Rise of the Creatives…
In working on a yet to be publish post on the Future of God, I realized some truths about the Past of Leadership.
Industrial Age -The Individual worker is minimized, the Managers are Empowered, and Leadership is minimized. (think Peter Drucker)
Technology Age - The Individual worker is minimized, the Manager is minimized, and Leadership is Empowered (think John Maxwell)
Creative Age - The Individual worker is Empowered, the Manager is minimized, and Leadership is minimized (think Richard Florida)
Empowered in the sense that the attention is shifted to that position, and much is written on how to make the work environment most conducive to that position being effective.
Minimized in the sense that ability to perform is assumed and not the focus of attention.
The current trend of business related thinking on this topic will soon begin to significantly impact the church (as it has in the past) and we will feel the same shift. There is already the early signs of this with the growing movement in the church to develop a “Strengths based” ministry concept. We are still very consumed with the Leadership models of the past 30 years, so it may take a while to see this as a “new” paradigm of ministry.
There are several other posts on this site about the Strengths-based approach on this site.
A wise church leader will listen and learn, and be read to lead in a new Era.
Design Thinking
For several months now I have been on a quest to pull the best information together on the topic of Design Thinking. I was first introduced to the concept through a Nightline story on IDEO, an Industrial Design and Engineering company in California. As I watched to story almost 10 years ago, I was fascinated with the ability that this company had to create very cool and effective products. They were on to something that could change the way companies developed products.
Over the years, I have followed IDEO as they have moved from creating products to teaching other companies how to create. The success they have had has opened the doors to an international audience that is hungry to find new ways to do things. Eventually, the big focus was on HOW they did things, not WHAT they did. The IDEO process became known as Design Thinking and is now hitting the business world as a new way of getting results.
So is Design Thinking just another business fad…the lasted “flavor of the month”? Maybe. But it is also one of the most legitimate shifts in thinking over the past 20 years.
We as humans seem to have this odd desire to look for extreme solutions to the problems that we face. For a generation, the solutions came from our ability to dream and create. Then for a generation, it was our ability to analyze and engineer. For a new generation, it is about personal experience. So which of these extremes is correct? D. All of the above.
Over the next several posts we will explore this new concept and how it can have a positive impact for the church.
Change in the Church
I spend the majority of my time working with leaders of local churches. Talk about a group that struggles with change!! One of the most significant ongoing “challenges” that these leaders face is that they have experienced success with something in the past, and are having trouble adjusting to the currently reality.
Churches have a great deal of trouble distinguishing between their “methods” and their “work”. No product or service delivery “method” is effective forever, but the “work” of the church never changes. When it is being effective, suffering is being relieved, people are finding hope, and lives are being changed for the better. It is vital that the church finds ways to be effective.
Blogging vs Tweeting
For the past month or so I have been on the Twitter bandwagon. By the way - this came about a week after I told a good friend that Twitter was not worth using, and I would never spend my time on it. Oh well.
It has been an interesting experience to see how people are using Twitter. Some people (very well known) give you updates on details of their lives. Others give great quotes or insights. Still others are doing what always happens - spamming. Only 2 of the above are of any interest to me personally. Reading all of that has shaped how I plan to use my Twitter account.
Design Thinking in the Church
If you are a student of “innovation” you’re probably familiar with the term Design Thinking. If you’re not familiar with the term here’s a link that can give you broad overview.
The actual process of design thinking is often attributed to IDEO, a product design company located in California. To make the story short, IDEO was doing a lot of business in designing products they were getting a lot of attention (the mouse for the first Mac computer among others). Nightline the news program did a very cool story on them and the unique process by which they designed their products. Many people we interested, and looked for ways to adapt IDEO’s product design process to tackling other non-design problems.
Over time, Tom Kelley and IDEO began to refer to it as Design Thinking instead of simply “design”. They realized that it has more to do with the way that you think about the problem and its solution than about the actual product. They also began to consult with many different companies on how to integrate this thought process into the common challenge of being innovative.
There are several books worth reading on the topic including The Art of Innovation, Ten Faces of Innovation, The Rise of the Creative Class, and A Whole New Mind.
In general the concept is that our society has moved to very left brain thinking. Left brain thinking is characterized by analysis, logical, and linear thought processes. Right brain thinking is more creative, adaptable, and innovative. The goal is to use both the right and left brain thinking abilities.
For the church, this makes great sense. For hundreds of years the message of the gospel and the story of Christianity was represented through art, creativity and the narrative. It is a recent trend that we have focused so much on the logical and scientific aspects of the faith. In denying our creativity we have denied a large part of who God created us to be. At the same time - simply being creative, without understanding the rational and logical truths of the faith- is also denying a large part of who we are. It is when those two parts are brought together that we can most resemble the functioning body of Christ.
Over the next few posts I’ll be going into more detail about Design Thinking as a process and how it can benefit the church. It is one of the core processes that we use at 218Consulting when we help churches overcome the obstacles they face.
The 3 C’s of a Church
Each and every church operates according to the 3 C’s. Most of them just don’t know it. The dynamics of each C determine decisions and results - but most leadership teams have little knowledge of how to utilize this information to align their vision and resources. Here they are:
1. Concept: The future (or vision) is simply a concept that exists within you and your church about what the church sh/could look like. Like most concepts, there are always challenges to making them into reality.
2. Context: This is the reality in which you and your church exist. This has to do with everything from the socioeconomic makeup of your community to the Spiritual gifts that God has placed within your congregation.
