A few of our pastors, staff, and leaders went paintballing this weekend in honor of our pastors’ birthdays. I saw a few things about the winning teams that I think relate to leadership and teamwork. The team that performed better and won had a few things that they did well.

They had a strategy and executed it. They didn’t just go out and wait to see what happened, they went and made it happen.

They communicated well. They talked about where their adversaries were and what their game plan was.

They took more risks and were bolder. There is a risk to faith. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

They moved as a team. They kept moving and pressing forward. They advanced as a team together. They didn’t have one lone ranger running alone.

• 1) Its your way or the high way.
  You don’t really let others have a voice.
  
• 2) You don’t take correction well or at all for that matter.
  I mean who needs to take correction when you are always right?
• 3) Everything you do is your idea when it goes right and someone else’s when it goes wrong.
  Even when you take others ideas you pretend they are yours and blame your bad ones on those who agreed with you.
  
• 4) Personal success trumps organizational success or even how God defines success.
  There’s no “I” in team, but there ain’t no “we” either.
  
• 5) You don’t care who you burn as long as you get things done.
  When you hurt people you point at the results and tell them to get over it.
  
• 6) You see compassion as weakness.
  Weak like Jesus.
  
• 7) You say yes to the boss’ face but say no behind his/her back.
  Yes sir, yes ma’am.
  
• 8) You exaggerate your “victories” and excuse your “failures”.
  You did what? Sure you did.
  
• 9) You take all the credit even when you don’t deserve it.
  The only credit we should care about is to do with money.
• 10) Your way is always better.
  Different isn’t always wrong, sometimes its just different.
  
• 11) You demand respect from everyone and the feign it for you.
  If you have to demand respect, just know they are faking it.
  

I’m reading a great book by John Maxwell, The 5 Levels of Leadership. He talks a little about momentum that I thought I would post. Maxwell talks about how momentum is gained through sustaining high morale and high productivity over time. Momentum makes every task easier to do and without it everything can be harder.

He compares it to a tide and says that when it comes to momentum there are three types of people:

Momentum Takers
These are people who neither create or fight the flow. They are just along for the ride. I think that most people fall in this category.

Momentum Makers
These are people who generate momentum. These are the people who have potential to be high level leaders.

Momentum Breakers
These are folks who want to stop momentum and keep others from producing momentum. They are the people who are always causing trouble whether they mean to or not.

So which category do you fall in? Are you taker, maker, or breaker?

I wanted to move on past dreams to problem solving but God won’t let me.

Here’s some questions we asked our team Sunday:

1. What is your specific purpose in life, in one sentence with no Christianese or cliches?

2. Do you have any written plans to assure you accomplish your purpose?

3. What is your greatest passion?

4. What would you do if you knew you could not fail in any way?

5. Do you believe God will let you do what you really love and want to do?

6. What would you do if you only had 6 months to live?

7. What do you want your tombstone to say?

8. What do you want your obituary to say?

9. What action gives you the greatest sense of self worth when you perform it?

10. What would you do specifically in detail with one million dollars?

11. What are the three most important things in your life?

12. What books are you reading and why?

13. What would you risk your life, reputation, and income to accomplish?

Share your answers with someone you trust.

(Questions taken from the Purpose, Destiny, Achievement Course Manual by Dr. William D. Greenman)

Job is a book that I think many people misunderstand. Job and his friends certainly didn’t understand what happened to Job and it seems many of us make the same mistakes. That’s for another blog.

Look at how Job thought of his children right from the beginning of Job (1:4-5)

⁴ Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. ⁵ When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Notice what Job said when he offered sacrifices “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” Job certainly didn’t think the best about his children. He had a habit of doing this and if I would have to make a nonprofessional diagnosis, I would call this worry. In Job 3:25 Job exclaims that the thing that he had feared (or worried about) had come to past. His fears brought worries into the realm of reality.

We need to think, believe, and speak the best about our children. Even if you have grown children who are not walking with the Lord, put this into practice. Your worrying won’t change a thing for the better but your faith with corresponding words can and will. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says love never gives up. Love your kids and never give up on them. After all God never gave up on you.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.