by Gary Reinecke | Apr 14, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Correct me if I’m wrong – but the image above represents a picture that many of us have in mind when it comes to creative & innovative thinking.
- a higher level of intelligence
- an experience that triggers a new discovery
- a last name like Jobs, Einstein or Da Vinci (does not hurt).
On the contrary, when you look closely at, you discover a muscle that, when exercised, can achieve extraordinary results.
A leader I was coaching, was contemplating ways to reinforce the missional values of his 7 year-old church. As he brainstormed ideas, the thought of sharing stories rose to the surface. Initially, interviewing people in the congregation, sounded like a good possibility. When challenged to think outside the box, he pondered the power of having an “outsider” (person who had been blessed by the ministry of people from the church) share his/her experience of being on the receiving end. The light bulb went on! This captured“why” the church is doing “what” they are doing. Over time, the “outsiders” inevitably explore the motive behind these selfless acts of kindness that are positively impacting the local parks, athletic teams, schools, business leaders and neighborhoods.
This idea did not come from a higher level of intelligence. Nor was it triggered by some extraordinary experience. By the way, the leader’s last name is Pope. If you would like to develop your muscles, or help those you coach, check-out the Creativity & Innovation Skill Builder under the menu with the same title. Here is the story of tranformation how the Sunnyside High School baseball team was blessed by God’s Generosity through the missional community members (Groves), anchored in Sequoia Church in Fresno, CA.
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 11, 2017 | Uncategorized |
To continue on the theme of disciplemaking movements this year, I propose a guiding question for you and those you coach:
What is getting in your way, to make disciples – who make disciples?
Reflect on that for a moment. What is your next step? …for those you coach?
I look forward to reading your response below.
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 4, 2017 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Disciplemaking |
The conversation goes something like this.
Coach asks: “Who is doing effective ministry in your area?”
- Leader responds: “Everyone is struggling with the same issues.”
Coach asks: “What other models of church are you familiar with in your region or in other parts of the country?”
- Leader: “I’m not aware of other models.”
Coach asks: “Who do you know that could introduce you to a different way of doing church?”
- Leader: “I don’t know anyone.”
Coach asks: “Would you be open to learning about one leader who has an effective model?”
And the conversation continues. I use that question as a last resort so that I don’t short-change the self-discovery process. The guiding principle I follow when I provide feedback is:
- The leader must exhaust all their resources.
- There is the possibility the leader could do some real damage.
- Permission has been given by the leader to the coach.
Honestly, the temptation to give advice is always present. But I know deep down that “struggle” is the best teacher!
What do you do when you come to that juncture in your coaching? Under what circumstances do you give advice? I would love to hear what you do.
If you are interested to hear about a different approach to doing church, watch this 17 minute video with Dave Ferguson interviewing Ralph Moore. Ralph discusses some of the tensions accompanying church planting as a movement leader. Learn how a church committed to reproducing disciples, leaders and churches keeps the main thing, the MAIN thing!.
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 25, 2017 | Church Growth, Coach Training, Leader Development |
I have used self-assessments, 180’s (self + colleagues) & 360’s (self + colleagues + supervisor) for many years now. It is exciting to receive the data and process this information with leaders. Sometimes the data affirms, other times it challenges and in some situations, the information can be surprising.
Awareness is the first step to change!
Let me explain. A number of years ago I was assessing a leader’s management style to determine if he had the skill-set to take more responsibility in supervising key staff. He was an excellent speaker in a large, growing church. But was unaware that his management style was driving people away. In conversation with members of his team, they were open with their feelings which were confirmed by the data. When I administered the assessment the leader was confident his scores would reveal his expertise in empowering his team; unfortunately, it exposed glaring weaknesses in his ability to manage those around him. In fact, that assessment, along with anecdotal evidence, thoroughly convinced his boss that he was not the man for the job and eventually, led to his resignation.
This was NOT the intended purpose of the exercise, but it illustrates the power of a 360. Data does not lie – it simply is! Here are a couple of questions to determine if an instrument, like the Management Effectiveness Profile (scroll down the page to Management) could be a helpful exercise for you and those you coach..
- Have you assessed your management style?
- Have you helped those you coach, assess their management style?
- How could the Management Effectiveness Profile help people in your team or organization understand their strengths and weaknesses?
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 18, 2017 | Coach Training, Leader Development, Personal Development, Uncategorized |
I rely on trusted and reliable feedback in my coaching, training & consulting.
One practice I’ve found helpful is to administer a brief survey at the conclusion of my coaching relationships, for instance. Based on that input I gain a sense of where my strengths and weaknesses lie.
Not surprisingly, executives (including pastors, church planters & missionaries) also value feedback. I read an article written by David F. Larcker, Stephen Miles, Brian Tayan, Michelle E. Gutman – published by The Miles Group and Stanford University. August 2013 (used with permission) that highlighted this point. The 2013 Executive Coaching Survey suggests:
Nearly 66% of CEOs do not receive coaching or leadership advice from outside consultants or coaches, while 100% of them stated that they are receptive to making changes based on feedback.
Feedback can be helpful. But it is really up to the individual what she/he does with it. If the data confirms the evidence then leaders will respond accordingly. In contrast, if that leader does not resonate with the feedback, then it is wise to reject it.
Let me give a quick example what I mean. I am coaching a young, competent leader. When we reviewed the feedback from a 360 degree assessment on his leadership effectiveness (see the Leadership menu) there were gaps between himself, his supervisor and his colleagues. Further, the gaps were not in a favorable direction. In other words, his self-perception was consistently higher, in several areas (I like it when it is the other way)! In response, this young leader took a curious approach. Curious what the variance in scores represented. And a proactive posture to address those variances in practical ways. Instead of making excuses, he determined to take action.
