CXP CEO Executive Guide for Christian CEOs - Great Capacity Greater Scaleability

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

RETREAT ROADMAP Kingdom Impact: An Army of Helpers

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Executive Guide: Great Capacity - Greater Scalability 7 When Your People Get Better, Your Organization Will Get Better

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Relationship Are Essential To Success 11 Note Four Key Actions That Jesus Used To Employ His Team And Train Them

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The Capacity Chart™

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Endnotes 18 Next Level Leader

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Bonus: How To Be a Limitless Leader

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Additional Resources

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CEO Tools

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Kingdom Impact Notes

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Kingdom Impact: An Army of Helpers

“Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul . . . They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army.

Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”

1 Chronicles 12:19, 21-22

I

It is impossible for a leader to win a battle alone. Leaders win battles with the help of an army.

While every leader faces setbacks, a winning leader has a team of brave troops around them to push forward together to take hills and achieve success.

Leaders in business can often struggle to find key talent for their organization to help win their battles. The right people who fit the culture is essential for every successful business. Team focused executives can find encouragement in the CXP Axiom: “When your people get better, your organization gets better.” The idea of stewardship is about managing and equipping the people around you to get better. In today’s economy, business owners often have to look in unique places to find great talent. Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, related a study from her organization that found that “58 percent of HR managers are hiring workers without industry experience and training them on the job.”1

Experience Question: How would your organization benefit if you could find people outside of your industry to fill current, industry-specific positions?

King David was a great leader who led teams in winning battles and later in building a nation. In 1 Chronicles 12, David is fighting King Saul. In verse 19, the Bible records that men defected to join David and his fight for the kingdom; verse 21 uses “brave warriors” and “commanders” to describe the key characteristics of these defectors. They were the cream of the crop—a welcome addition to any group of fighting men and women.

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Kingdom Impact: An Army of Helpers Experience Question: Why do you think these brave warriors defected to David? What can godly leaders today learn about recruitment of talent from David’s leadership experience?

Verse 22 ends the chapter with a bold statement foreshadowing David’s future success: “Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army.” The Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says of this verse: “David had at first 400, afterwards 600, valiant warriors, against whom Saul with his thousands could accomplish nothing.”2 A small group of committed followers can accomplish a great deal more than thousands of people without purpose or passion. American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead accurately noted: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”3

“

Never

doubt that a small

group of

thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

Win Activity Describe Your Great Army. What do you see as the essential characteristics of high performers on your team who will help lead your company to success?

Indeed, it’s the only

Building a Great Army of Helpers

thing that

#1

ever has.”

”

MARGARET MEAD

#2

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Kingdom Impact: An Army of Helpers Best Ideas!

Jesus changed the world with a small number of followers. This fact alone should give every small business owner the hope and inspiration that their small team can make a significant impact when all work together to accomplish more than they could do as individuals.

One of the errors a leader can make is not having a clear idea of the type of people they are trying to attract. Note that David attracted brave warriors—the people David needed at that time to win the battle against Saul. At other times in David’s reign, he needed temple builders, musicians, scribes, or advisors. The truth was that God knew exactly who David needed and at the precise time that he needed them. As a steward of the business God has asked you to lead, you can trust God to bring people to you daily who will help you to accomplish His purposes for your business.

Experience Question: Who do you need specifically on your team right now to scale your business? What best ideas have you used to find the best talent?

A Prayer For Brave Helpers: Dear Father, today I affirm You as the leader of all people. You make kingdoms rise and fall. You are the One who gives gifts and talents to people to do good works that You prepare in advance. Therefore, because of You, I affirm that I am gathering good people. Therefore, today I will ask You to bring the right people to accomplish the right things at the right time. Today I will ask You to give me eyes to see talent in the most unlikely places. I will ask You to bring to the company people who need to understand Your love and salvation. Today I will lead others with Your wisdom and insight.

We as a team will be about building great things that will bring honor to You, who are in heaven.

1 - Rosemary Haefner, “Finding Top Talent: 6 Critical Stats Every Employer Needs to Know Now,” Talent Management and HR, https://www.tlnt.com/finding-top-talent-6-criticalstats-every-employer-needs-to-know-now/.

2 - Carl Friederich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., revised edition 1982), verse 22 commentary from “Verse by Verse Bible Commentary: 1 Chronicles 12:22,” StudyLight.org, https://www. studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/1-chronicles-12.html.

