by Gary Reinecke | Aug 22, 2017 | Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
Lessons I’ve gleaned after coaching missional leaders for 30 years:
So far, I’ve focused on the importance of the:
- Spiritual: Discern the will of the Father, helping those you coach to do the same
- Relational: Value the other person
- Personal: Embrace your unique contribution
- Interpersonal: You can’t want something for someone else more than they want it for themselves
This week I shift focus to the creativity of coaching.
Lesson #5 – Help people tap into their creativity
I’ve mentioned that I enjoy attending The Global Leadership Summit hosted by The Willowcreek Association every August. It is the gathering of leadership experts from the business (secular) and ministry (sacred) arenas. I would encourage you to attend this event with your team next year.
This year we heard Fredrik Haren speak on the topic of “creativity” from his bestselling publication, “The Idea Book”. I am taking the concept of creativity and relating it to the “core purpose” of coaching a leader.
Haren began by asking 3 questions in his global research:
- How many people think creativity is important to their job? 98% globally
- How many people believe they are creative? 45% globally
- Does your company/organization develop your creativity? 2% globally
Key Learning – based on his research, there is no correlation between 1 & 3.
It raises an important question for coaching: What role should a coach play in developing the creativity of leaders we coach?
Furthermore, Haren continues his examination of creativity by offering a definition for the word “idea.” According to Haren, an idea occurs when two abstract, seemingly unrelated concepts are combined in a new and novel way.
Another way of saying this is: Creative Idea = Person (Knowledge + Idea)
Let’s apply this to coaching.
Let’s say the church planter you are coaching has a vision for a different kind of church. I have been working with a planter for the last 18 months. Bruce Persons is planting The Table Church. The challenge for Bruce is to reach one of the most invisible, under-reached & under-resourced communities in the world: the Deaf and hard of hearing.
Here is how Bruce describes the unique vision of The Table Church:
- TTC is a church plant in Frederick, MD with a vision for rapid multiplication.
- TTC uses Facebook heavily, to reach remote locations of the world.
- TTC follows a sort of an organic, cell church model.
- TTC uses video because we are reaching a people group who uses American Sign Language to communicate.
- TTC’s goal is to make the gospel accessible to the Deaf and hard of hearing community through ASL.
Bruce saw the opportunity.
- Knowledge – isolation of the Deaf and hard of hearing community
- Idea – leverage the internet to reach this “invisible” group of people
With a focus on smaller communities of faith, he discovered that the internet through the use of Facebook, could cast his net wide while meeting the relational needs in smaller gatherings. As a result of streaming his sermons, 1,500 people have logged-in to worship services. This is a great example of a creative strategy that meets people where they live and creates the relational support that is a desperate need, through smaller communities of faith. He has planted one faith community at Gallaudet University, while a second is on the way in Washington DC.
What separates a good coach from a great coach? Good coaches help people reflect; great coaches have the ability to tap the creativity of a leader through listening and powerful questions.
Here are five questions to help you tap a leaders creativity:
- If you knew you could not fail, what would your church look like?
- What makes your church unique?
- How would your church make the community a better place?
- What sets your church apart from other churches?
- What excites you about your church?
The above story is used with permission – see The Table Church for more information.
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 15, 2017 | Disciplemaking, Leader Development, Personal Development |
I began coaching in 1988 – 30 years ago.
The term coaching was introduced in the early 1980’s in the business arena and re-invented in the ministry world – especially in church planting circles during the late 1980’s. Coaching has evolved from a new idea to a best practice in most ministry networks where leaders are developed, congregations are becoming healthy, and new churches are planted. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to coach leaders to start all kinds of churches and pioneer disciplemaking movements.
Lessons I’ve gleaned:
So far, I’ve focused on the importance of the spiritual (Discern the will of the Father and help those you coach, do the same), relational (Value the other person) and personal (Embrace your unique contribution) foundations of coaching. This week I shift the focus to the interpersonal foundation of the leader or team you coach.
