Month: February 2018

4 Ways to Set Up Your Team for Success & Make a Greater Impact

Posted on February 28, 2018 by - Because of the GLS, Business, Calling, North America, Stories, Supervising People

Matt Blakely started a business called MB3 over a decade ago to help states recover from natural disasters. The software he developed now manages over $40 billion dollars in disaster grants. He used to describe himself as the typical, controlling CEO for the first ten years of running his business, but saw a radical turnaround in part due to what he learned at The Global Leadership Summit. Since then, he developed an obsession with setting others up for success. Matt took everything he learned and wrote a book called Empower Then Lead, which has a framework that he now teaches to others.

Jumping into leadership

I started my company in my early 20s. It was 2004, and I was on vacation with my family in Florida. While we were there, I went to lunch with my friend Jason who worked in disaster recovery for the Florida state government. He told me about the devastation caused by a hurricane that had struck the Florida coast recently and the massive amount of paperwork the state would have to process, including an unprecedented number of requests for financial assistance to help communities rebuild. Working seven day weeks, 12 hours a day, the recovery team was worn out.

Jason seemed to be thinking out loud when he asked if I could help with some sort of software solution and offered to introduce me to Del, the person in charge of the recovery effort.

So there I was at 23, walking into Del’s office with no product to show, to ask for his trust on a long-shot idea. Miraculously, he said yes, which changed the trajectory of my life in a hurry. Overnight MB3 was born.

I spent a week driving with Jason to the hardest-hit areas of the state, surveying the damage firsthand. I saw entire communities nearly wiped out, met with city and county officials and listened as Jason explained how the state was going to help with the recovery efforts. I not only learned about the problem, but also became passionate about finding a way to help get people’s lives back together.

Over a six-month period, I worked to build the product just fast enough to stay ahead of where the state was in the process. I joined the rest of the team, working inhumane hours, and became known as the kid who did magical stuff on my computer that saved the day.

I wasn’t ready for the software to transfer outside of Florida when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the surrounding areas, but that didn’t stop it from happening.

I hit the road again and spent the next six months working in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama witnessing the devastation. I drove through communities where every single house had been devastated. Thousands of cars had been abandoned on the sides of roads, completely destroyed by floodwater and debris. Along the Mississippi coast, some places looked like a total war zone, even months after the disaster. On a road along the ocean I saw faded parking spot lines on pavement next to buildings that were no longer there—where people once lived and worked.

As with Florida, experiencing what clients went through was an incredible opportunity. But in this case, I saw a direct link between the software and the damage. Being so closely involved in the situation shaped both my life and everything MB3 would come to do afterwards.

Fast forward ten years, and the company has grown to having our software manage over $40 billion in 16 states, including recovery funds for hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida. We have an office in Canada and the United States, and a team of 20 people.

But there is a key transition between the story of how the company started and where we are now.

Hitting a wall, and attending The Summit

A few years ago, I hit a wall in my business; I was desperate to expand, but I was so involved in the day-to-day tasks that I couldn’t seem to move forward. I began to realize that I was the bottleneck preventing growth.

Someone I respect told me to take a step back for a few weeks during the summer and just read. To me it sounded like a prison sentence, not because I disliked learning, but more because it meant pausing my life. But I did it. I read books like my job depended on it. And at the end of that summer, I attended The Global Leadership Summit. Empowerment was the uniform theme I believe God was revealing to me.

The main session that impacted me from the Summit that year was from Horst Schulze. He talked about personally sharing the vision with the entire team of new hotel locations he opened. I was challenged when he talked about caring for his team because it was simply the “right thing.” He also said, as leaders we forfeit the right to make excuses, which meant I had to take responsibility for not having a successful  team.

I became convinced empowerment and others-focused leadership was the solution.

I committed to giving 100 percent to implement this new empowerment initiative. I spent the next 12 months obsessed with setting up my team for success and seeing them thrive. I switched my mindset to seeing my impact vicariously through others. Prior to this, I was the one in the spotlight, running the show, making all the big decisions and doing the important work. Now I was trying to make each person on my team the hero, while I played more of a supporting role, elevating others so they could shine. I saw my role as existing for the benefit of my team. If a bad decision was made, it was because I didn’t set them up to succeed.