3 - Quotespictures.com, http://quotespictures.com/never-doubt-that-a-small-group-ofthoughtful-committed-citizens-can-change-the-world-indeed-it-is-the-only-thing-thatever-has-margaret-mead/.

Scriptures taken from New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.

All rights reserved worldwide.

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Executive Guide: Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

BIBLICAL BUSINESS PRINCIPLE: WHEN YOUR PEOPLE GET BETTER, YOUR ORGANIZATION WILL GET BETTER

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To endure for a long period of time, a business must possess more significance than a single person or key idea. A multitude of people with a variety of approaches produces success in the marketplace. Those who desire to build a sustainable, scalable business invest in attracting and developing good talent so the business becomes bigger than just the owner. Companies that remain owner-driven and owner-led typically die with the owner.

Companies that last are built by owners who find and gather the right team of people around them. Because this attitude of team building is a biblical principle, it also makes an excellent business principle. Every leader needs to have others question their JOHN 13:14,15 STATES, decisions1 and others to make decisions on issues the owner 14 NOW THAT I, YOUR questions. Since leaders must make a multitude of choices, LORD AND TEACHER, many leaders end up making many ineffective decisions when trying to make those decisions in isolation. The fundamental HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, truth is that when leaders make better decisions, their YOU ALSO SHOULD WASH companies get better. If one person is making all the ONE ANOTHER’S FEET. 15 decisions,2 the organization will be hindered by the limits I HAVE SET YOU AN EXAMPLE of that person’s thinking.

THAT YOU SHOULD DO AS I HAVE DONE FOR YOU.

Spend time with a wise team of mentors. Learn faster by learning from others. Ask questions and listen. Seek counsel. Practice Servant Leadership. Be humble and remain teachable. Great leaders are learning leaders. You need a team around you to inspire you and help you build something bigger than you can build alone. No great leader ever led alone.

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A key action of growing and developing a company is finding the best people—and developing their gifts.

Growing companies grow people. Smart businesses focus on finding and retaining the best talent. When companies miss this crucial principle, everything suffers.3 This is an essential biblical principle that needs to be practiced in every business, but especially in every Christian business.

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability Jesus taught his followers the power of considering others as a way of life. In one of the most poignant moments in the ministry of Jesus, He got up to serve his disciples by kneeling to wash their feet. He modeled the importance of the value of others. Jesus practiced servant leadership and He encouraged his followers to do likewise.

The wisdom of others can be powerful. In the Bible, every great leader had at least one advisor; every leader built a team. Yet, many business leaders try to do things all on their own. While the old cliché says, “It is lonely at the top,” it is only that way if you are trying to lead by yourself. Steward leaders believe in the power of others. They understand that no great company was ever built only by one person. Christian CEOs understand that when their people get better, the organization gets better.

“

Every leader needs to have others

question their decisions and

Experience Question: Where are you tempted to try to lead alone? Where are you hesitant to ask for help from others? How has that hurt your company or your leadership?

others to make decisions on the things that the owner questions.

”

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

“

In his book, Leadershift, bestselling author John Maxwell says that “one of the first and most important shifts anyone must make to become a leader is from soloist to conductor. You can be a successful person on your own, but not a successful leader.”4 Many business owners sabotage the scalability of their companies because even though they hire a team, they continue to operate as a soloist. The soloist leader never embraces decision-making as a team, nor does this type of leader employ the team to develop the attitude of ownership mentality.

One of the

first and most important

shifts anyone must make to become a

leader is from soloist to conductor.

JOHN MAXWELL

”

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Christian leaders understand the value of moving from the mindset of a soloist CEO to a Steward CEO. The Steward CEO embraces the truth that God brings people into the organization for a variety of purposes and reasons. These leaders strive to embrace team decision-making, the engagement of all team players, and the importance of growing and developing their people.

Experience Question: Where in your business are you still operating as a soloist? What best ideas can you embrace to lead with the help of others rather than trying to lead by yourself?

