Let’s start with a really smart guy. Albert Einstein said, “Only the individual can think… Without creative, independently thinking and judging personalities the upward development of society is as unthinkable as the development of the individual personality without the nourishing soil of community.”

So how do we engage the minds and hearts of these creative, independently thinking individuals to move our organizations upward and forward?

•       Invite Opinions

It’s not your job to do all the heavy mental lifting: to single-handedly analyze the problem and propose a brilliant, visionary solution. In reality, you’re better off not being too brilliant – isn’t that a relief? Front-line volunteers and employees have more collective knowledge about the problem than you do – and are willing to share if you ask good questions. Without their input, you’ll likely solve the wrong problem and create another one.

Once you’ve invited perspectives on the issues at stake, bring a shell solution and invite ideas. What do they like about the idea? Dislike? What would make it better?  “People would like the opportunity for their ideas, gifts, and personality to shape the group,” says Joseph R. Myers in Organic Community. Then try out the new idea on a small scale to work the kinks out, and in the process, to invite more feedback.

•       Invite Strengths and Passion

Don’t fill spots – help people find their place. This means you need to know and care about them. Instead of telling them what to do, ask them how they would like to contribute. You might be surprised at what people offer.

“People participate as individuals. They are interested in why they – specifically – are being asked. They want to know that you have chosen them first and foremost because of who they are, not just to fulfill a strategic master plan.”

“Why me?” comes from a deep desire to live beyond one’s self. A person wants to contribute in concrete ways, possibly in ways that only he or she could.” Myers

•       Encourage Development

Identify character and competence, and trust people to run with things. It’s counter-intuitive, but sometimes the best thing you can do as a leader is not lead in a particular area.

As long as you are there picking up the pieces, filling in the gaps, others will let you.  Sometimes the best way to identify leadership potential – especially in a volunteer organization – is by leaving a hole, intentionally creating a leadership vacuum. Those who care about the hole are often the ones most motivated to collaborate with the responsibility. Maybe the best development plan for them is to step up and take the leadership – with you cheering them on.

So create development paths for current and future leaders. There’s so much more to an organization’s purpose than getting a job done. As a leader you take the strategic path of developing other leaders, who in turn get the job done.

By Verdeen Bueckert, CREST Alumnus

What do you think?

Energy, solutions, passion, talent, momentum. This is what engaged staff and volunteers bring to your workplace – along with lower absenteeism and turnover. How have you unleashed potential, rewarded initiative, and invited engagement in your organization? What are ways that have really worked for you?

At CREST we’ve been working with midlife leaders for ten years. Studying midlife … teaching … dialoguing … coaching … experiencing the journey ourselves. Paying fierce attention to midlife matters has helped us develop clarity around this issue.  Here’s one thing we have noticed: everyone that signs up for CREST expresses one or more of these feelings: (Note: these comments come directly from students, actual quotes)

• Sensing a transition is coming
• Feel disoriented about my role
• Feel “stuck” in numerous levels of my leadership as well as relationship capacity
• Feeling restless – a sense of desperation, a search for something more
• I am living and leading without a vivid picture
• Want to finish well in senior years
• Need passion renewed
• I desire to have life count but cannot run faster
• I have plateaued in my self-directed studies
• Want to invest in a learning opportunity that could transition into something else

These feelings often have an uncomfortable sense to them. Humans enjoy being comfortable, so when we feel uncomfortable, we are motivated to do something about it, to return to comfort. And therein lies the good about uncomfortable feelings: they are a motivation to change.

If everything is just fine, we tend to resist change. But that means we are not growing.  Growing, developing, maturing – these are all actions that require change. And change is exactly what we need to do at mid-life. Because we all reach plateaus in our development.

A plateau usually comes somewhere in mid-life. Our understanding of God and life has been built out of our interpretation of the curriculum called ‘Life.’ At mid-life we have learned all we can with that level of understanding. Our first-half-of-life interpretations have brought us to where we are, but have proven inadequate; we now need to go deeper. And that requires change – a deepening of our understanding of God, of ourselves, of life.

The good news about midlife is that your best years are actually ahead of you – if you make the changes necessary to move on up. So God allows (brings?) uncomfortableness into our lives to spur us on, to motivate us to think again. It is a gift from Him, an invitation to go deeper.

One more item that has come clear to us at CREST: God intends good for all of us. The good He intends is not material wealth, perpetual youth and a life of ease; it is something far more precious than that. It is the development of your spirit, the maturation of your soul. It is the ‘conforming to the image of Christ’ (Romans 8.29) that He intends; and it is good indeed.

This good is not easily attained. There is a cup to drink, a journey to take. This deeper wisdom is not a quick or easy process. So don’t avoid the uncomfortableness; enter into it, experience it, process it. It is the journey to good things. The research tells us that 3 out of 4 people would really benefit with a guided process for the journey.  That’s what we do in CREST.

