"But with respect to future debt; would it not be wise and just for that nation to declare in the constitution they are forming that neither the legislature, nor the nation itself can validly contract more debt, than they may pay within their own age, or within the term of 19 years." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, 1789 http://amplify.com/u/a19ysd

Encourage Someone’s Heart – Today

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Well it’s Friday – hopefully you have had a full, productive and effective week of ministry / creating art.  If you are like me, I don’t really remember accomplishing anything of any worth without the help, counsel, inspiration, or encouragement of others around me this week.  not only are we desperately dependent upon the Lord, we are so dependent on others.

So today – not tomorrow or next week – but today, take a few minutes and thank some of those people.  Stop and hand write a note to some of those people expressing your genuine appreciation for them.  And please don’t forget those dear servants that serve quietly in the background keeping the wheels of the organization running smoothly, often with very little recognition.

So today – today – encourage someone’s heart.  The funny thing is – you will be blessed by doing so.

BG Hebrews 10:24-25 Read more at bgallen.com

 

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The Army's Core Values

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Core values are critical.  We tend to pay them “lip service” as most understand that an organization should have them, but truly incorporating and living them?  Now that is hard.

The US Army is one of my favorite organizations.  Not perfect by any means and they have had their dark times, but overall they represent the best in our nation in terms of leadership development and turning out leaders of integrity.  There have been notable failures of course, but we are dealing with a human institution after all.

The Army has seven core values and I have at time wondered how they would do as values for a ministry.  See what you think:

Loyalty

Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers. Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. A loyal Soldier is one who supports the leadership and stands up for fellow Soldiers. By wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army you are expressing your loyalty. And by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit. What about bear true faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ, your ministry, your team, and fellow servants of Christ?

Duty

Fulfill your obligations. Doing your duty means more than carrying out your assigned tasks. Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team. The work of the U.S. Army is a complex combination of missions, tasks and responsibilities — all in constant motion. Our work entails building one assignment onto another. You fulfill your obligations as a part of your unit every time you resist the temptation to take “shortcuts” that might undermine the integrity of the final product. No change here except to replace U.S. Army with the name of your ministry.

Respect

Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.” Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to contribute.  Again, basically no change here except to replace U.S. Army with the name of your ministry.

Selfless Service

Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the effort. In Christianity, we may refer to this as dying to self.  Put the Name of Christ and the needs of those you minister to and those you lead before your own.

Honor

Live up to Army values. The Nation’s highest military award is The Medal of Honor. This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of daily living — Soldiers who develop the habit of being honorable, and solidify that habit with every value choice they make. Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do. Live as an image bearer of Christ reflecting him to a broken world. Develop the holy habits of the heart so that a Christ-like response to situations becomes second nature.

Integrity

Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself.   Pretty simple – do what is right according to God’s Word. Be above reproach in all areas of your life.

Personal Courage

Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). Personal courage has long been associated with our Army. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and at times risking personal safety. Facing moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.       Again – little change.  Face fear, especially the fear of man, knowing who you serve – the Lord of lords. As they say, courage is often continuing to do what is right, facing adversity over the long run. “Whom shall we fear?”

Just some thoughts about core values to start off your week.  What do you think?  Would these apply to ministry in your opinion? Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Too Much of a Good Thing?

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Respect for and submission to authority – a good thing. Right?  Being in ministry we understand the biblical basis for authority and our responsibilities to the authorities God has placed in our lives. But could there be such a thing as too much of a good thing?

In the past, too often what I termed respect for my authorities was really an unhealthy deference that was based in the “fear of man”.  I would agree with my authority or not deliver bad news and especially not correct him when he was clearly wrong.  I rationalized that as “respecting my authority” when all it was, was old fashioned “fear of man” which is not biblical.

That kind of thinking is dangerous for our authorities and for our organizations.  Leaders need the loving candid feedback of their subordinate leaders.  Respect for and submission to our authorities does not mean not challenging them, it does not mean assuming they always know best, it does not mean agreeing with them externally while alarms are going off internally – it means giving them your best input – even when you know they won’t like what you have to say. It means that you care for them enough as a brother or sister in Christ that you will say what they need to hear even at the risk of your relationship.

Fortunately, I work for a man that is easily entreatable.  He often asks what his blind spots are and asks his leadership team to challenge him. Even with his openness and seeking of input, sometimes it is hard to challenge him.  That is my problem – not his.  So as leaders, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we are very approachable, that we create an atmosphere that invites and even requires feedback to us on our performance and behavior that is lovingly brutal.  This is hard to cultivate, but we must encourage and receive honest feedback from those we lead of we will find ourselves and our organizations headed for trouble.

Have a blessed day serving our Lord, BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Some Questions to Develop Your Team

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Is your team operating at a level that satisfies you?  Are they growing in their ability to make effective and wise decisions and then execute them?

