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Archives for February 2011

Leading with Information

February 25, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

“It is my observation that your organization doesn’t pay much attention to mission effectiveness.”

A business leader observed this with one of our top leaders in Campus Crusade for Christ. Many of us agree that he is correct. We pay attention to good relationships. We pay attention to strong spiritual life. We pay attention to good processes that win people to Christ, build them in their faith, and send them out.

But perhaps we don’t pay much attention to effectiveness. We do many things well. But we don’t measure our progress towards the mission very well.

It is hard to do. How do you measure transformed lives? Transformed communities? Personal holiness? Spiritual formation?

But it needs to be done.

Leading with Information team

That is why this group of people has met these last 3 days in Thailand. We have been tasked by Campus Crusade for Christ to help help develop a culture of using measurable information to make leadership decisions.

Our President, Steve Douglass, has said that we want to have the right information to make the right decisions. We do not necessarily need perfect and complete information. Rather, we need timely information.

We call it Leading with Information. And it needs to be done.

Filed Under: ccc, gto, Leadership, Ministry Tagged With: Leadership

Living in God’s Wisdom

February 23, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

Not only could God’s acts not be done better; a better way to do them can not be imagined. … We must by the exercise of faith and by prayer bring the truth of God’s infinite wisdom into the practical world of our day-by-day experience. … Most of us go through life praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that w will miss the way. This is a tragic waste of the truth of God’s wisdom and it never gives rest to the heart. [The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer, Chapter 11: The Wisdom of God]

Filed Under: Thoughts

The internet is our mountain

February 15, 2011 by Keith Seabourn 2 Comments

I’ve been looking out over the beautiful mountains surrounding our conference room in Addis Ababa for the past several days. I’m sitting in the room training and strategizing on using the internet to expand our ability to reach everyone.

The words of Isaiah 40:9 have been a very real picture:

You who bring good news,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
Say to the towns,
“Here is your God!”

God was telling them to use what he had provided to accomplish his purposes. Use the high mountains to shout “Here is your God!”

During our time as God’s ambassador’s, God has given us the gift of the internet: social networks (Facebook, Twitter), simple websites (WordPress, Blogger), video and audio (YouTube, Vimeo), inexpensive phone (Skype). God is telling us:

  • Use these things God has provided
  • Lift up your voice. Be bold. Be “loud” in embracing these opportunities.
  • Do not be afraid
  • Show God to everyone

As one church leader said, Inhabit the digital universe with a believing heart and to help give a soul to the endless flow of communications on the internet.

Filed Under: ccc, gto, Ministry Tagged With: internet ministry, vlm

3 thoughts on Maturing as a leader

February 5, 2011 by Keith Seabourn 1 Comment

I’m a 59 year old leader. I want to finish well. I think we all do.

Finishing well

I read three things today that are insightful in finishing well.

1. @destinoeric retweeted @crawfordloritts:
One of the signs of spiritual maturity is that you no longer charge others for the deficits in your life. Eph. 4:31-32

I’ve always appreciated Dr. Crawford Loritts’ direct, non-nonsense approach to my spiritual life. But… wow! There is no wiggle room here! Ouch!

2. @kencochrum retweeted @GaryRunn‘s blog post Leading Old – Again. Gary unpacked maturing leadership more. 1) Invite the input of others, don’t ignore it like older leaders frequently do. 2) Refuse to blame others as a way to maintain my respectability as a leader. 3) Cross the divide of being able to serve under a younger leader.

3. @michaelhyatt tweeted his blog article 5 ways to energize your team. But before he listed his 5 ways (which are good), he tells a story from this week that richly demonstrates @crawfordloritts‘ point about lack of maturity and @garyrunn‘s leadership principles.

I’m still learning.

Filed Under: ccc, gto, Leadership

Email authoring wisdom from Dr Seuss

February 4, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.

So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.

That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.

~ Dr. Seuss

Think about Dr. Seuss’ wisdom the next time you are writing an email to someone! I will.

Keith

Filed Under: ccc, gto, Thoughts

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