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Learn Faster. Lead Further. Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Great Capacity - Greater Scalability

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

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. 4

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

ever has.”

”

MARGARET MEAD

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

”

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.”

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