Marc Estes

Most of us work in a fairly fast paced, complex world. It seems that there is always another mountain to take, river to cross, giant to kill, and responsibility to fulfill. As we power through our long list of ‘to do’ items and file last weeks project action plans, it is important to stop and celebrate the wins with those who work with you and for you. There is one thing for sure, we don’t celebrate our accomplishments enough!

If you are going to celebrate what you have accomplished there might be a few things you might considering doing:

1. Take the time to reflect – At the end of every week, or the end of every project, stop and ponder what you have just done. Look at where you have been and where you have now arrived and appreciate the accomplishments you have made.

 

2. Make the Win Definable – Develop a one-liner, or something that is easy for every one on the team to grasp.  We understand this in the world of sports; a goal is a win in soccer, a touchdown is a win in football and a strike is a win in bowling (did I just use bowling as an illustration? Wow!) When everyone understood what a win looks like and then you accomplish it as a team, everyone can see that the team won. Define it!

 

3. Make everyone a part of the Win- Tennis and Golf are lonely sports. They may be fun to watch, but nothing like when a team wins the world series and dog-pile in the middle of the field. Spectators make the best critics. If you really want to create some momentum with those you serve, let them own the win as well.

 

4. Look for ways to win regularly- The greatest factor to momentum is being acknowledged and appreciated regularly. One win a year is not enough. Look for ways to celebrate weekly accomplishments by sending out an email, twitter or Facebook comment. Talk about people in your weekly staff meeting. Look for ways to win regularly.

 

5. Don’t beat anyone up when you lose – Losing is a part of the game, and when we do, we learn from the disappointment and ultimately look at the loss as win as well. Babe Ruth was one of the greatest striker-outers of all time, yet he is known for getting up to the plate, pointing towards the fence and scoring the win. Next time you don’t quite reach the goal, gather those around you, share what you learned through the loss, point at the fence, and hit it out of the park!

 

Take a second and ask yourself a question, “What motivates more, results or recognition?” Most of us know the right answer, but when we truly assess our motives, do they align with a pursuit of results or recognition? Unfortunately, we live in a world that promotes position and title as the goal of utmost importance. What title is on our business card, or on the front of our office door, seems to be of great importance to many. Yet position, is only a means to the end; production. Not the other way around.

We have a saying on out team, “You can get a whole lot more done if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” I am reminded of a profound statement made about Jesus. The Apostle Paul that he made himself of, “NO REPUTATION.” If there was ever a person that deserved to be recognized and honored it was Jesus! However, Jesus knew the key to living a fulfilled life; push aside the position and just focus on production.

The amazing part of this simple, yet profound equation is that those that are producers are honored with position.  The leaders that I have truly grown to respect are the ones that wanted to be treated like everyone else. There is no expectation of being served, as they are bent on serving others. This is truly the type of leader I aspire to be! How about you?

Maybe its time that we stop worrying about climbing the ladder to gain some attention and get in the ditch and start making a difference.

It is quite obvious that people will follow your example more than your directives. If you have ever had the joy of raising kids, they will become what you are, not what you say, no matter how much you attempt to direct their lives in a path different than yours. The same applies to leadership. People become a byproduct of their environment, and environment is created by leaders.

I once read a statement by a medical missionary, Albert Schweitzer, who stated, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others… it is the only thing!” If you want to create a certain type of atmosphere in your organization, it first must be evident in you. How you live, will be how they live. How you encourage others, will be how they encourage others. On the contrary, how you criticize and put down others will unfortunately be the model that many will follow. Lee Iacocca said, “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.”

You might want to take a personal inventory of your own life and ask yourself a brutal question, and then respond to the brutal facts. “If my organization was filled with leaders just like me, what kind of organization would we have?” If you have set some goals for your team, make sure you are living them first. If you are challenging them in the time management, make sure that you are living it first. If you are encouraging your team to step up the prayer life, increase your prayer time first. Your confession will have little impartation without possession first.  Just remember modeling leadership is the only true method of developing leaders.