Lesson #4 – You can’t want something for someone else, more than they want it themselves
I love attending The Global Leadership Summit hosted by The Willowcreek Association every August. It is THE gathering of leadership experts from the business (secular) and ministry (sacred) arenas. In fact, in 2008 I invited my son Joel (who was 12 at the time) and my daughter Zoe (at about the same age) a few years later, to share the experience with me. This has become our highlight of the year – bar none. I would encourage you to attend this event with your team next year.
This year we heard Angela Duckworth speak on the topic of “grit” from her research and book entitled “Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance”. She is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the practice of character development. I am taking the idea of grit and relating it to the “commitment level” of a leader.
Duckworth defines “grit” as sustained passion and perseverance for long-term goals. She further explained that passion and perseverance stood out in her research based on responses to the following:
Perseverance:
- I am a hard worker
- I finish what I start
Passion:
- My interests change from year to year
- It is difficult for me to stay focused on projects more than a couple of months
The good news is that “grit”, according to Duckworth, can be developed.
How does this apply to coaching?
I’ve discovered that when a person has true grit, it is an extremely different experience vs. a person lacking this quality. When the commitment level is commensurate to the task at hand, then the person has the “grit” to succeed. Duckworth said it like this: Skill x Effort = Achievement. Let me illustrate, with my wife’s experience as a health coach.
When Gina coaches an individual on their journey to health, she asks the person to define their “why” with a question: “Why do you want to lose weight and gain health?” The answers are varied and normally require further reflection to clarify, for instance: “I want to lose weight to be able to touch my toes” – might be the initial response. Upon further reflection, that person may realize the deeper motivation is to be able to play with their grand-children and not be sidelined prematurely. The more Gina helps people unpack their “why” the more they can tap into their intrinsic motivation. The challenge for the health coach (Gina), is managing her expectations.
Let’s circle back around and bring this into a ministry context. Imagine a leader you have coached. The lead pastor/planter/team leader is challenged to change direction at a critical juncture in the development of the church they lead and ask for coaching. It is imperative that you assess their commitment level. This will determine if they are willing and able to make the shift.
A common shift that I have coached leaders through is the place disciplemaking groups play in their church, e.g. will they be a church with small groups or “of” small groups. Many will say “yes” to the latter but do not fully understand the cost organizationally, and to their leadership. The more established the church, the more challenging this shift.
Here is the reason I am explaining this concept of “grit” as it relates to coaching. Once you identify the motivation or “why” a person wants to influence a change along with their level of commitment, you as their coach must not want it more than them. Plain and simple. Once you establish their motivation + commitment, the best way to serve them is to meet them where they are.
If you cross that invisible line and reveal that you actually want “it” more than they do, you have entered the “struggle to be you” zone of coaching. The s2bU zone is when you have lost objectivity and put yourself in the seat of the leader you are coaching. In effect, you are coaching yourself – don’t do this! It is not helpful to the person, it is embarrassing for you, and is the quickest way to unravel a coaching relationship. I know; I have crossed this line before, and these risks are real.
Here is a checklist to keep you from entering the S2bU zone:
Regarding your client:
- What does this person want to achieve?
- Do they understand what it requires?
- How do you assess their commitment level?
Regarding you:
- What adjustments do you need to make to adapt to their commitment level?
- Do you want this more than them?
Next week I will share another insight that I’ve learned as the Lord has allowed me to partner with leaders who are making a significant contribution to the work of cultivating disciplemaking movements.
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 4, 2017 | Focused Ministry, Leader Development, Personal Development, Uncategorized |
I began coaching in 1988. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to coach leaders to start all kinds of churches & pioneer disciple-making movements. I’ve learned many lessons from coaching some of the most amazingly gifted, truly faithful & hard-working leaders serving in the Lord’s Church today.
Lessons that I’ve gleaned:
So far, I’ve focused on the importance of the spiritual foundation (Lesson #1: Discern the will of the Father and helping those you coach, do the same) the relational foundation (Lesson #2: Value the other person) of coaching. This week, I focus on the personal foundation.
Lesson #3 – Embrace your unique contribution
Each of us has a unique contribution God has designed us to make. This is not a pre-destination issue – it is a design issue. Based on your unique design, what is your contribution?
