Leadership Blog 6

            Within our floor council, I believe that the greatest strength is our vision for our duty. As leaders, we have a great understanding of our roles and what our purpose is on our resident floor. As Discipleship leaders, we understand that our job is to encourage and allow spiritual growth to flourish with the freshman class that is on our floor. We want to be a part of the building up of the future of North Central, and more importantly of the next group of men of God. Because of our unique situation in living on a floor that is exclusive to freshmen, we take greater responsibility for how we conduct ourselves as leaders and collectively have a deeper understanding of our purpose as a team because we had been selected by a higher power to fill such a role. Our unstated core values include spending quality time on the floor with our residents, intentionally uplifting and encouraging everyone on our floor, and have honest and open communication among our teammates. Each of us, have specific skills and ways of interacting, however, we know it is imperative to work together in order to succeed at our job. Our understanding of our overall purpose as a floor council and our vision for what we want to be is what keeps us accountable to each other. We know we cannot accomplish our vision for the floor without one another and we each know that God has put us together for a great purpose.

            If our team was in a crises state it would be because there is an underlying issue with one or several of the members. Because our floor council only consists of three people, it would be relatively easy to spot a problem and deal with it accordingly. Practically speaking, our first plan of action would be to have a group discussion, a heart to heart conversation. Since we know one another fairly well, we would approach the issue with love and respect, yet still holding one another accountable. If there is a problem with one of us not performing our duties or ignoring someone else on the team, our goal would be to discuss the issue maturely, reminding everyone of what our vision and purpose is. As stated before, we know that we were place on this team for a reason and our stewardship of such a role is of utmost importance to God. Therefore, our response to crises, strategically, would be to calmly and respectfully remind one another of our purpose, keeping each other accountable, and repairing any bridges that may have been damaged within the team or helping a teammate through a rough time due to outside circumstances. It is also important that we prayerfully go about this process, with sensitivity to the spirit, showing grace and mercy, yet being truthful and correcting. If we would do this, I believe we could overcome any crises because we are confident that God wants us here for this specific time.

Leadership Blog 5

1.  I think it is fair to say that I have observed all five dysfunctions on multiple levels within the different teams I have been a part of. The most predominant one that sticks out to me is fear of conflict. I have seen leadership become virtually ineffective because of a person’s fear of confronting problems head on. When this happens, a message is sent to the team that relays a definite unawareness within leadership and a lack of urgency to see the team succeed. In my opinion, a leader must be willing to take care of conflict efficiently, proving that the welfare of the team and the purpose of their activity is more important than trying to please every individual need. When there is a fear of conflict, the tension within the team is heavily felt which ultimately affects the trust of each member. A specific example in my life was a leader in my youth group who spent more energy trying to befriend everyone instead of challenging the youth and sending a positive message by dealing appropriately with conflict from students or parents. This caused people to feel as though the leader was a push over and many people lost their trust in the individual.

2. As a leader of a team, I feel as though I am most likely to “help” create an absence of trust. Because I am very focused on challenging and motivating people, I may come across as invulnerable at times. Although people who are closest to me understand how vulnerable and honest I am, those who are on the outside may think that I am unsympathetic because I focus on the team reaching the goal. Many times I see the need to be that leader who will unapologetically push people to the next level because I believe in them so much. An issue can come up if people do not see my loyalty and desire to walk with them in accomplishing their goals. Another dysfunction that could be created could be a lack of commitment. Because I am involved in many different things with different teams, I try to prioritize my responsibilities with wisdom. Although I never want to let somebody down by not being there for my team, the potential for this to happen is likely when I am involved with other teams.

3. In order to counteract these possible tendencies to create or contribute to the dysfunctions I mention, I need to be intentional with the time I spend with my team or group in regards to time and in regards to relationship. A strategic plan could be to set aside time in which I can sit down with individuals in my team and have heart to heart with them, showing my appreciation for them and allowing an open door for honest and healthy communication. This way everyone can see a side of me that may be hidden by my strong desire to push forward and achieve new goals. When analyzing my commitment levels, I should make a schedule that I share with my teams so they are aware of what is going on. I could also be proactive in my communication with my teams so that no one is left in the dark or questioning my commitment level to the team.