If you have been involved in leadership for any length of time, you know that ‘who’ you have involved on your team is as important as ‘what’ the team is created to accomplish.  You can have a great vision, but the wrong people will greatly hinder your ability to fulfill it. You can have an abundance of resources, but a lack of the right personnel can squander these resources in a hurry derailing the team from fulfilling it’s intended purpose. 

Yesterday, I picked up Jim Collins’ new book, “How the Mighty Fall”  (see below) and once I began reading, I just couldn’t put it down. I read it from cover to cover. You may recall, his last book,  “Good to Great” was a best seller that focused on how good companies could implement key principles that would move them toward becoming a great company (I highly recommend this book for every leader).  His new book took the opposite approach and dealt with how great companies made critical mistakes that ended in their demise.  It is surprising just how clear these mistake are in principle, but how many leaders fall trap to them in every day life.  One of these key areas was  having the wrong people on the team.  Here are some keen insights from his book that should be considered as you develop your teams: 

1. The Right People Fit with the Company’s Core Values – Great companies build almost cult-like cultures, where those who do not share the institution’s values find themselves surrounded by antibodies and ejected like a virus. People often ask, “How do we get people to share our core values?” The answer: you don’t. You hire people who already have a predisposition to your core values and hang on to them.

 

2. Right People Don’t Need to be Tightly Managed – The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you might have made a hiring mistake. If you have the right people, you don’t need to spend a lot of time “motivating” or “managing” them. They’ll be productively neurotic, self-motivated and self-disciplined, compulsively driven to do the best they can because it’s simply part of their DNA.

 

3. The Right People Understand that they do not have “Jobs”; they have Responsibilities – They grasp the difference between their task list and their true responsibilities. The right people can complete the statement, “I am the one person ultimately responsible for…”

 

4. The Right People Fulfill their Commitments – In a culture of discipline, people view commitments as sacred – they do what they say, without complaint. Equally,  this means that they take great care in saying what they will do, careful to never overcommit or to promise what they cannot deliver.
5. The Right People are Passionate about the Company and its Work – Nothing great happens without passion, and the right people display remarkable intensity.

 

6. The Right People Display “Window and Mirror” Maturity – When things go well, the right people point out the window, giving credit to factors other than themselves; they shine a light on other people who contributed to the success and take a little credit themselves. Yet when things go awry, they do not blame circumstances or other people for setbacks and failures; they point in the mirror and say, “I’m responsible.”

 

One of my greatest downfalls is food. I love to eat and appreciate the time and energy put into a quality meal. My mother would be a great cook and has mastered the art of food preparation to the point that whenever I am near her house I gain five pounds just thinking about the meal in which I am about to devour. One of her all time classics is her Lasagna. Now, I don’t get the opportunity to eat if very often, nor does she cook it that much, simply because the “Seven Layer Million Calorie Health Free Delicacy” requires CPR instructions upon the completion of even the smallest of portions. Yet this handcrafted, eloquently assembled masterpiece has created quite a reputation as the best Lasagna this side of Italy.

Just as a quality dish of Lasagna requires quality layers of certain ingredients to get the right end product, so does the life of the leader. There are a variety of layers that are necessary in order to produce the proper balance to a quality leader. I came across the following seven statements in my files the other day, which were penned by none other than John Maxwell. Take a look at these seven components and take a moment to reflect on your own life:

1. CHARACTER – WHO YOU ARE: True leadership always begins with the inner you. People will always see the depth of your character more than your gifting.
2. RELATIONSHIP – WHO YOU KNOW: Leaders should know that association plays a key role in personal development. Be careful who you hang around you just might become like them.
3. KNOWLEDGE – WHAT YOU KNOW: You will never make intelligent decisions without having intelligent knowledge and information.  Knowledge won’t make someone a leader, but it is very difficult to lead without having knowledge.
4. INTUITION – WHAT YOU FEEL: Leadership is more than a set of hard fact rules and principles. It demands the ability to implement these principles in the right timing, manner and process. Intuition is the leaders compass that looks beyond what they can see.
5. EXPERIENCE – WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN: Experience is what forges education into real life realities giving you context and wisdom for future similar situations. Experience also develops credibility for you amongst those you are leading.
6. PAST SUCCESS – WHAT YOU HAVE DONE: There is nothing that speaks louder to those around you than a lengthy track record of solid, right decisions. People will listen to what you have to say in the future based upon the way that your lead today.
7. ABILITY – WHAT YOU CAN DO: When it all comes down to it, people will follow you as far as your capable to lead them. They may have the ability to go further, but if you aren’t out in front, they will find someone else to follow.

