5 Interesting Things I have Learned About Leadership

Over the past few years since New City Church began, I have, as you can imagine, learned quite a few things about leadership. In this post, I want to share five specific things that I have found quite helpful but was never told. In fact, some of these might sound strange or even like things leaders shouldn't do. In reality, I couldn't recommend these things enough.

1. Preach (or whenever you public speak) in clothes you are comfortable with

We all have certain clothes in our closets that we just like better. Maybe it fits better or you just like the style. Whatever the reason, you know exactly what shirt, or jeans, or whatever it is you wear the most.

Regardless of what your style is (so long as it is appropriate for where you are speaking), I have found that what I wear impacts how I do. The reality is, even if no one else would notice or care, if you have certain clothes that don't fit quite right, or you just don't like how you feel wearing it, don't wear it when you speak.

How much it actually matters I couldn't tell you. But I can speak from my personal experience of preaching most weeks over the past three years that there is enough to distract you from speaking as well as you would like, so don't make what you wear one of those things.

In fact, earlier this year I got rid of quite a lot of my clothes I have accumulated over the years that I didn't like. This means people may notice I wear more of the same things because I have less, but it makes me feel more comfortable.

Of all of these points, this one may sound the most strange or least important, but I have found it has made a big difference for me.

2. Meet with people on your time

While it may seem that meeting people on your time is selfish or even unloving, meeting people when it is best for you (when you can control it) is actually the best and most loving thing to do.

In fact, I recently shared four reasons why it is better for you and your organization if you can do so.

This is something I have been more intentional with the past year and have seen it work quite well. Most people are happy to meet at a time that works for both parties, and I have found even prefer to be given a few times to choose from instead of the "whenever works best for you" approach that ends up making meetings take more work to get scheduled.

This also helps accomplish point #3.

3. Set a schedule that works for you

To the degree that you can control it, doing your most valuable tasks when you are at your best leads to your greatest results.

For example, I have found that I am most creative, focused, and energized in the morning. Because of that, I am intentional about reserving my mornings for things like sermon study and prep, writing, and other tasks that need a high amount of focus and creativity.

In fact, I ramp it up even more on Tuesday mornings which are my heavy sermon study and writing time for me. On Tuesdays, I literally wake up, read a quick devotional, grab something quick to eat, and head right over to my desk to get started.

I don't shower or get ready for the day. I don't go to my office at New City Church (Tuesday morning is the only time I work from home). I don't do anything else that takes time away from when I am at my best. I'll work as hard as I can until lunch, and then I'll do all those things you're supposed to do in the morning.

I have found this principle to be so helpful that I am even willing to let you judge me for my Tuesday routine to make my point :).

This means that I hardly ever take morning meetings. It also means I don't start my day with tasks that drain me or aren't as valuable to New City Church where I lead. Of course, there are times when it can't always work out this way. But I am intentional about creating a schedule that works for me so that I can be my best for New City.

4. Let other people do what you aren't good at

In my experience, there are two reasons why leaders don't delegate well or empower and equip others. First is because they have a hard time relinquishing control and do more harm than good because they don't develop others. I think most leaders can think of a time they have done that and would agree it's not a wise thing to do.

The other reason is actually done with good intentions but can be just as bad for your organization or those you lead. And that is not giving things away because you assume that because you don't like doing a certain task, no one else will either.

In other words, you feel bad asking someone to do something you don't want to do, so you keep doing it.

The problem is that there is always someone who actually enjoys doing things you don't like. We are all gifted and skilled and passionate about different things. Someone actually likes doing the things you don't.

This doesn't mean you can find someone to do everything you don't like to do, but it does mean that you shouldn't say "no" for others. After all, the more you can focus in on the areas where you create the most value, the better it is for everyone involved.

5. Know why you need to say no

Saying "no" to things can be hard. But it becomes much less difficult if you know why you need to say know. Have you thought through how many hours a week you should work before it becomes unhealthy for you or your family? What about the importance of rest and time off? Or that doing a lot of things and burning out in a few years means you actually accomplish much less than being healthy and consistent over the long haul?

For example, as a pastor, there are a lot of evening activities I have going on. Whether it's a church event, meeting with someone from church, having people over to our home, etc. And while I typically enjoy these things, I also want to have a good marriage and for my kids to love Jesus and the church, not despise them.

Which means I know the importance of not having something going on every night. Because I know why I need to say no to that additional evening invitation (for example) it makes it much easier to decline.

If you feel overwhelmed often because you say yes to much, remember that every time you say "yes" you are saying "no" to something else. Figuring out what is important to you makes saying "no" easier because you are cognizant of the why behind it.