Leadership Blog 4

            Because of my specific strengths and personality, I find it most challenging to relate to people who are set in their ways and refuse to listen to any other view other than their own. To me this is a sign of disrespect and makes it difficult for me to interact with the individual. These types of people are also challenging to relate to because I am very tenacious in my belief system, making for a possible disagreement with two determined people.  I also can have difficulty understanding those who have the strength of activator. I see the benefits of these strengths, however, it drives me crazy when I work with people who seem to move too fast and make costly decisions that could be avoided if looked at patiently.

            After taking the listening self-evaluation, I found that my score, 67 was slightly above the average score, 61. I found that distractions around me as well as the way information is presented could make it difficult for me to listen effectively. My goal is to discipline myself to listen amidst the distractions and to mentally move past the initial presentation of information to hear the message. I believe that the best way to improve on listening is by becoming more mindful of how I interact with people and strictly train myself to listen through all of the distractions and be patient with people who are presenting in an awkward your strange way. Asking questions is one practical way to show interest as well as help provide clarity. By doing this, the message has greater potential to be delivered successfully even amidst the distractions or lack of organization by the speaker. The best way to lead is by asking question. It all comes down to a simple truth: I need to let go of my pride and show people that the things they say are important, especially in a leadership role. By showing and grace to others by listening, I am exemplifying how I would like to be treated when I am speaking to other people.

            After reading the assertion scale described in the textbook, I believe that I am more often on the assertive/ aggressive side of communication. I generally do a pretty good job of healthily communicating to other people, however I have the potential to be harsh in my communication after my patience has declined or I feel disrespected. I can always improve on how I communicate with people, but there is no easy formula for doing this. In my opinion, every individual circumstance is different because of the topic of discussion and the person that I would be communicating with. My relationship with the individual also has a big factor in how I communicate. My goal is to be respectful and loving to everyone that I come into contact with. I believe there are times when grace should be given to people (not to be confused with unassertiveness) given the situation. On the same token, I believe there are times when a certain level of assertiveness should be elevated depending on the circumstance. The best way to improve my communication is to model my interaction with people to that of Christ’s example and the truth presented in the bible.

Leadership Blog 3

        To be completely honest, the state that best describes me would be exhaustion. As a player on the men’s soccer team, a Discipleship Leader in residence life, and a full-time 17-credit student, it is easy for me to be in a stage of exhaustion. There are points in my life that I also feel a bit like I am in the existing stage because of my exhaustion physically and psychologically with all of the responsibilities on my plate. Obviously my goal is to always be in an excited state in my life, but getting to this stage doesn’t require more of me as an individual. It requires me to put my faith in God and to continuously remind myself that the most important part of my life is the relationship I have with him. Although I do have many responsibilities, I need to give them over to Him because I cannot do it all to the level of excellence that He wants of me on my own strength.

            In regards to my process of renewal, I am normally pretty good at caring for my body and soul. I keep good sleep habits and try to constantly monitor myself physically. I also attempt to spend a significant amount of time with the Lord through prayer and devotion times. My mind is the most difficult for me to renew because I am constantly analyzing and thinking about my responsibilities and the welfare of other people over myself. In order to help with this I am specifically giving a period of time throughout the day in which I surrender everything I do at the feet of Jesus. I spend time worshipping him and praying, but I emphasize the practice of letting go and giving Him control of my life.

            After reading the MBTI Type and Stress handout, I believe that what I am doing is the best way to reduce stress. I need to have time alone in order to recharge. Also, the more time I spend with Jesus, the more I allow Him to transform and change my heart. This allows me to have patience and grace as well as insight and compassion when leading others.

