No SuperHeroes

The Creation of a Team Environment

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Teams need to be built , they don't just happen. Apple Computer has done an incredible job getting employees to commit to their culture and environment. They begin an employee's career by telling them they now have the greatest job. Walk into an Apple Store and you see the difference a positive work environments creates.

Even in families, things like traditions and routines create the sense of team and tribe. You are related by blood, yet the knitting together of hearts is a journey.

Here are 7 tips to create a team or tribe environment:

1. Get to know the team - Teams full of strangers do not understand each other in the same way. Time and history build a repertoire which can be trusted. Have times where members share their personal stories. Encourage team members to connect socially or outside of official meetings.

2. Create Atmosphere - Consider gathering in settings that promote relationship. Meet in homes, have refreshments, or do an off site gathering regularly. Have a variety of gatherings which include both agenda driven and team driven objectives.

3. Care for one another - Your group will stay a task force or a working group, if the personal element is not included. Caring for people beyond the task is a key strategy in building together.

4. Difficulties are opportunities - Hardship will hit. We never wish for it, but we can use it to care for the individual. It gives us a chance to pray for them or rally around them. Obstacles are an opportunity to grow closer.

5 . Rejoice in victories - Just with empathy in difficulty, we want to foster celebration of financial provision, answers to prayer, holidays, and birthdays.

6. Welcome diversity - a good team is not one in which there is group think. Unity is not achieved through conformity, but rather through diversity. This brings conflict at times, but disagreements which are worked through produce strength in our team.

7. Avoid isolation - Don't become exclusive. Create links to other teams and strengthen strategic relationships. The tendency of a tight knit team is to move towards exclusivity, to protect the good thing. Resist this urge. Do not be an island, be a bridge.

The list above may seem to fit a church or social groups more than a business. Go through this list again and consider the tips in regards your work or task. Even in a a corporate setting, they still are elements of a good work team. These principles can span from the marketplace to a family.

Consider the positive benefits to being linked to a tribe or family:
- There is a comfort level.
- It is a safe place.
- You are free to be yourself and exercise your uniqueness.
- A sense of belonging.

Why wouldn't you want these traits to apart of any team?

Why wouldn't we desire our team, group, or family to carry these qualities?

Can you think of other elements which are key to a team's success?

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God Uses Ordinary People

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Society tells us that in order to be successful, we must be bigger, better, faster and stronger.

The fact that society exalts displays of strength is not something new to the twenty-first century. Paul dealt with these very things in Second Corinthians.

Corinth was a leading first-century city, steeped in the Greek worldview, a worldview that exalted all the externals, such as knowledge, physical strength, wealth, and eloquence. According to these standards, Paul fell woefully short.

Paul, according to many biblical scholars, was a short, balding, annoying sort of fellow, and may have had stomach issues and bad eyesight (these are some of the options for the thorn in the flesh in 2 Cor. 12:7). He was not a skilled speaker and bore on his body the marks of many shipwrecks and beatings.

Yet, Paul knew the true source of his ministry was not his personal talents and abilities. It was to this effect he encouraged the Corinthian believers when he said, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Clay jars were as ordinary as grocery sacks are today. They were so common they had no inherent value.

The uncommon thing was what filled them. In this illustration, the jars are filled with the Spirit of God.

All through Scripture, God uses those which society would never choose. Consider the following:
- God used Moses who was shy, fearful, and afraid to speak. He qualified to lead a million from slavery.
- God used David. The youngest shepherd became the giant killer and greatest king of Israel
- God chose a tiny and insignificant nation called Israel to bring about the Messiah
- The disciples were uneducated, fisherman, and tax collectors. No book would describe this group at the recipe for building an effective team.

They were ordinary jars of clay. According to God, this qualified them. By Paul’s definition, a true minister spoke not from his success but from the Spirit inside.

This illustration represents what he wanted to occur in the mindset of Corinthian believers. He desired them to know they qualified as ministers, even without all the outward things society told them were necessary.

Billy Graham was a farmboy from the mountains of North Carolina, He was described as having a big nose and being rather funny looking. This jar of clay, filled with the power of God had preached to millions while meeting with leaders and presidents around the world. He is man Christians and unbelievers alike respect.

You don't need to be a superstar to be used by God, rather just an ordinary person.

This tells us a very clear message.

