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On Leadership...

On Leadership...
Component One

March 22, 2010

Leadership Journey John Friesen, Fair Havens Ministries/Muskoka Bible Centre

How has God guided you to where you are today?

I could write books on this but in summary some key elements that guided and shaped my life in leadership follow. Ultimately God used various circumstances, events and triggers to guide me in my early leadership journey. Some of these include: Family: o Living under the guidance of humble and godly parents I had modeled for me a deep strength of life based on a relationship with God that could weather many circumstances. o Being the youngest of 9 allowed me to be exposed to many circumstances through the experiences of my older siblings (the baby of the family gets to learn from the mistakes and successes of those older than him...) o God specifically used the guidance of my parents and several of my brothers to direct my steps into leadership at a young age. Natural aptitude and ADHD blended for results o I typically was the guy to lead group projects, etc.. I tended not to have patience to wait around for people to organize I tended to be the one to get things organized and moving forward from as young as I can remember. Opportunity From a young age I would take the small opportunities to lead where I could (teaching Sunday School, running weekend retreats, etc.) and these became bigger opportunities. I grew up in a small church community so there was always a shortage of people to lead... so I filled shoes that were bigger than I could fit because no one else was available. Listening taking the time to ask others what I should do and then actually listening (at least sometimes). A demonstrated willingness to listen builds trust and reduces fear among those following. Watching Others I always loved watching other leaders organize and influence... not those who talked leadership but those who actually did leadership. This motivated me to take on things others might have been afraid to take on.

In the more recent years (about the last 8 years), a personal relationship with God that has focused on listening and obeying has been the primary element of guidance (undergirded and supported by a small group of spiritual mentors that I seek input from). Ultimately, godly leadership is the product of a close relationship with God and a sensitivity to understand His priorities followed by a courage to act in the pursuit of these priorities. This is obedience. Jesus came to the earth simply as an act of obedience to His Father. This act of obedience resulted in the discipleship of 12 close students and an act of sacrifice that changed the course of human history and future.

Was there a particular experience from your youth that has impacted your views on leadership?
I would identify three key experiences that influenced my views at a young age. 1. When I was 17 years old I asked my older brother what I should do with my life in pursuit of serving God. His answer was a question What do you like doing? This led me to pursue a natural interest I had in camping and using this interest in my career and leadership journey. The lesson: Do what you love and love what you do. God has given us inherent interests dont be afraid to develop these for His glory. One of the great joys in my leadership today is to help young people find their lifes work that will bring them joy and that they will bring joy to. I worked in Australia at several camps and saw a demonstrated lack of administration and organizational strength this gave me a desire to develop strength in these areas so that my camp leadership would demonstrate competence

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On Leadership...

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and positive results in these areas. This built on my strength to organize and lead. Lesson - intentionally build strength in one or two areas of leadership that complements your natural interest and aptitude and bring this as a contribution to your team or organization. You cant do it all it takes a team who complement each other for a strong organization. Id rather have a team of specialists who know their strengths and limitations than a team of generalists who are good at a lot of things but not brilliant in anything. Harder to guide but results can be astounding! At a Sunday school training event I heard the testimony of a young man who at the age of about 29 had an experience that threw his life upside down and basically destroyed everything he had worked hard for since he was about 20 years old (marriage, career, etc.). After about a year of beating himself up and getting discouraged he used this as an opportunity to rebuild his life from scratch. He saw with a new perspective that now was the opportunity to re-build more intentionally based on the lessons he learned. Lesson dont let yourself just fall into life be intentional about filling your plate with the things that are important to you (so some thought on what these things are is critical). It was after I heard this testimony that I enrolled in University to learn about organizational and business leadership since I had decided that this is the strength I wanted to contribute to the camp leadership community.

Who has been a role model of visionary leadership in your life?

John Wilkinson leader, teacher, role model: taught me about the personal life of a leader, was pragmatic he did it, not just talked it.... demonstrated the heart of a humble, effective leader. Peter Bingeman was my leader in my first business world role. He was a hard worker, had high expectations of people and got things done. He was focused and effective. Jim Prouse my boss in my first job after high school. Taught me the importance of owning the outcome. He demonstrated a deep care and concern for his clients and employees. He was personally invested in each client experience and did what it took to bring the desired outcome to bear. Now in recent years I have many that I learn from, listen to, watch and emulate.... However, Jesus remains the model of strength, determination, intentionality, sacrifice and obedience that rises above all.

What personality trait do you find to be of the most importance in a leader?

I believe that a godly leader must first and foremost be engaged in an intimate and humble walk with God through the study of Scripture, prayer, conversation and holiness. Next, I believe that a leader must own the outcome at all times. What trait does this describe? Not sure perhaps that of responsibility?

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On Leadership...

