Barnabas File

As we engage in these volatile times, leaders of organizations--including churches--have struggled to understand their roles.     Most job descriptions were not written for crisis situations.     Leaders have been asking themselves questions like, “What am I supposed to do now?”     “Am I providing what my church/company/team needs?”     “How will I know that I am doing the right thing?”   If one has a clear understanding of their individual purpose as well as that of their organization, then he or she has guidance for action.  This does not guarantee success, but it does provide a sense of momentum.   As Peter Hawkins discusses Purpose Led Organizations, he identifies five disciplines of a purpose led organization.  These apply in times of relative calm as well as times of crisis.  They apply both to the organization and to those who lead it.  Let’s look at each briefly.   First, commissionin...

A coaching client was not only a pastor, but a military chaplain.     He had served a period of time on active duty and had taken the opportunity to pursue the training that would complement his experience so that he could advance in rank but also in impact.    What he learned about the difference in tactics and strategy helped me to understand what leaders must do to expand their capacity to lead.   The chaplain who thinks tactically asks questions like, “What am going to do for chapel services next Sunday?” or “Who can I get to lead this group?”  On the other hand, the chaplain who thinks strategically asks, “How can I staff to meet the spiritual needs of the airmen in my squadron?” or “What are the added responsibilities I face if we are deployed?”  One is thinking short term and one is thinking long term.  Short term thinking gets the job done; long term thinking prepares for the next challenge.     Strategic thin...

When times get difficult, culture can both affirm our strengths or magnify our weaknesses.       Unfortunately, we often don’t know what we have to work with until crisis comes.     This should encourage us to try to better understand and assess our cultural norms.     In writing about the Purpose Led Organizations, Peter Hawkins identifies three outcomes of purpose related to culture.   First, it attracts and energizes employees.   In Good to Great , Jim Collins wrote:    The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they  first  got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and  then  figured out where to drive it. They said, in essence, “Look, I don’t really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the...

In defining purpose, the Gallup Organization explained, “A company’s purpose is a bold affirmation of its reason for being in business.     It conveys what the organization stands for in historical, ethical, emotional and practical terms.     No matter how it’s communicated to employees and customers, a company’s purpose is the driving force that enables a company to define its true brand and create its desired culture.”   As water is to fish, culture is to any organization--including the church.   We are immersed in culture with all of its artifacts, values, and assumptions.  Unless something happens to challenge those givens, we rarely think about the culture we find ourselves in.     For the most part, a church creates culture without thought or intention.  Stephen Blandino writes,    Every organization has a unique culture, but not every organization created their culture on purpose.  Most drif...

What drives your organization or church--mission, vision, or purpose?     In the 20 th   century, most companies sought to have a clear mission statement and a clear vision for the future.      Peter Hawkins stated, “A mission captures the company’s ambition, a vision shows what it will be like when success is achieved.”     Hawkins argues, however, that in the 21 st   century, an organization’s purpose is more important.     He defines purpose as “who the company serves and what is of value to them.”    Having a purpose is much more service-oriented and altruistic.   Take, for example, two sporting goods companies.  Adidas states that it “strives to be the global leader in the sporting goods industry with brands built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle.”  On the other hand, Nike proposes to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world (If you have a body, you’re an...

Ha ve you seen   The Legend of Bagger Vance ?     The film was released in 2000 and was not a box office success.       I must admit that I had not seen it until recently.     I saw it on a list of films that life coaches should watch, so I found it on Amazon and watched it with my wife a couple of weeks ago. A sports fantasy,  The Legend of Bagger Vance was directed by Robert Redford and starred Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron.  Although it was generally panned by critics, the theme of redemption through finding encouragement, focus, and purpose fits well with the coaching paradigm. The film is told through the eyes of Hardy Greaves .  Played by Jack Lemon as an old man, Greaves’ heart attack on a golf course provides the bookends of the story.  As he lies on the grass, he thinks back to his experiences with Bagger Vance (Smith) and Rannulph Junuh (Damon) when he was a youngster (J. Michae...

Last year at this time I was dealing with some severe back problems.  During that period, I devoted most of my efforts to getting over that condition through exercise and physical therapy, so some other activities took a back seat. I thought about this in recent days as I began preparing for a class where we would discuss vision.  There are many different understandings of what vision is but, at the core, vision is the preferred future for a person, group, or organization.  It provides focus, commitment and a wise use of resources. Much is made in larger churches of the need to have a well defined vision and this is certainly true if the church is to be effective.  Having a clear vision is even more important in a smaller congregation. The small congregation is somewhat in the situation I was in last year with my back problem.  I only had limited resources, so I devoted most of them to getting better.  A smaller congregat...