Month: August 2018

Tangible Evidence the Church is the Hope for Swaziland

Posted on August 29, 2018 by - Africa, Because of the GLS, Calling, Church, Church & Faith-Based, Culture, Family, Healthcare, Nonprofit, Servant Leadership, Stories

Kevin Ward walked out of his family owned hotel in Swaziland, passing the same sites each day—seeing homeless street children, orphans with no money to attend school, hungry and inhaling solvents to numb their pain. Kevin offered them food, and continued on.

But God was tugging on Kevin’s heart.

It was no longer good enough for me to simply hand out food

“It was no longer good enough for me to simply hand out food,” says Kevin. “We had to do something more substantial. I felt the Father’s heart and there was no going back. The revelation of God’s love for us and his children spilled over into deep compassion for the least of these. They needed protection, healing, restoration and reconciliation.

“This was the beginning of my journey.”

God got Kevin’s attention to do more.

What started out in a single location at a previously known nightclub bar converted into a care center for these children, became a light in the darkness in a notoriously dangerous area of the city. “We called it The Lighthouse,” says Kevin. “It was here that we began to understand the real devastation of young lives due to HIV/AIDS. And it was here, through providing a consistent base to work from, where we could get to know the children, know their stories and begin to really help them.”

The critical need for this ministry to young lives on the streets.

“One day while I was serving food to the children, I heard a painful scream,” says Kevin. “Nearby, a child was showering before putting on some new clothes he was given. Soap had run into his wounds caused by excessive abuse, and his pain was unbearable. Nurses were already there on the street testing children for HIV/AIDS, so were quickly on the scene assist him.”

At one time, the statistic reflected that 9 out of 10 children would not make it to the age of 31

Later, Kevin learned that both of the boy’s parents had died, and because his grandmother was in such poverty, she gave him to a man to live with. This man had been sexually abusing the boy, and he finally ran to the streets to get away—the same day Kevin heard his heart-breaking scream; the same day the nurses discovered 14 of the 15 children in the area on the street tested positive for HIV/AIDS.

To understand the context these children are coming from, it’s important to know that HIV/AIDS hit Swaziland harder than any other country in the world and has the notoriety of having the worst HIV percentage rate in the world.

“At one time, the statistic reflected that 9 out of 10 children would not make it to the age of 31,” says Kevin. “HIV/AIDS was also taking out the strong and wealthy as well. Normally these diseases primarily take out the weak and poor. Not HIV/AIDs. It hit those earning the money, away from home in work, those supposed to carry the families, and it hit them the hardest. Suddenly, we were experiencing areas where as many as 20 percent of families in the community were child-led, with the average age of that child leading the family being 11 years old. How does an 11 year old support his or her siblings with food and living expenses? Many ran to their extended family networks, which began to strain under the load. Others went to the streets.”

Ministry grows, and lives are changed, because the Church is the hope of the nation.

Kevin and his wife, Helen, lead In the Community, By the Community in Swaziland. Their strategy is to choose the most devastated and economically impoverished areas to bring life, hope and light to the community. So far, Kevin, Helen and their team have planted 10 of these unique, community churches. Through these communities, today they are serving as many as 440 children through the pre-schools and the OVC care, reaching over 3,000 others.

Our ultimate goal is to motivate the Church to be the hope of the nation

“Our ultimate goal is to motivate the Church to be the hope of the nation,” says Kevin. “We want each church to be sustainable financially, teaching and living out loving marriages and families, and providing healthy homes in their community for widows, orphans and vulnerable children.

“My favorite outcome story from this ministry is about one young man. I saw him go from a young boy on the street, hooked on drugs, being pimped to becoming a pastor of a church of 600! He is married, has a beautiful daughter and is a pillar to our nation. Only God!

“If I had not said yes to God’s call, I would have missed God’s heart for the least! I would have missed His whisper, His nudge to love the unlovable. I would have missed being an accurate reflection of His hands and His feet. I would have missed seeing the miracle of restored lives, seeing hope being birthed in hopeless situations. I would missed the miracle of changed lives changing lives. I would have missed His heart beat.”

