Author Archives: Bill Stipp

Leading and Following

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Being a good follower is an important characteristic of being a good leader. We must learn to follow before we lead. The notion of us following someone often depends upon whom we are following. If we don’t respect our supervisor or the company owner, it is hard to follow them. However, following does not mean that we do it blindly. We have to obey the rules established by our employer, the city or town we live in and those of our federal government. While we don’t always agree, we are obedient for no other reason than to maintain order within our society. The bottom-line is that we are all followers at some point in our careers or lives but it is more of a role rather than a position we hold. Those who are better followers are generally tapped to become the next leader when the opportunity arises. These are typically the people that others trust because they follow direction or take orders and get along with their peers. These are the traits that people look for in their leaders. Google the word “followership” and you will find thousands of resources; look for one that sings to your heart.

“Remind the people to be subject to rules and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good…” Titus 3:1

The verse today should sing to heart as well. The 10 commandments, once again, tells us to be obedient to our government leaders. Jesus Christ even told us to “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”. He was telling us to be obedient. Titus then reminds us to be subject to rules and authorities and then be ready to do what is good. God is reminding us to be good followers; be a living example of Christian living. Are you ready to do whatever is good? I’m sure that if someone asks us for help, we’ll be there. Most of us rarely look for ways to help; it is easier to react to a call for help then it is to generate support for one. This is the time of year when we reflect on what we are thankful for – God is great indeed! There are a lot of people who need our help, especially at this time of the year. Whether you lead or follow, be ready to do good. Consider becoming a leader, this might be your opportunity. Martin Luther was credited with saying, “God doesn’t need your good works but your neighbor does”. I’m thankful for all of you that follow this blog week in and week out; you are a blessing to me.

What is a Veteran?

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As an honored guest in a Veterans Day parade, I had not only the pleasure of enjoying the awesome Arizona Fall weather but I had the chance to meet several of the Tuskegee Airmen. The “Red Tails” were made famous in the movie of the same name. The speaker who introduced them said “They fought not only enemies in the sky but they were forced to  fight for their right to defend our nation.” Almost unthinkable times. I pray that my grandkids will never know what that looks like and that they only have to read about it in school.

So what is a Veteran? We heard today in the closing remarks for the celebration:

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg – or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul’s ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can’t tell a vet just by looking. He is a cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day to make sure the armored personnel carriers didn’t run out of fuel. He is the little league coach, harder on the kids than we feel necessary but that behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. He or she is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another – or didn’t come back AT ALL. He is the Paris Island drill instructor who has never seen combat but saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other’s backs. He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and metals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and metals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean’s sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket – palsied now and aggravatingly slow – who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet extraordinary human being – a person who offered some of his life’s most vital years in the service of his country, who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That’s all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any metals they could have been awarded or were awarded… Two little words that mean a lot, “THANK YOU”.

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag. TWO LITTLE WORDS – THANK YOU.” – Father Edward O’Brien/USMC

Happiness

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Being happy at work is important to your physical and mental health. Studies show that people who are “happy” have less stress in their lives and that has a direct correlation to one’s health. While we cannot always control the events that happen to us, we can always control how we react to them. The saying “make lemonade out of lemons” wasn’t coined because people were thirsty. Leaders have two responsibilities – be happy and ensure happiness. Leaders can ensure happiness by helping employees meet their personal and professional goals. Employees who are satisfied at work, achieving goals and being recognized for their efforts tend to be happier. Organizations will benefit from productive employees and satisfied customers. A leader’s attitude is contagious. Some leaders will “put on a happy face” but people can tell when it’s genuine or just for show. Leaders need to focus on their own goals, a project that they are passionate about or simply finding joy in leading others. Whatever the cause, find joy in all you do, it is a gift from God.

“Moreover, when God gives a man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19

We are always giving thanks in our house because we can see God’s blessings everywhere. God can bless you with wealth, possessions, a good job or in some cases simply a job, happiness, etc but have you ever considered them a gift of God? God wants us to be happy in our lives. It doesn’t mean that He will order events in such a way that we will never suffer or feel down. There are enough times in our lives for suffering or feeling down, so when God has gives us “gifts” we should be thankful, enjoy them and be happy. When God gives us troubles, we should accept them too. God is at work in every part of our lives, the good and the bad. We don’t possess the capacity to understand the meaning behind what is happening; we just need learn how to react to them. We should be happy in all we do, remembering that they are all gifts from God and that can’t be a bad thing.