3. Content: This is the way that you will go about programing and resourcing your vision. It is the area where most leadership teams like to focus after the vision is cast. That is a mistake.
In order for the local church to really have an impact, it must get it’s C’s in order.
1-2-3
Concept - Context - Content
If your leadership team is struggling with getting this right, let our team help. That is why we are here!
Contact 218Consulting
100 Best…Competing for the Future
In Competing for the Future, the author challenges the widely held idea that short term incremental changes will effectively prepare your organization for the future. In the local church, incremental change is the approach most leaders take. The idea of “tweaking” the service, ministries, programs, etc. is the predominate method of getting ready for the future.
Hamel highlights the strategies of companies that were setting themselves apart as “different” in this book. In the world of the local church, I believe this concept of “different” can apply. The challenge for the church is identifying what you are trying to be “different ” from.
The local church needs to be different from
1) the other non church options that are available and
2) the negative perceptions of the local church.
Let’s dig deeper.
1. Other options. The real competition for the Sunday morning time slot is no longer other churches. Rather it is golf, tennis, the beach, the bay, sleeping in, family time, soccer, working out, and a few other leisure options. (After reading that list, I think I may take this Sunday off!) Can the church compete with all of those? Yes. It must just be a positive “different”. One that gives things none of these others can deliver.
2. Negative perceptions. Many who do not attend church will tell you that have very specific reasons for that choice. They will often give stories of bad experiences in the past or paint a negative picture of what they expect the church experience will be like. You have to be “different” from those experiences and fears to get them.
Another key is seeing the societal trends and being ready to deal with them.
Are you ready for:
1) A financial environment that means people give less and expect more?
2) An economy that creates higher expenses to do the same ministry?
3) A complete lack of loyalty commitment to any one church?
4) A demand that what you talk about from the pulpit relates DIRECTLY to my life?
5) An expectation for the church to give a “return on investment” of time and money?
These are just some of the trends that the local church is beginning to face and will continue to face for the next decade. Are you ready?
What are the key “core competencies” that you must master to survive the new reality?
What practices/programs must you abandon?
What must you add?
What must you fundamentally change in order to be “different”enough to survive and be effective in your mission in the new reality?
Take a long term view of the decisions you are making today, for they will determine your ability to survive tomorrow.
100 Best Business Books of All Time
I am currently reading the book The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. As I read through it, I am reminded that people are people whether they are in the church or in the business arena. Statically, the behavior of “Christians” is not extremely different than that of non-Christians when it comes to giving, lifestyle choices, and priorities. That being said, there is a great deal of practical application that exists for the church in this book.
At the urging of one of my clients, I am going to take a few of the highlighted books and give the “takeaway” for the church. Let me know if you agree with my conclusions.
Each book will have its own blog entry for easier reference and links to purchase.
Enjoy!!
The New Economy
My son and I have a game we play almost every day - it’s called “What’s the price of gas today?” He is great at remembering what and where and keeping me informed. I almost always get the lowest price around!
At one intersection close to our house there are several gas stations. Two of the stations are usually within a few cents of each other, while a third station is at least 10 cents more. Guess where the lines are.
While the more expensive gas may be a better quality, no one is there.
There is a change from “see how much I paid”… to “see how little I paid”
What does that mean for churches and non profits? More than you think.
The decades of self indulgence are coming to an abrupt halt. Giving to “bigger and better” is dead. If you want to survive, you need to know the new rules.
For years church buildings have been the height of self indulgence. I remember one church that was constructing a family life center (gym). When I asked why..the response was that the YMCA was really crowded in the mornings, and also 20 minutes farther than the church. I appreciated that answer because most churches just don’t have the guts to confess their real motives for what they build and why.
Each month our staff gets together and tells stories about the lives that we have seen changed through what we do. It is incredible to hear those stories, and know that what we do really does matter. We routinely run out of time before we run out of stories.
I have asked other groups to tell me their changed lives stories. There are blank stares, and awkward silences. If I ask them about their next building project they can talk forever - and in great detail, down to the type of carpet they are using.
Those who support the local church are no longer going to be moved by the expensive carpet or the new building: They are going to be moved by the lives that are changed.
It is time to rethink the purpose of our facilities, worship centers, offices, classrooms and gyms. It is time to look at the needs of our communities and see how what we already have can be used to make the human condition a bit better (or a lot better). It is time to stop rationalizing multimillion dollar projects that are really just monuments to ourselves. It is time to open up, and use what we have in ways that we have never thought of before.
If you don’t have those stories to tell - then its time to close your doors.
Budget for 09
It is budgeting time for churches and non profits. With the shaky economy right now, most organizations are looking to cut back on expenditures. 2009 looks to be a tighter year than 08. At the same time that “lower funds” are being expected for 09, income is actually increasing in 08. This can create a false sense for the budgeting process. Here are a few things that may help you to get a good perspective.
1. There is no money for 09. The Economy is in the worst shape since WWII. With very few exceptions, everyone is expecting for churches and nonprofits to have less money given to them in 09.
2. They are wrong. Long term studies show that these groups still maintain income, regardless of the ups and downs in the economy.
3. Budget as if they are right. No one will let you put a “growing” budget out right now. If you try - they will doubt your ability to see reality. You cannot win this argument.
As a leader, you budget for slight decrease to flat - and have a plan on what to add in each quarter as the “unexpected” funds come in. If by some fluke, history is wrong - you will still be OK.
