by Gary Reinecke | Sep 19, 2016 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Focused Ministry, Leader Development, Personal Development, Uncategorized |
“The Coaching 101 Handbook” was published so that church planters, pastors and church multiplication network leaders would be equipped to empower missional leaders (2003). Since then, the handbook has been translated into a couple of languages, hundreds of leaders have been trained and are coaching using the process known as the Five R’s. The purpose Bob Logan and I co-authored this resource was to offer a comprehensive coaching process that is spiritually anchored in Christ.
I’ve done a bit of reflection on the basic skills of coaching since then. As a result, I’ve altered the language slightly under the third area, from giving feedback to “Timely Advice”. It focuses on the the “timeliness” of the feedback Of course, advice-giving is discouraged in coaching and only encouraged when the person being coached has exhausted her/his ideas.
Why is that? I like to put it like this:
You have a 50-50 chance that anyone will do anything you suggest; but when people discover something for themselves, the ratios change drastically (like to 95%) that they will act!
- Listening: “…it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;” James 1:19
- Asking: “Then he asked, ‘Who do you think I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah.'” Mark 8:29
- Advising: “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” Proverbs 25:11
I have also re-discovered that the most important discipline is at the hub of the illustration. Apart from Him, we can’t accomplish anything of value. The ability to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and help leaders align themselves with God’s agenda sets world-class coaches apart from good coaches. This reminder gives us confidence in a Helper to accomplish the task.
- Abiding: “When you obey me you are living in my love, just as I obey my Father and live in his love.” John 15:10
Abiding in Christ is the glue that makes the three skills above “sticky” – it is a game-changer for leaders. How many times have you had people you coach come back days, weeks, months or even years later telling you that what you helped them take action on – confirmed the very thing the Lord had been prompting them to do? This is the gift that you give to people and sometimes, you receive a gift in return and experience the impact.
If you have a story of how you have helped people take action in obedience to Christ or make shifts in their leadership, please share your insights below. Until next week – keep on empowering leaders!
by Gary Reinecke | Sep 11, 2016 | Uncategorized |
Not too long ago a friend commented that leadership development is a “gooey” science. By that, he meant that it is difficult to quantify the skills of a leader. We see the fruit of good leadership and the effects of bad leadership. But how can leadership effectiveness be measured and developed?
A leader I met wanted his team to raise their leadership game and do it in a way that would sustain their development. He went further to describe a relational process with a competency-based assessment to evaluate whether people were moving forward, or backward in their leadership skills. As he described what it was he was looking for, I was thinking to myself about the system I have used over the last 7 years to train leadership coaches within teams, churches and organizations.
After we discussed this further I pointed him to the flyer entitled “Developing Effective Leaders” which is a helpful summary of the process I described to him. After a few more conversations with his senior leadership team, they decided to invest a year in the process and then evaluate how their people responded. At the end of the first year the team gathered to report – the feedback was stellar! Based on those results, the team decided to expand the circle and continue the effort with some of the original participants. Now they are two years in, and the proof of concept suggests that more and more the coaching, combined with a competency-based leadership development resources are meeting and surpassing expectations. Leaders are being developed, a coaching culture is being created and disciples are being made.
See if “Developing Effective Leaders” addresses some of the questions you have about developing leaders. If you have other systems that you use and wouldn’t mind sharing with others, please enter the name with a brief description below. Thank you for your suggestions…
by Gary Reinecke | Sep 5, 2016 | Uncategorized |
Many years ago I was working with a group of pastors and church planters from a culture different than the one I was accustomed. The first time we met, the majority of the participants showed-up several minutes late. Each had a legitimate reason. I thought that was unfortunate, but moved on. However, as time passed I observed a pattern emerging – the leaders were showing up later and later. Eventually I realized I was not doing my part to communicate expectations in a way that registered that our meeting needed to be a priority.
This created a sense of urgency with the various participants for a few months, altering their behavior; but over time, they defaulted back to their original behavior. I tried everything I knew to keep the meetings as punctual as promised but struggled with this same issue the entire year. What I failed to understand was how different cultures view time. More importantly, I had not learned how to adapt and navigate the cultural map when our values clashed.