Each one of these areas are within your hands to develop. It does take time and discipline, but it is worth the effort! Just like Momma Jo’s Lasagna, what you put into the dish, will determine the response of those who are partaking of it.

Many today have the special ability to lead. It is clear that this is an attribute, given by God, to fulfill specific purposes. Yet having a gift or natural talent isn’t enough to become a great leader. You may get by for a season on natural talent or charisma, but sooner or later you will hit the lid and be incapable of moving forward… unless you add the component of daily disciplines to your life.

I heard a quote many years ago and is used widely in leadership circles, “A champion is built in a day, but built daily.”  This one simple statement has profound ramifications to it, if you read it, digest it, meditate on, and then apply it to your life.  It is the thousand little things that you do in a day that defines and develops you, not the one big thing. I do understand that there are defining moments that sear a person’s reputation or fate, but in most every case, it was a multitude of little decisions that got them to the one pinnacle decision; good or bad.

I am a big fan of contact sports. I know many would debate whether a Christian should support a bunch of guys being aggressive and hitting each other, but I am a guy. That is what guys do. Over the years the sport of boxing and MMA have greatly increased in competition. The guys who are champions are ones of impeccable discipline. Their daily routines are rigid, lengthy and well planned.  It is how they live out their daily disciplines that will determine the results of their reputation and legacy under the lights.

President Theodore Roosevelt was a man of discipline. He was also quite tenacious.  History records him as the, “Ablest man to sit in the White House since Lincoln; the most vigorous since Jackson; the most bookish since John Quincy Adams.” He also loved to watch and participate in the sport of boxing.  He made this famous statement that is still used today:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strive valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worth cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

When you look at your life and your leadership responsibilities, do you find yourself doing what needs to be done in order to get by?  Are you satisfied with the way thing are, not dreaming about the ways things could, or should be? Maintaining is a dangerous place to be. Although it may feel good for a season, it is always the first stage of stagnation and decline. May I encourage you today to take some time and assess your current responsibilities? Make a list of the areas that you oversee and answer some tough questions honestly:

1. What areas of responsibilities have been entrusted to my care?
2. What is the desired goals of each of these responsibilities?
3. Where do I fall short in obtaining these goals, both personally and with the team in which I lead?
4. Why have these short comings become a reality?
5. What do I need to do to change in order to be best positioned to succeed?
6. How do I implement the changes?
7. When will I start?

Remember, you define your future and legacy by the actions of today. Tomorrow will be too late to make yesterday changes. Why not start today?

I hold a strong conviction that a leader is a learner. One of the greatest ways to learn is to read. In our ‘busy’ world, often times the desire to read is clouded out by the tyranny of the urgent. The reality is, something will always be competing for your time. People and things don’t ‘take’ your time, you ‘give’ your time; consciously or subconsciously.

Let me challenge you to carve out a portion of time each day to strengthen your leadership by reading something worthwile. Obviously, start with your Bible. After that read books that target a weakness, need or area of development.

I am often asked what books I am reading. I am excited about a new addition to my blog called Marc’s Store. I have compiled a list of my favorite books that I have read or am reading and put them on a page for your review as well as purchase. Your traffic and purchase will help this sight to get more exposure, ultimately getting the Word out to more people. If you get a chance, check it out and find out the next book for your library.  If you are ever in the market for a book, consider getting your book through Marc’s Store page.

The front page a list of new releases. There are a few great books worth the read.  Here are my top three to consider:

• The Christian Atheist - Craig Groeschel
• Everyone Communicates, Few Connect – John Maxwell
• The Externally Focused Quest - Eric Swanson

Intenational reading leads to effective leading!

Leadership is a special privilege given to one for the sake of advancing a cause.  It is imperative that we use this platform for the sake of others and not ourselves. However, due to our narcissistic culture in which we live, many today are in pursuit of leadership positions for power, fame and greed. Each of these pursuits are self serving and in the end, produce empty leaders and frustrated people.

