ConvergeUSA Blog

3 Ways to Increase the Spiritual Conversations of Your Staff

2013-03-20T14:00:31-05:00

This series of posts is dedicated to giving you ideas to help you, your team and your church in developing a plan for increasing your spiritual conversations this year.

1. Own it as the leader.

2. Expand the effectiveness of your staff.

I am amazed at how many staff members in local churches are woefully inactive at personally sharing their faith or even explaining the gospel.

How does one help their staff or volunteers to increase the number of spiritual conversations they get into in a normal week of ministry?

The place for a leader to start is prayer. Pray specifically for your team members to be active in sharing their faith. Paul prayed for Philemon when he wrote, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6).

The second place would be to raise the faith level of your team by raising the expectations. One of the aspects of being a great team leader it to raise the expectations of the team. If you are as a leader are serious in increasing the spiritual conversations throughout your ministry then you are going to have to raise the expectations of your team.

What would happen if each of your team members engaged in at least two spiritual conversations a week? That would be over 100 spiritual conversations a year.

The third place would be to show them the opportunities right around them. A pastor friend of my was leading a small group and after about six months he walked them through the Spiritual Journey Guide by asking everyone the simple question, "Where are you right now on your spiritual journey?" To his amazement nearly half the group identified themselves as spiritual seekers and not followers of Jesus. Assumptions kill evangelism! Because a person attends church or is connected relationally to a community of faith unfortunately has little to do with that person's understanding of the gospel.

When coaching pastors in evangelism I encourage them to first look at the fringe people of their church. They are always amazed at the receptivity of these people who have attended their church in the last year or infrequently for years, to a phone call, personal visit or an invitation to a small group designed for them. How many receptive people are there on the fringes of your ministry?

Jim Elliot said, "Work where God is working. Don’t hammer at unprepared soil when there is ready ground nearby."

Three Take-Aways:

Start praying for your staff.
At every staff meeting ask the question: Who did you draw into a spiritual conversation this last week?
Start identifying and praying for those on the fringe of your ministry.

Additional Resources

Ignite 2013 - March 5-7 in Pheonix, AZ

2013-02-05T07:22:39-06:00

JOIN US MARCH 5-7 IN PHOENIX

Check out the new invitation video from Ed Stetzer.

Converge will bring together hundreds of church planting leaders for Ignite 2013. GENERATE is this year's theme. We'll share the mechanics and best practices of the most effective planting networks throughout our movement. Together we can reach our 5-year faith effort to plant at least 351 churches by June 2015.

Current pricing expires February 14. Register Today

Increase Your Spiritual Conversations - Gary Rohrmayer

2013-01-28T06:30:00-06:00

"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower understood that something happens to us and to our organization when we go through the process of planning. It deepens our conviction, it generates passion, it produces resolve and it creates broader ownership. All battle plans have contingencies but the goal always remains the same.

In this next series of posts I hope to give you seven ideas to help you, your team and your church in developing a plan for increasing your spiritual conversations this year.

1. Own it as the leader.

Let's face it, if reaching people far from Jesus is not on the front burner of your life it will not even be on the radar screen of your church.

Everytime I get frustration with the lack of meaningful contact with people far from Jesus, I pray this simple prayer,

"Father, I'm sorry for my ineffectiveness and insensitivity to the people you are bringing into my life. Help me today to get into a meaningful spiritual conservation with someone you love and are drawing to yourself. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Prayer is more about aligning our lives with God's purposes than with meeting our own personal needs.

Not all of us as pastoral leaders are gifted in evangelism, but all of us are charged "to do the work of an evangelist" (2 Timothy 4:5).

No matter where your primary calling or giftedness lies, whether it is to be a shepherd, teacher, or a leader of God's people, I believe Paul's pastoral charge applies to us all.

If you are a shepherd then use your shepherding gift to guide your people into the work of evangelism.

If you are a teacher then use your teaching gift to inspire your people into the mission of God.

And if you are a leader then use your leadership gifts to lead your church into the great harvest that surrounds your church.

Ed Stetzer once said, “If you want your church to be evangelistic and you yourself are not evangelistic – you are on a fools errand.”

Two take aways:

Pray the prayer in this post everyday for the next 30 days. See how God will answer it!
Find a coach that will help you guide, inspire or lead your people into the work of evangelism.