This season of learning ended up being the catalyst for my book Empower Then Lead: Have a greater impact by setting up your team for success. The book contains everything I’ve learned about empowering leadership and the phenomenal results from these principles.

Engage people’s strengths
It starts by ensuring people are in roles where their strengths are leveraged. What you want are people in roles where they are far stronger than you, given the right environment. Ask yourself: How can I better maximize the skills of each person on my team?

Share what they need to know
Continually share what your team needs to know to be successful. For years, I made no effort to share what I knew and experienced in Florida and Louisiana in the early days. Until people understood the area in which they were working, how could I possibly expect my team to be empowered to do great work and make good decisions? My decisions would almost always be better, based solely on what I knew and the experiences I had. Ask yourself: What context do you need to share to empower people?

Hand over ownership
Now I can hand over responsibility with clear boundaries of what is owned and expectations for the outcome. The goal is to minimize the amount of decisions you make as a leader, and clearly define the areas where others are free to decide without you. Ask yourself: Where is ownership unclear and what do I need to hand off?

Support your team
As a leader of an empowered team, you still need to play a key supporting role in order to see maximum impact. You have to reinforce constantly the ownership you have handed out and the context that supports that authority. And you must be a mentor to the people on your team, holding people accountable to the outcomes they are responsible for. This means minimizing task-based distractions since your role is centered around setting up others. Ask yourself: What am I doing each day to set up my team for success?

I used to define “impact” as making more money and growing something, but now I see it as people.

Positively affecting people is now impact to me (and incidentally seems to help me achieve). Everybody knows it’s better and more fulfilling to do something for others instead of for yourself. Unfortunately, it’s not usually lived out in the business world and is rarely applied to leadership.

Empowerment — It’s how Jesus leads

I probably should have seen it sooner since this is exactly how Jesus lead. His name has lasted for centuries, yet from what the Bible says, Jesus worked with his team (his disciples) for only three years. He didn’t even travel that far around the world to share his cause. His game plan seemed to be empowering other people to spread the message.

He saw potential in everyone he encountered and always assumed success. He even told people they would do greater things than he did, which is not typically an attitude held by today’s leaders. The Bible says that Jesus came “not to be served but to serve others” (Mark 10:45 NLT). It also says, “In humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3–4 NIV).  That’s exactly the example I want to follow.

You have to ask yourself what you want from your life. Do you just want to build an organization and make money, or do you also want to be a leader who makes a positive impact in the lives of the people around you? Setting other people up for success is truly rewarding leadership, where fulfillment comes from focusing on others first.

 

Family Takes Leap of Faith & Hundreds of Children’s Lives are Changed

Posted on February 28, 2018 by - Because of the GLS, Calling, Central America, Latin America, Stories

Corbey Dukes was fighting a tough call from God. Saying yes to the call would mean moving his family from the home they love, and taking a new position as field director for Kids Alive International in Guatemala. Just a few weeks before attending the Summit in 2008, he was prepared to say no to that call. Little did he know how God would speak to him at that Summit, and challenge him in a different direction, changing not only his life and his family’s lives, but also the lives of hundreds of children in Guatemala.

The Summit is a turning point for your calling

“I remember attending the 2008 conference just a few of weeks after being called by God to apply to be field director of Kids Alive Guatemala,” says Corbey, then mission’s pastor at his church in South Carolina. “I was there when the previous director announced her resignation. I wasn’t expecting it, but God clearly told me I was next. I knew enough about Guatemala to know that it was not the coast of South Carolina I loved.

“The call was so clear, I never felt doubt… I just did not want to go.”

The Summit became pivotal in Corbey’s life. “It spoke to my heart about making a choice to trust God in a risky, dangerous world, to do risky, challenging things that honor God and bring His presence to hurting people,” says Corbey. There were many moments when God demonstrated He was in this, and not going was actually disobedience. It challenged us to charge into darkness and hared how callings are precious. I was challenged to hold nothing back in great, God-sized endeavors. I was all in.”

Stepping into the unknown

Corbey’s wife was already ahead of him in believing they would be moving to Guatemala. And though their two daughters, then a junior in high school and a middle schooler, were hesitant about the idea, they would both say it was the best decision their parents made, even after facing all the dangerous challenges.

