Motivating Your Team to Take Ownership

A lot of leaders are control freaks. Sometimes, it’s with good reason. After all, the buck stops with the leader, and if somebody screws up something, who’s job is really on the line?

On the other hand, a lot of followers don’t step up to take responsibility on their own. Maybe they’re afraid of being in the firing line. Maybe they are comfortable enough with what they’re doing.

It requires give and take from both sides to allow employees a chance for growth while not simply handing out growth opportunities to those with the most seniority but the least drive.

Many people on your team would love to be the person asked to step up. They just don’t get a chance. We don’t hand over enough responsibility. We believe we are the only ones who can do it. And yet, if we could let go of that belief, we would discover so many great people who would love to take ownership.

I wish I had a nickel for every up-and-coming leader who has told me that he simply can’t get away from his business. He doesn’t have anyone who can run things while he takes on the roles that only he should be doing. That might be a greater communications role, spending more time with clients, prospects, business partners, speaking at conferences, or doing media interviews. They stay in their businesses, instead of getting out there, because they believe there is no one on the team who can take over.

The reason I am skeptical because I’ve seen it happen when push comes to shove–motivated employees step up and deliver. When there is a crisis, and you really have to count on people (and you’ve hired and trained them well) they get it done. Motivating your team to take ownership starts with you; it’s a matter of letting go. Yes you have to prepare them. You have to tell them you believe in them. And then you have to let them fly.

People are motivated when they know you have confidence in them to do the job their way. They are motivated because they understand what’s on the line, and they are glad to have a chance to prove themselves.

Try it. Start by believing your way isn’t the only way. Give someone a chance. You won’t believe how motivated people can be, when you give them the opportunity to show you.

It Gets Easier

Public speaking is like riding a bicycle. Sure, your first experience doing it isn’t so great, but the more you practice, the better you get.

This got me to thinking about what it’s like to develop new skill, such as public speaking. The first time you get up to speak it is unnerving and awkward. If you get past the first few, you stop trembling. You are a little less self conscious. As your career moves forward and you have more opportunities to speak, it becomes something you do. You may not love it, but you can survive it. It gets easier.

What happens after that is to me what’s most interesting. If you decide you want to become an outstanding speaker, to connect in a powerful way with your audiences, you have to stretch again. You need to feel a little uncomfortable, before you get comfortable with things like speaking without notes, standing on stage without a podium, telling stories, using gestures, moving around, trying creative exercises, whatever moves you into that next level of speaking. Each time you do it, with a modicum of success, it gets easier.

Knowing that, I think it’s important to have courage…embrace the awkward feeling … and try something new. We recently witnessed how hard this was for a group of executives who were about to make a major presentation to their senior leaders. They were, quite simply, uncomfortable. They were under pressure, so it wasn’t very much fun. And I didn’t blame them for that. It’s better to try something new when you’re not under the gun.

Still, I think every leader would be more energized about public speaking, more engaged in the process, and happier with the results, by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. As we all know, it does get easier.

Closing Time

Just wanted to let you know that I will be closing down this blog effective December 1 when my current MGT 205 class finishes.

No particular reason… just don’t have the time to maintain it.

Propelled by Internet, Barack Obama Wins Presidency

Some interesting articles on how the internet played a role in Barack Obama winning the Presidential election and how the internet will continue to play a role in his future administration.

Whether you like him or not or you voted for him or not, these articles demonstrate that the internet is now one of the mass media alongside newspapers, television, and radio. Correctly harnessed and used, it can be a powerful tool for marketing and information.

Building a City

The Tower of Babel came to mind when I read this devotion. Sometimes our achievements can seem so foolish and full of pride.

Genesis 11:1-9–Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar, and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

He Watches Over Us

We worry about Big Brother watching us. We worry about invasions of privacy while we’re walking down the street or sitting in our cars. We get concerned over wiretapping policies and breaches of civil liberties.

Yet we also act like God is not watching us, and we can hide our sin from Him. Or, we go the opposite extreme when others sin and no one seems to be there to reprimand them. Even worse, then we take matters into our own hands instead of letting God take care of the situation.

We need to embrace God’s omnipresence and omniscience. Without them, we could never truly worship Him for the God He is according to the Bible.

