by Gary Reinecke | May 18, 2016 | Coach Training, Leader Development, Personal Development |
In 2005 I took a sabbatical. To prepare, I asked a colleague to coach me to take advantage of the opportunity. What I gained from that experience stays with me to this day.
One of the most important learnings I have from that experience is the value of being coached as you coach others. I need to be reminded every 30 days, what if feels like to be on the receiving end of a coaching conversation. Responsibility to set the agenda, anticipation for the appointment and the satisfaction when I realize that our time was well-spent, focusing on the important and not urgent areas of life/ministry.
When I was in Delhi, India recently I met a young Indian by the name of Mushek. He is launching a coaching business called Lead Well with the unique strategy to serve others who seek to do Business as Mission (BAM). That evening he asked me about my vision, where I am headed and how to get there. He coached me!
It was humbling to sit in the seat of the “person being coached” – but worth it! It was refreshing to share my vision and to have someone listen. And to leave with a fresh perspective and actions to take.
Most times I meet with my coach I leave with clarity of vision, practical steps to implement and a new perspective on my situation. Then I’m better able to coach others because I can empathize with them as they sit in my seat. What are the benefits you experience as you are on the receiving end of a coaching relationship?
by Gary Reinecke | May 15, 2016 | Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Focused Ministry |
Last week I was in Delhi, India to train leaders in coaching. Today, I’m reflecting on the view outside my hotel room in Ankara, Turkey, located northwest of Antioch (roughly a 7.5 hour drive), as I prepare for a second round of training with another group. Antioch was a ministry base for the Apostle Barnabas. One of the things I’ve been pondering lately is the biblical basis for coaching – especially reflecting on Barnabas and his role in apostolic ministry. It is easy to get caught-up in the techniques, process and skills of coaching; but lose sight of the “why”.
Here are a few ponderings on biblical passages relating to coaching:
- “…don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;” James 1:19 – Listening
- “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” Proverbs 25:11 – Speaking
- “When you obey me you are living in my love, just as I obey my Father and live in his love.” John 15:10 – Obeying (all references from the TLB translation)
I like to refer to these as a three-legged stool for coaching: Abiding (obeying) – Listening (for self discovery) – Speaking (when necessary). This simplifies the correlation between the foundational competencies of coaching. Obedience leads to listening, listening leads to powerful questions, and powerful questions can lead to speaking.
You probably have your favorite passages. What verses do you practice as a basis for coaching? Please share your thoughts and together, let’s create a firm biblical foundation for those we train to practice the “ministry of Barnabas”.
Until next week – Coach on!
by Gary Reinecke | May 8, 2016 | Uncategorized |
I’ve been reflecting on a theological basis for coaching. From observing Jesus, I’ve arrived at three reasons why Jesus used a coach approach to disciplemaking & leader development. One disclaimer – He had the distinct advantage of divine insight, knowing when to be the expert vs. when to practice listening and asking questions to gain traction on the path to self-discovery; so our results might vary.
Here are three reasons why Jesus used a coach approach.
- Reason #1 – Identity: Jesus coached people to discover for themselves who He was (Mark 8:29).
- Reason #2 – Being: Jesus coached people to discover who they were in relationship to him (John 15:4).
- Reason #3 – Doing: Jesus helped people discover how to lead like him (Matthew 16:24).
Regardless of who I am coaching I am likely to address one or more of these issues in most coaching conversations. Working with a leader through transition, he processed his responses to #2 and #3 in regards to the opportunities in front of him. The reflections that he was empowered to make through a coach approach helped him transition well into his next season of ministry. This week, as you coach new disciples or develop leaders, see which of the three areas you find yourself coaching in most frequently.
Here are three questions you can use:
- What is Jesus teaching you about Himself? – Identity
- What is Jesus teaching you about yourself? – Being
- What is Jesus asking you to do? – Doing
What questions have you used to coach people through one of these issues – Identity, Being Doing?
Please comment below, I’d love to hear your experience.
I am entering the social media community and the 21st. Century. I am in India (5.6.16-5.14.16) & Turkey (5.15.16-5.21.16) to conduct coach training workshops. Please “Friend me” on Facebook or “Follow me” on Twitter to receive updates along the way.
Have a wonderful week!
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 30, 2016 | Uncategorized |
Celebration is an underutilized resource in most coach relationships. What I mean is, when a leader meets a milestone, accomplishes something extraordinary or overcomes a barrier – it is easy to miss the opportunity to celebrate. Celebration comes in many forms, however, what I have learned is that it is not necessarily the method of celebration that matters but rather the heart behind such recognition. In other words, it must be MEANINGFUL! Let me share a story.
As you might imagine from the photo above, this month I celebrated my son’s Joel recent college decision. One of our favorite forms of celebration is an early Friday afternoon pizza at our favorite restaurant. This is not unusual for us.
For the last couple of years I’ve been taking Joel to pizza about once a month. These are special times for us to check-in, discuss issues of the heart, and to explore future direction. Of course, I can’t help myself and these conversations morph into coach-like conversations that focus on issues that have propelled Joel forward. Oh how I look forward to these times with my son!
