An Example of Leadership

February 7, 2009 in Leadership with 0 Comments

This year I have been on a
journey to learn as much as I can about being a better leader.  This week I have witnessed three great
examples in very different circumstances. 
Most of my week was spent at a conference for worship leaders, cre:ate,
created and lead by Randy Elrod.  He did
an amazing job organizing this event and leading all the participants.  He has a unique statement for describing
leaders: ‘a leader is one who influences influencers.’  You can follow Randy Elrod on twitter at
@recreate and his blog at http://www.randyelrod.typepad.com/.

 

Most of today I spent with a
group of amazing students from Centennial High School,in Franklin, Tennessee,
who have stepped forward to try to make a difference in their school and their
band.  All day we talked about leadership…they
really get it.  Here is a list of
characteristics they think a leader should model:

Servant- a leader
should be willing to carry out any task that is asked or required of them, no
matter how un-prestigious or unappealing it seems.

High Standards-a
leader should try to improve themselves before giving direction to others and
to expect more of themselves than anyone else.

Vision-a leader
should be able to visualize where they want to lead the group and set goals to
reach their vision.

Good Communication-
a leader should communicate their goals to the group and communicate with their
leaders about what needs to get done.

Good Example- a
leader should behave as they want all members of the group to behave.

Humility- a
leader should not be wrapped up in their title or boastful.

Kindness- a
leader should be kind to others and be able to give instruction in a
tactful manner so it will be as effective as possible.

Investment- a
leader should be invested not only in their cause but also in the people they
lead. Leaders should genuinely care about all the individuals of the group.

Perspective- a
leader MUST have enough perspective to realize that they will not be perfect
and that when things go wrong what's important is to learn from mistakes and
move forward.

There is another leadership
trait that I think is very important…honesty…that even means being honest when
you make mistakes.  As leaders it can be
so easy to sweep mistakes under the rug so to speak, trying to hide them or
covering them up. Take a moment to read the blog of my boss and see a great
example of honesty.

I am still on my quest to learn
about how to be an effective leader and the three examples above have pushed me
down the road a little further.

Over 600

January 28, 2009 in Leadership with 0 Comments

This week my friend list on
Facebook topped 600.  I now officially have more friends than my college
age daughter. I don’t know if I should brag about that or not.  Here is what I do know: Facebook has become a
ministry tool.  It has become a way for
me to stay connected with persons at our church and in my community and from
what I learn I have conversation starters when I get the privilege of seeing
these people in person.

 

Just recently a consultant in Nashville, Maurilio
Amorim, posted a blog "Should Pastors Use Social Media?" I hope you take a few moments to read this.

 

I am new to the social
networking world but I have become a fan in a short time and a user of both
Facebook and Twitter. So if you get a chance I would love to connect with you on both Facebook and Twitter.

Why Twitter?

January 24, 2009 in Leadership, Social Networking with 0 Comments

Social networking is really becoming a part my life
and ministry: finding old friends, keeping up with new ones, keeping connected
with church members and learning about new things and technology.  Right
now the two I rely on are Facebook and Twitter.  Almost everyone I talk to
understands Facebook however it is not quite the same for Twitter. 

Twitter is a micro-blog tool that allows for you to
post current information that is immediately posted to those who follow
you.  For me the Twitter posts also show up as status updates at Facebook
and they are also posted on my blog. 

 The biggest question I get about Twitter is
“why?”  Here is a short list:

Staying
connected with people is important, Twitter helps.

    • I get to follow some interesting people:
    • I follow some great leaders who lead me to some
      great information
    • I follow my leader…I want to know where he is
      headed
    • I follow some funny people, whose twitters make
      me laugh
    • I follow some people in other parts of the
      country who do the same job as me. 
  • Twitter helps others
    stay involved in my day
    • It has helped when I needed prayer
    • Gives people a glimpse into my life (I’m not
      just the person on the stage each Sunday)
    • Helps the people I minister with to know me
      better
  • I follow creative
    people who help get my creativity flowing
  • I follow some techno ‘nerds’ who are always
    showing new ways to use technology

Here are a couple of resources Twitter helps:

The Beginners Guide to Twitter,a blog post by Michael Hyatt titled: 

Ten
Easy Steps for Twitter Beginners, a TwiTip blog edited by Darren Rowse.

