Give Others a Reputation

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
6. Give Others a Reputation to Uphold - Jesus and Nathaniel
(John 1:45-48)

Mike's Thoughts:
I recommend reading verses 43-51. Jesus, immediately upon seeing
Nathaniel lifted him up with praise about his character. As a leader I need to
praise the character of people, whether it is in private or in public. By doing
so, I not only lift the ego of the receiving person, but establish an
expectation of character performance for that person to strive for every day.
Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to pray for wisdom and discernment concerning the character of others.
2- I need to ask God for courage and the right words to praise
others with.
3- I need to set an example for others.

Are You an Optimal Worker?

Ecclesiastes 11:6:
6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good

Mike's Thoughts:
I believe Solomon is telling me to be diligent in my work and not to slack off
at the end of the day for the work I do at the end of the day may prosper
more than the work I did in the beginning or both may prosper as a result of
my obedience. Sometimes it is hard to maintain focus all day long and especially at the end of the day.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to keep my spiritual life in good shape to work at an optimal
production level.
2- I need to keep my mind in good shape to work at an optimal
production level.
3- I need to keep my body in good shape to work at an optimal
production level.
4- I need to pray for discipline and wisdom in those 3 areas.

Do You Compliment in Public?

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
5. Compliment People in Front of People - John the Baptist
(John 1:29-31)

Mike's Thoughts:
When I read this immediately the thought of my brother in Christ, Mike
Marburger came to mind as an example of a leader who practices this
principle. He has often complimented me in front of others and I must
admit that it makes me feel good. I also remember as a child when I would
go into town with my dad (we lived on the farm) that I was amazed and proud that often people would come up and shake his hand and then turn
to me, just a small child, and compliment him to me. What examples they
are! Me? I have always struggled to express my feelings verbally about
others, especially in public settings. Mike's Action Points:
1- I will pray for God to help me to pay genuine compliments to people
and lift them up in public settings.
2- I will practice giving myself compliments so that I may be better able
to compliment others.
3- I will FORCE myself to do so even if it is out of my comfort zone and
awkward for me at first because it is Biblical and a beautiful way
to show Godly respect and love for others.

Good People & Intentions = Not Always Good

Ecclesiastes 7:20-21a:
20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,

Mike's Thoughts:
It is hard to imagine Mother Theresa or Billy Graham as sinners. Yet, most
assuredly they were, as I am. As a Christian leader who strives to commune
with other Christians, I need to be cognizant that, while I'm fellowshipping
with brothers and sisters in Christ, they are all sinners, too. None of them
are better or holier than I am. Yes, some of them may spend two hours a
day in prayer and meditation, and I don't. Some of them may speak in
tongues, and I don't. Some of them may be doing great mission work, and I
don't. But, those are all "works" and don't make them closer to God than me. What makes me close or not close to God is my personal relationship with Him and I am not qualified to judge that in another person, are you?
Whether I am at work, in the home or the community, as a leader, I need to
be aware that while someone is doing great work, they are still a sinner and
I should not take to heart everything they say. Instead, as Joel Osteen
teaches, I need to listen to the "small voice of God inside me" and I need to
test what is being said to me against God's Word and seek God's wisdom,
not theirs or mine, on the subject. Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to take time to pray about the subject or situation.
2- I need to be aware of other's good intentions and seek God's
wisdom on the subject and listen for His small voice inside me.
3- I need to encourage others to share with me, but I still need to
perform steps 1 & 2.

Will You be a Legacy Leader?

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
4. Create a Memory and Visit it Often - Joshua (Joshua 4:1-7)
6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