Although most leaders understand the value of working with others, even the best leaders struggle with leading a capable team. An old adage says companies would be a joy if you didn’t have to deal with all the people, a reality reflected in the book, The Best Team Wins: “A recent workplace survey shows only 14% of leaders are completely satisfied with their ability to collaborate and make decisions as part of a team.” 5 Teams can be challenging to manage and engage, leaving leaders with a struggle to know when to involve their teams in the decision- making process. Teams can also introduce drama and interpersonal differences to the workplace, tempting a leader to decide to lead alone. <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

Great Capacity - Greater Scalability Relationships Are Essential To Success

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Team members report that more involvement in the mainstream of the business will increase their job satisfaction. Employees value their relationship with the boss. In an April 2016 report, “Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Revitalizing a Changing Workforce,” the Society for Human Resource Management noted that “because employees spend much of their waking hours at work, it is not difficult to understand the importance of interpersonal dynamics in the workplace.

Toxic relationships can quickly lead to disgruntled employees, waning effectiveness levels and other negative consequences. Positive relationships based on a foundation of mutual trust and understanding have the potential to enhance productivity and organizational success. Management can show support for their staff by considering their viewpoints and presenting opportunities for employees to demonstrate their talents and effective communication.

“For the second year in a row, respectful treatment of all employees at all levels topped the chart as the leading contributor to job satisfaction. Approximately twothirds (67%) of employees deemed this aspect to be very important to their job satisfaction. Seventy-one percent of employees were satisfied with the level of respect given to employees at their organization. Respect throughout the organization can be incorporated into the corporate culture.

It can begin with techniques such as seeking common ground while recognizing and accepting differences.”6

The best leaders respect and value each team member in the organization. These leaders understand that it is their job to equip and release their teams to use their gifts and abilities to make the organization better. Jesus, who is the greatest leader of all time, respected each one of His disciples. He was not afraid to release them to do good work.

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Win Activity Your Move To Conductor.

Make a list below to highlight four areas where you need to engage your team to move your organization ahead.

What work are you doing alone that you know your organization would be better if you did it with someone else? #1

#2

#3

#4

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

“

In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus has a pivotal moment in His ministry when He releases His disciples—for the first time—to heal and preach. This marks a moment in Christ’s ministry when He moved from soloist to conductor. Jesus understood that to make a more massive impact, He would have to release his team to be successful in their efforts. In this passage of Scripture, review the key elements of this defining moment to grasp how to move your organization forward:

The wise

and effective

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.

Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’

So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”

leader knows

when and how to step back so that their people can

Note Four Key Actions That Jesus Used To Employ His Team And Train Them

step forward to accomplish the purpose and mission of organization.

”

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1. LEADERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING THE TEAM TOGETHER Jesus brought his team together for a retreat, where He gave the same set of instructions to all of the disciples.

Thus, the team together understood the value of what they were doing and why. Jesus could have called each disciple in for a one-on-one session. While He had only 12 disciples at this point, He decided to draw them together as a group.

Effective organizations do not neglect the importance of being together as a team. 7 Leaders who wish to develop their people find opportunities to bring them together to talk about vision, goals, responsibilities, and organizational values. Team retreats are good for business and should be practiced by organizations of every size.8 When groups discuss concepts together, it provides accountability and motivation for the entire team. Team members work better when they understand what each member contributes to the team and the tasks others on the team will be held accountable to perform.

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability Experience Question: What would be the benefits of having each person on the team understand the responsibilities of others on the team?

2. LEADERS RELEASE CONTROL OF THOSE AREAS WHERE OTHERS EXCEL Jesus gave His disciples the “power and authority” to drive out demons and heal diseases. This power was not insignificant, since it was one of the manifestations that proved that Jesus was the Messiah. It is never easy for a leader to release control of power especially in areas that are essential to the success of the organization.

However, team members must feel empowered to embrace new opportunities fully.9 Empowering people brings inspiration and ownership to organizations.

The wise and effective leader knows when and how to step back so that their people can step forward to accomplish the purpose and mission of organization.

3. LEADERS RELAY BELIEF IN THE ABILITIES OF THEIR TEAM Jesus sent disciples out to villages and towns to interact with the people. Great leaders believe in their teams even before the team members believe in themselves. Leaders see potential, whereas people often only see their performance.10 To develop an organization, people must be developed. It is the leader’s primary job to evaluate team members’ gifts, talents, and potential. The leader of the group obtains better results when they know their people and understand how to help their people achieve maximum impact. These types of leaders go from managing the project to managing those that manage the project.

This is an essential step in the development of teams and in the development of the leader.

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“

To develop an organization people must

be developed.