Psalm 33 tells us that God is also watching from on high (v.14). He sees not just images and activities but discerns thoughts and motives. As Creator God, when He speaks, it will be done (v.9). His eternal purposes march on unhindered (vv.10-11). Earthly obstacles are mere steppingstones to Him. Though many may depend on military strength for deliverance and safety, their hope is in vain (vv.16-17).

Yet we who fear the Lord need not flee from this awesome God. The psalmist affirms, “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy . . . . He is our help and our shield” (vv.18,20). The eye of the Lord may be fearsome, but we who trust in Him rejoice. He is not an intrusive “Big Brother” but our loving heavenly Father who watches over us.

Rightly Dividing The Word

Precision with our words in our daily life is as important as precision with our understanding of the Word of God. We suffer through enough misinterpretations and misleading words in our daily lives. Could you imagine if the Bible was just as vague, unclear, and fallible as we are? Fortunately, God’s Word is clear and precise, and although there are many different translations out there, making sure we are clear on what it says and how it is translated is an important part of our faith.

In 1879, James Murray was hired as the editor of The Oxford English Dictionary. He had little advanced education, but he was a gifted linguist. Murray enlisted a large number of volunteers around the world to read widely and send him usages of assigned words. At Oxford, he and a small staff of scholars cataloged and edited the definitions they received… Today, the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is still recognized as one of the most accurate and comprehensive dictionaries in the world.

Murray’s legacy of precision and accuracy with words reminds me of what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, a young pastor of the Ephesian church: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The phrase “rightly dividing” is a metaphor derived from the stonemason’s craft of cutting stones straight to fit into their proper place in a building. Precision with words is essential to an accurate interpretation of God’s Word. Let’s be people who care deeply about what the Bible says and what it means.

Not Good Enough

It’s unfortunate, but a lot of people seem to have this works-based mentality in regards to their salvation. In fact, I fall into it from time to time, but it’s a trap from the enemy. After all, if you believe that God won’t forgive you, the blood of Christ was not sufficient enough to cover your sins, or no one is good enough to get to Heaven on their own, then what reason is there to follow Jesus?

A friend told me recently of a young mother who was trying to explain her father’s death to her 4-year-old. The girl wondered where Grandpa was. “I’m sure he’s in heaven,” the mother answered, “because he was very good.” The girl replied sadly, “I guess I won’t be in heaven.” “Why not?” her mother asked in surprise. “’Cause I’m not very good.”

The story saddened me, as I’m saddened when I hear of others who believe they must be very good to get into heaven, especially since we all know deep down in our hearts that we’re not very good at all.

Perhaps like this little girl you’re thinking about your sins and asking, “What must I do to get to heaven?” The answer has already been given: Jesus, by His death, has paid in full the price of your sins, no matter how sordid, tawdry, or shameful they may be. Your salvation is free. God promises, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18).

No one is good enough to get into heaven. Eternal life is a gift. Receive Jesus by faith.

Out of Office

I’ll be out of town for my brother-in-law’s wedding this weekend, so if you need to reach me, try the cell (even though they have little service in their area) or the email (even though I will likely not have time to check it). I will be back by Sunday, so you might want to send up a prayer while you’re at it.

Presentation Skills

There are a lot of people out in the corporate world making big money by either delivering presentations or teaching others to deliver presentations. You might be looking at your textbook for these guidelines, but what if we took a look at the “real world” instead for a moment? What do professional presenters think about before they deliver?

When we help our executive clients prepare presentations, we always start by thinking about the end “user.” That is, who is listening to your presentation? What would persuade them? What are their concerns? Forget about the beautiful slides, graphs and charts. Put it all aside and write down the top five questions on the minds of your audience. Then be sure you have great answers.

For example, when you walk in the door to make your presentation, they might be thinking:

• What do you want to do and why?
• Can we get by without it?
• How does it help us right now?
• What’s it going to cost?
• How can we do it cheaper, better, faster?

If you don’t answer those questions right up front, you will lose them. Get right to it.

So my advice is, before you blow up your presentation, see what you have that works. Then, write down the top of mind questions. Answer them with compelling facts.

If you don’t do this, you’re doomed to fail. If you do, you may walk out with exactly the budget you hoped for, or something close. As the song goes, you don’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you get what you need.