Leading Hope with Kevin Jack

Maxwell’s 5 levels are about growing your influence, (5 levels of leadership)

I want to talk about as your position changes.

Acknowledge that as we progress there are other skill sets that are vital: resource management, but we’re going to focus on the people side.

Foundational Skills:

Discipline: Show up on time, do what you say you’d do.

Positivity: Pessimists don’t change the world.

Resilience: Because circumstances will be difficult and where you learn to not blame circumstances.

Desire: Will it be to make an impact or to be known.

What is Gained: Internal Standards (Greater than what any boss would put on you)

Excellence: You’re good enough is higher than other’s.

Personal Development: Not willing to settle in, not waiting for others to develop you.

– We don’t have sponsors of education because everyone has access to resources.

– Some people need 1-on-1, often I’d rather have a book. Getting the best of their thinking, not casual.

– A Note: When you’re “just” leading yourself- take every opportunity that comes your way. If you don’t have kids quit talking about balance.

Impact: Fulfilled, but not satisfied.

Energy: Flows from personal health.

The entire idea of flattening the curve is to see the danger that is coming, and how to minimize the losses so that you don’t overwhelm the system. There are some trend lines that you can reverse, and there are other trend lines that you have to figure out how to weather the storm.

Key Lesson: What are the trend lines in your life?

– What can you avoid? What can you minimize? What good, can you increase?

Important note: If it isn’t working, or it’s not going to work- the path forward is doing something different. It may feel backwards, but it’s forward.

Identifying trend lines:

– COVID-19: Changed the environment. This is how everyone is behaving and the trend lines, let’s change it.

– 2 Pieces: You, Your Environment. Business, Your Industry. Stock & Stock Market.

– You need to know what direction you’re headed.

– You need to know what direction everything’s headed.

– If you’re a decent stock, in a market that is booming—> you’ll do great. Vice versa. (Now the rest of life)

– Explained: We get that for business, but we don’t seem to for the rest of our lives.

– Around when I hit 30 I gained about 15 pounds. I was the same, but metabolism slows down. Not just mine, everyone’s! Maintaining the same habits, in a declining environment is going to be a problem. I didn’t see it coming; I should’ve, but I didn’t.

– We do a decent job of seeing where we’re headed, but not how our environment is changing.

Environment Trend Lines:

– Relationships: 7-year-itch

– Business: Declining or Emerging Market

– Population Growth of the area

– Health: You’re getting older, what adaptations do you need to make.

– Personal Finances: What expenses aren’t current but are coming?

2 Statements:

– Don’t be the person who assumes your actions don’t matter because your environment is getting better. (Jack Welch Growth Assessment)

– Don’t be the person who assumes your actions will overcome any environmental hurdle.

Episode 28 PPE for Leaders May 13, 2020 Also Available On: Leader Notes It's essential to have PPE for front-line workers. Too dangerous for them to [...]

The Organization of the future looks different. We’re not just talking about how to be an organization of the future, we’re talking about how to be an organization in the future. If you’re not positioned to succeed in the future, you won’t exist in the future. We wrongly assume existence.

Essential: Purpose that is clear. Purpose that is compelling.

– Example: Realtors response to “essential personnel”

Agile: Shift in Crisis & still fulfill purpose.

– Some Restaurants shut down, others boxed meals & thrived.

What to do:

Essential

– Build Purpose into everything you do & Make it matter (The way you say it)

– The question- Does it matter?

Agile

– Cash

– Communication: Direct lines where you need it.

– Digital: Human & Digital should reinforce each other

What we’ve been able to see is this amazing display of leadership test cases play out before our eyes. We’ve seen through the governor’s how states have responded to the Coronavirus crisis, what works and what doesn’t.

Point 1

– What Works: Good Data

– Dewine, “Anytime I made an error, it was because I didn’t have good data. So I made a commitment to have the best data possible in my decisions.”

– What Doesn’t: Assumptions

– Subtext: Humility Works, Arrogance Doesn’t.

– In a crisis, arrogance is death.

Point 2

– What works: Timetables w/ flexibility

– What we saw: 14 Days to stop the spread, 30 days to stop the spread- then we’ll re-evaluate.

– We’re doing this for at least this long; then we’ll do what we need to do.

– What doesn’t work: Lack of Clarity within the uncertainty.

– Example: Taking a walk with my kids; can’t tell them we’re just walking. Have to give a destination.

– Example: Our team, this is what we’re doing for now. 100% in, and it will change.

– Subtext: Clarity & Agility work, frustration doesn’t.

Point 3

– What Works: Clear, Consistent, Calm Communication

– Daily deposits of data & purpose.

– Reminding people of key behaviors & why it matters

– You can declare a state of emergency without a tone of emergency

Episode 25 Be Honest April 22, 2020 Also Available On: Leader Notes This the oddest word of encouragement that you will ever hear: “If you’re losing, [...]

The plans you laid, will probably not be the ones you execute.

How to pivot:

1. Don’t Neglect Initial Planning: “Plans are useless, but planning is essential.” Dwight Eisenhower. Your plans should define your actions, not deal for every possibility. Don’t neglect planning because they’ll change- you’ll always be further ahead than having done nothing.

2. As part of your planning, prepare people to pivot: Create an expectation that we don’t fully know what to expect. Prepare your team to pivot. Dodgeball Tournament Example.

3. When you pivot, get input: If things are so in flux that your plans need to change, you better get input from your team as they change.

Your Perspective: You’re not smart enough to know everything that will change, but initial planning will get you ahead. You’re not smart enough to know everything that needs to change, so pivoting at the right time will get your further ahead.

Episode 23 Communicating Through Uncertainty April 8, 2020 Also Available On: Leader Notes The problem with communicating in uncertainty is that communication is about clarity. Give mock “We’re going [...]

Using the metaphor of putting your oxygen mask on first, what do you need to take care of first before you do anything else? 

1. Encouragement Level: You must be able to see the good that can come out of this (even if there isn’t much). 

1. Can’t lead towards hope if you don’t have hope.  “Leaders define reality and give hope."

2. If you don’t have hope: get it- call someone, personal rhythms, pray like crazy. 

2. Thinking Clarity: Use your emotions, but don’t be emotional. Goes hand in hand with encouragement.

1. Leading or Responding. Have a Plan or trying to avoid the worst. 

2. 2 Questions: 1) What are you afraid of?  2) What would fear lead you to do?

3. Team’s Pace: Relate to quickly changing nature of COVID-19; if you can’t make decisions at the pace of change you will always be behind.

1. Relate to advice to church planter to not change anything for a year.

2. Have to adapt your typical workflow. (Example: Tornado- 3 a day meetings)

You’ve heard the phrase “Never Waste a Crisis”, but here’s what you shouldn’t waste.

The opportunity to clarify what matters most: Have to cut out what is not mission critical. Live on 80/20.

The perfect climate to change our habits: Everything is determined by our behaviors; but behaviors are the hardest to change because they are habitual: they are what we naturally do. But now, the pattern has been changed, perfect time to establish new habits.

– Our habits: Online Engagement, Online Evangelism, Online Giving, Neighbor Connection.

Establish Leadership: Connect, Clarifying, and Taking People somewhere. You can cement & further establish yourself as a leader. (See 1st series on Resilience: Don’t complain that it’s hard, this is why we need leaders and what establishes leaders)