”

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability Win Activity Evaluating Your Team. Identify four key people on your team. Evaluate what you believe is their highest potential. Next, consider what actions, behaviors, or attitudes need to be developed in order for that leader to reach their potential. It is proper to only identify one or two of the most important skills for them to develop to take the next step in their development.

Person #1:

Potential

Skills Needing Development

Person #2:

Person #3:

Person #4:

4. LEADERS REVEAL CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND DIRECTION Leaders who reveal—with clarity—authentic values and fundamental concepts help team members make better decisions that align with the wishes of the leader. Jesus revealed clear expectations to His disciples on how to react to difficulty and how to decide when it was time to move to the next city to preach and heal.11 He left no uncertainties in the directions He gave to His disciples. One CXP Leadership Axiom states, “When the leader is clear everything in the organization becomes clear.” The truth of this is highlighted by the clarity Jesus gave His disciples in this story. The disciples knew precisely what Christ expected of them to achieve success.

Leaders who wish to lead their company well must be intentional about developing and growing the right team.

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

O

The Capacity Chart™ One useful tool for developing and releasing the talent of team members is “The Capacity Chart™.” This chart allows a leader to evaluate the performance of each team member while also casting a vision for that person’s potential. Once people recognize their capacity, the leader can develop a pathway of progress to help team members take steps to embrace their full potential.

When the disciples returned, Jesus went away with them to review their successes and their failures, as outlined in Luke 9:10: “When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him, and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida.”

It is the leader’s responsibility to enlist the full capacity of each person on their team. Anything less than full capacity is not good stewardship. The leader of a team or organization has a bird’s-eye view of both the person and the position that will help the organization to grow and develop. Therefore, leaders must be keenly focused on using each person to their peak potential for the person to be fully satisfied and the company to be fully functioning.

The Capacity Chart™ starts with each key person on the team. In using this chart, a leader should begin with a question to the team member, asking the individual to assess the capacity at which they are working. The leader and the team member should agree on the capacity number. This chart is made up of five columns that will help the leader and team member bring clarity to current performance and the desired outcome.

“

CXP

Leadership Axiom:

When the leader is clear,

everything in the organization becomes clear.

” ceoexperience.com

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability COLUMN 1: The first column is an evaluation of the team member’s talents, skills, training, and gifts. This column is designed to fully recognize and embrace the fullness of each person. Not every position fully utilizes the abilities of each team member. Every person brings different assets to the company, and every aspect of a person should be considered to enhance the organization’s performance. When people are fully using their abilities and talents, they are engaged, helping equip the company for success. The chart should be filled out each year to reveal new skills, abilities, and areas of growth.

“

Anything less than full capacity is not good stewardship.

”

COLUMN 2: The second column reviews the current role of the individual and what skills are essential for success in that role. Each position should be condensed to three or four main factors for achievement. These factors can be divided into four components: responsibilities to perform, activities to complete, consent or decisions to be made, and information to be shared.

The RACI Chart is a good model to follow when considering the description of the role to be performed. See RACI Chart for more information.12 COLUMN 3: The third column identifies the current capacity the leader feels the person is presently performing at the present time of evaluation. This number is subjective, but each leader is always evaluating the performance of the team and its members. The current capacity should be identified on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being the peak capacity level. The leader and team members should both have input and agree on this number. Although this can be a difficult conversation, it is helpful for both the organizations and the team member to have a good understanding of how their capacity is currently being viewed.

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability COLUMN 4: The fourth column identifies the desired capacity of the team member. Capacity is a combination of each person’s desire and potential. Desired capacity is designed to instill a vision that will stretch a person to use their full abilities. In explaining her goals and dreams that led her growing her company from a start-up to more than one billion dollars in sales, Christian CEO Mary Kay Ash said: “We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you are aiming, you don’t have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, ‘She cared.’”13 In other words, Mary Kay Ash would admit that she was not reaching her peak capacity if no one in her organization believed that she cared about them.

Capacity should always be challenged to ensure that the leader has reached their fullest potential.

COLUMN 5: The fifth column identifies the pathway to progress. This path should consist of a list of three or four specific action steps for improved capacity performance.

The leader should review these action items with the team member, with both parties agreeing on these steps.14 The pathway to a higher capacity should be reasonable and measurable. Even small steps of capacity improvement can be significant, since small steps can lead to significant improvements.