Empowered by The Global Leadership Summit

Leading this endeavor takes an incredible amount of grit, endurance and passion, which Kevin, Helen and their team have a lot of. But they also seek to sharpen their leadership and skills to take the ministry to the next level. This requires leadership training and encouragement. That’s where The Global Leadership Summit comes in.

Kevin and Helen first came across The Global Leadership Summit during an unplanned encounter with a pastor named Stan Tharp, who was visiting the country from the US with his team in search of a ministry for his church to get involved in—something his church decided to do as a result of the Summit. God is a great orchestrator! Read more about their story here.

Through their partnership with Stan Tharp’s church, Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio, they were able to bring the Summit to Swaziland for the first time in 2015. The event has been catalytic! Since then, they’ve been able to equip and encourage leaders from business, government, healthcare, churches, education, & youth all across the country. And for the first time this year, the Summit will be brought to every prison in Swaziland!

For the ministry of In the Community, By the Community, the Summit has helped them find and train the human resources to run the organization efficiently, build up their leadership skills, discover how to bring the organization from where they are today to where they want to be in the future, but most importantly, it has reminded them and empowered them with the idea that the Church is the hope of the world.

It helps government become more efficient, effective and sustainable. It creates a resurgence of integrity, righteousness and hope.

“The GLS is a tool that unites the church in being practical and relevant not only in the church, but also for the under-churched, the de-churched and the un-churched,” says Kevin. “It helps government become more efficient, effective and sustainable. It creates a resurgence of integrity, righteousness and hope. It inspires the church! Doors are bursting open with opportunity in various sectors of our society, and people are excited about being involved. There is a desperate hunger for leadership development here, in every sector. The GLS has become our foremost event with a diverse curriculum inspiring the body, soul and spirit. We build our calendar of activities around this event!”

Perfectionism: The Micromanaging Boss

Posted on August 29, 2018 by - Articles, Influence, Leading Others, Supervising People

Attractive aged businesswoman, teacher or mentor coach speaking to young people, senior woman in glasses teaching audience at training seminar, female business leader speaker talking at meeting

As a CEO, entrepreneur and card-carrying perfectionist, I have to sidestep daily the trap of being the greatest pirate of the perfectionist seas—a micromanaging boss. I’m not the only one.

But I’m keenly aware that the feeling of being constantly undercut by someone higher up is not only disheartening; it kills any drive, ownership and any investment employees have in their organization. Sadly, working alongside overbearing employers can be a frustrating and disheartening process, but it’s as typical as bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Employees thrive on personal autonomy. There is strong statistical evidence that clearly demonstrates employees are more productive and engaged in their work when given room to breathe. Employees with a high level of autonomy prove to be 50% more satisfied at work, complete 85% of their long-term goals and demonstrate a 33% lower likelihood of leaving their current employer.

So, as individuals in need of autonomy, how can we co-exist, and even thrive, under a micromanaging boss? Well, for that, let’s start with a short theater workshop.

 

Intro to Theatre

Telegraphing is a popular term in theater instruction that basically means to show off to an audience what you are feeling—to overblow an emotion. It’s the over-the-top acting we’ve come to associate with soap operas and professional wrestling—you make big actions so that the audience is crystal clear on what you are intending to communicate.

Among the best of the world’s actors, telegraphing is considered a tacky misstep of the inexperienced. But actually, a version of it can be very helpful in easing the mind of a hold-on-tight type boss.

Telegraphing at work is the subtle but consistent habit of showing off to your boss the care you take with your work. When they are able to see repeatedly that you don’t let details slip, they may begin to release the grip of their white knuckles around your forearm. When done right, telegraphing helps build trust between you and the boss, which in turn cuts down on micromanagement.

So, add a touch of performance to your workflow. Write down every detail they might be worried you’ll forget and make sure your boss sees you do it. Telegraph your competence by showing up with robust energy, by always having a plan and by demonstrating your prioritization process. Play the role of a highly organized and trustworthy individual and stay in character whenever you are with your boss.