I’m reading a book entitled The Culture Map by Erin Meyers. In it she describes the difference between the way people communicate in Low and High Context cultures. I’m discovering the nuances that differentiate cultures and the implications for coaching across cultures.
Low Context: Good communication is precise, simple, and clear. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication.
High-Context: Good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed. (p.39)
Communication is one of eight areas the author addresses to help navigate cultural gaps. Here is an article to illustrate the challenge when working across cultures – see Cultural Coaching. Whether you are coaching in the same culture or across cultures, is it helpful to assess your cultural profile using the Self Assessment Questionnaire. There is also an Interactive Cultural Map Exhibit to identify and compare the contexts in which you coach.
The Culture Map is an informative resource to assist in your coaching relationships as well as training leaders ministering across cultures.
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 1, 2016 | Uncategorized |
For the last year, I’ve been learning about Disciple Making Movements (DMM). The model comes under a variety of names like Training 4 Trainers (T4T) and Life Transformation Groups (LTG); but the goal is the same = disciples making disciples. Many leaders and mission agencies have applied the approach and adapt it to their context. My contribution has been developing leaders in the strategic skiils of coaching.
Three core practices drive DMM.
Personal Discovery: Discovery (inductive) Bible Study is used to guide the self-discovery process.
Immediate Obedience: Through the discovery Bible study participants are challenged to identify an action step they can take in the following week to apply what they learn.
Consistent Replication: Reproduction is the fruit of the discipleship process, multiplying into the third and fourth generation.
Here are three questions to assist you in creating a similar process in your context:
- What are the bare essentials to make disciples?
- What obstacles are hindering disciples from making disciples?
- How can you simplify the disciple-making process to reproduce into the third and fourth generations?
For more information, view the Discipleship Making Movements video.
by Gary Reinecke | Jul 4, 2016 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
The term VUCA is gaining traction in the coaching world and certainly has application to leader development, church planting and church growth. In addition, it can aid coaches serving leaders in those arenas. The notion of VUCA was introduced by the U.S. Army War College to describe the more Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous multilateral world which resulted from the end of the Cold War.
The “V” in the VUCA acronym stands for volatility. The challenge is unexpected or unstable and may be of unknown duration, but it’s not necessarily hard to understand; knowledge about it is often available.
The “U” in the VUCA acronym stands for uncertainty. Despite a lack of other information, the event’s basic cause and effects are known. Change is possible but not a given.
The “C” in VUCA stands for complexity. The situation has many interconnected parts and variables. Some information is available or can be predicted, but the volume or nature of it can be overwhelming to process.
The “A” in VUCA stands for ambiguity. Casual relationships are completely unclear. No precedents exist; you face “unknown unknowns.”
A month ago I was flying through Istanbul after training leaders in the coaching process and skills in various VUCA regions around the world. Complex factors play a major part in the way they, and we, approach discipleship and leader development. It is important to be mindful of these four elements for leaders who make disciples and plant churches. Think of the missionary that imports Western approaches to evangelism and you get a sense of the paradox.
For instance, one leader I know is leading a congregation in an agricultural community and another is relocating from the the east coast of the US to plant a multi-ethnic church in the same community. The established congregation is reaching middle class families from primarily European backgrounds. The church plant will deal with a very different socio-economic group of people even through they are relatively close geographically. It is clear that the approach each leader takes to engage people will be unique; but the more agile the leader to assess and adapt, the more effective they will become.
VUCA elements of any community/culture, whether India, Turkey or the US are significant and must not be ignored. The chart above provides a simple framework to bring perspective to VUCA. If you would like to view a brief explanation of the VUCA framework, click “A Framework for Understanding VUCA” (Harvard Business Review article which is referenced in this blog).
Next week I’ll talk about leader development in a VUCA environment and how to flip the framework to establish agile leaders. What are some questions you use to help leaders work through the VUCA framework?
by Gary Reinecke | May 27, 2016 | Coach Training, Uncategorized |
Coaching demands humility. When you as the coach, humble yourself and are willing to lay aside your agenda for the sake of others e.g for a God-honoring endeavor like disciplemaking and leader-development – amazing things happen. That is the “magic” of coaching!