Often times the “cap” on our teams performance is us.  Often when they come to us with a situation that needs a decision we quickly make it for them (we like to make decisions and we’re good at it right?).  The problem is, that often instead of helping them, we have actually disempowered them and taken ownership of the challenge away from them.

So try adding these questions to your “portfolio” to use with your team members.  I believe you will enjoy the growth that you see as a result.

What do you think we ought to do?

What are your two or three suggestions for this issue?

How do you see . . .?

What if we . . .?

Have you ever considered . . .?

How would you handle this situation? Why?

What do you think is keeping us from moving forward?

The key is, after you ask – LISTEN!!  And act on their suggestions as often as you can.  Remember, we want them to be the hero – not us.

By the way – check out MindTools for some great decision making tools – just click here.

Blessings on your day from a very hot southwest Michigan! BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Two Things to do Before You Can Lead

Listen & Learn

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Do you feel like leading people has become much more complex? Has the fact that there are now four to five generations in the workforce you lead become a challenge?  How about the rate of change?  Change has always been with us, but the rate of change is such now that it leaves our minds whirling.

General Stanley McChrystal had to deal with all of those forces, but magnified and in combat where mistakes result in people being hurt or dying. He is the former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan. A four-star general, he is credited for creating a revolution in warfare that fuses intelligence and operations.

Watch the following TED Talks video to see how he dealt with these things.  There are some great lessons in this for all of us.

See more at bgallen.com

 

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Some More Questions to Ask Your Team

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The Way of the Shepherd is an excellent little book on leadership that has profoundly impacted many people including me.  I often use it as a supplemental text in the management and leadership courses I teach and it is often the most impactful part of the course.  Many businesses and schools are now using it as a leadership approach now as a result of those classes.

The first of the seven principles of The Way of the Shepherd is “Know the Condition of Your Flock”. In other words – get to know your people and what is going on in their lives. As I have taught that, I often assumed that people would simply go and get to know their people.  What I have found is that people need “handles” – how do they go about getting to know your people?  Well, here are a few suggestions:

First – if you do assessments of your people, go get copies of their assessments and study them.  Find out their personality types and what that means.  Find out their history in your organization.  Study your people.

Secondly, after you have studied them on paper, set up a time to meet with them.  For this type meeting, if you can, meet somewhere offsite.  Maybe even over a meal.  But make it a neutral site as people seem to be freer in their conversations vs. being in a “work” setting.

Thirdly, just ask a few simple questions.  Following are some simple questions that are very illuminating about people and are more powerful than they first appear:

Where did you grow up?

Tell me about your family – how many siblings did you have?

What was your biggest challenge as a child?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Right now in your life – what causes you the most frustration?

Right now – what makes you smile?

Simple questions, but it is amazing the conversations that they generate and how much you learn about your team.

Hope you have a great weekend! BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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You Don't Buy Creativity

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“If you really want outstanding creative performance, you need people to focus on intrinsic motivations – factors inherent in the work itself.”

Good article on the 99% site on what really motivates creativity in people and it isn’t money. Well worth reading if you lead or will lead creatives – or anyone for that matter.  Click here to read the article.

Enjoy your day and remember – work done for the Creator is art with a purpose – it is an act of praise.  So create beautifully today with great joy as you serve our Lord – the ultimate Creative!

BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Nine Things to Do to Become More Effective

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Highly effective or “successful” people tend to do some things differently.

Heidi Halverson has documented nine things that these people do differently in an article and makes the statement that “successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.”

Get specific.  “Lose 5 pounds” is a better than “lose some weight,” “. . . saying I will be in bed by 10:00 pm every weeknight is better than saying I will get more sleep.”

Seize the moment to act on your goals. “. . . we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them.”

Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress

Be a realistic optimist. “. . . whatever you do, don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal.”

Focus on getting better, rather than being good. -  Embrace the fact that you can change.

Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty.

Build your willpower muscle.

Don’t tempt fate. Remember that willpower is a limited resource.

Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do

It’s a good article and worth reading in its entirety.

Peace & Grace to you, BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Questions to Help You Stay on Track

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Staying on track – hard to do for leaders, especially when you are moving fast.  And, as you know, just being a little bit off course can have major consequences down the road.  The problem is, as a leader, getting off track impacts others – not just ourselves.

Robert Kaplan, in the article “What to Ask the Person in the Mirror” suggests asking yourself the following questions:

Vision & Priorities

How often do I communicate a vision for my business [ministry]?

Have I identified three to five key priorities to achieve that vision? If asked, would my employees be able to articulate the vision and priorities?

Managing Time

How am I spending my time? Does it match my key priorities?

How are my subordinates spending their time? Does that match the key priorities for  the business [ministry]?

Feedback

Do I give people timely and direct feedback that they can act on?

Do I have five or six junior subordinates who will tell me things I may not want to hear but need to hear?

Some good questions – what things do you use to keep yourself and your team on track?

Blessings on your week,

BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Dealers in Hope

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Leaders are (or should be) “dealers in hope”.  Do you give hope to those you lead? Do you encourage their hearts? Do you know how?

