LESSON 29 - Think and Pray Outside the Box—and the County

Welcome to Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we're featuring a guest writer’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. David Curry is our guest blogger this week for the second of three lessons in "Part 9: Holy Ground and Other Locations.”

LESSON 29 OF 40 - Think and Pray Outside the Box—and the County

Discern your Big HOLY Audacious Goal (carefully).

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: Is it God’s will that you operate without a compelling vision, scrimping by year-to-year and losing momentum? Then make every effort to pray and organize towards a God-sized vision for your ministry. Expand your experience by visiting other ministries, getting out of your own county to see what God is doing—and CAN do—through you and your ministry.

In Lesson 29, we read the story of Willard Heck, founder of New Life Ranch, who had a big vision for what God could do in northeast Oklahoma. His faith and vision led to a big, audacious dream that has touched many lives. But it isn’t just founders who can receive a big, HOLY audacious goal. God is stirring many leaders and boards today to expand their vision beyond survival and day-to-day living—and into something that is both audacious and aligned with His will.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 29, pages 147-151: 
• “Leaders can lift a board’s vision by reminding them of God’s work in other locations. Not only do you need to think outside the box, sometimes it helps to think outside the county.”
• “Resist the temptation to focus only on budgets, blueprints, and buildings. Instead, embrace those goals that focus on the people God is calling you to reach and serve.”
• “What target is so big, so audacious, so needing the faith of zealots, that only God can deliver?” 

MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
The tyranny of the day-to-day—budgets, meetings, and yearly events to sustain life and keep the lights on—can overwhelm most leaders and sap our energy, leaving little that could be used to power a big, God-sized vision. Yet, counterintuitively, if we start with the big idea that we feel God led us to pursue, and aligns with His will, then the energy and resources for the day-to-day often take care of themselves. In the end, we are left with something we could not have done ourselves, but that has sparked an imagination in the teams and people that God has surrounded us with.   

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY DAVID CURRY:

David Curry is CEO of Open Doors USA, which advocates for and supports persecuted Christians in the areas of the world most hostile to Christian faith. He is the author of four books, including First Aid for Enablers: Ten Treatments for Enablers and the Addicts They Love. Curry is also a regular contributor to Fox News and other media outlets.  He lives in Santa Ana, Calif., with his family.

TO-DO TODAY: 
• Visit inspirational settings to spark your imagination and vision.
• Think, pray, and discern God’s direction for the future. Does He want you to live simply day-to-day, or is He prompting something bigger?

NEXT WEDNESDAY:
On June 13, 2018, watch for the tag-team commentary by CCCA's Gregg Hunter (CEO) and Ed McDowell (board chair) on Lesson 30, "The Truck Driver Was No Match for the Faith-Filled Board Chair. Don't stop at 'All in favor say aye.'"

Subscribe to this blog by submitting your email (just above the date/day). Visit the Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom webpage and order extra copies for your board members.

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LESSON 19 - Never Throw Red Meat on the Board Table

Welcome to Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we're featuring a guest writer’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. David Wills is our guest blogger this week for the first of three lessons in "Part 6: Boardroom Time-Wasters, Troublemakers, and Truth-Tellers.”

LESSON 19 OF 40 - Never Throw Red Meat on the Board Table

Boards need advance preparation to fully address complex issues.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 19, we are reminded that healthy boards are well-prepared boards.

Max De Pree in Leadership Is an Art says, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.”  When board members walk into the board room they should well understand the reality of what they are about to experience. If they don’t, they will each walk in with their own reality and this creates “time-wasters and troublemakers.”

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 19, pages 94-98: 
•  “If a board must create its own starting point, it can be a very painful process that ultimately diminishes productivity.”
• “[…some] issues are so complex that they require wisdom and discernment to decide how to properly prepare them for the board.”  

MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
Discernment or Dynamite? When decision-making precedes discernment—you are in the danger zone.

There is a continuum that, if broken, will lead to poor outcomes. It goes like this: Discernment leading to Decisions leading to Direction which results in a Destination.  Of course, abiding in Christ and leveraging the gifts and experiences He gives us will determine how well we discern things…the sagacity factor.

The currency of great boards is great discernment.

Throwing red meat on the table often undermines discernment. This leads to poor decisions and an unfulfilled board. Board members will be uncomfortable coming back if this happens often. In addition, it will create an unhealthy meeting environment. Sort of like what is described in Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 (NIV):

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.”

Red meat creates many words. Sometimes an explosion of words.

Additionally, healthy boards are very good at taking complexity and moving it toward simplicity. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” Red meat creates complexity. This is not what an organization’s leader needs from the board. 

