited to come alongside that work.
Park’s 1st Leader Zone Meeting a Success! February 18, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Volunteers, Family, Church, Inside Park, Leader Zone , add a comment
In 2007, we are striving to be more intentional about growing and developing our leadership community at Park Community Church. One of the ways we are going to invest in our leaders is through quarterly meetings, where we will bring the entire leadership community together for a dinner, here about what God is doing through us and amongst us, provide in-depth communication about what is happening at Park and where we are going, and hear from Jackson.
We had our first Quarterly “Leader Zone” leader meeting last Thursday night and it got good reviews. More than 150 of our leaders met at the Kitsch’n restaurant and got a chance to have dinner together, hear some great testimonies from folks at Park, and hear Jackson talk about our 2007 goal of having every leader reproduce themselves as we grow. We got a chance to get an update on the building construction (check out our ParkCAM), the Imagine More campaign, and leadership updates.
Leaders, thanks for your commitment to coming alongside the work that God is doing here in Chicago - we have lots more to do but there is a strong energy and enthusiasm among the leadership core and it contagious! The elder and staff love doing ministry with you folks!
Be sure to mark your calendars for the next meeting on May 10th! A mp3 of the message will be posted here next week for those who missed it!
God Smiles: Candle of Faith September 1, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog , add a comment