The type of power you exert, will determine the outcome of your actions and ultimately define your legacy. There are three main types of power that leaders use today to motivate people to follow them or their cause:

1. Coercive Power - This type of power is created by a leader who uses manipulation to present a scenario that puts their followers in worrisome state. It puts fear in the follower that either some bad might happen to them or something good might be taken from them if they don’t submit themselves to the leader and his ways. This can take place in a marriage, from a parent, a teacher, a boss, and yes… even a pastor!

2. Utility Power - This type of power is created by a leader who uses his power to draw people to him with a legitimate ‘carrot’ or reward attach. People become motivated by the benefit therefore the reasoning for pursuing the leader and his objective is now self-serving in the life of he follower. This type of relationship has an exchanges of ‘good and services’ between different parties.  This is a large part of the leadership world today, and in some aspects in not all together bad. But as in the first type of power, it is driven by self motivating factors and not necessarily the overall good of the organization or cause.

3. Authentic Power - This type of power is rare, yet the most fruitful. This power is used to motivate all involved to believe in the cause and its purpose with the willingness to forsake all selfish motives for service.  A leader that is able to push aside his own desires and agendas and truly inspire his followers to give their time, talent and treasures to fulfill a greater cause larger than themselves is a leader worth following.

Take a moment and reflect on your leadership style and motivations. Why do you do what you do? What tactics have you been using to inspire people to follow you? Is it working? Is it bearing fruit? Do you need to make some changes? The leader that strives for authentic power will enjoy a life of great satisfaction and fulfillment.

This is a guest post by Joel J. Miller. It was taken from a blog I follow, from Michael Hyatt.  He is the author of the fascinating new book, The Revolutionary Paul Revere.

When we think of leaders from America’s revolutionary era, our minds jump to military commanders like George Washington, political organizers like Samuel Adams, and rousing orators like Patrick Henry. In the hierarchy of the Revolution, these men stand atop the loftiest rungs. For good reason.

These men accomplished amazing feats against incredible odds. But they could not have done it alone. Like executives in a successful company, they required the service and sacrifice of others to achieve their goals. They required effective lieutenants—people like Paul Revere.

Everyone knows Revere for his famous ride (which incidentally occurred 235 years ago, yesterday). Most are, however, unaware of the vital “midlevel” leadership roles and functions that he played in the buildup to Independence. In researching his life for The Revolutionary Paul Revere, I found four tactics that made Revere indispensable to America’s revolutionary efforts—tactics that can also make you indispensable in your organization.

