The Most Helpful Resource for Developing an Organizational Leader Development Program

The most helpful resource I've found for developing the LeaderLink and OMF Leader Development programs that I've found is the book Building Leaders by Jay Conger and Beth Benjamin (Jossey-Bass Publishers)

http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787944696,descCd-authorInfo.html

If you would like a 16-page summary I've developed from this book contact me at

David.Dougherty@worldteam.org

Why mind mapping software should be the foundation of your personal productivity system

Why mind mapping software should be the foundation of your personal productivity system

Mind mapping software can significantly improve your effectiveness, so much so that you really ought to consider making it a key tool in your personal productivity arsenal. Here are 10 reasons why you should incorporate this technology into your workflow:

See this post at:

http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/10-reasons-productivity/

Worksheet for Development Tasks

Worksheet for Development Tasks
and Development Projects

Development area: 

Development goal: 

This goal is primarily concerned with: ___ Godly Character  ___ Ministry Skills   ___ Strategic Values

Helping Forces               Opposing Forces
____________--> <-- ______________ ____________--> <-- ______________ ____________ --> <-- ______________ ____________  --> <--______________

Learning Task #1

Type of Activity 

Primary focus of change:

___   Change my mind: new knowledge, new ability to think/perceive, increased understanding

___   Change my behavior: new skill, new habit (intentional behavior), new responses (unintentional behavior)

___   Change my attitude: thoughts, understanding, perceptions about people, relationships, God, myself

Learning Task Described: 

Resources needed:  

Feedback:  

Accountability: 

Time Table: 

Learning Task #2

Type of Activity 

Primary focus of change:

___   Change my mind: new knowledge, new ability to think/perceive, increased understanding

___   Change my behavior: new skill, new habit (intentional behavior), new responses (unintentional behavior)

___   Change my attitude: thoughts, understanding, perceptions about people, relationships, God, myself

Learning Task Described: 

Resources needed:  

Feedback:  

Accountability: 

Time Table: 

Learning Task #3

Type of Activity 

Primary focus of change:

___   Change my mind: new knowledge, new ability to think/perceive, increased understanding

___   Change my behavior: new skill, new habit (intentional behavior), new responses (unintentional behavior)

___   Change my attitude: thoughts, understanding, perceptions about people, relationships, God, myself

Learning Task Described: 

Resources needed:  

Feedback:  

Accountability: 

Time Table: 

Learning Task #4

Type of Activity 

Primary focus of change:

___   Change my mind: new knowledge, new ability to think/perceive, increased understanding

___   Change my behavior: new skill, new habit (intentional behavior), new responses (unintentional behavior)

___   Change my attitude: thoughts, understanding, perceptions about people, relationships, God, myself

Learning Task Described: 

Resources needed:  

Feedback:  

Accountability: 

Time Table: 

Focusing on Strategic Values

We noted elsewhere on this site that personal development flows in three channels:

·         Godly character

·         Ministry skills, and

·         Strategic Values

We saw that godly character refers to progress toward Christ-likeness, and ministry skills means increasing effectiveness and productivity in using gifts and abilities to accomplish God’s purposes, strategic values have to do with the interweaving of a lifetime of learning and growing in ministry that grows toward an increasingly clear ministry framework that gives direction and focus and ultimate purpose to one’s life.

This handout provides additional information about progress toward strategic values.

A Focused Life

Dr Bobby Clinton says, “Leaders must make decisions about life and ministry which flow from their understanding of who God has made them to be and for what God is shaping them. These decisions will lead them to effective purposeful lives which, in retrospect, will be seen to have been focused lives. Bit it is not a self-seeking individualistic choice of life but a seeking of what a sovereign God is doing—His purposes. All of the focused life thinking must be done in the light of a strong understanding of the sovereignty of God.” (Strategic Concepts that Clarify a Focused Life, page 1)

He goes on to define a focused life in this way:

“A focused life is:

• a life dedicated to exclusively carrying out God’s unique purposes through it,
• by identifying the focal issues, that is, the life purpose, unique methodology, major role or ultimate contribution which allows
• an increasing prioritization of life’s activities around the focal issues, and
• results in a satisfying life of being and doing.” (Strategic Concepts, page 3)

Clinton defines several key terms in this definition like this:

“Life purpose is the driving force behind what we do. Major role is the occupational position from which we accomplish that life purpose. Unique methodologies are means that are effective for us to deliver our ministry that flows from that life purpose. And ultimate contributions are the lasting results of that ministry.” (Strategic Concepts, page 3)

He continues by saying that, “It is the discovery of these focal issues, that is their movement from implicit to explicit, which provides the possibility of prioritization, or in other words, proactive decision making. The earlier we can discover these issues, the earlier we can proactively act upon them.” (Strategic Concepts, page 3)