Again, bridging the gap also demands an empathic softening of our own perspective by asking, “Why?” “Why does your boss insist on micromanaging the office to death?” Odds are they’re suffering from chronic incompetence fatigue.

I know it sounds harsh, but perfectionists feel helpless when others don’t have a high quality of care in their work, and over the course of a career, your boss may have been disappointed too many times to count. When we anticipate and understand that stress and disappointment, we can build trust by telegraphing our abilities and proving that we also can be trusted.

As you continue to demonstrate more and more of your obvious competence, you can start to move into phase two.

 

Train Your Dragon

It’s time to ask for what you deserve—trust and autonomy. Have a frank but careful conversation with your boss and explain the benefits of having your own personal autonomy and the costs of being so tightly managed.

You may choose to do a little research and come armed with information to demonstrate the costs of over-reporting. If you’re being hounded for status updates and unnecessary details, show how wasting your time burns through their resources and only hurts the company.

But you won’t deserve any of the trust you develop if you can’t step up and be accountable for your errors. That accountability is also a winning ingredient in softening a micromanager. Own your mistakes and explain what happened without over-apologizing for being human. You can even take that ownership a step further and telegraph a solution to help prevent similar errors in the future.

 

Be Awesome

Finally, dedicate yourself to properly deployed excellence. The most talented and impressive individuals find themselves slightly less micromanaged because they’ve demonstrated they’re worthy of trust. Diligently manage your time, own your actions and create some WhiteSpace to think about how to serve your company in the most profound ways. Telegraph your way to the top, ask for what you deserve and enjoy that sweet, sweet, autonomy.

Students of Youth Summit in Zimbabwe Discover Clean Water Source for Their Village

Posted on August 27, 2018 by - Africa, Because of the GLS, Calling, Culture, Education, Stories

 

Harold Chilowa is on the pastoral team of his church, Renewal Fellowship, and is also a business owner of Tangerine Events, a local event company in Zimbabwe. When he first heard about The Global Leadership Summit, he almost didn’t go because it was so far from home. But his wife said, “You have to go. This could be God telling you to do this. You are passionate about this [leadership]. This is where God called you to be.”

So he jumped in his car, and went to his first GLS event in Mutari, Zimbabwe in 2011. What happened next, and the ripple effect that followed would change not only his life, but the trajectory of hundreds other people’s lives in his community.

A leader is transformed

“It’s done wonders in my life,” says Harold.  “God is so all knowing and all powerful, and knows the deepest parts of our hearts. He spoke to me.”

“I am where I am today because of that whisper.”

“I was a person who used to complain a lot—finger pointing and accusing people, saying this person must do that, or they shouldn’t have allowed this kind of a situation to happen. I always blamed other people.

“But after watching the sessions at the Summit, God moved me from where I was to where he wanted me to be. I began to look at things from a different perspective. God spoke to me and said, stop complaining and finger pointing. You must engage. I took a turn in my life. I began to get my hands dirty. I began to do things that I thought other people should do. That was such a powerful whisper.

“I am where I am today because of that whisper.”

What happened after Harold said “Yes”

Harold’s life was transformed, and he began to seek out ways to get his hands dirty in God’s kingdom work. One of the first places he looked is where he is most passionate, youth—the leaders of tomorrow.

“In my country, there is a notorious community called Mbare,” says Harold. “This is where most of the violence comes from. It’s an area where if someone has committed a crime, even the police don’t go!

“I felt God say, this is where we will start. We are going to host a mini Summit here and invite all the people in the area to come.

“I was asking all these questions. Who’s going to listen to me? This is a very notorious area and I’m putting my life on the line.

“But the voice that spoke to me was so loud that I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t hesitate. So we went to a school and shared the idea with the head mistress. She bought into the vision! We partnered with another pastor who offered his church as a venue so we could host our first GLS.

“One of the speakers talked about how he transformed his community, and I had a thought, if this guy could do it in his community, I can do it too! Because, at the end of the day, it’s not about me, but about what God can do.”

A neighborhood is transformed

This mini Summit inspired a group of students to get their hands dirty. They decided to start with one of the more obvious issues—all the garbage build up. So they started a major clean-up project. “This is a place where rubbish is thrown all over, and there is no water,” Harold explains. “The health system there is also terrible.