So our CREST student comments like “Sensing a transition coming,” or “Feel stuck, restless,” and “I desire to have life count” are wonderful expressions that come from the prodding in their soul by the Spirit of God. Whenever I hear someone express these feelings I get excited … because I know these people are being called up to a whole new level, and that they are about to embark on their best years!

It had been great serving God through my church. We were blessed with four children. The pastoral staff were more than co-workers, they felt like good friends.  The church was growing; we’d relocated campuses and build a new facility.  Attendance was 1200. I was happy, fulfilled. Sure, I had had to deal with the typical problems that come with people, but that was part of the territory, and I knew that. I had had a particularly difficult and painful challenge which had taken about three years to get through, but I was past that now.

So what’s this feeling arising? I felt a growing yearning for a ‘time out.’ I remember praying, ‘Lord, I’d like a time out, not a burn out.’ I had seen other leaders go through burn out, and I did not want to go there. I felt a growing yearning to stop the treadmill, get off and re-think, be refreshed, to learn again, but this time deeper.

Strange thoughts emerged; not bad thoughts, but just thoughts I had not had before.  Like, “What’s next?” and “Do you really want to do this the rest of your life?”  and “I wish I had the time to read and reflect; but I’m too busy for that.” These thoughts were unsettling.

… a year later …

God granted my request; I was able to take a year’s sabbatical and pursue doctoral studies in leadership. I discovered that there is a general pattern in how God works in people over their lifetime, and that somewhere in midlife everyone comes to a point of pausing … thinking … reflecting … wondering … yearning. ‘Midlife’ is not a specific chronological number, but generally sometime between 40 and 60. I looked at the research, compared it with my life, and sure enough there I was right on schedule  — aged 42 when I had prayed the prayer.

I found out it is normal to have these strange thoughts and feelings at midlife. They are deep questions, not quickly answered. It requires a journey, a unique midlife journey. Deep reflection, wise input, courageous actions – these are necessary for the midlife journey. The stats are that only 1 out of 4 can figure out this journey on their own. Three out of 4 people at this time in life need help with a guided process.

I’m 57 now. I’ve been thinking and experiencing this midlife shift for 15 years. And things are much clearer now. I love talking with people in these midlife decades.

So maybe you are having unsettling thoughts and feelings. I have come to realize that they are a gift from God, an invitation to think again about life, deeply. Because the good news is that your best contribution is likely to be in the second half of life; but you will need to go deeper to accomplish it.

What are some of the ‘strange thoughts’ and feelings you have experienced at midlife?  Post your comment below, and I will respond. Let’s talk about this.

Questions initiate and sustain conversations. Jesus stirred up many questions. Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Why do you call me good? If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you get to work and pull it out? What do you want me to do for you? While eating with his disciples, he said, “The truth is, one of you will betray me.”

The disciples were greatly distressed by this statement. It stirred up uncomfortable questions. But no one said, “Let’s lighten things up, Lord. For all we know this could be our last Passover together.” One by one, they asked, “I’m not the one, am I, Lord?”

And Jesus didn’t answer each person the same. To Judas, he said, “You have said it yourself.” To John, he replied, “It’s the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce.” None of the others knew what Jesus meant until events had unfolded – they had to wait and watch.

Our conversations with Jesus today are something like that. Life throws us a curve ball. We’re distressed. Uncomfortable questions are stirred up. We ask them, and wait for the answer. Sometimes Jesus tells us through a word or impression, sometimes he shows us, and sometimes we gain clarity over time. The key is to listen for the question and wait for an answer.

Listening to questions involves paying attention to discomfort long enough to let the question form. In order to do that, we can’t be surprised by the difficulty of life. Inner disquiet is not something to be fixed. It’s often a question in the making. A question is an answer-shaped hole, waiting to be filled. And an answer from God is a powerful thing – it’s so amazing to hear from the Creator of everything!

Waiting for answers involves trust and patience. When the answer doesn’t come immediately, we need to keep trusting and listening. Sometimes Jesus will tell us through a word or impression, sometimes he shows us and sometimes we gain clarity over time. Regardless of the way the answer comes to us, a question is a promise: payment has been received and shipping initiated. It might be courier express or economy delivery, but the answer is on its way.

What questions is your life stirring up today?

Matthew 26:17-25; John 13:18-30

 Verdeen Bueckert

After Peter’s betrayal, Jesus generously restored him and assigned a position of leadership and service: “Feed my sheep.” Peter didn’t ask, “What about John, Lord? Aren’t you going to give him special work to do? (He might feel left out on Pentecost when I give my first sermon and three thousand are added to the church.”)

It wasn’t until Jesus predicted the kind of death Peter would die that he turned around, saw John, and asked, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.”

If someone else seems to have an easier life, more success and prosperity, more respect and recognition, Jesus asks, “What is that to you?” If you seem to have more problems and challenges, conflicts and stress, Jesus says, “What is that to you? You follow me.”