Additional Resources

Next Time: Expand the effectiveness of your staff or team.

Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader - Part 10

2013-01-20T07:24:00-06:00

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love and the future to God's providence." - Augustine

I read an interesting post entitled "Are You Hanging on to the Past with One Hand?" The author wrote, "Let go of the past with both hands. Are you hanging on to the past with one hand? If so, you are letting the past steal your present. Only when you let go of the past completely, can you get hold of the present completely. The interesting thing is that when you let go of the past, it no longer has a hold on you. The energy it takes to hold on the past is actually keeping you from your future. It’s takes work to keep reiterating the same old negative stuff. Letting go with both hands means that you don’t secretly ponder or wallow in memories of the past."

The Apostle Paul let go of his past with two hands. When he wrote, "But on thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." (Philippians 3:13-14) When you think of all that Paul had to let go of...his privileges, his accomplishments, his persecution of the church (Philippians 3:4-7) and his pain caused to Jesus (Acts 9:4) adds to the significance of these words, "Forgetting what is behind." One translation refers to this as 'given over to oblivion or 'to lose out of mind.' He let go of his past completely.

10. Coachable people let go of the past and push forward into the future.

Much of the work in the coaching process is helping leaders to completely let go of the weight of personal failures, bad ideas, immaturity and poor execution and helping them to experience the freedom to attack the future knowing God is for them and not against them.

Why do people hang on to the past?

Lack of understanding the work of Christ. The gospel driven life in not performance based, it is based on the performance of Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7). Salvation is a gift, an unearned gift...a gift that nullifies the boasting of all people and thrusts us into the mercy of God. Thinking we can or have to add anything to the gospel keeps us in bondage to the past and cripples us from moving forward.
Unwillingness to own one's failure and deal with its consequences. If we have a deep understanding of the richness and power of the gospel then owning our moral, spiritual and leadership failures will drive us to a quicker resolution to move forward while clinging to God's grace through the consequences. Jerry Bridges wrote, "God's grace, then, does not supplement our good works. Instead His grace overcomes our bad works."
Underestimate spiritual warfare. There is a real enemy that wants to devour, discredit, derail, discourage, distract and disqualify Christian leaders (I Peter 5:8). Too many times we lack the discernment to see how the enemy is seeking to get a foothold in our lives and churches (Ephesians 4:27).

How does one let go and move forward?

Embrace the centrality of the gospel. What does that mean? It means that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not only the means of our salvation but that it is the fuel of our Christian life (Titus 2:11-14) and the focus of our mission (Titus 3:4-7). Tim Keller says, "We need to learn how to play the gospel in our lives like a musician practices their instrument."
Acknowledge your ownership in the failure. If we do not own up to our part of the failure God will not show up. Asking God to search us and show us our part in the problem is critical for moving beyond it with a clear conscience (Psalm 139:23-24).
- Here are a few questions to consider:
  - Was it willful sin?
  - Was it pride?
  - Was it God's discipline?
  - Was it youthful inexperience?
  - Was it lack of wise counsel?
  - Was it inadequate oversight or management?
  - Was it poor execution by leadership?
  - Was it just a bad idea?
Trust God to work through the circumstances and consequences. Seeing the hand of God in the good is easy but seeing it in the bad is another thing. That is where our faith is tested. That is where our of picture of God is really revealed. That is where our position in Christ is really challenged. Paul saw beyond the criticism to reinforce the mission (Acts 15:1-35). He saw beyond a personal conflict to the advancement of the mission (Acts 15:36-41). He saw one closed door as a new mission direction (Acts 16:6-10). He saw beyond the imprisonment to the establishment of a new church (Acts 16:11-40). Paul knew this precious truth -- that the only way we make sense of our personal failures, difficulties, defeats and even tragedies is by running to God and not from Him (Romans 8:28).
Live by faith not by sight. The life of a missional leader is a life that encompasses nothing but faith. Paul knew that it begins with faith and that it progresses by faith (Roman 1:16-17). A complete dependance on the gospel through the ups and downs of life is essential for a followere of Jesus, especially a follower who is a leader.
Remember the mission. Many times in scripture we see Paul referring to his calling of taking the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Acts 22:21; Acts 26:17; Romans 1:5; Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; Galatians 1:16; Galatians 2:7-21; Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 4:17). Remembering your higher purpose will propel you past your personal set backs because they are small in light of the big picture.