“In my service as mission’s pastor, I developed a relationship with Guatemala and Kids Alive here,” says Corbey. “However, nothing prepared me for what would happen. Within the first year, I was kidnapped in a carjacking, a gang tried to force us off the road and my wife and oldest daughter were held up at gunpoint in separate incidents, among other things.

“I came here to serve out of obedience, trusting God for what would happen. I had no idea what to expect. I knew these children had suffered and were in need of Jesus, but I had no idea the level of suffering or how it affected them.  I had no knowledge of the physiological effects of deep trauma. But God was assembling a team that was ready to be innovative, striving for excellence and taking a more dangerous path. And He wanted me to lead that team.

“Now in the last 10 years, I have held the hand of a 10-year-old giving birth; I later held the hand of that same child as we buried her daughter a month later. I have been in court as girls stand up to cross examinations and tell of horrible sex crimes committed against them. The things done to them out of sin enrages me and breaks my heart…but seeing Jesus restore them through our team and give them a new life puts me in awe.”

You never know what might happen when you say yes to God’s call

Corbey now leads Kids Alive Guatemala’s programs. One is a school and community discipleship program in a remote village where they provide meals, education, health services and community programs for 250 kids. The other program works exclusively with girls who are victims of sexual crimes. Corbey’s team provides trauma therapy, discipleship and legal support along with the basics of life. The result? A 70% conviction rate in a country where the national average is 6%! They also just launched a foster family program in partnership with the Guatemalan government. There is currently a waiting list, as the government places girls in other shelters until there is room in the program.

God changes lives and provides hope when you say yes

Young girls, as young as five to eight years old, who are forced to endure unspeakable abuse and violence, find hope and justice through Kids Alive’s programs. One example is of a girl who was kidnapped at 12 and forced to participate in child pornography videos under threat of death to her family. When she could not endure it any more, she managed to escape. But they hunted her down, and killed her family of five before her eyes. She was later able to find justice through the support of Kids Alive. She said, “God loves justice and has given me the power to stand up against my abusers.” She “slayed her giants” in court, even though her life was seriously threatened.

Her story is unfortunately like the stories of too many other girls who have come into the Kids Alive program. But through the service of Corbey’s team, these girls are discovering a God who loves them.

“Last month, several of these girls asked to be baptized in our baptism service,” says Corbey. “Seeing how Jesus ministers through the staff is a miracle to behold.

“When these girls enter the water for baptism they are in tears because they know God has rescued them from one hell already.

“These girls truly worship, know the love of a Good Father, accept God is good even in the midst of horrors, and they publicly declare, ‘I am God’s daughter; I am cleansed by His sacrifice; I am chosen with a purpose; I am powerful.’

“We have seen a hundred more resurrections like these in past few years. And to think, I would have said no to this call?”

What’s next?

“Our team’s dream is to change the entire child protective system of Guatemala and Latin America,” says Corbey. “We are making innovations to help the most prevalent child in protective custody—an adolescent. We are also working to make this a call for the Latin American church to become involved, and for other Christian NGOs to think out of the box. We just signed a game-changing agreement with the Guatemalan government to a new style of foster care and hope this will be a new model. We are already training other ministries in family reunification and justice.”

Corbey is in constant prayer for the spiritual and physical protection of his staff. “We deal with evil,” says Corbey. “But we also have the bravest group of women in the world. Our Guatemalan social workers and psychologist go into areas that are very unsafe and basically do the work of police investigators so our girls can have justice. When I asked one of them about safety concerns she said, Jesus will protect me until he doesn’t. That is faith!”

If you are in pursuit of your own calling, attend the Summit

“The Summit challenges ingrained thoughts,” says Corbey. “It exposes me to other leaders who have great vision and share their experiences. I have Guatemalans talking about ‘the right people on the bus’, ‘be a risk-taking Christian with a BHAG’, and ‘dysfunctions of the team.’ Things I learned at the Summit permeate my thinking and decision making.

“The Summit inspires me to learn to be a better and braver leader.

“People can attend The Summit as a leadership conference or they can embrace it as a vision-building, game-changing experience. Taking the Summit messages and acting on them has allowed God to work through me to accomplish things that, frankly, I cannot do on my own.. I personally believe too many Christians are too passive and toss the blame to God. ‘Well, when God opens that door, then I will…’

“My experience is that God is looking for people to partner with and work through, who will step into the river in faith before He parts the waters. The Summit inspires that kind of brave action.”