“We started the clean-up project near the school. We cleaned up the place and the community joined us as well! Two months later, we heard about a non-for profit organization that wanted to sink a borehole in that area for water.

The place where they located water was the very place where we had cleaned the rubbish.

“The place where they located water was the very place where we had cleaned the rubbish. Today everyone is getting water from that place. That was God!

“Before the Summit, I wouldn’t have even thought about taking part in the cleaning. But because God spoke to me, I got my hands dirty.”

The work doesn’t stop there! Harold continues to work in schools in his community.

A miracle in school and student transformation

In another area, they decided to work on a dilapidated school where the roof was falling down, windows were broken and there were not enough chairs for the students. Even though they didn’t have enough money to buy materials, they decided to start anyway.

“Between us, we had $800. And $800 can’t even buy 10 desks!” says Harold. “We prayed to God. We said, let’s take a step of faith and just begin to do what God has called us to do and see what happens.

“We waited for the kids to go on holiday, and in that period of one month, we transformed the entire school! People came and said, we heard you guys were cleaning up the school and painting. Here is paint you can use. Then we saw a truck, a 30-ton truck with 600 bags of cement and they said, we heard about what you guys are doing. Here is cement. Plumbers came. Carpenters came.

They got the best grading results in the entire country—something that had never happened before.“We did everything with that $800, and it was multiplied. God multiplied it.

“We changed the whole school. Kids came back after holiday to a brand new school! They were all in tears.

“Nine hundred students said, What have you done to our school? Some of them thought they had come to the wrong school. We told them, This is your school!

“The transformation of the environment helped the students to change their mindsets,” says Harold. “They got the best grading results in the entire country—something that had never happened before.”

The GLS brings leadership training into schools across Zimbabwe

Harold’s passion for building youth into the leaders of tomorrow has given him a desire to bring the GLS into more schools. So he’s started marketing to the high schools in Zimbabwe.

“Our passion is for the students,” says Harold. “Because of the situation in our country, most of them have been exposed to ungodly principles and a kind of leadership that cannot bring a great future for them. We brought the idea for a GLS to the top schools in the country and they bought into it. We hosted our first Summit for 260 senior students.

“Because of the impact the Summit has made in the lives of our students, the school asked us to train the staff. So we did a staff training for 150 teachers. Now the school has made the GLS training a standard for all the students, and wants to bring it to every level. We’re also doing inter-school training for seven schools with GLS resources. It is definitely impacting our country!”

I want to guarantee your resources are being used wisely, and are creating a better future for our young people.

Thank you for supporting leaders like Harold, and encouraging them to transform their country

What has happened in our country would not have been possible without you who have put your finances on the line in order to change lives of people you don’t even know—people you’ve never even met, and I want to guarantee your resources are being used wisely, and are creating a better future for our young people. May the Lord truly bless you for the work you’re doing. Your resources are representing you and are representative of what you have done. May the Lord bless you. Thank you so much.—Harold Chilowa, GLS leader, Zimbabwe

 

6 Simple Questions for a Successful 1-on-1 Meeting

Posted on August 27, 2018 by - Articles, Leading Organizations, Meetings

Shot of two young designers working in an modern office

1-on-1 meetings are the single most valuable practice for any successful leader or manager. This brief regular check-in with your direct reports positively impacts their performance and moves the mission of your organization forward. A successful 1-on-1 is a relational investment that develops your emerging leaders and produces results for your church or business.

People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

But what do you handle in a 1-on-1? What do you talk about at a 1-on-1? What is the agenda of a 1-on-1? I’m glad you asked!

In the next few paragraphs, I’ll give you a coaching tool that is simple and reproducible. The following are six questions that you can use at every 1-on-1 that will grow great leaders. If you can remember just 6 words, you can begin to use it starting today.

I use it with the apprentice leader of my small group. I also use it with my direct reports and I’ve used it in coaching other leaders of large churches and organizations. I will give you a word to remember; then a question that goes with that word and a brief explanation behind the genius of that question.