The Capacity Chart™ is a helpful tool for evaluation and performance reviews. This chart provides clarity around the current performance level and the pathway toward the desired capacity.

“

Question everything.

Learn something.

Answer nothing.

EURIPIDES

”

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Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

Endnotes #1

Will Yakowicz, “Why You Need to Get Employees to Challenge Your Decisions,” Inc., May 7, 2015, https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/the-reason-why-companies-like-kodak-fail.html.

#2

“Effective Team Decision-Making Process,” adapted from “Leader’s guide, Subarctic survival situation,” by J. Clayton Lafferty (1988), https://www.med.mun.ca/getdoc/3aaca216-c482-4b2c-85fc-4a8579df8f0f/Effective-Team-Decision.aspx.

#3 Robert Half, “Why Hiring the Right People Is so Important for Small Businesses,” The Robert Half Blog, https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/evaluating-job-candidates/why-hiring-the-right-people-is-so important-for-small-businesses. #4

John Maxwell, Leadershift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace (New York: Harper Collins Leadership, 2019), 19.

#5

Adrain Gostick and Chester Elton, The Best Team Wins: The New Science of High Performance, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018), 26.

#6

“Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Revitalizing a Changing Workforce,” The Society for Human Resource Management, April 2016, https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/ research-and-surveys/Documents/2016-Employee-Job-Satisfaction-and-Engagement-Report.pdf.

#7

Kaleigh Moore, “5 Important Reasons to Take a Company Retreat,” Inc., September 29, 2017, https://www.inc.com/kaleigh-moore/5-important-reasons-to-take-a-company-retreat.html.

#8

Ken Gosnell, “Four Reasons Why Company Retreats Are Good For Business,” YSF Magazine, October 30, 2018, http://yfsmagazine.com/2018/10/30/company-retreats-are-good-for-business/.

#9

Aaron Skonnard, “Why the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go,” Inc., October 1, 2014, https://www.inc.com/aaron-skonnard/why-the-best-leaders-learn-to-let-go.html.

#10

Harriet Kirk, “How to successfully identify and develop high potential employees,” Sage, February 15, 2018, https://www.sagepeople.com/about-us/news-hub/how-to-identifydevelop-high-potential-employees/#.

#11

Ron Cappello, “To Be a Successful Leader, Focus on Clarity,” The TJB American Business magazine, April 15, 2013, http://www.americanbusinessmag.com/2013/04/to-be-a-successful-leader-focus-on-clarity/.

#12

Michael L. Smith and James Erwin, “Role & Responsibility Charting (RACI),” https://pmicie.starchapter.com/images/downloads/raci_r_web3_1.pdf.

#13 Ajaero Tony Martins, “Mary Kay Ash Quotes: Leadership and People Skills Strategy for Business Owners,” https://www.strategicbusinessteam.com/famous-small-business-quotes/mary-kay-ash-quotes famous-business-quotes-from-the-most-outstanding-business-woman-in-the-20th-century/. #14

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Marcel Schwantes, “Science Says 92 Percent of People Don’t Achieve Their Goals. Here’s How the Other 8 Percent Do,” Inc., July 26, 2016 https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/science-says-92percent-of-people-dont-achieve-goals-heres-how-the-other-8-perce.html.

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Capacity Chart

(What are three to four areas that the team member has exhibited to success due to training and gifts?)

Describe the current position by defining the top 3 Activities/Responsibilities/ Deliverables

(Put a number here that rates current capacity)

CURRENT CAPACITY (Put a number here that rates desired capacity in the next 12 months)

DESIRED CAPACITY

PATHWAY TO PROGRESS

Describe in as much detail as possible the 3 to 4 actions that will lead to greater capacity.

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TALENT/TRAINING CURRENT ROLE

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

TEAM MEMBER

Next Level Leader

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Next Level Leader: The Pyramid of Personal Growth

The Levels of Learning

L

Lasting leaders are learning leaders. Those who can lead for long periods of time continue to stay fresh through placing a premium on personal development and growth. When leaders stop learning, their companies will stop growing. A Chinese proverb states it best: “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”1 Every person can learn in different ways, but great leaders learn to practice the three levels of learning.

Leaders who wish to maximize their learning focus on these three levels and take each to its fullest capacity. Every person has practiced—or will practice—learning at each level; this is particularly important for leaders who want to master a subject or concept. Although independent of the others, each level builds on the one before it.

