Ronnie Floyd

Archive for the 'Bible Studies for Life' Category

May 26th, 2015

Leading Through Conflict: 5 Ways a Leader Can Deal With Harmful Conflict

Can you remember leading or being on a team that was riddled with harmful conflict? Do examples of unresolved conflict on church committees come to mind?

Any time a group of people gathers as a team, the possibility of harmful conflict arises. Whenever a team decides on goals or strategies requiring discussion and decision-making, conflict is virtually inevitable, and harmful conflict very possible. Personality differences, personal preferences, political agendas and the like can create deep conflict. Conflict can stop the forward motion of a group instantly, if not destroy the effort completely.

Conflict Can Paralyze or Energize

I have served as a pastor for over 38 years; 28 of those years have been in the same church. I have faced conflict in every church, no matter the size. I can tell you: Conflict can paralyze you in leadership or it can energize you to complete the vision. I have experienced both. It has discouraged me greatly or moved me to a resolve to push through the moment, keeping my eyes on Christ and the vision He has put in my heart.

Conflict Calls Upon the Leader to Lead

Whenever conflict arises, the leader is the person who must recognize and respond. The leader must evaluate whether the conflict is beneficial (working through differing ideas on the way to a solution), or harmful (rooted in jealousy, personality, pettiness, etc.).

5 Ways a Leader Can Deal With Harmful Conflict

Don’t ignore the conflict. Conflict doesn’t just dissolve away like sugar in coffee. Harmful conflict is like a plague–it spreads. It hurts everything it touches. Good leaders do not ignore harmful conflict.
Don’t wait longer than necessary to gather all the facts. Leaders can gather facts without ignoring the problem, and waiting does not imply ignoring the problem. In fact, making sure all the facts are in mind will lead to a better resolution of the conflict than if the leader tries to fix things ill-informed.
Don’t address the group to get at an individual. This is an easy trap to fall into. When made aware of two people in a group who are angry with each other, blasting the group isn’t the answer. If a person or more than one person are problematic in a group, the leader should take him, her, or them aside and address the issue directly. When the scattergun approach is used, it hurts the morale of the group members who aren’t guilty. It sometimes allows the conflict causing party or parties to ignore the reprimand since it’s easy to say, “That was meant for someone else.”
Listen, question, and listen more. Writing in Bible Studies for Life, Paul Jimenez wisely notes, “Leading through listening leads to a godly resolution-and in so doing, we honor Christ.”¹ Good listening can lead to good thinking, and to spiritual awareness. Never hesitate to ask clarifying questions when leading through conflict. Get clarity from all parties.
Make clear communication the top priority. When putting a stop to harmful conflict, it is imperative that everyone involved hear and understand the same things. Wording is as important as the delivery (written, verbal, both). Though Paul wasn’t writing about conflict resolution when he talked about the trumpet making an uncertain sound, it is a good communication principle. Paul Jimenez suggests listen, affirm, and confront as a basic framework to communicate clearly.

Leaders, you need not fear conflict. With the power of God’s Spirit, you can lead through harmful conflict and continue to move your team forward to accomplish the goals God has for you.

Lead Through Conflict,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
President, Southern Baptist Convention

References

¹– Bible Studies for Life, Be Strong and Courageous, Paul Jimenez

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.

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May 19th, 2015

Leading Beyond Failure

Bible Studies for Life

I have experienced failure. All leaders experience failure at some point in their leadership journey. Business, military, church, or community leaders all experience disappointment or frustration when things go awry. The best planners can overlook an important detail. The best drill instructor can send an ill-trained recruit into battle. A pastor’s best efforts to raise money for a new building may go down in flames for a variety of reasons.

Failure Is a Great Teacher

Throughout history, political and business leaders have known failure as a great teacher. Coco Chanel said, “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know failure is inevitable.” Winston Churchill noted, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” And Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”*

Failure Is Not the End

Though failure can be difficult and painful, it need not be the end. C.S. Lewis said, “Failure are finger posts on the road to achievement.”¹ Paul Jimenez gives leaders this wisdom, “Leaders confront failure, deal with it, and move forward.”²

Speaking of moving forward through failure, on June 1, my newest book, FORWARD: 7 Distinguishing Marks For Future Leaders will be released. Forward is a call. Forward is a process. Forward is a direction. Forward is a change. Forward leaders are missing in action.

Failure Is Real and Painful

In Joshua’s leading of the Israelites into Canaan, not every battle was a Jericho-sized victory. Not every strategy was as odd as marching around the walls with rams’ horns. After the walls were leveled by the power of God, and the city conquered, the next city to be overcome was the little city of Ai.

Compared to mighty Jericho, the Israelites expected a pushover. Rather than sending out his full army, Joshua sent a limited number of fighters. Those were sent running before the fighters of the little city. Unknown to Joshua, an Israelite fighter, Achan, violated God’s command during the Battle of Jericho. As a result of this disobedience, Israel lost the battle at Ai. The defeat brought Joshua to a point of crisis. Israel’s leader demanded of God: “Why did You ever bring these people across the Jordan?”³

Many church leaders who have attempted great things for God know the overwhelming depression and discouragement that can befall them after a defeat. Some leaders never recover from a defeat, but Joshua did. How? He confronted the failure, dealt with it, and moved forward.

Failure Can Be the Beginning of a New Moment In Your Life

When God revealed the issue to Joshua, he responded immediately. When Joshua confronted Achan and received his confession, the children of Israel immediately carried out the terrible judgment on Achan and his family. Finally, when Israel had repented, Joshua carried out the renewed direction to conquer Ai, and they did. The same confidence Joshua had when he accepted the call to follow Moses was restored in conquering Ai.

Failure Forces Personal Evaluation

Sometimes sin is not involved with failure. Market conditions that cause a missed sales forecast aren’t necessarily a result of sin. So how should we respond to failure when sin is involved? “We should pray and ask God to do the same for us. Ask Him to bring to light our sins, awaken us to what has lulled us to sleep, and turn our hearts from anything that steers us away from allegiance to Him.”⁴ And, if sin is not involved, we cannot allow the hurt of failure to make us bitter, thereby dragging us into sin.

God is faithful on both sides of failure. The same God that leads us through success shepherds us through failures. His faithful empowering allows us to lead beyond failure. It is time to move forward.

Forward Through Failure,