Leading Hope with Kevin Jack Leading Hope with Kevin Jack

Episode 230 Also Available On: Know Your Excuse May 22 Leader Notes Intro We know: Growth and Comfort [...]

Episode 229 Also Available On: A Mountain a Day May 15 Leader Notes Intro Feeling at Church Plant that [...]

Helping people think strategically.

Want this to be a tool for you or for you to help others.



Questions To Ask To Help You Think Strategically

What problems am I repeatedly solving?

Strategy is a response to a problem.

(Not New): Why am I repeatedly solving this problem?

If I’m blaming human nature: It’s a strategy issue.

“They just won’t; they never complete; no one cares; no one’s smart enough.”

There’s a big difference between a tension to manage and a problem to solve.

If the pendulum swings too far one way

How do I future fix it? (FUTURE IMPROVE)

People think they’re not strategists because it’s not perfect. Perfection isn’t the goal, improvement is.

What are potential problems two steps down the line?

Strategic Thinking is future forecasting.

If you can dream, you can begin to think strategically.

Solutions & Next Steps

Read Biographies and Case Studies

The strength of the strategy is your ability to communicate it simply.

An executable strategy is infinitely better than a perfect theory.

Intro

– Find somewhere you can find a mentor; also hear that experience is the best teacher.

– Large organization where you can learn systems: Small organization where you can do a lot of stuff.

– Find a great workplace culture; or you can learn as much from a bad culture as you can a good culture.

– Offer my perspective on picking your first job…assuming you have a choice. If you don’t; you might just need to take a job.



History

– 3 Internships while in college.

– Children’s Intern at Home Church: Common

– Youth Intern at Growing Church: Did Nothing.

– Children’s Pastor at Small Church: Did Everything & Was Overworked and undervalued.

– Youth Pastor eventually interim pastor at Mid-Sized Church for 3.5 years



Two Points

1. Find Calling, Not Benefits, Not a Career, Not a Ladder of Advancement.

1. Key Questions (Ministry-Focused)

1. Does your heart break for the community?

2. Do you love the people?

2. Further

1. Pay package and benefits do give you a sense of value for the role. (Within Reason)

2. Future Opportunities are helpful, there’s not many people who stay at an organization for 10 years. Sometimes “advancement” is dangled without any plan or vision.

2. Your job choice should be tailored to your development, which means you must know your weaknesses.

1. Your first job should not be viewed as your maximum level of impact, but your maximum level of development.

1. People coming in overestimate the impact they are making, underestimate what they can be learning.

2. Now Pick, with that in mind. To maximize your development.



Guidelines to Consider

1. If you lack strategy, go to a large organization!

2. If you lack experience, go to a small organization!

3. If you’re secure, get a leader you will learn from.

4. If you’re insecure, get a leader you will connect with.

5. If you’re mature & secure, pick opportunity.

6. If you’re not, pick culture.



Don’t: Pick Benefits, Salary, Cool City, or Future Promises.



Close

– People pick jobs for all the wrong reasons. Choose Calling & Development over everything else first.

“How to make the best case possible that unites rather than divides.”



The things I’m looking at when I’m constructing a thought line.

Principles

1. Immersion predates writing.

- I don’t need to know everything they think, I need to know what they value: I need to value what they value.

- Talk about with the name change.

- Note: I’m storing up all that information.



2. My case is only as strong as my weakest argument.

- If I’ve got 5 points and 4 are strong, I have a weak argument. If I have 4 points and 4 are strong, I have a strong argument.



3. I’m owning my weak points to defuse them.

- I have to be immersed because I need to know what the objection is. I own it and explain why I think it’s still worth it.

So important: I’m actually open! Not convincing, just explaining to people my process.



4. Never Approach From Head On

- Defense are up! Always approach from an angle!

- Politics: Not talking issues and policies; talking priority.

- Don’t ever use the thing to talk about the thing: People expect that and so they’re convinced.

- Why I use sermon titles.

- Always use the thing to talk about another thing.



5. Story is King

- Defenses drop in narratives. Not illustration: point. Long parable to immerse.

Intro

Politics Series (Non-Political Political Series)

Resources available at elephantsanddonkeys.church



Step #1: Discern

Decision: Not addressing this would be more of a distraction than addressing it.

Goal is not attention, goal is mission.

Don’t enter controversy because of boredom, do it because of your purpose.

Explain our decision: It will be more of a distraction not to, and our responsibility is faithfulness.

So, we are deliberately entering controversy to avoid future controversy.



Point #2: Thought Line

Explain Finding the thought line.

Be very clear on how my goal is to be of service to the common desires that God has placed within the people and in myself.



Point #3: Reduce Collateral Damage

Created a website

Published in advance



Point #4: Expect Smoke

What happened

Our approach:

Responded to messages

Stayed out of the comments