For Transformational Growth — Face the Brutal Facts
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For Transformational Growth — Face the Brutal Facts
For Transformational Growth — Face the Brutal Facts
For Transformational Growth — Face the Brutal Facts
Organizations, teams, and individuals must own their mistakes before they can make progress. We must admit the brutal facts, including where we have been off to grow and improve. Deep introspection and facing the facts lead to a correct view of self, which is the starting place for transformative growth.
“What’s wrong with the world today? I am.” - G.K. Chesterton
It is incredibly difficult to get better unless we admit where we are off — unless we admit we are part of the problem.
Organizations, teams, and individuals must own their mistakes before they can make progress. We must admit the brutal facts, including where we have been off to grow and improve. Deep introspection and facing the facts lead to a correct view of self, which is the starting place for transformative growth.
As leaders, this is a personal quest before it becomes a corporate or team quest. If we are not clear of our own faults and deep needs we can actually do harm to the organization we serve. Not seeing ourselves and the damage we cause with our own mistakes, causes us to focus more on the mistakes and the motives of others. This is also known as the fundamental attribution error.
Patrick Lencioni talks about the fundamental attribution error this way, “As sophisticated and complex as it may sound, it’s really quite simple. At the heart of the fundamental attribution error is the tendency of human beings to attribute the negative or frustrating behaviors of their colleagues to their intentions and personalities, while attributing their own negative or frustrating behaviors to environmental factors.
For instance, if I see a dad at the grocery store scowling at his five-year-old daughter and wagging his finger in her face, I’m likely to conclude that the guy has an anger problem and needs some counseling. If I find myself scowling and wagging my finger at my own five-year-old, I’m likely to conclude that my behavior is caused by my unruly child or that I’m just having a tough day.”
We must do the work to know ourselves and our needs in order to become the person and the leader we were meant to be.
Going Deep
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:4[.no-reftag]
Wait a minute! What in the world does mourning and being comforted have to do with our needs and becoming better leaders?
This is exactly where G.K Chesterton’s quote, “What is the world's biggest problem? I am.” posed to several prominent authors by The Times of London comes into play. Chesterton's witty reply was attention grabbing, personally healthy, and most of all it was biblical.
Our biggest problem is ourselves. Our biggest problem is our sin. We must admit, hate, and mourn our sin.
Tim Keller says it this way “Your problems are sin and until you admit that it’s sin you are in bondage.”
Keller goes on to explain sin, “Sin is doing your own thing. When a little kid is about to cross Park avenue and he’s 3 years old. I say, “I need to hold your hand.” And he says to you, “I can do it myself.” And he darts out. He’ll probably be killed. Why? Darting out was an awful thing. Being killed was an awful thing, but it’s just a symptom. At heart it was his unwillingness to admit he needs to hold my hand.”
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones says, “Let us remember, then, that the Christian is a man who knows what it is to cry out, 'O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' (Romans 7:24) That tells us something of what is meant by mourning. Here is a man who was so grief-stricken about himself that he cries out in that agony. All Christians are meant to be like that. A Christian man knows that experience of feeling utterly hopeless about himself, and says about himself, as did Paul, 'In me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” (Romans 7:18). This is what it means to mourn our sin.“
Mourning our sin gets us to the end of ourselves and this leads to us running to the One who promises to comfort us. In Jesus we find all the comfort and assurance that we so desperately need.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - [.no-reftag]Matthew 11:28-30[.no-reftag]
New Character – New Kingdom
The greatest leader in the history of the world invites us to a new way of life so that we can be part of the kingdom He is building. He invites us to look deeply at ourselves and then promises us new life and gives us new character.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” ([.no-reftag]Matthew 5:4[.no-reftag]) is part of the Beatitudes that Jesus gives in His Sermon on the Mount. This is a sermon fully describing the new life Jesus offers and the blessings that come with the life He offers in the Kingdom of God.
Tim Keller explains, “Jesus Christ is the supernatural and ultimate King. And when He comes into power, His power is expressed through a new administration called the Kingdom. A new set of priorities, a new set of powers, a new set of strategies. And the effects are far greater than anything we might call an improved quality of life. The effects are more comprehensive and radical than we can imagine.
When Jesus Christ comes into power over our heart or over our life or over our family or over a group or a community or an institution there’s total transformation in every dimension of life, of that entity. Therefore, The Sermon on the Mount is here to show us just how far reaching that transformation is. And The Beatitudes can only be understood in that context.”
Kingdom Life at Work
Followers of Jesus know they are forgiven and they are comforted by understanding that Jesus has removed their sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). With the understanding that our sin is removed, we become witnesses of Jesus and agents of forgiveness in the workplace.