Want Your Boss to Notice You? 6 Tips for Young Leaders

Posted on February 26, 2018 by - Articles, Emotional Intelligence, Execution, Leadership Development, Leading Others

We’ve all been there. Young leadership. Starting our first job. Taking our first tentative steps in the new world of work. Wanting to succeed. Hoping for a break.

By the time we enter the workplace, we have pretty much figured out how to succeed in the world of education. High school. College. We get the concept of report cards and class rank. We know our allotted place in the pecking order—fairly or unfairly. We know how to work with teachers, deadlines, papers and tests.

We dread the ominous “group project” where the work inevitably is done by the most responsible member of the team (while everyone else makes their excuses). All those adults who told us, “This is what the real world of work will be like…” And now we’re in that world. Oh, joy!

Well, I’m not a young leader anymore.

I’ve now worked for several decades in this world of work. And over the years, I’ve seen certain colleagues in my generation succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Then there are those who shone brightly for a season and suddenly seemed to disappear.

Researchers have identified three factors that indicate leadership potential. The best leadership candidates: 1) aspire to lead, 2) have the ability to drive results, and 3) are anxious to develop and become better.

The high-achieving leaders in my world all exhibited these qualities. But I also knew other people who had these qualities, but they did not reach the heights of success. So simply possessing these qualities is not enough.

What was the difference between the young leaders who experienced the heights of success and those who didn’t?

The successful people all had one thing in common: someone noticed them and gave them opportunity.

So how do young leaders get noticed?

The young leaders who get noticed follow a very predictable pattern. They do things that other young leaders don’t do. And when they do them, you can almost hear the seasoned members of the team thinking, “Keep your eyes on that one!”

1) Over-perform

Your dad may have told you, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” It’s true. When you are given a task or a project, your supervisor is entrusting you with something. Give it your very best effort. Get it done on time or even better, ahead of time. Think through ways you can exceed your boss’s expectations. Anticipate the questions or critiques you might get, and deliver the project in a way that will surprise and delight.

Young leaders: Consistent performance over time will build your supervisor’s trust. And delivering quality work that reaches beyond your boss’s expectations will result in their willingness to give you bigger and better opportunities.

2) Exhibit complex thinking skills

As a young leader, your tasks are fairly straight-forward. But if you aspire to higher levels of your organization, the ability to think about your work in more complex terms is essential. Take the time to do some deep thinking about your projects. How does your work fit into the larger strategy of your organization? Are there nuances to your customer base that would impact how you do your job? What are the complex issues that your boss is evaluating as she reviews your work?

Young leaders: Whenever possible, exhibit your ability to think in complex terms about your work. Senior leaders are looking for talented people who can deliver innovative solutions to complex problems. Complex thinking skills will get you noticed.

3) Play nice in the sandbox

Jeffrey Immelt, former CEO of General Electric once said, “It is truly your peers who determine how far you can go.” I love that quote because it points to the importance of respect, collaboration and emotional intelligence in the workplace. We all like to work with other people who are nice. We don’t like to work with people who are disrespectful, condescending or angry. Don’t discount the hard-won lessons from your more experienced colleagues. Respect and learn from them. Become aware of how your emotions affect your co-workers. Don’t let your stress affect how you treat others.

Young leaders: A good reputation with your colleagues will be essential for your future. When your name comes up in conversations around the office, you want people to comment on how great it is to work with you.

4) Say “yes” to opportunity

At some point, you will likely be asked to take on a special project or new responsibility. Always say “yes.” If you have been selected for one of these opportunities, it is likely that a seasoned leader is taking a chance on you. Take a deep breath, and then work like crazy to learn and do a good job.

Young leaders: You never know when another big opportunity might come again. Seize the opportunity. The higher exposure will often result in you getting noticed.

5) Look for roles in the center of the action

I know a fantastic leader who was “killing it” in his area of responsibility. His projects were successful. His team loved him. But there was one problem. His department was so far out of the core work of the organization that he languished for years without being noticed. One day, he ended up in a meeting with one of the organization’s senior leaders who immediately noticed his leadership acumen. At that point, the senior leader invited my friend into a role with more visibility.

