Coaching Churches

As Seth Godin points out we have all heard the expression winners never quit and quitters never win.  In real life that is simply not true because knowing when to quit something that is clearly not working is the secret to winning because it gets you one step closer to the one thing that you were meant to do with your life.

Many times we take jobs thinking that we have finally found the answer to what do I want to do with my career.  Many months later we realize that what we expected was wrong.  We should never quit just because the work is challenging and the people with whom we work are not the best.

However, when you have done your best and the day to day responsibilities that you have been assigned are not bringing any challenge or lasting value then you need to find something that you can be passionate about doing.  Our work should be something we care about, to the point that we look forward to going in every day, because what we do really matters.

Sometimes, we really like what we do but the team of people we are doing it with are merely takers and not givers.  They are out for number one and there is an atmosphere of backbiting , constant stress and negative criticism that drives the culture of the organization.  No matter how much you like what you do if you cannot enjoy the journey with the people you are doing it with it is simply not worth it.

Becoming a serial quitter for all the wrong reasons can be a fatal character flaw that will negatively impact your entire life.  Quitting for the right reason can be the best thing you have ever done because it can lead you to a brighter future.

One of the most successful executive coaches in the country is Marshall Goldsmith.  He wrote a great book that I would highly recommend What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

The simple thesis of the book  is your competency and skill set is what has got you to where you are now as far as promotions are concerned.  What it will take to get you where you need to be in the highly participative leadership culture of the future will be your people skills.  This area is where the overwhelming majority of executive men and women hit the wall.

A key tool in helping people with people skill problems is to use some form of 360-degree feedback. This should involve superiors, peers as well as subordinates and sometimes even clients.

If you are one of the executives that clearly sends the message that I don’t like bad news and you consistently shoot the messenger who delivers it then you are probably in the dark about all your serious blind spots.

Everyone involved in the process must commit to the following four things:

1. Let go of the past-forgive.
2. Tell the truth-even if it hurts.
3. Be supportive and helpful-not cynical or negative.
4. Pick something to improve yourself-so everyone is focused more on “improving” than “judging.”

Feedback will tell us what we need to change.  Then the moment of truth, Are we willing to do it?

Leaders used to draw a lot of significance from being the smartest person in the room with all the answers.  That position allowed them to be more directive in their leadership style because everyone else was there to simply carry out the plan.  Now with such a high value being placed on collaboration, these key things posted by Forbes must be a part of a leaders approach:

“Here are five things strong managers — confident people who are not afraid to hire competent and honest team members like you — can handle easily. They aren’t afraid to have human conversations at work. They aren’t afraid to be taught by somebody who works for them.”

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Having the right definition of the word success is critical to living a meaningful life.  A significant part of our time is spent at work and if it’s just a paycheck then surely thats not success in anyone’s book.  This Forbes post by Paolo Gallo asks some great questions:

“First, let’s start with one over-arching question: What is a successful career? It’s time to move away from the idea of success defined by an organization or your supervisor, to significance defined by us. Relentlessly grasping after the next rung of the ladder doesn’t work, for the following three reasons.

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