My buddy Mac Lake wrote this great blog post yesterday and I wanted to share it with you. Check out Mac’s blog at www.maclakeonline.com

If something doesn’t move for a while it usually gets stiff or stagnate.  There are times in every leaders life where we get stuck in patterns of immobility and before we know it we’re asking ourselves, “What’s wrong with me?”, “Why have I lost my passion?” OR “Is it time for me to move on to a new job?”  If you’re feeling a little stagnant, before you make any big moves, take some time to think through the following questions:

•    If I could add one thing to my job description what would it be?  Why?
•    If I could eliminate one thing from my job description what would it be?  Why?
•    What’s the most stimulating thing I’m doing in my job right now?  What about that responsibility gives me so much energy?
•    Who is actively challenging me to grow and stretch as a leader?  If the answer is no one, who can you invite to play that role in your life?
•    What strengths have I been neglecting and allowing to atrophy?  What do I need to do to re-stimulate those strengths?
•    What about my current routine is draining me and preventing me from dreaming and innovating new ideas?
•    Have I read anything in the past 30 days that has stirred my thinking?  If the answer is nothing, who can I ask for reading suggestions?
•    Do I have any goals that are inspiring me to give my all and trust God for outcomes bigger than what I’m able to do on my own?
•    Are the obstacles I’m facing demotivating me or motivating me toward greater determination?

As you reflect on these questions write out your thoughts and create a growth plan that will get your blood pumping again!  The choice is yours…get moving or grow stagnant.

I spent today at an off-site meeting doing strategic planning for LeaderTreks. We do a good job of short-term planning called game planning, which helps us plan out the next year, but we realize that our short-term plans are not helping us reach long-term goals. We met today to connect long-term goals with short-term game planning. I learned a ton. It’s always surprising to me as the leader how planning reveals followers’ thoughts about purpose. I know the purpose for our programs but as we plan for the future I get to see how my followers have interpreted those purposes. This is not a bad thing but a helpful realization. No matter how many times I repeat the purpose everyone hears me in different ways. They filter the message through their life experience. Remember leaders: you need to repeat the purpose of the ministry and listen to how your followers share the mission. Trust me, you will learn a lot.

When I think about my ministry, I often think about the problems we are facing and how to solve them. I even fall into the trap of thinking that good leadership is mostly about dealing with problems. As leaders, though, we should focus more on winning than on problem prevention. When a team is winning, problems become small, and team members quickly deal with them. Winning is infectious, and everyone wants to get the job done. Momentums hits, and nothing can stop your team.

This lesson rings true for me at LeaderTreks this week. We have lots of momentum — morale is high, staff feel cared for, sales are up, and the phone is ringing off the hook. I am not going to focus on problems right now, because doing so will steal our momentum, make us feel defeated, and drag us down. As a team, I want us to hold our heads up and focus on the bright future in front of us.

If your team lacks momentum, focus on winning. Where in your ministry are things going well? Place all your focus and energy there — celebrate your wins, and help your team to do the same. As you get the ball rolling in the right direction, watch your team become increasingly energetic.

Great ministries are built on solid foundations. A solid foundation requires mission, vision, and values. A solid foundation includes the right people as well as clear policies and procedures. When all these things are in place, great ministries are ready for construction. Most ministries, though, are built on a broken foundation, and their leaders are forced to repair the foundation throughout the building process.

Some ministries even have to start over because of irreparable cracks in the foundation. Most ministries in this situation wait too long before deciding to start over. Repairing the foundation often doesn’t work, and leaders fail to understand tha it’s okay to start over. I have started over a few times with certain ideas and programs. Starting over sometimes makes sense. It’s not always necessary to go back to the bedrock. Simply go back to a healthy point and restart. Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you need to restart:

1. Will this vision realistically come to fruition?

2. Are key people on my team following me?

3. Do my teammates share my vision for the future?

4. Is what we are doing actually working?