 

#1) You—“How are you?”

Never forget that at the heart of effective leadership development is a relational investment. It may sound cliché, but it’s still true: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I begin every 1-on-1 meeting by checking in and asking, “How are you doing?” Don’t let the simplicity of this underwhelm you.

Notice over the next week how many meetings you are in where no one bothers to check in and ask how people are really doing. So, when you coach, make sure you ask, “How are you doing?” Your people will let you into their lives and tell you about their marriage, their kids, their physical well-being and more. All these things impact your people profoundly. This first question allows you to show you care before moving on to the tasks at hand.

Never forget that at the heart of effective leadership development is a relational investment.

 

#2) Celebrate—“What are you celebrating?”

The next question gives you a great opportunity to celebrate the successes of your direct reports. Some churches and organizations have weird cultures where if you talk about where you are winning, it seems like you are bragging. This question gives the people you are leading permission to talk about wins and you can celebrate together. You get to catch them doing it right!

Asking this question also reinforces the values and vision of your business or ministry. In addition to reinforcing values and vision, moving from “How are you?” to “What are you celebrating?” keeps the tone of the 1-on-1 very relational and positive. It’s tempting to quickly focus on what’s not working or what is broken. This question keeps the conversation focused on where the emerging leader is feeling successful.

 

#3) Challenges—“What challenges are you facing?”

The next question is, “What challenges are you facing?” You might be thinking, “We finally got to something productive.” Yes, the previous questions are very relational, but remember that when it comes to leadership development, the relationship really is the task.

This third question gives your emerging leader an opportunity to talk openly about the things that aren’t going very well in their work or with their team. Obstacles and challenges need to be acknowledged and owned before they can be addressed and overcome. As a leader, part of your role is to ensure that you provide a safe, confidential and empowering environment for your direct report to talk openly about these challenges.

 

#4) Doing—“What are you doing about it?”

Once you have disclosed some areas where your direct reports may be experiencing some challenges, it is tempting to move quickly into “fix-it” mode and try to solve the problem for him or her. No! Don’t do it! There are times when the emerging leader will need your insight and wisdom.

However, the best way you can serve them in a 1-on-1 is to help them tap into the wisdom and insight God has already given them to deal with the situation they are facing. It is your role to draw those answers or solutions out of the emerging leader. Asking the question, “What are you doing about it?” and then listening is what they need most. Other helpful questions are: “What would you like to see happen?” “What would need to take place for change to occur?” “Who might be able to help overcome this challenge?”

When the leader answers those questions it will empower him or her and increase their confidence in their ability to address whatever challenges they need to resolve. You are trying to develop leaders who can solve their own problems and meet challenges. You do not want to create a dependency on you.

You are trying to develop leaders who can solve their own problems and meet challenges. You do not want to create a dependency on you.

#5) Help—“How can I help you?”

If you never get to the fifth question in your 1-on-1 because your direct report has already come up with an action plan, consider yourself an extremely effective leader. The goal is not to answer all of their questions or solve all their challenges.

Remember, the goal is to help him or her discover the answers themselves so that when you’re not around, they will be able to deal with the challenges that come their way. But there are times when you need to step in and offer whatever assistance is necessary to help and so we ask, “How can I help you?” And once the people you are coaching tell you how they need help, you do your best to come through for them.

 

#6) Pray—“How can I pray for you?”

The best way to wrap up a 1-on-1 is to ask your direct report how you can be praying for him or her. (If it is a business setting and this question is not appropriate, then remember the word, “THINK” and ask your direct report, “Is there anything you want me to think about before our next meeting?”) After your direct report has had a chance to express some areas where he or she is in need of prayer, take a few moments to pray and reassure them that you will be praying regularly.

The most attentive and active leader can only occasionally be available to his people. However, prayer can be the sustaining environment that provides continuity and the assurance that you are keeping them in your thoughts in between each 1-on-1 meeting.

 

Just remember these 6 words: YOU, CELEBRATE, CHALLENGES, DOING, HELP & PRAY and you will always be prepared for a relational and productive 1-on-1 meeting.