Rumor Has it (sorry Adele)

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Rumors are always the start of something bad. So what causes them in the first place? I’d like to suggest that short of the truth, people will make up the story they believe to be true especially when it deals with a subject in an organization. One of the key responsibilities we have as leaders is to keep the truth ahead of the story. Leaders need to be mindful of the “tidbits” of information they share and of what information they don’t share. The most effective way to keep the truth ahead of the story is through regular communications. For many, communication looks like an email or a memo and for others, it’s communicating in person or by video. The old saying is that the truth will set you free and in this case, you will be free from rumor. If your organization is facing still uncertain times, be truthful about what is happening and do not speculate. Leaving people with your speculation of what is to come will only set free their minds to build upon it and generate stories of their own. Rumors can have wide spread effects on an organization and easily take on a life of their own as each person adds a little of their story to the one being spun. The rumor mill can only be defeated by fact, our job, as the leader is to fill them with facts.

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.“ Proverbs 18:8

Who doesn’t love a juicy bit of gossip? We love to fill in the blank when someone asks, “did you hear?” God gave us the Ten Commandments, in which He warns us about how we should treat our neighbors. Pretty soon the rumors we pass on become our truths and then these “truths” will start to fill our lives. Rumors are the devil’s work and he loves for us to spread them. When we do, we become more concerned about the rumor we’re spreading and less about the real truths that God has placed before us. These “choice morsels” start to fill us and soon we’ll no longer need the truth to feel satisfied. God has communicated the truth to us through His inspired word of the bible. If the truth is what stops rumors, then we need to know the truth; which we do by reading the word of God. Be filled with His truths and not those of the devil. Take in more than morsels and let it go down to the inmost parts so that you are satisfied and nourished by God’s word.

Keeping Track

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How do we track what our people do from the beginning of the year through the end of it? Many organizations use some form of performance tracking or performance appraisal tool do it. There are a number of strategies to accomplish the goal of measuring performance against an employee’s job description, their core competencies or assigned goals. What ever tool you choose to use, there are a couple of common threads to consider. Performance assessments are continuous through the rating period. A common pitfall is only rating the employee on what has recently happened or what you recently remember. We all (leaders too) ebb and flow in our work intensity and all aspects of our performance should be measured, not just the highs or lows. In order to make these appraisals of value to the employee, you will need to create a tool that assists you with documenting their work all year long. Don’t rely on your memory; it will let you down in almost every case. A reliable system will provide you with good documentation of their work and not take up too much of your time to do it. While generally referred to as an annual performance review, you can easily fall into the trap of it becoming the “most recent memory” review. Good documentation is the key.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to end.”

“This is taking an eternity to finish!” A phrase uttered by all of us at some point. We have no concept of what “eternity” really is. God works on His own timeline and not one that we can understand. Stop for a moment and look back over your life, do you see how God has worked His plan in your life? The seemingly unrelated appear now to be connected to form an experience or opportunity. God is at work in and through us every day to bring us closer to Him for eternity. Fortunately for us, God doesn’t need a reliable system to document our “job performance”. If He did, none of us would pass an annual review. He sent us His Son to die for us, take the punishment for our sins, so that we can live with Him and God in eternity. The only measure is our faith in Jesus as our Savior, something that we cannot fathom from the beginning to the end.

Renewing the way we think

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Times are certainly changing. There was a recent article on NBC.com about a new segment of the workforce called “slashers”. These are the new freelancers, people who are a chef/writer/blogger; people with multiple small jobs to make one annual income. As a “slasher” myself, it made perfect sense to me. Some will say a “jack of all trades and a master of none” but this new workforce is real and truly a sign of the times. I also believe that the patterns of the past will not stand up to the demands of the future. Do we need office buildings filled with cubicles of people entering information into their computers or can these people do this work from home? Can we combine positions or functions and share the talents of our workforce? There are still millions of people unemployed; the pattern of the world will need to be transformed for the world economy to recover.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

Paul is reminding the Romans and now us, that we should not be living to glory of this world but to the glory of God. He also gives us the answer to the question:  how do we do it? It is so easy to get caught up in the desires of this world – bigger houses, newer cars, better clothes, jewelry and so on. We’ll never miss our favorite TV show now because of the DVR and we’ll make time to squeeze in church before kickoff. These are clearly the patterns of this world. Paul is telling us to be transformed by renewing our minds – change the way we think about things. As long as you have the DVR, spend some of that time learning about God’s word. Pick up a daily devotional and spend 15 minutes renewing your mind. Try to find understanding in what the Bible is telling us, don’t just read the “stories” but search for the meaning behind them. Take the renewal of your mind in a new direction.

Serving the Customer

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Whether we are in customer service, accounting, marketing or leadership positions, we are always serving a customer of some sort. Sometimes they are internal customers and sometimes they are the paying customers; either way, they can be demanding. St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a great reminder of how we should act toward each other. The old adage of the “customer is always right” seems to have gone away with the full-service gas station. People in the customer service business these days seem to be bothered with us “customers” and our needs. As a leader, have you turned this way also? Do you think that people are there to serve you? How do you react when they need something or some help? Leaders must learn to deal with all types of people who have all types of needs. The management theory of situational leadership applies today more than any other time. The principle is that every situation (or person) requires a different approach than you used the last time or perhaps will use the next time. It requires patience, humility and gentleness.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

This verse is one of God’s directions for us. He teaches us, through St. Paul, how we should treat and live with each other. I haven’t found a person who enjoys the company of someone who isn’t humble and treats people poorly. We tend to tolerate these people in our lives because we have to, not because we want to. We are taught to love all of God’s creatures but some people make that very hard! Remain patient and tolerant, God is teaching you something. How do you act toward others? Are you the person that people merely tolerate? Are you gentle and humble with those who serve you? Take time to examine yourself and apply the direction that God is giving us.