Reflective Questions:

What does the centrality of the gospel mean to you and your sanctification?
How do you evaluate a personal or corporate set back or failure?
Why do you hang on to the past with one hand?
What keeps you moving forward in the face of defeat or tragedy?
How often do you reflect on your conversion and calling?

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future." ― Fulton Oursler

Check out the Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader series.

Ten Characteristics of a Spiritually Plateaued Leader

2012-08-13T06:51:00-05:00

One of the reasons a leader tends not to finish well is that they plateau. A plateau is when you level off for a long time, too long of a time that you begin to experience a decline in your effectiveness, repeated spiritual defeats and the subtle decaying of one's soul.

In Neil Cole's book Organic Leadership, he addresses 10 Reasons Why Leaders Plateau, each of them serves us well as leaders. They are like warning lights calling attention to the potential trouble that will lead to us being stalled out in the harvest.

1. A spiritually plateaued leader avoids relationships of personal accountability. These leaders are removed from people. They have a degree of separateness that keeps them unaccountable to anyone. Often Christendom has reinforced such a separation and tried to justify it as biblical, to the detriment of the church, the world, and especially the leader.

2. A spiritually plateaued leader rarely applies the truths of God's Word to him or herself personally. Many Christian leaders have pursued education and have become experts on the Bible, thus believing they have no more to learn. These leaders no longer read the Word for insight into their own lives, but rather apply it to the problems others have. They read the Bible only to find solutions to other people's issues rather than with their own needs in mind.

3. A spiritually plateaued leader has replaced his or her joy, peace, and love with envy and resentment.
People cannot simply manufacture godliness by modifying their behavior to conform to Christ's ideals. The fruit of God's Spirit, seen in every aspect of our lives, is evidence of our redeemed character, not the works we force ourselves to perform to demonstrate our religious behavior. Where the Spirit is not in control, the fruit is not evident, and no amount of hard work can make it so. Leaders who are no longer growing in their pursuit of the Lord cannot display the fruit of the Spirit and often exhibit instead sour religious attitudes. It's amazing how these ugly ways of thinking, when enough leaders display them, are accepted as the norm.

4. A spiritually plateaued leader frequently looks for greener pastures in other places. Often Christian leaders blame their church or organization for the lack of fruitfulness in their ministry. They attribute the success others have to the luck of landing in the right place at the right time. Leaders who think like this are always looking to move to a better place where their ministry will be truly appreciated and the success they deserve will finally come. This means that many pastors move frequently from one church to the next looking for success.

5. A spiritually plateaued leader finds faults in others more often than in self. The leaders find introspection difficult and rarely evaluate themselves, though they are often busy evaluating everyone else. They "find the speck in their brother's eye but do not notice the plank protruding from their own" (Matthew 7:3).

6. A spiritually plateaued leader is burned-out from lots of busyness that has been substituted for simple intimacy with Christ. Spiritually plateaued leaders are exhausted because they are usually deceived into thinking that more effort and more activity are ways to gain closer access and blessing from God. This is a devastating lie from hell itself. There is no substitute for intimacy with Christ. More activity will never satisfy our deep need to connect with God and usually prevents us from having the intimacy we so desperately require... While carrying out religious busyness may grant us a sense of importance, it does not renew our hearts with joy and purpose. Instead it robs us of the strength we need.

7. A spiritually plateaued leader compromises on ethical principles once held dear. It is not uncommon to find such leaders have fallen deep into patterns of hidden sin. Using grace and liberty as excuses, they continue to function publicly without regret or remorse, while behind closed doors they carry out sinful practices...

8. A spiritually plateaued leader stays within safe areas of expertise rather than branching out into new learning endeavors. This sort of leader wants to be seen as an expert rather than a learner and therefore has no intention of exploring new fields or gaining new understanding... The idea of learning something new is scary because it implies that the leader does not have the expertise that has been part of his or her identity.

9. A spiritually plateaued leader is unable to acknowledge the wisdom of others. This leader talks more often than listens, is uninterested in what others have to say, and is easily offended if someone contradicts his or her idea. It is almost impossible to tell this person anything new.