Young leaders: In all organizations, there are roles that get noticed and those that don’t. Try to take on assignments that draw the attention of your organization’s senior leaders. It is tough to get noticed if what you are doing is not essential to the heart of your organization.

6) Disagree agreeably

In the world of work, it is often the front-line employees who understand how management decisions will affect customers and internal processes. As a young leader with a different perspective, you may be aware of generational shifts that would impact your industry. You might be in the best position to see elements of the organization’s grand plan that are going to be challenging or simply won’t work. Most supervisors appreciate candid feedback when they are about to make a preventable mistake. Take time to consider your words and make your case with facts. If your boss still decides to go forward after your counsel, back him up. He has reasons for his decision.

Young leaders: Most seasoned leaders will appreciate candor with kindness. Your supervisor really doesn’t want a “yes-person.” She is counting on you to bring your best thinking to the problems she is facing. Your willingness to disagree agreeably will gain the respect and notice of senior leaders.

We live in a day where leaders are acutely aware that leadership matters. Organizations want to field the best team to bring them into a better future. As a young leader, you want to be in the center of that conversation.

And to be there, you need to get noticed.

The Second-Best Investment a Leader Can Make

Posted on February 22, 2018 by - Articles, Change Management, Diversity, Leadership Development, Leading Others, Supervising People

Leaders are asked to make investments on a regular basis. We all are chasing infinite opportunities with finite resources. Here’s the kicker: like virtually all investments, the trade-offs are often unclear.

If we invest in a new facility, what will the return be really? Or if we use the same time, energy and effort to launch a new product or ministry offering, what’s the likely return on our investment? Often the answers are elusive.

I believe the best investment leaders can make is in their own growth, development and health.

I am reminded of this every time I board a plane.

Those who fly often know these lines well: “In the unlikely event we lose cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall….PUT ON YOUR OWN MASK FIRST.”

These instructions, and my recommendation regarding the priority of your growth, are both based in pragmatism. If you pass out or become entrenched in yesterday’s thinking, you can’t serve anyone. The best leaders understand this truth, and they invest in the oxygen of personal growth.

Have you ever considered the second-best investment you can make as a leader?

It’s investing in your people.

My suggestion is to invest well in your people. And I would start with your leaders.

Certainly everyone in your organization is of value and makes a valued contribution. But if you want to know where your best investment lies, look no further than the young leaders in your organization.

You will only go as far and as fast as your leaders can take you. Leaders are the indispensable ingredient of organizational health and vitality. Leaders create the culture and the future.

If you are willing to make the investment, here are four ideas to consider:

1) Give your leaders clarity on YOUR definition of leadership.

There are literally thousands of definitions out there. If you don’t choose one, emerging leaders will be flying blind as they try to develop something you’ve chosen to shroud in mystery.

2) Require every leader to have an annual development plan.

You may want to require this of everyone in your organization. However, if you haven’t yet set this expectation, begin with your leaders. The plan doesn’t have to be elaborate, and I wouldn’t suggest you use a template. Partner with every leader to be sure they have a growth target and a plan. Then, help them achieve it.

3) Provide candid feedback along their development journey.

A do-it-yourself leadership development culture can quickly become a disaster. Only in the presence of clear expectations and an authentic performance assessment can you evaluate the progress of a young leader.

4) Be intentional with job and project assignments.

Choose an emerging or junior leader from your organization and consider what you want them to accomplish in the next decade of their life. What experiences would you want them to have successfully navigated? Without these considerations, real gaps can emerge late in someone’s career.

Choosing to invest in young leaders will pay huge dividends for your organization.

Some theologians believe many of Jesus’ disciples were very young, possibly even teenagers. It is plausible from inferences and deductive reasoning applied to the Scriptures; it also makes sense from a leadership point-of-view.

I can imagine Jesus considering His options for building a global organization capable of withstanding all that hell could throw against it. As He pondered his staffing plan, He would be faced with the question, “Whom should I entrust with the future of the Gospel?”

I can easily see and understand why He might have chosen young leaders.

What’s your plan? How will you steward the Good News in our generation?

My plan is to invest in young leaders.

Will you join me?