Mike's Thoughts:
THIS is why I'm launching my new company, Legacy Coach International
on 9/1/09, with God's guidance. To help people learn to become legacy leaders at work, at home
and in the community. A "legacy leader" is a servant leader who teaches
others to be servant leaders for future generations. A legacy leader lives on
in practice, application and story from generation to generation. Here Joshua is creating a legacy of what the Lord did for the people of Israel at
this time. I'm sure for many generations, when people came upon that
place by the Jordan river and saw the stones there, that many stories were
told about God and Joshua and Moses and the Israeli culture was passed from one generation to another. We seem to have lost the enthusiasm to pass cultures and traditions and knowledge and wisdom and spirituality from one generation to the next and this is causing all kinds of societal problems with the biggest problem being the deterioration of the family unit. The second biggest problem being business, community and political leaders who are only interested in short term results and self-serving agendas. Joel Osteen often talks about "generational blessings" and his family embraces legacy leadership. Are they perfect - no! Do they ever have family conflict -
I'm sure they do! But, the legacy of leadership has been passed from John
Osteen's father (and probably before him) to John Osteen and now to John
Osteen's children and I can see where Joel and Victoria are passing the
family legacy to their children. As a leader, I need to do everything I can to
create enduring legacies and pass them on thru my family, my work and my
community. Mike's Action Points:
1- Study Biblical leaders and how they created legacies for future
generations.
2- Ask God for help in being a legacy leader and creating legacy
opportunities for the current generation that can be passed to
future generations.

Do You Need an Encourager?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:
9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

Mike's Thoughts:
These verses build on yesterday's discussion that God made me to need
other people in my life. My life here on earth is a roller coaster and I
need others to complement me and pick me up and encourage me when
I'm down. God made me to help/serve others. As a leader, I need to
understand that I need other people and that other people need me to be
an encourager and a helper. Mike's Action Points:
1- Ask God how I can better serve my friends, family & co-workers.
2- I need to look for opportunities to serve my friends, family &
co-workers.
3- I need to be an encourager to my family, friends & co-workers.

Do You Need Others?

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
3. Let People Know You Need Them - Paul (Galations 4:13-15,
2 Timothy 4:11)

Mike's Thoughts:
God made us to need other people in our lives. That is why He made Eve
as a companion for Adam. In fact, isn't that why God made Adam in the
first place? So companionship and the need for others is Biblical and
natural. I believe that a relationship can't be very genuine if it is a one-way
street. Both participants should need the companionship, encouragement,
confidentiality, support, spirituality and help of the other. Often I have seen
and had and been on the receiving side of a one-way relationship where
one of the participants (sometimes myself) is putting on the facade of
not needing the other person. Often it was in defense of not opening up to
being hurt. This is not Biblical! The Bible teaches that I need to be open
to others, even if it means being hurt from time to time, because the only way to have a genuine relationship is thru openness. God demands it of me
and I should expect and give it in my relationships with my friends, my
family, my spouse (if I had one) and my co-workers. As a leader, I need to
be open to my people and expect the same from them. I should let them
know that they are needed and that I cannot be an effective leader without
them. Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to look at my relationships and see if I have closed myself
to someone I shouldn't. If I have, I need to look for ways to
restore that relationship to openness.
2- I need to look at my relationships and see if someone has closed
themselves to me. If they have, I should approach them in a
loving manner and see if the relationship can be more open.
3- I need to pray for help in all my relationships.
4- If someone continues to be closed to me, then I should remain
friendly and open to them, but draw back from the relationship
and allow God to work on it in His time and according to His
will.

The 30-Second Rule

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
2. Practice the 30-second rule (encourage them during the first
30 seconds) - Jesus and Simon Peter (John 1:42).
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah.[i] You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

Mike's Thoughts:
I'm always amused by motivational speakers and self-help gurus who
give the impression of having some new revelation that we can all grasp
on to and become better at whatever we are seeking. In reality, if you look
at any worthwhile motivational or self-help theory or thought it has its roots
in the Bible, whether that is acknowledged or not. One that we hear often is
to compliment people on something when you meet them. Well, here is the
foundation for that right here in the Bible! Of course, most of the time when
we meet people we don't have divine revelation or knowledge of them as
Jesus did with Simon. So, we are to look for something about them to
compliment them on; their clothes, their hair, their teeth, their demeanor, etc.
Personally, I struggle with this because I'm generally nervous about meeting
new people in the first place and remembering their name; and to make my feeble mind search for something to compliment them on, too, throws me in
to overload! However, if done with sincerity, I know that it is powerful in
winning people over. Mike's action points:
* I need to pray and ask God to remove the barrier in my mind that is
keeping me from remembering people's names when I meet
them and allowing me to pay them sincere compliments.
* Practice, practice, practice. Work with some friends or work mates
and practice paying each other compliments. When you see
people, even if you aren't going to meet them, look at them and
see what you can sincerely compliment them on and then
rehearse doing so in silence to yourself or in front of a mirror at
home.
*** Important Note: Telling someone you are not already intimate with they are sexy or something related is not a sincere compliment, but a pickup line and can get you into trouble.