You qualify.

So do it! Be a jar of clay that is filled with extraordinary power.

What are some of the lies that society tells us we must be in order to succeed?

Photo courtesy of //www.flickr.com/photos/55724563@N05/">selftitleddemo

The DNA of a Healthy Team

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

“Healthy cultures never happen by accident. They are created.”
"The number one force that shapes your culture is your values.”
“What we value determines what we do.”

The preceding quotes come from a talk Craig Groeschel gave at the Catalyst Confernce recently. They help us discuss the next step in our series, United We Move: Building a Team Culture.

After setting the vision before the group, the next step is to create the culture or values by which things will be done.

Culture is what makes you unique or different. In ministry or family, there are many models. Your values are what determine how you will do things.

When I speak to people interested in joining our team in Africa, I tell them our values. This is our DNA that makes us different than other similar programs. They do not make us better, but define our uniqueness.

For our team in Africa, we have set the values of:
Grace
Balanced Lifestyle
Team/ Tribe/Family
Application
Africa Focused

Many Bible teaching ministries do similar things, but our values direct HOW we will do it.

Andy Stanley, at the same Catalyst conference, was speaking about organizational culture. He said, “Healthy cultures attract and keep healthy people. The healthier the organization, the quicker the unhealthy people are identified."

Values or DNA are formed based on a number of elements. When setting them, you need to consider the following:

- The Leader - Culture of a team is going to reflect the leader. I included some of my values in my team's DNA. As the leader, I must lead in the things that I am passionate about . Our team values above closely resemble my personal ones.

- The Culture/Area - If a team will be affective, they must speak "the language" of the people. We work with a team in Africa, so we are focused on Africa. In this continent, it is essential to minster to the whole, not the individual, hence our value on team/tribe/family.

Plenty of great people have inquired about working with us. If they do not have a heart for Africa or they are more interested in instruction rather than transformation, I am able to encourage them to look for another ministry.

- Long Term Success - Lots of techniques work for the short term, but Andy Stanley also says, “The culture of an organization impacts its long-term productivity.” We do not want a flash in the pan, short term ministry. We want to build something that outlasts us. This led us to desire team members who have a balance in their lives of work, ministry, play, rest, fun, and personal disciplines.

Culture is always easier to set as the pioneer of a work. When you are the founder, you set the tone.

It is much more difficult to bring change where a culture already exists. It can be done, we just need to be purposeful and patient. Make decisions that move towards change, even if no one notices.

Having defined values enables you to answer the "Who are we?" question.

Couple this with the vision, and you know who you are and where you are going! This is the beginning of success.

What other advice would you give to someone attempting to create or change a culture?

Photo by www.ruffrootcreative.com by CC at Flckr.

6 Ways to Overcome Hurt from Leaders

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I have recently been writing about good leadership in my series "United We Move: Creating a Team Culture." Much of what is learned in leadership comes from personal mistakes, as well as lessons learned from the mistakes of other leaders.

This is true in my own story.

I was hurt by leadership early in my missions career. There were issues of control, manipulation, and a very works oriented mentality. The smallest mistake was treated as massive, leading to feeling as if you disappointed the leaders. Perfectionism was modeled, grace was not.

During these years I had to contend with tribalism, accusation, character attacks, and many other wretched things people do to each other. At one point, I was even advised to engage in illegal activities by a senior leader in the organization!

I would like to share several tips which have helped me journey out of the pain. These tips will help you regain health and succeed as a leader.

Here are 6 remedies for recovery:

1. Taste something different
Realization and healing often begins by seeing something different. Go to another church, serve in another ministry, or align yourself with someone who leads in a different style. Healthy leadership reveals unhealthy traits and points you in a good direction.

2. Seek Good leaders
This is very closely linked to the first one. These leaders can be in the flesh as well as through podcasts, teachings, and various friendships.

I credit one leader with saving my career in missions. During my period of turmoil, I phoned him; asking if this style of leadership was rampant in our organization. He did not engage in a debate or defense of the hurtful leaders, rather spending time describing how he led his region. Hearing a healthy leaders perspective gave me hope, keeping me in the game when I was tempted to quit missions.

3. Give yourself time and grace to process
Overcoming disappointment and hurt is a journey which takes time. Time is the great healer and bringer of perspective. My path led me to step out of leadership for a season to process. I would strongly advise speaking to a counselor during this time of seeking answers.