When I first began coaching I was 28 years-old, recently graduated from seminary and single. One of many mentors the Lord used in my life modeled the kind of ministry I sensed God calling me, so I asked him if I could carry his bags to assist him on any upcoming projects. Over the next few years I immersed myself in learning all I could on church growth, leadership development, church planting & multiplication. This led me to pursue my doctorate through Fuller Seminary where I received my DMin at the age of 32.
During those early years I was developing the skills of a coach, trainer and consultant with the singular focus of starting healthy churches that reproduce. The more I refined my unique contribution the more I sensed God’s pleasure. It was, and remains, an ongoing process of stretching myself by taking measured risks, reflecting on the experience and assessing the fruitfulness of the work.
This three-step process of action – reflection – evaluation has served me well. Of course it is never as clear as it may appear in writing, but, the process does work itself out if you are committed to discovering your unique contribution. To help you through that process here is a list of 9 questions to help you refine your Unique Contribution so that you can more faithfully steward the gifts the Lord has given you.
Unique Contributions Reflection Questions:
Self Examination:
- What am I passionate about?
- What abilities have I demonstrated that produce fruitful results?
- What spiritual gifts fuel these skills & abilities?
Feedback from others:
- What positive feedback do people share with me?
- What skills do people consistently affirm in me?
- What impact do these skills have on other people?
Spiritual Litmus Test
- How do I measure effectiveness?
- What activities leave me energized?
- When do I sense God’s pleasure most?
Next week I will share another lesson that I’ve learned as the Lord has allowed me to partner with leaders who are making a significant contribution to the work of cultivating disciplemaking movements.
by Gary Reinecke | Jul 31, 2017 | Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Leader Development |
I began coaching in 1988. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to coach leaders to start all kinds of churches & pioneer disciple-making movements. Last week I began sharing lessons that I’ve learned from coaching some of the most amazingly gifted, truly faithful & hard-working leaders serving in the Lord’s Church today. Here is a list of lessons that I’ve gleaned:
Lesson #1 – Discern the will of the Father
Last week I focused on the importance of the spiritual foundation in coaching. Discern the will of the Father and helping those you coach, do the same. This week, I will focus on the relational foundation.
Lesson #2 – Value the other person
You must earn the trust of the leader you coach in order for them to engage in the coaching process.
A teeter-totter works when two participants have figured out how to balance the relationship of one end of the teeter-totter with the other end. A coach must learn to gauge the:
- commitment level of the leader to the objective
- engagement level of the leader to the coaching process
- trust level of the leader to the relationship
Trust is the fulcrum of the coaching relationship. One of the best ways to unravel a coaching relationship, or any relationship for that matter, is to break trust.
Here is a list of ten questions I’ve gleaned over the years to build and maintain trust:
Ten Trust-building Reflection Questions:
- Under promise: What are realistic expectations for this coaching relationship?
- Over deliver: How can I coach this leader to surpass their goal?
- Be prompt: What do I need to sacrifice to be on time?
- Keep confidence: What must I do to maintain confidentiality?
- Direct lines of communication: Who must I speak to in this situation?
- Admit when mistakes are made: What is the best way for me to approach the leader affected?
- Reschedule as soon as possible: What potential conflicts do I see in my coaching schedule?
- Do what you say: What commitments do I know I will keep?
- Connect people: Who do I know that could uniquely relate to the leader I am coaching?
- Pay it forward: How can I bless this leader through a random act of kindness?
Next week I will share another lesson that I’ve learned as the Lord has allowed me to partner with leaders who are making a significant contribution to the work of cultivating disciplemaking movements. Leaders who have been instrumental in raising up leaders, making disciples & starting new ministries. Missional leaders who understand the force when the DNA of multiplication is integrated in the very essence of everything that they do and releasing control!
by Gary Reinecke | Jul 21, 2017 | Uncategorized |
I began coaching in 1988.
