Leadership

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 

I Peter 4:10

This is day #4 of the BCM leadership process.  It's an overwhelmingly beautiful process.  There was a HUGE learning curve for me when I came to UGA five years ago!  HUGE.  Keep in mind that I was coming from Amarillo College where leadership changed every semester and was composed of less than 10 people.  Then, I landed here in this monster of a BCM world.  And it's a very unique process here. 
 
#1 - It, like EVERYTHING else at our place, is student led.  As I type, there are nine students sitting around tables, charged with the task of interviewing leadership candidates and making decisions about where they will best serve for the new year.  Our job (ooh, and do we ever have some similarities to Simon, Randy, and Kara ... except we don't say so much) is to listen, to observe, to help them remain true to the process and to help avert any possible train wrecks!)  Now, if you know me, this is GOOD ... and BAD ... I love, love to not be influential in the "decision" process because I can have more honest conversations with students leading up to the interview.  But, man, it's hard to keep my mouth shut sometimes when I don't necessarily agree with a point of view ... or see from a different angle.  And it is REALLY hard when we DO have to say something ... because man, this committee, they take their responsibility very, very seriously ... I've almost lost an arm bringing up potential issues!
 
#2 - We will appoint 60-75 leaders.  YIKES!!
 
#3 - This all started Wednesday night ... with individual interviews for team leaders and president.  This went on through Thursday night as well ... and it is an intimidating 9 on 1 (with little bobblehead CM's in the back trying to occupy ourselves).  Friday night they completed the interview process with group interviews for the remaining positions.  Today they/we are going person by person and job by job through each.  I have been here til 2 pm some years and til 11 pm some years ... anyone want to start the pool on today???  THUS, me trying to stay awake, keep my mouth shut, and trying to maximize time means I have sorted meds for Mexico, made a spreadsheet for leadership team, and am not writing in this blog!  And I am t.i.r.e.d!!!
 
As you can tell ... nothing but time on my hands ... so if you've got a life, you might just want to skip this entry cause it might just ramble on for a LOONNNGGGGG time!
 
Here are some things floating through my head as I consider this leadership process here for us ...
 

If you want to get the best out of someone - you must look for the best that is in them.

I am a BIG proponent of playing to peoples' strengths!  When we allow people to serve in their passions and their strengths, it is a powerful thing!  I see a lot of times that people who are good at LOTS of things get moved all over the board in processes like this ... I see it in missions and I see it in leadership.  Very capable people who can do lots of things and do them all well get moved around to fill holes.  So discouraging!!! However, when they are placed where they are most passionate, we get an amazing, beautiful thing!  Serving out of your passion is energy-giving, not energy-zapping.  It is freeing rather than killing.  It makes you still LOVE what you do in the end because it never felt like work in the first place.  God, please help us not fill holes.

 

You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.

I love that college is such a place to try on different roles.  We see students who have never done drama or dance step into a dinner theater role because this place it kind of "safe" ... I see students step out of one area and try on another.  It's so much fun to see them dip their toe into something new and find a new love and a new passion!  I think it's sad how many things we never attempt because we are afraid we will fail. Or how many things we never let people try because its not what we know they to be or do.   Just now learning this at this point in my life. 

Nothing would be done at all if we waited until we could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.  - John Henry

URGGGHHHHH!!  Man, don't we ALL want the perfect dynamic.  This process seems like it would be so much more "perfect" if we just moved people around the board like chess pieces ... but we don't!  Because it is an intentional process and a prayerful process ... but when it has imperfect people applying and deciding, it will never be "perfect."

Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.    - Dwight D. Eisenhower

I LOVE, LOVE college ministry because of the opportunity to bring out of people what is already there!  It's that "coaching" vs teaching thing ... coaching helps bring out of people who they are, what they are good at, and helping them be the best "them" they can.  Teaching is more training someone to do a job or to learn a skill or to have new knowledge.  It's a joy to lead alongside such amazing, capable, passionate people. 

 

Getting excited about the new 25+ people who will serve on my teams.  Getting a little overwhelmed to realize that I will have double that for the next two months as the current team continues to serve and the new team starts planning, dreaming, and preparing for next year.  Get that Diet Coke ready!  Good grief!!!