Emptying Our Cup - With Childlike Imagination

My girl was sick yesterday. In the midst of struggling with cough and fever, she lined up her troops to comfort her. Each of her stuff animals has unique name: Duffy, Chirpy, _____, and Froggy. She hasn't found a perfect one for the panda yet, any suggestions?

When I saw her friends last night, an instant phrase flashed through my mind: what a lovely childlike imagination and naïveness. It brought back the memory of an analogy I used in my very first sermon many years ago. I still remember I was preaching on the topic of molding. In the opening lines, I used this story:

One day, a little boy was jumping and skipping on the road. He stopped at a corner where a sculptor was working. The boy was very curious as he saw the pebbles, big and small, falling down. He paused, looked and walked away after a short while. Few days later, the little boy returned to the exact same location and he was stunned. He couldn't believe what he saw. The giant stone was turned into a lion. With his eyes wide opened, he asked, "Sir, how do you know that there is a lion lying inside the stone?"

Interesting question, isn't it? You may have met such sculptor sometime in your life; or you may have been one. Mentors, in many ways, are like the sculptors equipped with childlike imaginations. They are able to see the potential that lies within us; able to imagine who we can become before we even notice any traces of that remote resemblance of who we can grow into.

As we get older, it is harder to find mentors. If you feel the same, may be you have stepped into the season of becoming one. Pastor Andy Stanley has done a great talk on this subject in 2014 Catalyst Conference: "Becoming a Beyond You Leader: Empty Your Cup." Here is the portion of that talk.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4f6k2vrVVE

May we put on our childlike imagination to look for opportunities to fill the cups of those who come after us. "If your leadership isn’t all about you, it will live beyond you."

Know what drains you and what rejuvenates you . . .

Before I was called to ministry, I was in the financial accounting field. I always love data analysis and strategic planning and have a passion in improving operation efficiency. Till these days, I still get fascinated when I see images of production lines and conveyor belts. They often trigger my thoughts on how to improve the efficiency. 

Years ago I responded to God's call and had left the business world to embrace the ministry. Serving people requires very different sets of skills. Being an introvert analytic, there were moments that I noticed a real gap between my natural gift and what the job calls for. In those moments, a sense of inadequacy often surfaced.

Early this year, I made a commitment to smile more; a baby step to help me become more welcoming and less uptight. This self-awareness really made a difference at the beginning. Nevertheless, when fatigue strikes and stress mounts, it's so easy to give in and drift back to square one. The reality check pushes me to reflect on a few key principles:

1. Self-awareness. It is imperative to know what drains and what rejuvenates us. At the end of the day, we need to make sure our inner energy bucket is refilled, and this often is related to how we are wired. An extroverted outgoing person may get energized in crowds while the introverted quiet one may need the alone space to chill. Having that realization helps me safeguard my reflective time. Reading and writing are no longer a luxury to do when time allows; instead, they are the non-negotiable to maintain my emotional health.
2. Form a team that complements you. Knowing the temperament of the team members will strengthen the team effectiveness and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Be open in admitting areas that are not our natural strong suits. Be bold to invite people with different personalities and strength into the team. We don't need to do it all to be effective leaders, we just need to have the openness to allow talents of all sorts to shine in a platform that fits them. 
3. Just do the thing you are good at. The older one gets, the easier to admit that it is very difficult to improve in the areas that we are naturally not good at. Instead of spending countless hours to strengthen the weaker links, we may be better off in focusing on things that we are good at, and work on it with laser focus. Be mindful that the same type of strength may have distintive ramifications in different fields. Be creative to find your niche and work tirelessly toward the goal. You will reap fruits eventually. And because the fruits grow out from the soil with your natural gift, it can be a very joyful journey. 

If you are in the process of soul searching; wanting to know yourself or your team members more, here is an awesome tool. It is by far the best free resources I have come across in this area. Check it out and take the free test, the analysis is quite comprehensive. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

The Preparation of Leaders - Off Stage . . .

Last week our senior leader shared with us on the topic of "Seven Reminders of Life Journey."

1. God has only one calling in your life: come follow me
2. Just do the thing you are good at 
3. Never rely on yesterday's success
4. Big thing always starts from small
5. Always look out for the interest of the others
6. Learn to rest in God's working hand (rest, have assurance, depending on God, a sense of focus)
7. Never give up (Philippians 3:14 press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus)

It was a good talk. I was touched by both the content and the intentional preparation of the message. As I listened to the carefully carved sermon with tailor-fitted analogies to go with each point, I know there was thoughtful planning that went in behind-the-scene. I am encouraged to see a senior leader, whose preaching skill is already widely recognized, willing to put in this level of preparation. It is especially precious given the audience was only a small group of staff, compare with the thousands of congregation members on a typical Sunday morning.

Couple days ago I was listening to the audio book: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick, the longtime president of Catalyst.

In the book, Brad describes an off-stage encounter with Hillsong United Band. Here is what Brad observed in the green room, a picture of true leadership.

The music at Catalyst events is always interspersed with first-rate speakers sharing groundbreaking and insightful content. Normally, when a band finishes a set, they go back to the green room behind the stage to relax, have a cup of coffee, and goof off a little bit before they have to go back out. They aren’t typically engaged in the speakers. And who would blame them? These bands play dozens of conferences each year. They’ve heard much of this content before.

When I walked into the green room and encountered the Hillsong United band after their first set, I was nearly knocked off my feet. The band members were huddled together around a tiny television with a closed-loop feed of the first speakers. Then they watched the second presentation. Then, the third. Many of them had moleskin pads, and were furiously scribbling notes. No one was talking. No one was checking text messages.

You could have knocked me over with a cough.

Observing Hillsong United band in that moment, I had uncovered one of the secrets to their success. They have never let fame go to their heads and have instead maintained a habit of curiosity. Rather than transition from the role of student to the role of teacher—as most accomplished people do—they remained pliable, always maturing and improving.

Brad went on to describe a common trajectory of a leader.

Most leaders follow a particular trajectory. The early stages of one’s life and career are often marked by unbridled curiosity. The leader amasses college diplomas, graduate school degrees, and specialized certifications. She will often attend conferences and read books within her field and accept low-paying or unpaid internships just for the benefit of learning something. After some time, the leader’s curiosity begins to pay off. People notice her effort and respect her industry knowledge. Promotions and raises follow, and soon she may be asked to present in meetings or speak at conferences herself. But as a leader’s career surges, her curiosity often sinks. She has all the degrees she needs, and who can afford to take an internship at this stage of the game? Her busy schedule doesn’t allow time to read much, and she wouldn’t be caught dead sitting in a conference crowd after being onstage. If the leader’s life were a movie, this is where it moves from feel-good flick to tragedy.

May we take heart to fight against that tragic trajectory. Stay humble and hungry, develop a life-long habit of curiosity. Indeed, it is our attitude, not aptitude, that determine our altitude. As Pastor Craig Groeschel puts it, "Often it's the small things that no one sees that result in the big impact that everyone wants." Let's cheer each other on.

If you are interested to read more about Brad's thought on this topic, here is the article on "Seven Ways To Develop A Habit Of Curiosity." http://orangeblogs.org/orangeleaders/2015/09/21/develop-a-habit-of-curiosity-keep-learning/