A Social Base for Ministry

(adapted from a presentation by Michael Littlefield, based on Dr. Bobby Clinton)

Home Environment Needs

• Economic Support: Financial base which covers living expenses, medical, educational, basic physical needs like food, clothing, transportation, recreational  etc.
• Basic physical needs: The necessities of life--how we eat, sleep, laundry, meet our physical drives.  Where do we stay?  Are we safe? What is our home?  A place of retreat?  An Outreach?  Open House?  Castle?
• Emotional Support: Companionship, someone to talk to, recreational outlets, empathetic understanding, affirmation of personal worth, etc.
• Creativity - Renewal Support: The sharing of ministry or career ideas, philosophy, dreams, creativity.  That which challenges and calls us to be and do what God desires.

Balancing Home and Work - some models for Singles.

1. Isolation: Completely alone, providing for one’s own needs
2. Partial Isolation Usually alone, but retreats to other social settings every so often
3. Same Sex Partnerships - follows along the lines of patterns for married couples.
4. Opposite Sex Partnerships - co-ministry. This can be dangerous.
5. Team - Part of a team that is committed to each other and provides basic needs.
6. Family - be “adopted” into a family.
7. Community - groups formed with singles and couples who live in community. Not just living in the same location, but deciding to meet social needs.

Balancing Home and Work - some models for Marriages.

1.      Releasing one for ministry: One spouse involved in heavy outside ministry and the other spouse  primarily in a support role.

3     Both are still called - they are in fact working together.

3     Absolutely critical that both spouses be included in negotiations about the ministry

2.      Partners together in the same ministry: Each spouse see themselves operating in the same ministry  together and each has a significant role. 

3     With children (or parents)

3     Without children.

3.      Different ministries for each spouse Both spouses give themselves to full time ministry in different settings.

4.      Taking turns in ministry:

3     Spouses alternate the release profile, internal ministry, for varying portions of time. Each releases and helps the other develop the external ministry or career for significant portions of time.

5.      Delaying ministry for one's spouse:

3     Both spouses had ministries before marriage.  One spouse enters the release profile dropping ministry and concentrating on mainly providing support needs.

6.      Unhealthy model:

3     One or the other spouse opposes the other’s role or in some significant way hinders fulfillment of potential.

Summary Insights on Home Environment Processing

1.      There is no absolute ideal profile: each person/couple is unique.

2.      We need to affirm the various diverse profiles and support people in them.

3.      Over a life time it is normal for the home environment to change.

4.      Each of us needs to periodically assess our home environment and see to what extent needs are being met.

5.      Home Environment Processing is important!  People’s lives and ministries can be ruined for lack of meeting various home environment needs.

Insights from Generalized Ministry Timelines

(Adapted from an OMF Self-Study Guide, based on content developed by Dr. Bobby Clinton)

Key Boundary 1 During the transition time marked by the first key boundary, emerging leaders...

·         accept responsibility for ministry,

·         commit to a leadership role,

·         commit to a term of ministry,

·         initiate a growth ministry phase, and

·         cross a logistical barrier.

Provisional ministry Typical characteristics of the provisional ministry sub-phase include...

·         lessons learned through negative experiences,

·         learning through trial and chance success about role and giftedness,

·         large drop-out rates from ministry (3-5 years)

·         focus on skills leading to role and character:

·         first, ministerial formation--learning to do, and

·         second, character formation--learning to be, and

·         generally inefficient and inconsistent ministry--some good, some bad.

Key boundary 2 This boundary is characterized by...

·         disappointment with ministry and in ministry,

·         Are we getting out of it what we expect?

·         interpersonal conflicts with other leaders,

·         disappointment with more senior leaders as relationships intensify,

·         neglect of inner life because of pressure to perform, and

·         inadequacies of training are revealed. (Example: In training, leader mastered exegesis, but not conflict resolution.)

·         Saying: “Nothing in our training prepared me for this kind of experience.”

·         Result: A common experience is to go back to school and study counseling.

·         Mentoring helps: In this critical boundary transition, mentoring can provide an experienced leader to: teach, counsel, coach, and sponsor. Leaders who discover or recruit mentors find springs of running water.

Competent ministry

In this phase, leaders...

·         do things right,

·         apply personal gifts and abilities intentionally,

·         taste the joy of seeing things coming together (Clinton: “mini-convergence”),

·         select productive roles, and

·         minister with confidence.

The tendency we have when we get here is to “build three tabernacles.”  We plateau, becoming so comfortable with what we’re doing that we don’t have to work at it anymore.

Key boundary 3 At  this boundary, leaders begin to...

·         grow toward “being” as a base for doing, ...