LEVEL ONE: LEARNING BY YOURSELF The first level of learning occurs on your own as you interact with thoughts and ideas recorded in accounts of others’ experiences, and books and journals. Learning by oneself is critical to success because it allows leaders to discover their beliefs and thoughts about a particular subject. The legendary Chinese philosopher, Confucius—who had many noble ideas—once wrote: “He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”2 Leaders must know what they believe before they can lead others to the same belief system.

Leaders who wish to lead effectively must be intentional about scheduling periods and blocks of time by themselves for personal learning and development. The best leaders set aside time to get away to learn and improve themselves because they understand the leader they were yesterday will not be able to lead effectively tomorrow unless they improve today.

“

Learning is a treasure that will follow the owner everywhere.

”

CHINESE PROVERB

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Next Level Leader: The Pyramid of Personal Growth Experience Question: What resources do I possess that help me to learn by myself?

LEVEL TWO: LEARNING WITH A MENTOR The second level of learning is learning with a coach or mentor. Every great athlete has a coach because of their quest to improve their skills to the highest level possible; they need a second set of eyes to help guide their training and decisions. Just as every high-performing athlete needs a coach, so does every business leader—especially entrepreneurs. There is no other group of leaders that so desperately needs skill development and self-awareness of the habits, traits, and decisions that impact their companies. Good entrepreneurs lead good businesses, and great entrepreneurs lead great companies. Coaching can help good entrepreneurs become great.3 Learning at this level can lead to breakthroughs in performance, expansion of ideas, and innovative thinking. Mentors can ask profound, probing questions that will make the leader pause and consider the truths of what they have learned.

Additionally, mentors can identify inconsistencies in the leader’s performance and hold the leader accountable for improvement. Mentors help the leader to question and learn by helping the individual discover the answers for themselves. As ancient Greek playwright and philosopher Euripides wrote: “Question everything. Learn something.

Answer nothing.”4 LEVEL THREE: LEARNING WITH A TEAM The third level of learning is learning with a team. Proverbs 15:22 teaches that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers we can see success. Synergy in a learning 22

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“

The best leaders set aside time to get away to learn and improve themselves because they understand the leader they were yesterday will not be able to lead effectively tomorrow unless they improve today.

”

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Next Level Leader: The Pyramid of Personal Growth environment accelerates knowledge as others help enhance our learning, especially from those who know the path forward and can lead the way. When leaders learn with others, they can learn faster and lead further. Even a small group of people can represent hundreds of years of experience among those individuals. Every great leader who has ever achieved anything of significance had a group of people helping enhance their learning.

TEAM MENTOR

MYSELF Experience Question: How much time and energy should a great leader give to a personal coach or mentor to help them continue to grow their skills and abilities?

Win Activity Consider the inside layers of the pyramid and fill out the questions by considering your goal in each area and why you would like to improve in that area. #1 LEVEL ONE: Where should I focus my individual learning?

#2 LEVEL TWO: Whom do I need to learn with to achieve mastery? Why?

#3 LEVEL THREE: What groups do I need to be a part of to enhance my thinking?

Experience Question: What issues are you currently facing that could be answered with the right group of people?

The leader who desires to climb to the next level will be the person who masters the pyramid of progress. Such leaders continue to find ways to learn at all three levels of learning.

1 - “Learning Quotes,” Inspiration Boost, https://inspirationboost.com/wp-content/ uploads/2013/02/Learning-Quotes.jpg.

2 - Steve Young, “16 Timeless Quotes About The Power Of Learning,” Lifehack, https://www.lifehack.org/299413/16-timeless-quotes-about-the-power-learning.

3 - Ken Gosnell, “Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Business Coach,” YSF Magazine, http://yfsmagazine.com/2018/12/10/why-every-entrepreneur-needs-a-businesscoach/ 4 - “16 Timeless Quotes About The Power Of Learning.”

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Bonus: How To Be a Limitless Leader

E

Every leader feels limited. Trying to compensate, leaders often push to extremes, which can lead to exhaustion, tiredness, and burnout. In addition to handicapping the team, when leaders lead from the edge for too long, followers rebel, often leaving the leader feeling abandoned and stranded.

Leaders need to know their limits and learn the art of pushing past them in a healthy way.