4. Get back into leadership yourself
Once you have had sufficient time to process, it is time to get back on the horse. I have met many people who say, "I will never be a leader again." This is their hurt and pain speaking. Avoid words like "never" or "always."

I have walked this journey with a friend recently. Little by little as he healed, he accepted responsibility and leadership again. With each step, he embraced his return and calling again.

We do not want to allow our hurt and pain to compromise the call of God on our lives.

5. Be honest with your mistakes
Rarely is the blame entirely on the hurtful leaders. I call this the 1% principle. Even if you see yourself as erring in 1% of the problem, we must own our 1%. Of course we want the other person to respond to the 99%. But reality is, they may never own their mistakes. Our concern is not their response, but ours. We are responsible for our part of the problem. Doing so aids in our recovery.

6. Forgive
This may be the most important. Do not allow lack of forgiveness to taint you and your future leadership. We likely will not be the ones to bring correction to those who wounded us. We must forgive.

The truth of the matter is: but for the grace of God, so go we. We will find ourselves in similar situations or worse without keeping our eyes on God and remaining in a place of teachability.

We must forgive and forget the offense.

We never forget the lessons we've learned. They can inspire and guide us for the rest of our lives as a leader.

Are there any other tips you would share to overcome hurt in leadership?

Photo by Make Studio | Marty Coleman on CC by Flckr.

Does a Lack of Vision Cause Death?

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

"Without a vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) This verse is often quoted as inspiration to have faith or to dream. But, do people really die without one?

As we explore building a team culture through our series called "United We Move", the first step in our journey is vision.

Vision is essential to moving a group forward. This is common sense. You cannot move a group somewhere unless you know where you are going. On this journey, there a few common mistakes which are made in the area of vision.

Mistake #1. Too Small

The vision needs to be big enough to inspire people to dream. If there is no difficulty in obtaining the vision, it is too small. A vision must be bigger than yourself or the others involved. There should be risk involved as well as the potential to fail. This is the part that requires faith. If no faith is required, you do not have a vision, you have a project.

People want to be apart of something bigger than themselves. The greatest recruiting tool we have employed in Africa is to cast the vision. People commit to causes and a desire to a part of something they could not accomplish on their own.

Our ministry in Africa seeks to be a hub for Biblical Training in Africa. This is broad. This is sellable. If I recruit people to one of our projects, a Bible school, that is not as appealing. A vision is so much bigger than our own abilities to accomplish it.

Mistake #2. Lack of Visibility

Bill Hybels says that vision needs to be restated or reminded once every 30 days.

This can be done through a number of vehicles. Have a mission statement. A clear concise statement of where you are going. Put it in the bulletins, recite it as a fun exercise, or paint it on the wall. Whatever you do, keep the vision before the people.

Did you ever wonder why the Bible repeats itself so much? It is because we are a stupid, forgetful people. Never underestimate the value of recasting the vision.

Mistake #3. Too General

A vision needs to be measurable, or it needs to inspire specific, measurable steps so people can see progress.

A vision of a small group to meet and study the Bible is too general. What about defining certain books to study? What about setting a goal to multiply the group? The cell group could rally around personal growth; measuring it through setting goals and having periods of evaluation.

Our team has long term goals for 5 to 10 years, but each year we go through a process of evaluation and assessment. This provides opportunities to make sure we are on track.

Mistake #4. Lack of Connection

One of the most important jobs of a leader is to navigate and remind people of how the details fit into the big picture. We must show how smaller goals lead the group closer to the vision.

This works in a family as well. In the fantastic book,The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, Patrick Lencioni advocates periodic rallying cries as a family. They are short term goals leading the family forward in their vision.

My greatest job as a leader is to keep the plot in mind. Where are we heading? How will small decisions affect the long term?

Too often as leaders we mortgage the long term for short term, temporal comfort and ease. Keeping the vision in mind, helps us to make hard decisions.

So do people literally dies without a vision? Perhaps.

You and I have heard of people losing the will to live. The same concept could be communicated with other words.

Without a vision, people become bored.
Without a vision, people become lazy.
Without a vision, people lose interest.
Without a vision, people only dream as big as themselves.