·         pursue strategic ministry over competent ministry,

·         develop a unique personal mission statement, and

·         expand and deepen their spheres of influence.

Unique ministry Leaders in this phase...

·         select the right things to do rather than just doing things right,

·         modify their roles to fit who they are, as they pursue convergence,

·         share well-developed personal mission statements, and

·         sense they are fulfilling God’s plan for them personally--“their destiny.”

Developing Personal Development Tasks

Here are some suggestions you may use to design personal/leadership development tasks.

1. Presentation

·         Workshop

·         Seminar

·         Conference

·         Speaker

·         Audio tape

·         Videotape

·         Take notes

·         Summarize

·         Relate to other input

·         Do your own presentation

·         Apply something

2. Reading

·         Book (scan, ransack, study, etc.)

·         Article

·         Journal

·         Archives

·         Internet

·         Research

·         Mark (underline, highlight)

·         Take notes

·         Summarize in front

·         Distribute Summary

3. Demonstration

·         Find a mentor

·         Find a coach

·         Find a teacher

·         Find a friend

·         Model

·         Assist

·         Watch

·         Leave

4. Video (Movies, etc.)

·         Sources of lists

o        Recommendations

o        Books

o        Internet lists

·         Watch

·         Reflect

·         Answer Questions

·         Play “what-If”

·         Re-watch?

Leadership

·         Moby Dick

·         Hoosiers

·         Wizard of Oz

·         Bridge over River Kwai

Other

·         Dead Poet’s Society

·         Citizen Kane

·         Apollo 13

·         12 angry men

5. Journaling

·         Write regularly (daily, weekly, bi-weekly)

·         Write specifically

·         Write honestly

·         Review, reflect

·         Check attitudes

·         Change habits

·         Track perceptions

·         Increase behaviors

6. Questionnaires

·         Inventory

·         Preferences

·         Strengths/weakness

·         Feedback

·         Insight

·         Survey

·         Choose wisely

·         Check validity

·         Get Good interpretation

·         Apply thought-fully

7. Case Study

·         Biography

·         Ministry

·         Organization

·         Business

·         Trend or concept

·         Originate

·         Read for comprehension

·         Develop questions

·         Investigate

·         Answer questions

·         Reflect

8. In-Basket/Card Sort

·         See Questionnaire

9. Work Project

·         Select something that needs to be done and complete as your project

·         Plan

·         Organize

·         Lead (execute)

·         Feedback

o        Evaluate

o        Report

10. Games/Adventure

·         Plan a stretching activity

·         Alone or with a group

·         May require funding

·         Plan

·         Train / prepare

·         Organize

·         Lead

·         Feedback

·         Evaluate

11. Change a Habit

·         Find an inspiring motive

·         Plan for transition to new behaviors

·         Track Progress

12. Action Learning

·         Select a problem with significant impact

·         Gather a team to address

·         Work together for a set period to address the issues

·         Report findings to the organization

Introduction to Personal Development: Planning to Grow and Change

We all are familiar with the concept of personal development. We use a variety of terms and ideas to communicate the concept of growing or changing as we progress from birth to maturity. Sometimes we use this concept in the sense of physical or social development. We also use these ideas to refer to spiritual development or growth in ministry competencies.

Using the following scriptures as a base, plus other Scriptures you are familiar with, try to draft at least five principles concerning an individual’s personal development.

1. 2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2. Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

3. 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!

4. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

5. Eph 4:14-15 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

6. 2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Prov 24:30-34 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber,a little folding of the hands to rest-- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

8. 1 Tim 4:7-8 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Your Development Experience

Experience is the best teacher. We learn by trying things ourselves or by watching others. Each of us has had a learning experience we seemed to really learn and grow a lot. Let’s try to use these experiences to describe our “ideal learning environment.”

Recall a situation or experience when, in your opinion, you were in a real “learning mode.”. Write a very brief identifying description of that experience (or situation) below:



What gets develop? (Leadership Emergence Theory by Dr. Bobby Clinton, page 72-74)

1. Godly character
     a. Experiencing more of the life of Christ
     b. Reflecting more Christ-like characteristics in personality and in everyday relationships
     c. Increasingly knowing the power and presence of Christ in ministry

2. Ministry skills
     a. Growth in experiential understanding of ministry concepts
     b. Growing sensitivity to God’s purposes in terms of basic elements of ministry (person, people, purpose)
     c. Identification and development of gifts and skills and their use with increasing effectiveness
     d. Ability to motivate others toward beneficial change which harmonize with God’s purposes.

3. Strategic values
     a. Strategic values refer to an overall ministry perspective, or philosophy of ministry.
     b. These values emerge from a lifetime of learning and growing in ministry.
     c. The work together to provide an increasingly clear ministry framework
     d.  This framework gives direction and focus and ultimate purpose to one’s life.