Component Two
Definition of Visionary Leadership
Some Great Definitions
Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence. Bernard Montgomery. A leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who pulls others after him. John R. Mott It occurs to me that perhaps the best test of whether one is a qualified leader is to find out whether anyone is following him. D.E. Hoste Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he can influence them to follow his lead. J. Oswald Sanders Leadership is the process of persuasion or example by which an individual induces a group to pursue objectives held by a leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers. John W. Gardner The art of leadership consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention. The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category. Adolf Hitler (18891945), German dictator. Mein Kampf, vol. 1, ch. 3 (1925). The secret of a leader lies in the tests he has faced over the whole course of his life and the habit of action he develops in meeting those tests. Gorbachev, Gail Sheehy (b. 1937), U.S. journalist, author.,Looking for Mikhail Gorbachev (1991).

Where I landed...

LEADERSHIP (VERB) is the function of envisioning and defining direction and influencing people to move in the defined direction. SPIRITUAL LEADER (NOUN) A Spiritual Leader is one who is chosen and directed by God to influence people to move to where God wants them to be. He or she is accountable to God, demonstrating holiness of character and dependent upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom and direction.
Numbers 24 ... one who hears the words of God, sees a vision from the Almighty and who bows down with eyes wide open... (Balaam)
A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of external situation. ...I believe it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader. The true leader will have no desire to lord it over Gods heritage, but will be humble, gentle, self-sacrificing and altogether ready to follow as to lead, when the Spirit makes it clear that a wiser and more gifted man than himself has appeared. A.W. Tozer The Lord seeks out men for spiritual leadership. When God finds a man who fits His spiritual requirements, and is willing to pay the full price of discipleship, He uses him to the limit despite his patent shortcomings. J. Oswald Sanders

Natural Leader Self-confident Knows men Makes own decisions Ambitious Originates own methods Enjoys commanding others Motivated by personal considerations Independent

Spiritual Leader Confident in God Also knows God Seeks to find Gods will Self-effacing Finds and follows Gods methods Delights to obey God Motivated by love for God & man God-dependent

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On Leadership...

Process
UNDERSTAND the current situation (followers have to believe that you understand reality) Create DISCONTENT with the status quo (the good, the bad and the ugly) A PICTURE of the Future what if? Clear, BIG, compelling, multi-faceted A PLAN to get there...! (without the plan you are just a rabble-rouser or a dreamer) EXECUTION clear action steps, constant cheerleading (re-casting the vision) and celebrating successes/accomplishments

Some Important Things to Remember

Relationship with your team is number one! o Visionary leaders must have followers o Ahead of the group but not too far ahead o Proximity an effective leader invests time with his followers (physical proximity) Vision is multi-faceted o Impact on the bigger purpose (vision has to have an altruistic component especially for Kingdom ministries must be defined in terms of the impact on the Kingdom of God!) E.g. Lives will be changed because of this! o Impact on the team members E.g. I will feel more worthwhile in my job... I will have more job security, etc. o Impact for the organization and its future E.g. Our organization will become a model of....

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On Leadership...

Practicum
Journey of Fair Havens Ministry
Get the House in Order o How can God bless when we are not honouring Him with our management practices The way we treat people (pay rates, clear expectations, training for complacency... Stewardship of existing resources (maintenance, tracking, planning) Government compliance above reproach! not lets see what we can get away with Systems when the same problem happens over and over again then build a system to avoid this recurring crisis.

Written down statement of where I believed God wanted to take FHM as an organization...
(FHM 2002 Planning Document) Fair Havens Ministries is at a critical stage. It has experienced several cyclical eras of build, stagnate and decline. Each cycle has lasted about 3 to 6 years. Ministry activities, leadership and finances have undergone significant fluctuations during these cycles. 2002 marks the start of consciously building a strong foundation for a new decade and beyond, a decade where Fair Havens will embark on a prayerfully considered plan for fulfilling its ministry vision. This building process will involve people, program and place (facility). All planning activities will be bathed in prayer and the wisdom and direction of the Lord sought in all that is planned and undertaken. Faith, enthusiasm and sometimes pain are also necessary ingredients for this process. The operations of Fair Havens must run in such a way as to confidently support an aggressive vision for ministry that will impact people for Christ and His kingdom! Vision Internal Perspective Fair Havens Ministries will be organized and dedicated to proactively planning and carrying out its operations so that the day-to-day functions of the facility can adequately support a vibrant and aggressive ministry and activity schedule. To accomplish this the operations of Fair Havens will be characterized by stability, clear expectations and accountability in the areas of departmental organization, function and personnel roles.

Mission Internal Perspective

The internal organization will be committed to designing and implementing systems as well as training and motivating staff and volunteers so that the day-to-day operations of Fair Havens will effectively serve to meet the dynamic (continuously changing) and practical needs of internal and external guests in a consistent, relevant and timely manner.