Remaining open to feedback is not always easy – but is an important trait of effective leaders.
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 10, 2017 | Uncategorized |
To continue on the theme of disciplemaking movements this year, I propose a guiding question for you and those you coach:
Who are you blessing in your community?
Reflect on that for a moment. What is your next step? …for those you coach?
I look forward to reading your response below.
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 4, 2017 | Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Personal Development |
Coaching a 40-something leader I discovered a significant difference when coaching his Gen X counterpart. My mature friend was focused on achieving his goals; however, he was not as concerned about his work-life balance in comparison to his younger counterpart. That insight informed ways I could engage each.
Further, while the goal they were both pursuing was similar, the path they took was very different. Both were eager to establish a new church or ministry.
With the more seasoned leader I asked more task-oriented, “what” kind of questions:
- What is your goal?
- What is in your way?
- What can you do to expand?
And more relational, “who” kind of questions with the younger planter:
- Who will it reach?
- Who could it miss?
- Who else can you include?
These are broad generalizations, yet subtle differences reveal different approaches to can engage different people from different generations.
For further insight in generational differences, see the following 1-page resources under Generational Differences:
- Generational Characteristics
- Generational Core Values
- Generational Leadership Style Preferences
- Generational Motivation Preferences
- Generational Team Preferences
- Generational Communication Preferences
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 27, 2017 | Disciplemaking, Focused Ministry, Leader Development |
How do you work with someone who has been in the workforce for thirty years (50+ years of age) as opposed to three years (30-40’s years of age)? Take into consideration the following scenario.
First time church planter (in their 30’s) – high on vision & low on experience. I coached a new church planter who primarily asked “how to” questions to process his philosophy of ministry, challenges he encountered and self-discovered action steps. I challenged his thinking by asking pointed questions to help him realize that he has the resources inside himself to take the next steps in his church planting journey. The new church planter is in many ways, unaware of what he/she does not know.
Contrast him with a seasoned leader – high on vision & high on experience. The seasoned leader (50+ years of age) asked “what” and “when” questions. He has a rich experience base to draw from and his confidence runs deep. The seasoned leader is in many ways more aware of what he/she does not know.
Following are reflection questions for you as the coach to consider during the when coaching across generational lines:
- What questions are they asking?
- What kind of help are they seeking from you?
- What is the best way for you to support them as a coach?
There exists real differences that are important to recognize when coaching across generational and experiential lines – see the Generational Differences resources for more insight into these subtleties.
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 19, 2017 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Leader Development |
What about you?
It is easy to measure the low lying fruit. For instance, church leadership will measure things like worship attendance, offerings, and baptisms. But what if you looked below the surface. At my home church an important metric we track is the percentage of adults who regularly participate in a small group. Annual engagement in 2016 was 94% (click Crosspoint Church for report). The church launched over a decade ago with the goal of focusing resources (time, energy, people) to do a few things well; which has paid off at Crosspoint – a church of small groups vs. a church with small groups!
Consider the following challenge:
- Reflect on the measures below the surface that will have the greatest impact on the health and growth of your:
- leadership
- team
- organization
- Then tie those to outcomes you are striving to achieve e.g. making small groups a priority in my example.
- Brainstorm ideas of how you can impact that area over the course of the next 30-60-90 days.
Effective leaders understand the principle: “Say No – to say Yes to What Matters!” Leaders who focus their time, energy and people; regularly assess their ministry, make adjustments and forecast the future with a high degree of accuracy. This surfaces the strategic question: What are you measuring?
Remember – you measure what matters!
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 13, 2017 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
It is easy to get excited about coaching or a training initiative without understanding the true impact.
How many times have you heard colleagues discuss a new training process or coaching resource? And then get partway through the experience without understanding the impact on you or your organization. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to consider the potential Return on Investment (ROI) before you start?
Consider a coaching relationship. When you or I establish a coach agreement we ask the leader to create goals. Over the course of the next year we work towards achieving those goals and assess the progress at the conclusion of our time together. Using the six levels described below you can see that we moved from Level 0 (scope, in my example) to Level 1 (reaction to the coaching process) to Level 2 (learning that occurred) to level 3 (applying the knowledge to the leader’s ministry).
There is a process to measure the ROI on training and coaching. Most of the coaching and training done in organizations settle for Level 1 or Level 2 evaluation – a few take it to Level 3. Here are the six levels:
- Level 0: Inputs
- Level 1: Reaction
- Level 2: Learning
- Level 3: Application
- Level 4: Impact
- Level 5: Return on Investment (ROI)
Review the descriptions above and consider a coaching or training process you are leading. Let’s say it is a leader development process that involves quarterly workshops with coaching in-between. Whatever it is that you are currently working on (developing small group leaders), or anticipate in the near future – what level of measurement are you incorporating in your process.
I’ve discovered that leaders are eager to know the ROI on some of the training and coaching that they are engaged. When they realize that it is possible to calculate and monetize the impact of their investment, it transforms the significance of the training/coaching because they are clear “why” they are making the investment.
Places where ROI is helpful:
- Organization-wide leader development training
- Coaching pastors, church planters, regional network leaders and movement leaders
- Coach training for church planting, parent church coaches or disciple-making movements
A helpful book on ROI, entitled “Show Me the Money” provides a more complete explanation. If you have questions, please e-mail InFocus for more information.