1. Take the initiative. Revere was a blue collar guy, an artisan. Unlike other revolutionary leaders like John Adams or John Hancock, he received a minimal education and was entitled to none of life’s higher stations in colonial Boston, his hometown. That didn’t stop him from serving the cause. He led from where he was.A goldsmith by trade, Revere led where he was able. One example: During the British military occupation of Boston following the Tea Party, who helped to organize a spy ring of workaday patriots to keep tabs on the redcoats and their commanders? None other than Revere—repairman of silverware by day, cloak-and-dagger coordinator by night.Anyone can fill time and work a to-do list. Taking the initiative to lead is what sets apart someone truly valuable to an organization.
2. Leverage your strengths. Everyone brings unique talents to their situations, because everyone’s unique. The trick is in leveraging those strengths. Revere was a sociable fellow; he joined several different local clubs and associations and could regularly be found in the taproom of the Salutation or Green Dragon taverns. Connectedness was one of Revere’s strengths. So he used it.Historian David Hackett Fischer sorted the membership lists of seven different Boston political groups and associations. He found 255 members in all, of whom 94.1 percent were in just one or two groups. And at the other end of the spectrum? Only Revere and his friend Joseph Warren belonged to more than four groups—each was a member of five different groups. Revere’s network made him useful as someone who could link disparate revolutionary parties, and his connectedness applied in other areas as well, including his role as an express rider.Whatever your unique strengths, leveraging them in a leadership capacity increases your worth to your organization—especially if you excel at the third tactic.
3. Be reliable. When Sam Adams needed someone to send word to New York that Boston patriots had just dumped several hundred crates of tea in Boston Harbor, he sent Revere—who was also one of the likely participants in the destruction of the tea.That was 1773. He served as an express rider through start of the war in 1775. In one of countless messages Revere carried to New York during this period, Boston patriot Thomas Young referred to Revere as “Steady, vigorous, sensible, and persevering.” Whether it was riding express or printing money or casting cannons or even figuring out how to construct a gunpowder mill, Revere was tapped time and again because patriot higher-ups could count on him to get the job done, whatever it was and even if he’d never done it before, which oftentimes he had not.That last fact highlights Revere’s strength at creative problem solving, something he reliably leveraged every day. It’s also one area that every leader at any level in an organization should cultivate.
4. Cultivate creativity. Human creativity is life’s only truly renewable resource. The more you use it, the more you get. In his business life, Revere was constantly creating and developing new methods, fresh approaches, and ingenious applications. He transferred that facility into the patriot movement. Whether it was unknotting technological problems for the patriots or coordinating communications, Revere reaffirmed his value at every turn.Take the ride itself. Revere realized that if the British were to seize the powder stores at Concord, they might try to lock down Boston to prevent any word about the assault from spreading. Revere’s job was to spread the news, so coming home through Charlestown several days before his famous ride and the Battle of Lexington and Concord, he contrived the one-and-two lamp signal from North Church tower. That way, if he were unable to get back to Charlestown, the patriots there could still get the news and spread the alarm.Revere’s fears proved true. When the Brits did move, they seized almost every boat in town and placed sentries along the roads. Revere was able to get out by one of the few undiscovered boats, but the people in Charlestown already knew about the troops when Revere arrived because he’d charged someone with hanging the lights in the tower. The solution worked.

If it’s true that most of a leader’s job involves problem solving, then one of the most important things you can do as a leader is to follow Revere and cultivate creativity in the endeavor.

This book is worth the read, click below and get a copy today, you won’t be disappointed!

We are living in a time where prayer is a necessary component in living an abundant life. There is a real devil and he is hell-bent on creating havoc in your life.  In the past few weeks, I have grown to appreciate the prayer coverage in my life. Despite the onslaught of attacks, disappointments and tragedies in the lives of those close to me, I sense a supernatural peace and strength that can only be attributed to the strategic prayer coverage in my life.

If you are involved at any level of ministry and are dedicated to moving the kingdom of God forward, you will be resisted. The answer to moving forward with clear air space and head space is to develop a prayer team that is dedicated to 

 The following section gives some suggestions for implementing intercession into your life, your family and your group. These principles have been applied to my life and those who serve with me at City Bible Church. I give credit to my dear friend Mark Jones, Prayer Pastor at City Bible Church, for developing these tips as wll as the one who has saved my bacon on numerous occasions:

1.   Come to the awareness of your need to receive personal prayer coverage. Acknowledge that intercession will make a critical difference in the success and protection of your life and ministry.

2.   Ask God to reveal a few people that would commit to praying for you, your family and ministry. 

3.   Choose those with whom you have an existing relationship and are confident of their character. You want to find those whom you can trust with intimate details of your life. Confidentiality is a key ingredient to the ongoing success of your team.

4.   Begin to pray for God to show you those who you may link with in praying for.

5.   Contact those you desire to pray with and invite them to participate in interceding together.

6.   Bring the group together for an initial meeting and share your vision for praying for each other and for your life and ministry.

7.   Get together at least once a month.  Allow enough time for concentrated prayer and soaking times in His presence. You should also send them a weekly update via email.

8.   Grow with your intercessory partners. Let the trust you develop dictate the “width and depth” to which you open up with them.

9.   Don’t hesitate to alert your prayer partners of urgent situations that might develop between regular times of contact.

10.  Don’t neglect to keep your Intercessory Team active and in force! The enemy does not want anyone to succeed in developing intercessory prayer coverage. Press forward to see the team established, maintained, and moving forward.

11.  Intercessory partners are not to replace your personal prayer life. They are an addition to it. Each person will “stand in the gap,” “build hedges” and “bind and loose” on your behalf. Be consistent in wearing your full armor daily. Nothing is to replace your personal time and relationship with the Lord.