Following are some thoughts from James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s book – A Coach’s Guide to Developing Exemplary Leaders.

Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward.

Successful leaders have high expectations of themselves and of their constituents. (a truism I have lived by is that the people you lead meet your expectations of them – be they high or low).

Give personal and meaningful recognition – sometimes all you need to do is say “thank you”.  A personal handwritten note is very powerful and so easy to do!

Celebrate victories together and help foster a sense of community.

Ensure what you preach and what you celebrate are one and the same. (People quickly recognize if there is a disconnect in what you say and what you really value).

Be personally involved.  Leadership is a very personal thing. Leadership is a relationship!

So – go be a “dealer in hope” for those you serve and lead.

Hope you have a great weekend, BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Is It Really Worth It?

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Are the long hours, negative stress, lack of sleep, being out of shape, being irritable with those you love the most really worth it?  Is that really a God-honoring way to live and work? Tony Schwartz has a good article on the Harvard Business Review blog asking if the way you’re living is really worth it. Following is an excerpt:

What toll does it take, over time, if you get too little sleep; skip breakfast or settle for something unhealthy; struggle with a relentlessly challenging commute; attend meeting after meeting with no breaks in between; pump yourself up through the day with multiple cups of coffee or sugary snacks; deal with hundreds of emails that accumulate in your inbox; remain at your desk for lunch if you eat lunch at all; push through fatigue in the afternoon; head home at night feeling exhausted, but continue to check email through the evening; work on the weekends; and limit your vacations to no more than a week or two, if you vacation at all?

Facing ever more demand, complexity and uncertainty, our initial response is to push ourselves harder and more relentlessly, without taking account of the costs we’re incurring.

It’s not good for us, and it’s not good for companies.(or churches and ministries!)

So – ask yourself – is the way you’re living really worth it?  Is it really God-honoring? Or are you simply going with what the “culture” says is the way to prove your value?

Also, check out Tony Schwartz’s site and his book for some good advice on how to live a more healthy life.(Note – you will need to run his thoughts through your Biblical worldview to separate the wheat from the chafe).

BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Is The Way You're Working Really Worth It?

http://bgallen.com/2011/07/06/is-it-really-worth-it/

Some good advice from Tony Schwartz on how to evaluate the way we're working.

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Twelve Questions That Could Improve Your Team’s Decision Making

http://bgallen.com/2011/07/05/twelve-questions-that-could-impr...

A great "checklist" for you to use in discerning defects in your team's decision making process - taken from the June 2011 issue of the Harvard Business Review.

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Happy Independence Day!

Great video of the signing of the Declaration.

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We are truly blessed to have the privilege to be citizens of a great nation.  ”Blessed is the nation whose god is the LORD, . . .” – Psalm 33:12

Following is a great video on the signing of the Declaration:

Take time to pause and thank the Lord for this country and then to ask Him to pour out His Spirit once more on this land.

BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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Building Your Own Personal Advisory Council

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Here at our ministry we have a group of about 15 highly gifted professionals in ministry, business, law and medicine that form an Advisory Council for our ministry.  The Council has no formal authority, but are simply people who have an interest in our ministry and our willing to share their expertise and wisdom with us as needed.  They have benefitted the ministry greatly.

The Executive Director of our ministry began to encourage all of our senior leaders to develop their own Advisory Council.  I took him seriously and now have four people from various professions that speak into my life on at least a monthly basis. One in particular – a successful small businessman – is coaching me in my coaching & consulting business and has been a great help.

We all need the help and wisdom of others – particular wise, godly people.  Proverbs is full of verses pointing us in that direction.

There is a new article on the Harvard Business Review site that talks about Personal Networking, but is really addressing, in a way, this concept of a personal Advisory Council. Following are come comments from the post:

Meanwhile, the most satisfied executives have ties to

1. people who provide personal support, such as colleagues who help them get back on track when they’re having a bad day or friends with whom they can just be themselves;

2. people who add a sense of purpose or worth, such as bosses and customers who validate their work, and family members and other stakeholders who show them work has a broader meaning; and

3. people who promote their work/life balance, holding them accountable for activities that improve their physical health (such as sports), mental engagement (such as hobbies or educational classes), or spiritual well-being (music, religion, art, or volunteer work).

Four Steps to Building a Network

Analyze

Identify the people in your network and what you get out of interacting with them

De-layer

Make some hard decisions to back away from redundant and energy-sapping relationships

Diversify

Build your network out with the right kind of people: energizers who will help you achieve your goals

Capitalize

Make sure you’re using your contacts as effectively as you can

The key is – to really grow in all areas of your life – you need the counsel of others – the right others.  And you have to be intentional and seek them out.

Have a great weekend celebrating the gift from God that is the birth of this nation.  And please for a spiritual awakening in this great country – all for the glory of God.

BG Read more at bgallen.com

 

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