That is not to say we don’t put complexity before a board. Quite the contrary. Boards thrive on generative conversations that lead to simplicity, good decisions, and sound direction.  

Let’s shoot for the “no surprises” standard. The organizational leader and the board chair should have a roadmap several weeks before the next meeting. This will allow for content to be delivered in such manner that the discernment process begins well before the meeting. Let the board know in advance what decisions are required so they are prepared to make wise ones. Point them to the critical sections of the board material.  In some circumstances, calls and meetings may be needed to prepare the board for maximum discernment.

Red meat is raw meat. The meat you serve your board should be well done…in advance! 

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY DAVID WILLS:

David Wills serves as President Emeritus of the National Christian Foundation and has been with NCF for the last 20 years.  As an organizational leader, David has served on dozens of boards and has both served (ugh!) and received more raw meat than he cares to remember.

 TO-DO TODAY: 
• Engage the board chair early.
• Develop a road map for the meeting and the outcomes that are required.
• Engage board members as needed prior to the meeting—to set the meeting up for success.

NEXT WEDNESDAY:
On April 4, 2018, watch for Rich Stearns' commentary on Lesson 20, "Apply for a Staff Position and You Can Deal With That Issue! Help board members not to cross the line into operational details."

Subscribe to this blog by submitting your email (just above the date/day). Visit the Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom webpage and order extra copies for your board members.

ORDER THE BOOK

LESSON 9: Serve with Humility and Experience God’s Presence

Welcome to Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we're featuring a guest writer’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Reid Lehman is our guest blogger this week for the second of three lessons in "Part 3: Nominees for the Board Member Hall of Fame.”

LESSON 9 OF 40 - Serve with Humility and Experience God’s Presence

One board chair creates a holy moment for his CEO Search Committee.

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 9, we’re reminded of the critical importance of humility, both as a follower of Jesus Christ and in board and CEO leadership.  

Read how an applicant for a rescue mission CEO position focused on humility in his job application, when most applicants would have focused on building their brand. A top book that new CEO asked his staff team to read was Humility, by Andrew Murray.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 9, pages 44-47: 
• Humility, by Andrew Murray, is a dangerous book and an important one. God is constantly seeking for the humble who will surrender their will and life to him.   
• The search committee used spiritual discernment over ordinary decision-making in selecting their new CEO and one member said a year later, “I will go to my grave remembering that holy moment as one of the top spiritual experiences of my life.”
• General Norman Schwarzkopf: “Leaders need two things—character and strategy.  If you can do only one, drop strategy.” 

MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
This chapter inspired me to read Murray’s book. It’s powerful!  
   • Humility before people is the only real proof that our humility before God is more than just a figment of our imagination.  
   • The energy behind all spiritual growth . . . comes from a conviction that all we have comes from God.  
   • Let’s look at difficult people as God’s instrument for our purification.
   • The humility that brings a man or a woman to the point of being nothing before God at the same time removes every obstacle to faith.

Board leadership is a “group sport.” If we believe that God imparts wisdom by his spirit in a multitude of counselors, then we’ll come to board meetings more intent on hearing God’s voice in the group—than on pushing our point of view.   

My most fulfilling board meetings (both while serving as a board member and as a CEO) have come when no one pushed his/her agenda. All of us humbly sought God’s opinion, and His voice was made clear as those present shared what they heard from Him. When your board knows it has heard God’s voice, board members will have joy and confidence in the decision.  

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY REID LEHMAN:

Reid Lehman has served for more than 30 years as the CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries, a comprehensive ministry of rescue missions, addiction recovery centers, children’s homes, and foster care families caring for more than 650 children, women and men in South Carolina.  A Policy Governance® trainer/facilitator, Reid chairs the governance committee of the Together SC board, and serves as a governance coach with the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, training boards of rescue missions across the country.  He is the author of two books: God Wears His Own Watch and Are Those the Words You Meant to Use? His favorite books include, Pursuing God’s Will Together, by Ruth Haley Barton, and Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster.  

TO-DO TODAY: 

• Download Humility, by Andrew Murray (only 59 pages long, it’s in the public domain). Consider reading it in your devotions this week.  
• Answer the question, “How would you approach your board discussions and your board or CEO role differently if you were practicing true humility and listening for God’s voice?”
  

NEXT WEDNESDAY:
On Jan. 24, 2018, watch for Jeff Lilley's commentary on Lesson 10, "Prioritize Prayer Over Problems: Create space for prayer--serious supplications for a serious work."

Subscribe to this blog by submitting your email (just above the date/day). Visit the Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom webpage and order extra copies for your board members.

ORDER THE BOOK