To take a group of people somewhere, the vision must be:
- Big
- Kept before the people
- Specific and Measurable
- Connected to smaller goals, projects, and campaigns

Vision creates continuity, cooperation and cohesion. Vision takes people places.

What other mistakes have you made in regards to setting the vision for a group?

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Grace is....

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I have spent the last week teaching on grace at Youth With A Mission's campus in Muizenberg, South Africa. I speak about grace often on this blog, but I realized I have never done a post on the essentials of grace.

So here it is. A Collections of the haves and have nots when it comes to grace.

Grace, when used in the New Testament, comes from the Greek word "Charis". This means undeserved kindness and unmerited favor.

Grace is always described as a free gift.

Grace is at the initiative of the Giver. We cannot ask for grace, we can only cry for mercy.

Grace is given at salvation to all who believe, with no levels or degrees to it.

Grace is the forgiveness of all sin.
Grace is the declaration that believers are righteous.
Grace is the power to break the chains of slavery and set believers free.
Grace is the active force by which Christians live and grow.

Grace is not condemnation.
Grace is not performance or striving.
Grace is not based on human effort or initiative.
Grace is not a back door to heaven as some form of cosmic favor.

Grace can be abused. We do it each time we sin.

Grace is not an excuse to sin, but rather the best reason not to.

Grace is God telling believers to get off the spiritual corporate ladder, since He already came down the ladder to Earth.

Grace tells believers they do not have to be bigger, better, faster, or stronger in order to succeed. It says they can be weak.

Grace does not need to be improved upon.

Grace breaks the rules society and culture hold dear.

Grace is less about what we do and more about who we love

Grace does not always make sense to our logical, fallen, and finite minds.

Grace makes smoke come out our ears.

Grace is the most powerful force in the universe.

Grace is what makes Christianity different from all other religions. Grace is truth.

Grace is Jesus.

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United We Move - Building a Team Culture

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Today on NoSuperHeroes, we begin a series on team building called "United We Move". The tools we explore will help leaders in a variety of settings to rally people toward a common goal.

These principles can impact people in the following arenas:

Churches
Leadership Boards
Families
Small Groups
Missions Organizations
Newly Married Couples
Youth Group Fundraisers
Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO)
Church Planters
and more!

Let me begin with a story of the journey I am currently apart of.

We moved to South Africa in 2006 and inherited a program which had seen success in the past. Over the last few years, numbers were down and influence was waning. The team was in a leadership transition with the director stepping out for health reasons. I stepped into leadership with a team comprising of one full-time workers coupled with a part-timer. The atmosphere was one of survival, and it was reflected in their prayers.

Fortunately I was building on a foundation of years of effort and endeavor. I was not starting from scratch, although in certain situations (like churches), pioneering can be easier than re-pioneering.

The principles we will explore in this series are foundational elements which have served to grow this project over the last six years.

We never want to replicate models, but rather look to principles or skills. These are tools that translate into moving our own group of people towards their specific goal.

Through these guiding tenants, and of course the grace of God; we have seen tremendous growth and impact in the nation of South Africa

Today our team includes 21 full time workers from 11 nations. Another 11 saints will be joining us over the next six months. We have planted works in other nations, expanded our ministries and influence in and around the city of Cape Town, while developing a strong base with our parent organization.

People routinely ask how we did this.

The goal of this series is not to promote a model or method. Rather, I desire to explore several key elements, which coupled with the grace of God, led to our success.

In this series we will examine and evaluate the the building blocks of team culture through:
Vision
Values and Culture
The Creation of a Team Environment
The Makeup of your Team
The Growth of your Team
The Health of your Team
and even a few side trips along the way.

These principles work in a team as small as a family all the way up to a corporation.

So stay tuned, and enjoy the ride!

I hope to see many of you closer to achieving goals in your family, team, or organization as a result.

What group of people are you apart of where these tools maybe be helpful? Please share and I will attempt to gear some examples to your situation.

Photo courtesy of stevendepolo on Creative Commons by Flckr.

Why Christianity is True

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We can be confident Christianity is true for one simple reason.

It is so different than all the other religions.

If man began a religion, human nature would dictate it be focused on man climbing towards God. We inwardly feel there must be works and merits we must produce in order to achieve blessing from the gods.

Surely fulfilling certain rules and rituals to be bigger, better, faster, and stronger would gain us the acceptance of a higher power.