How Development Occurs
There are three elements God uses in our development: (1) our life and ministry experience(s), (2) our response to the experience and (3) time. Dr. Bobby Clinton describes how these things work together like this: “. . . critical spiritual incidents in the lives of leaders are sprinkled densely throughout their lives. These incidents are often critical points in terms of leadership insights. There incidents are perceived by the leaders as God’s work of developing them for leadership. This is called processing. . . A leader is developed by God, over a lifetime, in order to expand leadership capacities to fulfill God’s purposes for that leader.” (Leadership Emergence Theory page 29)

What do we develop toward?

• Profile: Any plan of intentional development must recognize an end toward which development points, an outcome that is anticipated as a result of development activity. One way to express this “end result” is through the use of a “profile.”

• OMF Member Profile: The OMF Member Development Task Force has developed two general profiles for use by OMF members. One is a more general profile that emerges from the ten principles for member development in OMF. 

• OMF Leader Profile: Although it began as part of the ten principles, the OMF leader profile is more often used as a stand-alone profile in OMF’s leader development program. The most recent edition of this profile (also including learning objectives) is also attached to this outline.
• Other Profiles: There are other available ministry profiles in the area of cross-cultural ministry that may help you gain a more comprehensive picture of full-orbed ministry competency. Additionally books and articles may suggest areas for growth.

Discerning Current Progress toward a Profile

Once we have a clear picture of what the end result of development is, the next step is to determine where we stand in relation to the profile. There may be some areas of the profile where we already are very close to the character or competencies described. In other areas, there may be a greater gap between our current status and the desired result.
It may be possible to use an “inventory” which seeks to interpret the profile in terms of current competencies. A sample of the OMF Leader Profile Inventory is attached to this outline to illustrate what an inventory might look like.
However, it is often possible to use the profile itself to identify areas that need further development, as well as areas where we already have significant strengths.
In selecting development goals, it is good to always have goals in areas of our strength, as well as areas where we have weaknesses. This is because many of our significant contributions to our ministry team will be made in areas of our giftedness, expertise, knowledge and strength. Our on-going progress in these areas will have great benefit for others.


Identifying Key Development Goals, Projects and Tasks
Once we have identified areas where we want to develop, and the outcomes of that development, we then need to identify action steps that will lead to the desired results.
It might be helpful to think about these outcomes in terms of three kinds of changes in our lives.

• Changing our Minds: We can make changes in our knowledge, that is what we know and understand. We can also changes our ability to think, to perceive and to understand people, concepts, and things.

• Changing our Behavior: We can make changes in our skills, that is what we are able to do. We can also change what we do intentionally (forming new habits) and even our tendencies to respond to certain things in certain ways.

• Changing our Attitudes: Perhaps most difficult for many of us, we can change how we think and feel about certain people, situations, circumstances, and in some ways most important, how we think and feel about God about ourselves, and about our relationship with God.

One significant key to effective development is the ability to design learning tasks, and developmental projects (a series of tasks with a singular desired outcome) that result in real change and growth in our lives. In many ways, this ability is at the heart of many aspects of effective ministry including evangelism, discipling and training others for ministry leadership. We often do this instinctively with others, but maybe not so instinctively with ourselves.

Involving Others in Our Growth and Development
There are several key roles which others who know and care for us can play in our growth and development. These include: resource person, feedback provider and accountability partner.

• Resource Person: This partner can assist us in discovering learning tasks that will help us grow, and suggesting resources that will be useful in the process. Rose Dowsett, who has been largely responsible for production of the Member Development Study Guide series is an extremely able resource person and her guides are full of learning tasks and developmental projects which stimulate intentional change and growth.

• Feedback Provider: Feedback providers help us answer the question, “how am I doing?” in relation to developmental needs and developmental projects. They may be able to help us identify areas of strength, non-strength and weaknesses where we need intentional development. They can also help us identify whether or not we are progressing toward our desired objective, especially in areas that may be difficult to quantify.

• Accountability Partner: While the feedback provider can help us know where we need to grow, and whether we are making progress, our accountability partners help us stay on track in actually doing what we intended to do in pursuing our developmental goals. In other words, accountability partners check up on whether we are doing what we said we would do to grow and change, feedback providers inform us whether what we are doing is having its desired effect. Both functions may be provided through a single individual, but they may also come from different people.

Assignment:

1. Use any profile to identify 2-4 areas where you would like to grow over the next six to twelve months. Write at least one developmental goal (outcome) you would like to achieve.

2. Now, think about some of the ways you might want to approach a more intentional development process for goal you identified above. Note some of the ideas here that you believe would help you move toward your goal.