Since then, I have logged well over 10,000 hours: coaching leaders at virtually every level of church life: pastors, church planters, network/denominational leaders, missionaries & ministry leaders. I’ve worked with leaders locally, nationally & internationally on 5 continents. That is around 330 hours annually – for 30 years.
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to coach leaders to start all kinds of churches & pioneer disciple-making movements. Leaders who have been instrumental in raising up leaders, making disciples & starting new ministries. Missional leaders who understand the force when the DNA of multiplication is integrated in the very essence of everything that they do – releasing control into God’s hands!
Recently, while on vacation with my family & working our way down the coast of California, I reflected on the last three decades. My wife, Gina, says that when she read the book entitled “The ONE Thing – Sometimes it’s the only thing you do. But it’s always the ONE Thing that delivers extraordinary results” by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan; that it reminded her of me. That may or may not be true; but I do believe that my primary focus of coaching missional leaders & training coaches to empower missional leaders for the last 30 years, provides a unique opportunity to glean insights, that are worth sharing.
For this reason I would like to share lessons that I’ve learned from coaching the most amazingly gifted, truly faithful & hard-working leaders serving in the Lord’s Church today.
Lesson #1 – Discern the will of the Father
This could be taken as an arrogant statement OR simply what we as followers of Jesus are called to do on a moment-by-moment basis: Abide in Christ (John 15:4).
Recently I was training leaders in the coaching process in Malaga, Spain. We met in a Technology Park where 730 businesses office – from Google, Oracle & Micro-Soft to the one-man, sole proprietor. I was asked to meet the park’s Executive Coach and share our experience in coaching leaders.
As we explained our different approaches to coaching I highlighted the distinctive advantage as a follower of Jesus, in coaching leaders. Simply put, as I understand the literature of secular coaching, the coach relies on intuition when discerning the next step in the conversation vs. Christian coaches, who rely on the direction of the Spirit of God. The still, small voice that sometimes echos in our spirit. I’m not sure how that translated cross-culturally; but my friend acknowledged that this would be an amazing advantage, if this truly was the case. This has opened a conversation to explore what it means, to be a follower of Jesus, who happens to coach leaders.
Discerning the will of the Father suggests that we submit our will to His, listen and obey. This is the central teaching of Jesus. The more we do this ourselves, the better we are able to help others. Coaching missional leaders is a spiritual discernment process embedded in the best practices of making disciples.
How does a leader Abide in Christ? For every person that has an answer to this question, you will find as many answers. Here is how I Abide in Christ.
- Exercise. As I swim, run, bike or hike – I listen to that still small voice and in many instances, discern a key insight for my day ahead.
- Reflect. I think about the upcoming conversation I will have with a leader and ask for the Lord’s wisdom to prevail.
- Submit. I take the posture of a servant who does the will of the Master.
Those might seem superficial or simplistic, but over the last 30 years these habits have served me well. Of course there are seasons when I have been diligent with the spiritual disciplines of silence, Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, service, etc. But these three are the most consistent, by far.
Hard to believe that 30 years have passed. Right now is an important time to reflect as one chapter closes and another opens. How are you capturing the lessons the Lord is teaching you from your experience?
Next week I will share other lessons that I’ve learned as the Lord has allowed me to partner with leaders who are making a significant contribution to the work of cultivating disciple-making movements & planting churches around the world.
by Gary Reinecke | Jun 6, 2017 | Uncategorized |
How many times have you launched into a conversation that did not have a clearly defined outcome in mind? I’ve found that 80% of the success of a coaching appointment is determined in the first 5 minutes. It is during that phase when the coach helps a leader define what they want to achieve.
Here are three questions you can use to help leaders focus:
- What do you want to focus on today?
- What would you like to leave with from today?
- What would a “win” look like for you today?
by Gary Reinecke | May 30, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Greetings,
It’s not often that I endorse a coaching event, but the World Business & Executive Coach Summit (WBECS) is unique! You get to learn from over 50 of the most brilliant minds and successful coaches in one place. For those of us in ministry and see coaching as a tool to develop leaders, it is like going to the Global Leadership Summit (WIllow Creek Association) to hear from experts in related fields – but on the topic of coaching.