10. A spiritually plateaued leader has reduced the Christian life to a routine. The plateaued leader is in a kind of holding pattern and is not moving forward in his or her walk with Christ. For this person life is a routine, trying to live the Christian life in the right Christian way. It is a static existence of maintaining what is, rather than developing anything new. It is a life of a few dos and many don'ts.

Reflective Questions

Which one on this list is a flashing warning light in your soul?
Who in your life would you feel safe in discussing this issue?
How does the gospel work itself out in this area of your life? (Titus 2:11-14)
How are you keeping the leaders around you off their own plateau?
What is happening around you (family, friends, church, organization) because of this plateau?

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” Bruce Lee

Join us in Chicago for a Church Planting Experience - Sept 14-17

2012-08-08T06:43:00-05:00

The First Steps Church Planting Experience

When: September 14-17, 2012

Where: MissioDei Chicago - Wrigleyville, Chicago, IL

How Much: Registration is $99/individual, $149.00/couple,$199.00/team of 4, $249/team of 6

Who:

Church planting couples and their teams Coaches who want to grow in coaching and church planting
Pastors or Restart Pastors who desire to understand the ins and outs of church planting
Prospective planters, those exploring the possibility of church planting
Church leaders who want to strategically be a part of the harvest

What:

Are you considering planting a new church? In some cases mistakes made in the first six months of a church plant can take up to six years to fix. The FirstSteps Experience is designed to help church planters and coaches minimize those mistakes and reach their full missional potential. The FirstSteps Experience is a unique opportunity for those looking at planting a church. Filled with interactive training and really life experiences that help you enter the real world of church planting. You will participate in 4 days of interactive training to help you understand a multitude of issues of planting a missional church. You will receive the practical nuts and bolts of church planting in an interactive and inspiring atmosphere. This is for YOU, if you are serious about planting a gospel centered and mission driven church.

FirstSteps for Planting a Missional Church

Our trainers for this 4 day experience will be Gary Rohrmayer and Mark Albrecht

Contact: Joy B. Rudolph for questions at joy.rudolph@convergeww.org

Coachable Moments - Gary Rohrmayer

2012-08-06T06:48:00-05:00

Growing as a coach, leader or manager is an art form. I recently read an article on 10 Coachable Situations.

The author wrote, "When I hear managers talking about coaching their staff, they are often speaking of coaching them to improve their performance, and usually at an annual performance review. What if you considered coaching as a tool that you can use at any time, and not only when your employees are not performing, but also when they are doing great work? Coaching allows you to extend your influence all year long, in many situations, at any time. It requires you to pay attention to situations that are appropriate for coaching".

How will you recognize those coachable situations? Here are a few:

1. When someone is struggling: Help them out by coaching them. Asking them questions that will help them to figure out (on their own) how to ease the struggle is the right thing to do.

2.     When someone’s performance is not what you know it to be:Good performers sometimes fall on tough times. Coach them to get back to their usual stellar performance.

3.     When someone’s performance is amazing: Make sure they know what they did well. Ask them what they think made their performance noteworthy (so they can recognize what the cause of their success is and repeat it). Don’t forget to express your gratitude for a job well done.

4.     When you notice unsavory behavioral habits: Is someone on your staff too overbearing? Too timid? Coach them to change their behaviors to ones that will help them to become more effective.

5.     When old ineffective habits have become new productive habits: Tell them what you’ve noticed and how much you appreciate their hard work to break the old ways of doing things. Ask them how they can sustain the new habits, and coach them to do so.

6.     When someone needs to stand up and lead: Do you have someone on your staff that could be more of a leader? Coach them on the changes they need to make to get there and congratulate them on the positive steps they take.

7.     When someone needs to let others lead: Do you have someone on your team who is overly dominating? Are they preventing others from taking the lead? Coach them to pull back on their dominance.

8.     When someone wants to try something new: Is there a new project that needs to be completed and you have a staff member ready to dig in? Sit down together to create a plan for success. Then meet with them on a regular basis to let them talk about the project until the individual feels confident that they can complete it successfully.