Successful organizations develop the habit of developing their people. These companies learn how to stretch their employees so they acquire new skills and create new behaviors. People in these organizations are consistently challenged to overcome their limitations. In the same way, every leader should desire to overcome the limits that often hold them back from experiencing the highest level of capacity.

Limits Leaders Place on Themselves 1. LEADERS FACE LIMITS WHEN THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE TO DO IT ALL THEMSELVES Leaders are talented, possessing unique gifts and abilities. Their vision for a better future engenders belief in their followers. However, leaders should never think they have to accomplish everything by themselves. When a leader does it all, many things simply do not get done. While every leader needs a team, no great leader ever led alone. As famed author Louisa May Alcott wrote: “It takes two flints to make a fire.”1 Every leader should consider where they may be holding their team back because they are trying to do everything themselves.

2. LEADERS FACE LIMITS WHEN THEY BUY INTO EVERY NEW IDEA Leaders can often become distracted because of their desire to chase the latest shiny new object.

Leaders love new ideas, projects, and vision—newness often inspires them. However, many leaders limit themselves because they lose too many people with constant changes of direction. People like consistency in their leaders; they follow what they can get behind. The wise leader places limits on themselves and the allure of new ideas so that they don’t lose their teams’ attention and enthusiasm. Bruce Lee once quipped, “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”2

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Bonus: How To Be a Limitless Leader 3. LEADERS FACE LIMITS WHEN THEY WALK BEYOND THEIR PEOPLE Leaders should never see themselves as separate from their people. When a leader leaves the team behind them, they cease to lead. Leadership expert John Maxwell says that “he who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”3 Good leaders always see themselves as part of the team, which develops members’ respect and admiration; the team knows the leader is with them. The leader is not above or before them, but walks with them into the battles of business. The limitless leader never makes a decision without considering the impact of that decision on the team they are leading.

4. LEADERS FACE LIMITS WHEN THEY BOUNCE FROM ONE BAD DECISION TO THE NEXT Leaders are decision-makers. They are called on to make decisions concerning the direction of the organization. However, many leaders limit themselves because they continue to make poor decisions.

Every leader should embrace the philosophy that the best decision after a bad decision is a better decision—not another bad decision. Good decisions and choices enhance the leader and the leader’s options for the organization. Unfortunately, many leaders never discern whether the decisions they are making are good or bad. Bad choices will always limit the leader.

Leaders can overcome their limits to achieve breakthroughs. In other words, leaders can become limitless leaders when they identify those aspects of their operational habits that limit their leadership. Fabienne Fredrickson, a “Female Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2012, wrote that “breakthroughs happen when limiting thoughts and behaviors are challenged.”4 Leaders can reach a higher level of capacity when they challenge themselves and move past behaviors that limit their leadership.

Experience Question: What behavior do you find that limits your leadership the most? What could be the first step to move past this limit?

1 - “Quotes: The Web’s Largest Resource for Famous Quotes & Sayings,” https://www.quotes.net/quote/50169.

2 - Angela Ruth, “Bruce Lee - The Successful Warrior,” Due, August 9, 2015, https://due.com/blog/bruce-lee-the-successful-warrior/.

3 - Goodreads, John Maxwell, “John C. Maxwell, Quotes, Quotable Quote,” GoodReads, https://www.goodreads.com/ quotes/479285-he-who-thinks-he-leads-but-has-no-followers-is.

4 - Charlene Day, Lifestyle & Leadership Coach, “Breakthrough Leadership,” charleneday.com, August 21, 2017, https://charleneday. com/breakthrough-leadership/.

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Additional Resources Articles Tim Elmore, “Five Ways to Increase Your Capacity,” Growing Leaders, April 13, 2016, https://growingleaders.com/blog/five-ways-increase-capacity/.

Videos

Brian Gast, “How to Expand Your Leadership Capacity,” Great Leadership, December 13, 2012, http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/12/how-to-expand-your-leadership-capacity.html.

Erwin McManus, “Expand Your Capacity” January 28, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NKFwSkEaIc. Sheila Heen, “How to use others’ feedback to learn and grow,” TEDx Talks, June 22, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQNbaKkYk_Q. John Maxwell, “CAPACITY: A Minute With John Maxwell, Free Coaching Video,” February 11, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPWIOS5IpDQ.