In this kind of a merit based, tipping the scales system; one question remains.

How much rule keeping or ritual observing is enough to achieve the standard of the Almighty? When is enough, enough?

Never. There can never be assurance when works we do are the focus

Culture and society tell us this is the way to success. Most religions echo this climbing the ladder mentality.

Christianity plays by different rules.

Instead of man working his way to God.

God came down to man.

God gave man the good gifts of salvation, redemption, and righteousness first. If man would have designed this system, we would give these gifts at the end of the journey, not the beginning

"God pronounces believers righteous at the beginning of the course, not the end…it cannot be on the basis of works they have not done yet…but purely an act of God's grace." F.F. Bruce

No man would have come up with this. We would have required meeting a standard first, followed by the reward. Only God gives grace undeserved and unearned.

We can (and often do) attempt to live up to God's standard. But success is only found when we realize we cannot. We declare failure and accept that only Christ can meet the standard of perfection.

The conclusion can only be one - the source of this faith called Christianity is a gracious God giving good gifts to those who trust HIm to do what we cannot do.

Grace makes Christianity unique. Grace makes Christianity true.

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Do We Protect our Kids from the Bible?

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How do we inspire a love for the Bible in our children, while dealing with its dark side? The people, events, and stories reflects topics we might not be ready to talk to our kids about.

We read a Children's Bible to our kids as well as allowing them to listen the NIV Audio Bible Dramatized CD. They love it! The first time we played it on for our oldest, he walked around the house listening to the entire book of Genesis! My Bible School students have nothing on my son!

Granted, after this, he had some very interesting questions for us out of Genesis. Do we need to protect our kids from the reality the Bible shows us? I mean there are certain questions I would rather not answer.

I would rather have my kids learn about the dark side of life from the Bible, than the playground.

We were recently in a church service that was a family Sunday. The pastor called the children up front to talk about Moses. He clearly shared about Moses having killed a man, but quickly moved on to the great man he became. He made no mention of this killing being wrong.

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, assumes an understanding of the Law, which states certain things are right and wrong. Israel knew "thou shall not kill", but young children can be confused. Sometimes the Bible is a record of what happened, not what should have happened. We must help our children understand and filter this.

We need to fill in the gaps for our children. Sunday school or church does not relieve us our parenting responsibilities.

As a father, it brings joy to my heart to see my kids loving the Bible. I mean, Ehud stabbing King Eglon and the fat surrounding the dagger is pretty cool! It is a bit harsh, but no more so than the average Saturday morning cartoon. We just read about Jael "tent-pegging" the head of Sisera! Whoa!

Too young to hear some of this? Well, I won't be reading my kids Song of Solomon anytime soon. But the Bible does speak of real life.

We had a co-worker killed a few years back in a freak accident. He used to play with our kids. His death forced us to walk our boys through a loss and talk about the reality of heaven.

Why wait for tradgedy to seize that opportunity? The Bible gives us that chance everyday.

Don't protect your children from the Bible, let it guide your children and expose them to all of life. We are there to steer them through the hard questions. Its called parenting. We steward them as both a gift and a privilege.

What do you do to help your children love the Bible and guide them through its presentation of the reality of life?

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Freedom Day: How Grace Changed A Nation

projectgrace@lautsbaugh.com — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

"We dedicate this day to all heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free." Nelson Mandela

April 27 1994

This is the date of South Africa's first democratic national elections following Nelson Mandela's release from prison.

The world waited with baited breath for the country to descend into chaos, or worse; war.

It did not happen. Grace prevailed.

Apartheid fell and with it the racist, oppressive rule which sought to completely separate the different races.

Mandela forgave his oppressors, even including them in his inner circle as the newly elected President. Forgiveness triumphed over judgment and set this nation on a path towards success.

Mandela became a world wide figure for his grace and forgiveness. He led a nation off the path of hatred and towards freedom.

There are still many issues to be resolved in South Africa. Freedom has only been around for 18 years. It often takes a generation to chance

But Freedom Day, is not a long-ago holiday in South Africa. It is a holiday of yesterday with a promise of a new future being written before our eyes.

Grace has the power to change a nation.

To learn more about South Africa and Mandela, I highly recommend Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela This is far and away the best biography I have ever read.

"Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world." Nelson Mandela

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