9.     When someone new comes onto your team: The “sink or swim” philosophy isn’t always the best. Meet with your new charges on a regular basis to coach them to understand the organizational culture and top priorities of the position.

10.   When someone is ready to move up: Is someone on your team ready for a promotion, either within your organization or elsewhere? Coach them to learn the skills they’ll need at the next level, and assist them to become ready. HT

King Solomon wrote, "A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!" (Proverbs 15:23) An apt rely is a word spoken in the right time, in the right tone, and in the right spirit. May these 10 coachable moments help you bring apt word to those you are leading because as King Solomon wrote, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)

Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader Part 9 - Gary Rohrmayer

2012-07-30T07:02:00-05:00

In the mid 90's Fred Smith coined the phrase, constructive spirit of discontent.' He writes,

Some people would call this criticism, but there's a big difference in being constructively discontent and being critical. If somebody says, "There's got to be a better way to do this," I see if there's leadership potential by asking, "Have you ever thought about what that better way might be?"

If he says no, he is being critical, not constructive.

But if he says yes, he's challenged by a constructive spirit of discontent. That's the unscratchable itch. It is always in the leader. HT

9.   Coachable people possess a 'constructive spirit of discontent.'

Coachable leaders have an unscratchable itch. They come to a coaching session with a unquenchable desire to improve. They want to improve themselves, their leadership, their relationships and their ministries or organizations. They reject the status quo, they refuse mediocrity and they recognize plateaus and push beyond them.

They want and are ready to have more of what they really want.

So few of us know what we really want and coaching is a great place   to discover what that is and how to get it. But the coachable leader must   possess a ‘constructive spirit of discontent’ in order for coaching to   work well.

The Apostle Paul embodied this conviction.

1) He possessed a constructive spirit of discontent in his spiritual life. He was not satisfied with his current relationship and experience with Jesus. John Piper refers to this as "Holy Dissatisfaction."

"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and   participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."   Philippians 3:10-12 HT

2) He possessed a constructive spirit of discontent in his relationships. Nineteen times Paul used the word 'urge' in his writings to the churches and individuals he was mentoring. This word can be translated as beseech, call forth, exhort, earnestly appeal, passionately entreat.

He urged them to live surrendered lives to Jesus (Romans 12:1-2)

He urged them to pray for him and the expansion of the gospel (Romans 15:30-31)

He urged them to watch out for false teaching (Romans 16:17-18)

He urged them to follow his example in Christ (I Corinthians 4:16)

He urged them to take personal risks (I Corinthians 16:12)

He urged them to submit when they needed to submit (I Corinthians 16:15; I Timothy 6:2)

He urged them to forgive when forgiveness was needed (II Corinthians 2:7-8)

He urged them to push forward in God's grace (II Corinthians 6:1-2)

He urged them to finish the task that they started (II Corinthians 8:6; 9:5; 12:18)

He urged them to live up to their calling in Christ (Ephesians 4:1)

He urged them to please God (I Thessalonians 4:1)

He urged them in the way of love (I Thessalonians 4:10)

He urged them to call the best out of others (I Thessalonians 5:14)

He urged them to move out of their idleness (II Thessalonians 3:11-13)

He urged them to face difficult tasks with courage (I Timothy 1:3-4)

He urged them to pray (I Timothy 2:1-3)

He also expressed his need for deeper relationships and mutual dependency. Read the endings of all Paul's letters to see the relational comments and the urgent pleas to pursue the faith and to come to his aid. Hear the passion in his voice in his appeal to Timothy...

"Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (II Timothy 4:9-18)

3) He possessed a constructive spirit of discontent in his mission. Paul wasn't a 'driven leader' but a 'drawn leader' a man drawn by God to fulfill the calling he received (Acts 9:15-16) no matter want the consequences (Acts 20:22-24). This calling lifted his eyes to see the field of harvest that others didn't see.

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospelwhere Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation...So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ." Romans 15:20; 28-29

"Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you." (II Corinthians 2:15-16)

Reflective Questions (These questions are taken from Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership)

Is my calling sure?

Is my vision clear?

Is my passion hot?

Am I developing my gifts?

Is my character submitted to Christ?

Is my pride subdued?

Am I overcoming fear?

Are interior issues undermining my leadership?

Is my pace sustainable?

Is my love for God and people increasing?