When mentoring coaches I help them see the value of celebration by asking the following questions:
- What does meaningful celebration look like for you?
- When was the last time you celebrated?
- How did you celebrate?
- How do you help people you coach celebrate?
- What are some of the ways people you coach like to celebrate?
What kinds of things have you helped leaders celebrate?
Please comment below, I’d love to hear your experience.
I am entering the social media community and the 21st. Century. In May I will be traveling to India & Turkey to conduct coach training workshops. Please “Friend me” on Facebook or “Follow me” on Twitter to receive updates along the way.
Have a wonderful week!
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 23, 2016 | Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Leader Development, Uncategorized |
You’ve probably heard about the rule of thirds as it relates to art and photography. Recently though, people have been talking about a rule of thirds as it pertains to personal and professional development. This was reinforced as I completed a year-long training process with a network of church planting coaches this month.
These are outstanding leaders in their own right. Over the course of the training process participants were asked to engage in various learning environments including webinars, workshops, triads, etc. As you might expect, when life got in the way the urgent took precedent over the important and people were forced to choose. What I found was that 2/3 of the participants were able to complete the training.
The insight I’ve learned from training various groups over the last 25+ years is that there seems to be three distinct levels of engagement from individuals you train.
- Group #1 were “All in!” They surpassed expectations. About 1/3 of the group I trained were these high achievers.
- Group #2 were “Right on!” They met expectations. Another 1/3 engaged in the process and finished well.
- Group #3 were “Not yet!” They under-performed. This final 1/3, did not engage at the level of the first two, were inconsistent or failed to complete the process e.g. the timing for them was off.
It is important to have realistic expectations when training leaders. What is your experience like? When you objectively assess your training results, what percentage are in Group #1, Group #2 and Group #3?
Please comment below, I’d love to hear your experience.
I am entering the FB community and the 21st. Century. In May I will be traveling to India & Turkey to conduct coach training workshops. Please “Friend me” on Facebook to receive updates along the way.
Have a wonderful week!
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 17, 2016 | Church Growth, Church Multiplication, Coach Training, Disciplemaking, Focused Ministry, Leader Development, Personal Development |
I’m as happy as a pig in mud! I mentioned that I was working on the new InFocus website. Today you get a preview – click on www.infocusnet.org.
I was thinking back the other day. When I was 18 years old, I traveled to London, England to explore the possibility of playing soccer (“football”) and going to college. What I discovered about the player developmental system with the top flight Arsenal Football Club, influenced me for the rest of my life. The club was organized around player development so there were players ready in the wings when injuries occurred, a footballer retired or was disciplined.
One afternoon, I was given the opportunity to train with the Arsenal youth team. Every player was outstanding, had been assessed and placed with a group of boys of similar talent with the intent of taking their game to the next level. The fortunate few were given opportunities to serve an apprenticeship where they learned the game of football from seasoned professionals. They started out cleaning boots for the established players and for a select talent, allowed to progress to train with the reserves until they proved they had the skills to advance.
That model has served me well in ministry. As the product of a Christian home, a vibrant church and multiple people who have invested in me; I have experienced the power of coaching, the necessity of training and the catalytic influence of exceptional leaders in my life. Out of this crucible the vision for InFocus was birthed.
The passion to help people far from God discover who they are and what they are called to do, burns at the core of InFocus. The purpose why I coach, train and consult is so that more and better disciples, leaders and churches are multiplied. I hope you enjoy the new look and feel to the site.
I am entering the FB community and the 21st. Century. In May I will be traveling to India & Turkey to conduct coach training workshops. Please “Friend me” on Facebook to receive updates along the way.
Have a wonderful week!
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 4, 2016 | Uncategorized |
Last week I mentioned that the www.infocusnet.org website is being redesigned. We are in the last stages and the site will be up and running this month. I’m excited to have a fresh look and hope you have a chance to check it out when it goes live!
Every once in a while we are presented with excellent options forcing a difficult choice. Some decisions have significant ramifications while others don’t compare. Let me illustrate.
I have two teenagers. Joel is a senior approaching graduation and Zoe is a junior. For the last several years we have been discussing what each envisions for their future beyond high school. In November 2015 Joel was accepted by school “X” and last week was accepted by school “Y”.
I won’t get into the granular issues but Joel is using a simple decision-making tree exercise along with on-campus visits to make his decision. That exercise is helping him look at the facts, prioritize his issues and make an informed decision.
Not all problems are created equal. However, the skills required for problem-solving & decision-making are consistent. See if the
Problem Solving & Decision Making Profile help you as you coach leaders in this vital area.
This instrument provides a highly structured process through which to look at the whole topic of problem solving. The subject is therefore broken down into individual competency categories as follows:
- Critical thinking
- Data gathering and processing
- Tool selection methods
- Alternative weighing ability
- Lateral conceptualization
- Perception and judgement
- Risk assessment skills
Participants plot their scores onto a histogram chart for each category. This quickly shows where efforts to improve should be concentrated in the future. Detailed interpretation notes are included for each category, including improvement actions for low scorers.