Each year they bring together world-class experts and sought-after coaches who you’d usually have to pay thousands of dollars for to hear them speak at conferences and events.
At WBECS during the Pre-Summit, you get to learn from them (live!) at absolutely no cost.
Whether you coach church planters, pastors, network leaders or missionaries – you will benefit from the content you glean from the experts in diverse fields. I am committed to develop my knowledge base on coaching, as well as developing you and your knowledge base. It is really fun to draw upon new insights from let’s say, the neuro-science of coaching; then apply it to coaching church multiplication leaders.
You can register for as many online classes as you like and they even upgraded the event this year with focused Round Tables, Implementation Mastery Sessions and more exciting opportunities to learn and engage.
Click here to learn more and secure your spot before the most popular sessions are full!
Blessings,
Gary Reinecke
by Gary Reinecke | May 23, 2017 | Uncategorized |
To continue on the theme of disciplemaking movements this year, I propose a guiding question for you and those you coach:
How can you engage a person to take a step forward, who is searching for something more in life?
Reflect on that for a moment.
- Who do you know in that space?
- How would you answer this question for yourself?
- Who are you coaching that needs to ask this question, of the people they are developing?
I look forward to reading your response below.
by Gary Reinecke | May 13, 2017 | Uncategorized |
A few months ago I was visiting Stanford University. During my stay I enjoyed a lecture by Dr. Tina Seelig on Creativity. As I listened, I reflected on how the process she described related so well to coaching.
In fact, the more I listened, the more I could see the natural connections. She described her Innovation Engine. It is made up of two components: the Interior (those things we control) & the Exterior (those thing the environment dictates). Three areas make up each component that are intimately connected as seen in the mobius strip.
INTERIOR
- Attitude
- Knowledge
- Imagination
EXTERIOR
- Culture
- Resources
- Habitat
When you coach a person you are tapping into their ability to think differently than they normally think. That is why you are coaching them in the first place. If they could do it alone then they would not need you.
Not too long ago I was meeting with a leader who was stuck. She wanted to reflect on the next season of life and work, but was unable to get there on her own. Through asking questions and helping her reflect on where she sensed God calling her to do, she made a significant adjustment in her vision. She ended-up downsizing her ministry which eventually led to a new assignment altogether. What might seem like a straight forward process is oftentimes confusing when you are the one in transition.
Here is a TED Talk entitled Crash Course on Creativity by Tina Selig to give you a framework for creativity so that you can coach more intentionally in this area.
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 26, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Walt Disney was a Creative. In his book “The Wisdom of Walt: Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earyh” by Jeffrey Barnes writes about the dream Walt had of creating a place for his girls to play while sitting on a bench in Griffith Park.
Griffith Park, the ‘Central Park of Los Angeles,’ allows both proximity and perspective. It is nestled high on a hill that sits between downtown L.A., Hollywood, and the Disney Studio in Burbank.
It makes me wonder how ideas come to people. Walt was reflecting, thinking, day-dreaming! Then he began to wonder.
“There should be a place where children and parents can have fun together.” And in that moment, the dream of Disneyland was born.
This is the beginning of a wonderful journey that eventually led to a family-friendly theme park, like not other on the planet. The author continues:
Have you ever done that? Have you ever been sitting somewhere, doing ‘nothing,’ and suddenly, an idea comes to you? An idea “pops” into your head, and your imagination begins to run wild with possibilities. Suddenly, you, like Walt, have a dream.
I believe, along with Dr. Barnes that each of us has the capacity to dream, be creative, innovative. Creativity & Innovation can be nurtured, developed, groomed. There is always room for improvement but the innate ability to think differently than others, is part of our make-up; that is, being made in the image of God.
- Have you wondered how to develop your creativity?
- Are you aware of the skills that facilitate innovation?
- Where would you start if you were interested in growing your creativity & innovation quotient?
A good place to begin is the Innovation & Creativity Profile (scroll down the page to the Creativity menu). You will learn about the 8 skills that facilitate the capacity to dream. And identify your strengths and weaknesses so that you can begin your journey.