All that You Know May Not be Wise!

Ecclesiastes 1:17-18:
17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.18 For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Mike's Thoughts:
I get "burned out" sometimes and I'm sure you do, too. It is a natural
human emotion and I believe that Soloman was experiencing such emotions
in the book of Ecclesiastes. Rick Warren teaches that my life is not to be
about me, but it is ALL about God. It is obvious in the verses above that
Soloman has lost the focus on God in his life. God blessed Soloman as
the wisest man to ever live and unfortunately, Soloman in all his wisdom,
lost his focus on God and, in his pursuit for more personal wisdom, found
knowledge that depressed him. Many times in the Bible God talks about
seeking wisdom, NEVER does He ask us to seek "madness and folly".
These are pursuits of the flesh and not Godly pursuits. As a leader I need
to keep my focus on heavenly pursuits that are in line with the vision and
mission of my company, community and family. Of course, I must also
create visions and missions that foster heavenly pursuits. Please note that there is an important distinction between wisdom and knowledge. All wisdom is knowledge, not all knowledge is wisdom, just ask Adam and Eve!
Mike's action points:
* When feeling down or depressed or burned out, I need to ask
myself if my focus is on me or on God?
* Study 2 Corinthians 7:1 and 2 Peter 1:2-11.
* A friend of mine is writing a book to be released late in 2009 and in
this book he makes a profound statement: "Ask him (God) to
show you barriers and then help you remove them." I need to spend quiet time with God asking Him to do just that especially as it relates to maintaining my focus on Him.
* Check the vision/mission(s) I am pursuing to make sure I can
pursue them in a Godly manner. If not, change them.

Start With Yourself

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
1. Start with yourself - King Soloman.
1 Kings 3:9-14:
9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Mike's Thoughts:
God wants me to ask of Him not out of selfishness, but from a servant
heart, as did Soloman. God rewarded Soloman for his servant heart with
great understanding, riches and a long life. Sounds like a pretty good deal
to me! Mike's Action Points:
* I cannot be self-serving in my prayers. I need to seek His will for me
as Jesus did in the Garden. For example, if I'm suffering
financially, I should go to God in prayer and be thankful for His
blessings in my life and ask that His will be done with my finances and that He guides my actions in this area.
* I need to seek God's will in my life with a servant heart. Again, if I'm
struggling financially, I should go to Him in prayer and ask how
I can learn from this experience and use it to bless others.

Is Your Work Vanity?

Ecclesiastes 1:14:
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Mike's Thoughts:
This certainly presents a paradox for me. As a leader I'm supposed to push
my people to stretch their comfort zones, embrace the vision and mission of
the organization and continually strive to fulfill them, to constantly be looking
for better ways to do things, to work hard on relationships and devote
themselves to on-going personal improvement. And yet, Soloman is telling
me that it is all "vanity and grasping for the wind"? Well, if I just look at these causes by themselves, then yes it is vanity. However, if I look at a
larger picture with God in it, it makes much more sense. Rick Warren, in his
book, A Purpose Driven Life, tells me that EVERYTHING I do should be
about God and EVERYTHING that happens is a spiritual event. God is very
interested in HOW I go about my life and not so much what I accomplish in
my life. Do I put God first in everything I do? Do I live my life to please Him
with everything I do? As a leader I need to work with my people to achieve
the above causes, but only within the parameters of pleasing God with their
work and mine.

Information Needs Application

John Maxwell's Commentary on Jude 17-23:
Jude doesn't close his message with mere points of information, but offers
points of application. Effective leaders give both information and application.