Why
Twitter Matters, a Business Week article.

In the future…

  •  I hope to have more worship ministry people connected through
    Twitter.
  •  I see the possibility of different ministries within the
    church having Twitter accounts so that information can be communicated
    quickly.

If you want to follow me go to www.twitter.com; sign up for an account and then search for me
@michaelhsmith.  You follow me and I will follow you.

Not my choice, but my president

January 20, 2009 in Leadership, Spiritual Journey with 2 Comments

I admit that Barack Obama was
not my choice and not the one I cast my vote for in the 2008 presidential
election.  Since that November day many
things have crossed my mind about what an Obama led United States of America may look
like.  Today as I witnessed some of the
events of the day I have been convicted concerning my sentiments and thoughts
and convicted that my role is to pray. 
Just recently one of my twitter friends and religious leaders of this
country, @maxlucado, put out a call, for all who would, to dedicate today as a
day of prayer for our new president. 
Over 200,000 people signed this commitment…I was not one…I should have
been one. As the events played out on the television today I could not help but
stop and begin to pray for our new president. I cannot begin to understand the
enormous responsibility that this job brings.

 

I was reminded of the words of
the Apostle Paul that are recorded in the book of Romans chapter 13: ' Everyone must submit to the governing authorities…' I do submit because Barack Obama is
our new president. I will support him with my prayers.

 

My prayer for the new president
is:

O God, creator of everything and
one who has everything in control, thank you for allowing this great country of
America
to survive and prosper.  God, let Your
presence be real to our new president and may he call on you often for guidance
and wisdom.  Surround him with people who
follow You and listen to You.  I pray
that You would not only guide President Obama as he carries out his duties as
president but that you also guide him as he strives to be a husband and father
and that in some miraculous way allow him to have quality family time with his
wife and children.

 

Thank You that we live in a
country where a transfer of power is accomplished in peace.  Thank you that this is a great country and
let us never forget.

 

There is a story of one event
just before the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln; he was sitting in his hotel
room going over his speech with his wife. 
As that time came to a close he dropped to his knees and begins to pray,
overwhelmed at the task before him.  I
hope and pray that that scene is carried out often by our new president. 

 

Barack Obama is the President of
the United States of America,
my president…I promise to pray for him.

Making “Christ the King”

January 16, 2009 in Worship with 0 Comments

Each Saturday in The Tennessean there is an article written
by a local pastor sharing some random point of his interpretation of theology. I
usually just glance through this commentary however a few Saturdays ago I got
past the first paragraph because the subject was very thought provoking.  The guest writer was communication the fact
that the next day would be recognized as ‘Christ the King’ Sunday in many
churches.  He went on to state that some
churches who recognize the liturgical calendar had changed the name so that
Christ was not recognized as King, they try to replace the ‘king’ part with
another name. 

 

I agree with the writer ‘King’ is an appropriate title for
Jesus Christ.  It notes authority, it
shows that the leader serves the needs of His people and it also shows that the
servants do all they can to honor the ‘King.’ 

 

Personally I believe the word ‘King’ also shows for us as
believers that Jesus Christ is much more than a Savior, but someone who we can
turn to in all situations, everyday. 
When I call Him ‘King’ it shows that I am surrendering to His authority,
His will. When I call Him ‘King’ I also recognize that I have chosen to be His
follower, not just someone He has saved.

 

I have always served in churches that do not celebrate the
liturgical year, other than advent, Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter, however,
Christ the King Sunday seems like a great idea, but I want it to be something
that I celebrate everyday.

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