Next Time: Coachable people let go of the past and push forward into the future.

Check out the Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader series.

Join us for a Missional Church Planting Experience - Sept 14-17

2012-07-26T07:30:00-05:00

The First Steps Church Planting Experience

When: September 14-17, 2012

Where: MissioDei Chicago - Wrigleyville, Chicago, IL

How Much: Registration is $99/individual, $149.00/couple,$199.00/team of 4, $249/team of 6

Who:

Church planting couples and their teams Coaches who want to grow in coaching and church planting

Pastors or Restart Pastors who desire to understand the ins and outs of church planting

Prospective planters, those exploring the possibility of church planting

Church leaders who want to strategically be a part of the harvest

What:

Are you considering planting a new church? In some cases mistakes made in the first six months of a church plant can take up to six years to fix. The FirstSteps Experience is designed to help church planters and coaches minimize those mistakes and reach their full missional potential. The FirstSteps Experience is a unique opportunity for those looking at planting a church. Filled with interactive training and really life experiences that help you enter the real world of church planting. You will participate in 4 days of interactive training to help you understand a multitude of issues of planting a missional church. You will receive the practical nuts and bolts of church planting in an interactive and inspiring atmosphere. This is for YOU, if you are serious about planting a gospel centered and mission driven church.

FirstSteps for Planting a Missional Church

Our trainers for this 4 day experience will be Gary Rohrmayer and Mark Albrecht

Contact: Joy B. Rudolph for questions at joy.rudolph@convergeww.org

Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader Part 8 - Gary Rohrmayer

2012-07-23T07:43:00-05:00

"Mental toughness is essential to success." said Vince Lombardi. He explains further, "Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It's a state of mind-you could call it character in action." I like the phrase, "a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in." As we continue this series on the Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader we will explore the mental tenacity of a leader.

8.   Coachable people are tenacious.

It is no surprise that the words: self-controlled, sober, soundness of mind, vigilant, prudent, disciplined and steadfast find their way in the qualifications of a biblical leader (I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9; I Peter 5:1-11). Coachable leaders stick with it even when the going gets tough. They push through the quitting points with a level head.

During the coaching process, it's common that a leader will “hit a wall” or feel challenged to grow or do something differently. The successful leader sticks with the process until they move through the temporary (and it's always temporary) wall.

In an article on mental toughness, David Yukelson, Ph.D., developed seven helpful insights for elite athletes to strengthen their mental and emotional focus.

1. Unshakable Belief: "Starts with the right attitude and state of mind (know what your core confidence is all about)." Confidence in God, His work, His calling and gifting in your life.

2. Relentless Focus: "Program your mind for success ahead of time with positive affirmations and expectations."

3. Establish Strong Routines: "Develop a systematic pre-performance routine that clicks on desired mental-emotional state of mind." Every elite athlete goes through a personal ritual before their performance.

4. Poise and Composure: "Learn how to let go of mistakes quickly if things do not go the way you want. The key part of mental training is about compensating, adjusting, and trusting."

5. Reframe the Negative Voices: "Remove the stinking thinking. Start with awareness of situations that cause you to get frustrated, rushed, intimidated, lose focus – then reframe the negativity into positive, mentally tough self-suggestions."

6. See Failure as a Stepping Stone: "The champions approach to overcoming adversity is 'play to win' as opposed to 'fear making mistakes'." Over his career he missed 9000 shots, missed 26 game winning shots, lost 300 games and Michael Jordan said, “I failed over and over, that is why I succeed.”

7. Be a Difference Maker: "Step up and deliver a peak performance when it matters the most."

These insights remind me of King David's words to his son Solomon as he set him forward to leading the nation and building the temple.

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”   I Chronicles 28:9-10

Reflective Questions

What is the most significant thing that could shake your confidence in your current role?

What are key ways in which you can be distracted and lose focus?

What routines are you using to help you maintain a healthy perspective?

Do you know your emotional IQ?

Are you aware of the triggers that get you frustrated, rushed, intimated or unbalanced?

How are you at bouncing back from failure?

What are the general factors to you delivering a peak performance in your current role?

Download Mental-Toughness by David Yukelson, Ph.D

Next Time: Coachable people possess a constructive spirit of discontent.

Check out the Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader series