When I coach church leaders, too many of them want to start with the compound question, “What’s next and how do I get there?” This is not a bad question, but it’s the wrong first question.
In this current series, I’ve shared two of four powerful leadership questions: “Who am I?” (which concerns your leadership rootedness) and “What do I have to offer?” (which concerns your leadership capacity, or core). If you haven’t addressed these two questions, go back and read (or re-read) those posts. If you know who you are and what you have to offer, it’s time to consider what’s next and how to get there.
As a leader in church, business, family, community or wherever, how do you know what to do next? If your especially spiritual, perhaps God will tell you clearly. In my experience (firsthand as a leader and secondhand by working with other leaders), most direction does not come from God in a direct and unmistakable way. Instead, it comes through a process of prayer, reflection, planning and consideration. In a nutshell, it is a process that starts with assessment of your life.
As a leader, you have to make sure you are growing and finding life first. Too many leaders spend all their energy trying to help others while they themselves are wilting. As the flight attendant says, “In case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” When it comes to discerning what is next, you have to first ask what is next for you. Once you are in a place of health and goodness, you can much more accurately discern what is next for those you lead.
When I work with leaders, I use an assessment that considers the leader’s life in eight key areas:
Career I love my work. I feel my talents and skills are well used in my work. I enjoy my work environment and the people with whom I work. I see opportunity for growth and development in my current role. I feel like I have found God’s calling with my vocation.
Hobbies and Recreation I regularly take the time I need to experience play, adventure and leisure. I know what activities renew me and bring me alive and I participate in them regularly. I create plenty of space in my life to relax and enjoy others and myself. I create fun for others and myself.
Money and Finances I have enough money to do the things I want to do and to accomplish the things that are important to me. I manage my money and financial affairs and records well. I am free from worry and anxiety about money. My financial future feels robust and sustainable.
Friendship I have a sufficient number of great friends. My friendships nourish and sustain me. I am a good friend and I make myself available to my friendships. I trust the relationships I have with my friends. I love and make the most of the time I spend with my friends.
Family I am satisfied with the level of contact I have with my family. Nothing feels hidden or withheld in my relationships with family members. I am satisfied with the role I play and the level of contribution I have in my family. I have created the experience of family in my life.
Faith and Spirituality I have a belief system that sustains me no matter what circumstances life throws at me. I am engaged in the unfolding story of my life and approach each day as an adventure. I regularly experience living a life that I love and loving who I am becoming. I am living the life God wants me to live.
Health I approach my health in a proactive way, rather than in crisis management mode. I am satisfied with my level of vitality and well-being. I am conscious of my body and fitness level and take responsibility for my physical well-being. I know what works for me to maintain my health and I consistently do it.
Spouse/Significant Other I am open to creating an intimate loving relationship. I am free from past resentments or blame in the area of intimate relationships. I am willing to risk myself for the sake of intimacy. I create romance in my life.
For each area of your own life, consider the question “Currently, how satisfied am I in this area of life?” Give yourself a score on a scale of 1 (Not Satisfied at All) to 10 (Highly Satisfied).
Now, based on your scores, consider how life is going. Are you living the life you’re called to live? How balanced and satisfied is your life? To help you expand your satisfaction and balance, answer these four questions:
- What area are you most wanting and willing to make a difference with?
- What is the current state of this area in your life?
- What is missing or not working for you in this area?
- What would you like to create in this area?
Back to our original question: What’s next? Based on this simple assessment, what is next in your own life? What’s the first step?
About Chad Hall
Chad,
Thanks for your post. Much of it I found helpful in distinguishing key areas for self-assessment, and I’ll be reflecting on those areas while my wife and I undergo some transitions in leadership and vocation. But I would question some of the content of your point on finances. Many young (and a few not-so-young!) missional leaders today might disagree with you about the importance of having money to do what they _want_ to do, of being (entirely!) “free from worry and anxiety” about their money situations, and of the degree to which their financial futures _need_ to be “robust and sustainable.” Yes, church leaders need to be responsible with money, and selling all one has and giving it to the poor may create as many problems as it solves in terms of sustainability, but isn’t there room for holding more loosely to that which God has graciously supplied? Also, you might want to review your use of “your” and “you’re” and consider using the word “attendant” rather than “stewardess” — but these are admittedly very minor points. Again, the criteria and direction you supply are thoughtful, necessary, and welcome for ministry. Thanks for sharing them.
Hi Matt,
Great discussion about money. In my brevity I am sure I left a lot of room for interpretation.
With my coaching clients, finances almost always comes up eventually and this is a topic to which I pay a lot of attention.
Interestingly, some studies have shown that families in the U.S. earning less than $70K per year have almost universal worry about money. Above $70K, there is still worry among some – including anxiety among the very wealthy. Having “enough” is a moving target and quite subjective.
When I work one-on-one with a leader, we usually talk quite a bit about what it means to be worry-free about finances. They point I share is not that a person simply needs “more” but that one needs a system in which there is no need for worry. Reliance on God is a major part of the system for many leaders. Reliance that God will provide, reliance that a lifestyle below the average American family is okay, reliance that your kids aren’t being damaged or cheated, reliance that you won’t be an unnecessary burden on others as you age, etc.
In the cases when reliance on God is a major part of a leader’s system, I try to get him or her to be really clear what is faith and what is worry (both are energy about things unseen). I’ve found that each leader has a different threshold for how much money is needed and how much certainty is needed, although those who earn less than $70K/year AND try to live a typical American family lifestyle struggle.