Mike's Thoughts:
Jude appears to be a book of "communication". Throughout the book Jude
is encouraging leaders to be effective communicators. I find the above
commentary simple, yet profound. Often I have been in situations
where my leadership gave me information and then dissappeared and I
was left with this half-full feeling of; "Okay, just what do they expect me to
do with this?" The problem is that they gave me the information for a reason
and I felt like they expected me to do something with it, but they didn't give
me the application and I was left to figure it out on my own, which often led
to ineffecient use of my time and a project or task that had to be re-worked
at least once. I have found that sometimes a self-serving leader would do
this purposefully, especially if they felt threatened by me. They obviously did
not understand or embrace the concept of servant/legacy leadership. Other
times they may not have thought the situation through fully and how
dissemination of the information would effect the receivers. Other times they
may have known the information was important but, didn't know how to apply it themselves and were just hoping that I would figure it out for them.
As a leader who wants an effective and efficient team and to set an example of servant/legacy leadership it is to my advantage and is my duty that when I
dissimenate information to also give application for it. I have a few
suggestions on this topic:
1- If I am the recipient of information from leadership without
application and I suspect this is with malicious intent, I need to recognize that this is the evil one doing his deeds in the work place. I need to stay calm, pray about it and then don't act on it until I receive clarification about the application either from God or from my leadership. I should go to my leadership and explain that I am seeking clarification on what they expect me to do with the information and wait for their response. It may not be wise to
offer suggestions until I have heard their response otherwise
they may attempt to use it against me.
2- If I am the recipient of information from leadership without
application and suspect it is because they did not think it
through or did not know how to apply it themselves, I must be careful about my own motives when asking for clarification. Again, I should be calm and pray about it. Then I should look for possible applications without acting on them and then go to my leadership with a servant heart and explain that I am seeking application for the information they shared and ask for their feedback and guidance on the possible applications I came up with.
3- As a leader, I should strive to never disseminate information
without offering application for it. I should always share
information with pure motives and the attitude of a servant/legacy leader. If I feel the need to share information and
I don't have an application for it, then I should ask the recipient
for their prayer and/or thoughts on the information and how we
should apply it.

Will You Change Eternity?

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Ecclesiastes:

Why we do something ultimately determines what we do.
.... all earthly goals and blessings, when pursued as an end in themselves,
lead to dissatisfaction and emptiness.
All good leaders operate from a personal and corporate mission statement.
Vision drives them.
.... leaders ought to wrestle with how they might change eternity through
their leadership.

Mike's Thoughts:

As a servant/legacy leader, my motives behind my actions are important to
God and may have a profound effect on those I lead. It is my job to lead
people with a mission and vision that honor God and not earthly goals. As
I become involved in projects and activities and assume leadership positions, I should always seek to serve others in such a way that they will
be so inspired to "pay it forward" for future generations. This is Legacy
Leadership!

Bigger Leadership

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Ecclesiastes:
Our leadership must be about something much bigger than us. If our
leadership advances merely our own "kingdom," only increases the profits
of our company, or only benefits ourselves - we have failed the higher call
of leadership. All leadership must bring honor to God, serve and benefit
others, and utilize the gifts of each team member to their fullest potential.

Mike's Thoughts:
This paragraph really speaks to me as a leader and a coach. In my opinion,
one of the two biggest problems we have in society today are business,
community and political leaders who only strive to advance their self-serving
agendas and short-term profits to make themselves look good. Our
leadership service must be about creating leaders for future generations and
leaving strong Godly legacies that will not wilt under the pressures of the
world. Leaders are to serve to benefit others, not themselves! Finally, this
paragraph ends with one of the biggest challenges leaders face and that is
to utilize the gifts of their people to their fullest potential. How do we do that? Well, the following steps may make a good start:
1- Identify their individual gifts/talents/strengths.
2- Encourage and help them to develop and use those talents.
3- Help them to understand how to work around their weaknesses.
4- Give them the foundation to grow in the areas of their leadership
strengths.
5- Help them to grow in their Spiritual walks.

Are You a Confronter?

John Maxwell's Commentary on Jude 3-4:
Confrontation: Jude Admonishes People to do Right
Confrontation is a necessary evil. No one enjoys it, but it must be
done in order to rectify, purify, and unify the organization. When
leaders refuse to confront wrongs, the atmosphere can become
lethargic and unfocused. When leaders don't stand for something,
their people will fall for anything.

Mike's Thoughts:
As a leader, I must have courage to confront wrongs and set the ship on
the right path. Sometimes wrong happens innocently, sometimes
purposefully. Regardless, it must be confronted and dealt with. As a leader
I must reflect the values and vision of my organization/family and
communicate such frequently to the people so that they may stay focused
and not stray from the course.