            In response to the video on Mad Church Disease, I do not know of any ministry leaders that have struggled with this type of burnout ministry to the point that Anne Jackson described. However, many of the ministry leaders that I know have expressed the initial challenge of dealing with stress, especially early on in ministry after graduating from school. Many of them have taught me ways to combat the stress that comes with ministry, some of which I try to put into practice now as a student. I believe I, as well as anyone is at risk of burnout if we are not carefully evaluating ourselves My greatest challenges are already known to me as well as the practices I can use to counteract them. I also believe it is important to have friends and family that can help encourage as well as watching out for us. Ultimately we can’t do it all alone.

Leadership Blog 2

            Thomas Merton writes, “There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace, and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him.” This quote is profound and deep when time is spent analyzing and considering its message. The more I think about this quote, the more I tend to agree with the message. As human beings, we have a deep desire to know our purpose and our reason for being. We have been created with this feeling that there is something far greater than we can comprehend; however we continue to search for it, many times subconsciously. God created us with the desire for a connection with Him, we were made in His image and we are His. This understanding validates Merton’s quote because as we learn more things about God and His mystery and wonder, we learn more about our purpose and ourselves. The same can be true when reversed. By learning more about myself on a deeper level, I learn more about my creator and His plan for my life.

            I feel that I do a pretty decent job being self-aware. There are several blind spots that I suspect are there, most likely as a result of my tendency to over analyze and complicate something that does not make a lot of difference in the grand scheme of things. I try to keep a great group of friends around that help serve as an accountability system for me. They are honest with me and know that I expect to be called out on things that need to be addressed. Many times I need people to tell me to chill-out and relax because I can over think things. A leader who does not have a high level of self-awareness can be hazardous to the entire team. Leaders are the people who are looked to when decisions need to be made. If a leader has a low level of self-awareness, they will not understand their natural tendencies and their bias can lead to bad decision-making.

             According to the free MBTI online assessment, I am an INFJ. I have previously taken a similar quiz with similar results; therefore this information does not come as a surprise to me because of its consistency.

Leadership Blog 1

After viewing that power point on followership, the Follower style that fits me the most would be a cross between simply a challenger and a partner. Many times, I take on a role that challenges the group in a positive manner, however I try to show my full support to the leader of the team. The advantage of this style is that I can push a team forward by inspiring them and lift the proverbial bar. A disadvantage of this style is that it can come across offensively depending who is leading. If a leader as a low sense of security in his or her position, they may feel threatened by my contribution to the team.

            A metaphor that explains leadership well could be a football team’s head coach. As a leader, a head coach is responsible for over seeing every detail of a team with the purpose in mind of creating winners in a competition. A head coach is worthless without his team to practice and play in a manner and culture that the coach sets. He cannot win a game by himself, and a successful team is one that plays up to the standard he sets in the locker room and on the field. The head coach as to be in constant communication with his coordinators and must spend time preparing for each game. Some of the greatest head coaches were ones that pushed their teams to new heights, challenging them in everything that they do. They understand that hard work pays off and the common goal is excellence in every aspect of the game. They know just how hard to push a team, motivating and encouraging along the way. These are the characteristics that I can relate to because I strive to make the team better than before as we achieve excellence together in everything we do.

            I believe the theory and practice of leadership will evolve with younger people becoming more accustomed and experienced in the new technologies of the approaching era. As social media increases and people can communicate easier all over the world, a dependency for the latest technology will become greater. Therefore, those who are experienced in communication and implementing this new technology into their teams will become very successful in leadership. The world is getting smaller and information is moving faster than ever. Therefore, a quality of leadership that will become a necessity over time will be the need to excel in the world of social networking and rapid communication.

            However, some things about leadership will stay the same. Leaders will still need to know how to properly motivate and encourage the rest of the team. They will still need to know how to manage and prioritize responsibilities. They will also need to learn how to influence someone and carry a confidence that commands respect. To some this thought up, I believe that many different aspects of leadership will change with the emergence of new technology and social media, however many of the same principles of leadership will remain.