Reports “Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Revitalizing a Changing Workforce,”

The Society for Human Resource Management, April 2016 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/ 2016-Employee-Job-Satisfaction-and-Engagement-Report.pdf.

Books John Maxwell, Leadershift: 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace (New York” HarperCollins, 2019).

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, The Best Teams Wins, The New Science of High Performance (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018).

John Maxwell, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (Nashville, TN: Center Street, 2017).

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CEO Tools

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Focus Wheel MONTH

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

Give yourself a score in each area below from 0 to 10. Starting with 0 in the middle and 10 as the outer rim. The higher the rating the better you feel about that area for the last 30 days. This wheel is designed to help you know where to focus your actions and behaviors in the next 30 days to see a better performance of your life and leadership.

IN

FOLL OW ER S

PAS S

L E AD E RS

Y ERG EN CO M

LTH HEA MI ND

N TIO RELA

IP SH

MOST IMPORTANT SCORE TO IMPROVE

Pathway To Improvement

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Take-Away

HI P

HIP

S BU

ESS

BEST SCORE

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LOWEST SCORE

Take-Away

Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Win List MONTH

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

GOALS

DREAMS

PRAYERS

FOLLOWERSHIP

ENERGY

COMPASS

RELATIONSHIPS

MIND

PHYSICAL HEALTH OR FITNESS

LEADERSHIP

BUSINESS

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Strategic Vision QUESTION QUADRANT

These questions are designed to bring clarity and focus to the leader. When a leader is clear, everything becomes clear.

QUESTION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

ANSWER

GROWTH:

What is the most significant lesson you have learned in the last 30 days?

INNOVATION:

What is the most significant change that you have noticed in the past 30 days.

FOCUS:

What is the most critical task that you are trying to complete and when will it be completed?

THANKS:

What is the best breakthrough or win to celebrate that you have enjoyed in the last 30 days?

What additional questions do I need to be asking myself to succeed?

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Strategic Vision VISION & DIRECTION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

QUESTION

ANSWER

What two critical projects are you working on that will make your organization better a year from now?

What problem or issue are you spending time on that you wish you could find the answer?

WHAT TASKS ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING THAT YOU COULD DELEGATE/ HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO?

TASK TO DELEGATE

PERSON TO LEAD TASK

BIG PICTURE What do I need to do this month, to not have regret this time next year?

What big change or innovation do you need to make in order to help your business succeed?

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Best Ideas

<<< LEARNING >>>

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

Best Ideas from My Peers

Best Ideas I Heard from the Guide

Best Ideas from the Bible

Best Ideas that I shared

<<< APPLYING >>> Best Ideas To Share With My Team

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Best Ideas That I Will Implement

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Best Ideas

CASE STORIES

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

KEY CHARACTERS:

HERO:

VILLAIN:

THE SCENE: The ____________________________________________ has been __________________________________ because they are ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________.

hero/villain describe the action describe the reason and impact.

THE CLIMAX/TENSION: Now I feel ___________________ because _____________________________________________________

feeling

explanation of why ____________________________________________________________________________________________.

So I am thinking that I should _____________________________________________________________.

question to ask or path to consider THE POSSIBLE PATHWAYS: OPTION

OPTION

OPTION

OPTION

OTHER AREAS TO CONSIDER: LESSONS LEARNED AND KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM THIS SITUATION:

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Accountability and Application Action Steps:

Learn Faster. Lead Further. #1 Where are you tempted to try to lead alone? Where are you hesitant to ask for help from others? Why are you hesitant to ask for help?

#2 What skills or talents can be developed in a current team member in order to scale your business? What next steps do you to take right now to help them to grow so that they can help you?

#3 Is it easy or hard for you to review the performance of others? What benefit could come to you if you were able to better give insight to the performance of others? Do you ever evaluate your own performance?

#4 What is your current capacity? What changes do you need to make in order to be a more effective leader?

Progress Made on the Most Critical Projects:

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As your people get better, your organization gets better.

”

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Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Business Update YEARLY VISION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

GOAL 1 -

MONTHLY DASHBOARD

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

ACTION PLAN:

Define what actions need to be taken in the next 30 days to keep the business moving forward.

1.

GOAL 2 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

2.

3.

GOAL 3 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

4.

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Ken Gosnell 240.396.7671 â&#x20AC;˘ kengosnell@ceoexperience.com

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