Build the Team o Make them part of the future (get them involved in planning and ownership of execution) o Listen to them and learn from their collective wisdom o Identify team members who demonstrate the desired team culture write down what makes this so... o Clearly define expectations of outcomes and behaviour team culture o Remove temptations... to steal, do less than necessary o JOY! Challenge them to consider what they bring to the team environment each day. Build Relationships with Constituents o Authentic! Be interested in people and their stories... CARE!! o Take time to listen and really hear o Learn from history BUT dont let it dictate your future (weve tried that before and it didnt work...) there is a time for everything... past ideas may have been good and right but just not the right time or perhaps execution was flawed. o Always guest focused the person at the top must never lose sight of this! o

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On Leadership...

Gain UNDERSTANDING o Putting it all together... actually take time to think and contemplate journaling has helped me tremendously in gleaning understanding from all the facts. o Isaiah 28:29 ultimately, God is the GREAT TEACHER! Dont underestimate His desire to teach us in ALL things business practice, vision, decisions, etc. Planning! o The process, not the final plan, is the most important part then it becomes genetic and organic o Write it down! Situational analysis (S.W.O.T.) Things that need to change (what does the change and outcome look like?) Goals... This is the start of building the vision Action steps to pursue these changes Measurements? How will we know if we accomplish these outcomes Started in 2001 with 100 page plans... now down to 8 pages (with appendices ) o Planning Model? started with the following model back in 2001... not much has changed in principle: - team involved but the outcome is ultimately the responsibility of the Director. Build Table of Contents first and then fill in the blanks!

(2002 FHM Planning Document) The organizational approach that will be implemented by the leadership of Fair Havens represents a hybrid of Top-down, Team and Bottoms-up organizational strategies . Research and Planning Phase: o A team approach will be used to collect and decipher information relevant to the planning needs of Fair Havens. Use of guest forums, surveys, staff brainstorming and post-mortem sessions, etc. will be valuable in identifying general trends as well as specific ministry and operational issues and needs at Fair Havens. The leadership must constantly be polling and extracting information from staff and guests for further processing! The Fair Havens Leadership Team (Directors and Executive Advisory Committee) will then establish top level plans for the ministry and operations of Fair Havens. Final Planning and Delegating Phase: o In the final planning and delegating phases a top-down approach will be used where the Executive Director defines the goals and parameters of activities for each of the departments. The leader then delegates the accomplishment of the goals to the department directors, managers, supervisors and staff, defining clear parameters (financial, facility constraints, ethical policies, etc.) within which the accomplishment of these goals must occur. Implementation Phase: o During the implementation phase the department supervisors and staff have freedom to accomplish their goals in a manner (systems) they have consciously defined and agreed upon the activities must exist within the defined parameters established for the department. During this phase the leader becomes the servant of his/her staff helping them to implement their systems and accomplish their goals. This, in essence, represents a bottoms-up approach . Evaluation AND Follow Up Phase: o The evaluation phase once again assumes a top-down approach in that the leader compares the outcomes of the department with the stated goals and defined parameters. The leader then assesses the need for reward or redirection and implements accordingly (accountability). The leader meets with the staff and discuss (research and planning ).

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On Leadership...

Listen and ACT! o Expect the epiphanies those moments when you are struck with truth The product of a deep root (you cannot expect these if you have not been seeking, listening and praying for understanding and direction over time) o Find the story that needs a miraculous ending... o Act on these! Three examples January 2001 o Did I just say that? My first management meeting JOY Each expense to be covered by revenue stream August 2005 o 5th Hole Strike serve the church TRULY serve the church (come underneath, not alongside) January 2006 o Sports Shop Gods priorities, not just put aside YOUR ambitions they get put to death. Galatians 2:20 Healthy Families Youth passionately following Christ Sharing and unity amongst ministries

Summary Where we are today...

1. Succinct external and internal vision for organization (see 4 pager FOUNDATIONS for FHM) 2. Shared Leadership

Associated Gospel Churches of Canada (AGC) & Muskoka Bible Ce ntre (MBC)
Let us take on something so wondrous, so magnificent; that is doomed to failure unless God steps in. When it comes to fruition, all will know it was God, not man, which brought it about. Mission: To share leadership expertise and resources across multiple facility-based ministry organizations for more efficient and effective impact for the Kingdom of God. To see kingdom organizations thrive, not just survive.

Vision:

3. Resources a. Attached PEP Model b. Reading i. Leading at a Higher Level Ken Blanchard ii. Spiritual Leadership J. Oswald Sanders iii. Spiritual Leadership Moving People onto Gods Agenda, Henry Blackaby iv. The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker v. Managing Oneself, Peter Drucker