Life isn’t fair. It’s uneven. But our tendency to notice where we have less often blinds us to the parts of our lives that are generously uneven. We often overlook basic blessings such as waking up alive, health, food and freedom. The discipline of gratitude reminds us to count our chocolate chips and share with those who have none.

Peter lived with Jesus for three years and became a key leader in the early church. According to tradition, he was also crucified upside down. Job asked, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”

What does it look like to follow Jesus through the uneven parts of your life today?

John 21:15-23, Job 2:10

Verdeen Bueckert

When Jesus fed the multitudes, he first asked his followers for a plan: “You feed them!” When they protested, he prompted, “How much food do you have? Go and find out.”  Five loaves of bread and two fish were hardly adequate for the vast crowd assembled, and yet Jesus welcomed their collaboration and multiplied their meager resources.

In Organic Community, Joseph R. Myers states, “A theology of God as creator of organic order…allows for collaboration with him. We are privileged to participate with him in the forming of our future. He invites our ideas, our energy, our creativity, our perspective. He gives up a measure of control to facilitate relationship with us and to demonstrate his love.”

If God wanted puppets, he wouldn’t have given us free will or intelligence. He so values relationship, he risked creating us in his image. Are you bringing your small loaves to the table? Do you value the fishy ideas and pointed questions of others? Are you collaborating with Jesus?

Remember his last words, “Be sure of this: I am with you always.”

Verdeen Bueckert

The first thing Jesus did when he began his ministry was to assemble a team. He didn’t
wait until his workload became unmanageable. His followers watched him work, were
sent out in teams and came back rejoicing.

Teamwork doesn’t come naturally. We have default settings that value tasks over
relationships: children were a nuisance, and uncooperative villagers deserved fire from
heaven. Yet Jesus saw teams not as a means to accomplish more tasks, but as the
crucible for fellowship, character development, and loving service.

When we try to build cohesive teams we experience the crucible of conflict. Some
incident stirs up anger. We judge and criticize the offender as worthless, unreasonable,
stupid. From that position of contempt, we give up on the relationship. Jesus sternly
warned us: these attitudes warrant judgment! Responsibility for tending relationships
trumps even the most spiritual practices! “So if you are standing before the altar in the
Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has
something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled
to that person.”

The highest, truest form of worship is love. Love will be tested. Obedience to Jesus
brings us through the crucible of conflict to the joy and fellowship of effective teamwork.

Verdeen Bueckert

After more than two decades in leadership I remember reflecting one day over the ongoing load and stress I was feeling. I was tired, and my mind started looking for explanations, reasons why I was feeling stressed. While there are many things that stress a leader, what emerged were three things I especially hated:

1. People watched me. Everything I or my family did was ‘on display.’ Leading a church of 1200 in a small town meant there were eyes everywhere. Every store we entered, every event we attended, what time I came to work, when I went home. Good grief, everything! I hated this ‘glass bowl’ syndrome.
2. People quoted me. Of course I was aware that what I preached would be noted; I knew that came with the territory. But everything? What I said in staff meetings, remarks in public, comments in private? Even off-hand remarks were echoed back to me later. “So-and-so said that you said …” Sometimes the feedback came years later! They still remembered something I had completely forgotten I had said. And then I discovered that some of these off-hand remarks were taken very seriously, and people felt like a tsunami had devastated them. Whoa.
3. People waited for me. I mean, do I have to initiate everything? Does anybody around here have initiative? Do I have to push everything up the hill?

And these three things just would not go away. I could not dismiss them, and it was fruitless to protest. It dawned on me that day that they come with the territory of leadership. I was going to have to accept them. As I pondered and prayed about them, the thought came to me …

Then live your life with integrity. Do you have something to hide? There should be no place you go that you would not want anybody else to know; it should not matter that people know when you come and go – are you ashamed of anything? How about using this glass bowl as an opportunity to model authentic Christian leadership? Now there’s a thought.

And if people are going to quote you, then give them something good to quote. You have the opportunity to choose what will be quoted - words of encouragement, comments of affirmation, vision, and appreciation. And stop being a loose cannon with off-handed remarks – it’s damaging to people and not good for your own soul.

Do you really want everyone around you initiating? Then I remembered … there was one person in the congregation that was an excellent leader. He had all kinds of ideas.  And he would call up and ‘initiate on me’. They were good ideas, so I did not resent them. But I found that I was adapting my schedule, my energies, my time to carry out his ideas. He had influence. I then realized … leaders initiate. And because of that, they have influence. Most people are not initiating, and consequently are willing to follow the leader’s vision. Don’t you want to have influence? Well then …

Hmmm. With some promptings from the Holy Spirit that made me reflect and make an attitude adjustment, I came to realize that the three things I hated about leadership were actually three opportunities for leadership.

What is in your life and leadership that annoys you? Could it be that there might be an opportunity hidden within the very thing that just won’t go away?