Be Positive

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A positive attitude can get you through just about anything. My daughter recently told her class that the most difficult thing that she has had to overcome in her life was her recovery from Gall Bladder surgery. She remembers the pain and feeling sick for days after the operation. She told her classmates what I told her to recite during her recovery, “today will be a great day” and it worked for her. Her recovery moved out of first gear and she was on her way. How do we create positive attitudes when our work is just getting us down?  We are in control of our attitude; we just have to want to be positive. It is easy to focus on the inconsiderate co-workers, the boss who won’t let up, the long commute or whatever is affecting your attitude at work. Turn it around. What can you learn from these circumstances? If you are a leader or manager, you must ensure that you are not the cause of distress for others. Today, workers need specialized attention, not a one for all fix. The bottom line is, your attitude is yours – own it.

“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider; God has made the one as well as the other…” Ecclesiastes 7:14

It is important for us to remember that God made both the good and the bad times. Why? We might not ever find out but we are reminded that God has a plan for us. He never promised a smooth path or guaranteed happiness along the way. He puts obstacles in our path and he opens doors to help us grow. The unexpected check that arrives in mail or the new diagnosis, we can grow from both experiences. How we deal with them is our choice. We can turn away and blame God or we can search harder for an understanding to His plan. The bible has been filled with gifts for us to use to “fix” our attitudes. Do you know where to find your next attitude adjustment?

Do me no wrong

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“I’ll never forgive them for what they did to me!” Have you ever uttered these words? They say trust is hard to build and easy to lose. We have all experienced that. How easily all of our good work, extra hours and overtime are erased when we make one mistake. Our years of trust are wiped out – in both directions. We no longer trust those that lead and they have weakened trust in us. When does the erosion stop? We must have some faith and hope that our leaders will return to a sensible state and we move forward. We followed them for a reason or we wouldn’t care what they thought of us. If we are simply following them because they sign our paycheck, then our relationship is not affected when we disappoint them. However, being thankful for our job and working at our best is something we do for our families, or ourselves not for the leaderless boss. Take your “oops” and turn it into a learning experience. Find your mentor, confidant or peer who will help you learn. Sometimes these experiences are gifts from others, wrapped in ugly paper – yes, but a gift nonetheless. In all situations that go bad, we share the blame; so make the make the most of it.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you for your sins.” Mark 11:25

Forgiving someone is one of the hardest things we will do in our lives. It’s easy to do when the circumstances are minor, like not being able to go the movies. It is a little harder when someone we care about humiliates us, talks badly of us or commits a “wrong” in some way that affects us. We hear about family members forgiving a murderer or thief and most of us wonder, “How can they do that?” Our Father has forgiven us for the things that we do that humiliate Him or when we steal time from Him. He knew we needed help in learning about forgiveness, so he sent His Son to us not only as a savior for our sins but to give us an example to follow. Jesus showed us how to forgive; we just need to be reminded. Forgive and move on; life on earth is too short to carry around the weight of unforgiven issues.

Vision

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Most employees, your self included, want to know what direction they are headed in. Creating a vision is the single most effective way to get people to buy into any proposed change or altered direction. Employees can lose sight of and will need to be reminded of, your organization’s core values and purpose during periods of uncertainty. Leaders need to construct an envisioned future by describing what the future will look like and how you will get there. Be sure to share the plan with everyone. Set goals and objectives that describes the milestones along the way and set benchmarks with the vision in mind. Employee participation may help re-define the benchmarks because of their unique perspective within the organization. Communication throughout the entire process is the best way to keep the vision out in front of everyone. Tell people where they are headed and watch them work toward achieving that goal.

“…He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:10

The Old Testament is the visioning process of the bible. God gave us a look into what He could do and what He wanted for us. God spoke through angels and in some cases; He spoke directly to ordinary people telling about His vision. Jesus continued to set the vision of “everlasting life” and the promises of God our Father. Some people have a hard time reading the Old Testament. When you read it now, read it like a vision of what was to come and as a description of the power that God possess. He was able to overcome armies, flood the earth and cast famines to ultimately overcome Satan. We have a simple responsibility now; stay connected to Him while believing that Jesus is our one and only savior. The goal is simple – everlasting life. The vision is beautifully described throughout the bible, be sure to take the time to find where.