Being an agent of forgiveness in the workplace does not mean we quit making mistakes, or that we quit sinning. As agents of forgiveness we do the following:
- We admit our mistakes. We are vulnerable and apologize to coworkers.
- We readily and fully forgive others.
These two habits allow us to lead teams and organizations where trust and vulnerability are the bedrock of our relationship success.
Patrick Lencioni explains it this way, “The kind of trust that is necessary to build a great team is what I call vulnerability-based trust. This is what happens when members get to a point where they are completely comfortable being transparent, honest, and naked with one another, where they say and genuinely mean things like “I screwed up,” “I need help,” “Your idea is better than mine,” “I wish I could learn to do that as well as you do,” and even, “I’m sorry.”
When everyone on a team knows that everyone else is vulnerable enough to say and mean those things, and that no one is going to hide his or her weaknesses or mistakes, they develop a deep and uncommon sense of trust (see graphic below).
They speak more freely and fearlessly with one another and don’t waste time and energy putting on airs or pretending to be someone they’re not. Over time, this creates a bond that exceeds what many people ever experience in their lives and, sometimes, unfortunately, even in their families.”
With this type of vulnerability based trust, teams are able to discuss difficult subjects openly, resolve conflict, come to joint commitments with accountability that leads to outstanding results.
This is how witnesses and agents for the King on this earth lead — in the emerging kingdom of God — until Jesus comes back and makes everything new!
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: Dear Sir, I am | Joe Holland
Book: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business | Patrick Lencioni
Sermon: Blessed are They That Mourn | Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones
Sermon: Coming to Christ | Tim Keller
“What’s wrong with the world today? I am.” - G.K. Chesterton
It is incredibly difficult to get better unless we admit where we are off — unless we admit we are part of the problem.
Organizations, teams, and individuals must own their mistakes before they can make progress. We must admit the brutal facts, including where we have been off to grow and improve. Deep introspection and facing the facts lead to a correct view of self, which is the starting place for transformative growth.
As leaders, this is a personal quest before it becomes a corporate or team quest. If we are not clear of our own faults and deep needs we can actually do harm to the organization we serve. Not seeing ourselves and the damage we cause with our own mistakes, causes us to focus more on the mistakes and the motives of others. This is also known as the fundamental attribution error.
Patrick Lencioni talks about the fundamental attribution error this way, “As sophisticated and complex as it may sound, it’s really quite simple. At the heart of the fundamental attribution error is the tendency of human beings to attribute the negative or frustrating behaviors of their colleagues to their intentions and personalities, while attributing their own negative or frustrating behaviors to environmental factors.
For instance, if I see a dad at the grocery store scowling at his five-year-old daughter and wagging his finger in her face, I’m likely to conclude that the guy has an anger problem and needs some counseling. If I find myself scowling and wagging my finger at my own five-year-old, I’m likely to conclude that my behavior is caused by my unruly child or that I’m just having a tough day.”
We must do the work to know ourselves and our needs in order to become the person and the leader we were meant to be.
Going Deep
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:4[.no-reftag]
Wait a minute! What in the world does mourning and being comforted have to do with our needs and becoming better leaders?
This is exactly where G.K Chesterton’s quote, “What is the world's biggest problem? I am.” posed to several prominent authors by The Times of London comes into play. Chesterton's witty reply was attention grabbing, personally healthy, and most of all it was biblical.
Our biggest problem is ourselves. Our biggest problem is our sin. We must admit, hate, and mourn our sin.
Tim Keller says it this way “Your problems are sin and until you admit that it’s sin you are in bondage.”
Keller goes on to explain sin, “Sin is doing your own thing. When a little kid is about to cross Park avenue and he’s 3 years old. I say, “I need to hold your hand.” And he says to you, “I can do it myself.” And he darts out. He’ll probably be killed. Why? Darting out was an awful thing. Being killed was an awful thing, but it’s just a symptom. At heart it was his unwillingness to admit he needs to hold my hand.”
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones says, “Let us remember, then, that the Christian is a man who knows what it is to cry out, 'O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' (Romans 7:24) That tells us something of what is meant by mourning. Here is a man who was so grief-stricken about himself that he cries out in that agony. All Christians are meant to be like that. A Christian man knows that experience of feeling utterly hopeless about himself, and says about himself, as did Paul, 'In me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” (Romans 7:18). This is what it means to mourn our sin.“
Mourning our sin gets us to the end of ourselves and this leads to us running to the One who promises to comfort us. In Jesus we find all the comfort and assurance that we so desperately need.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - [.no-reftag]Matthew 11:28-30[.no-reftag]
New Character – New Kingdom
The greatest leader in the history of the world invites us to a new way of life so that we can be part of the kingdom He is building. He invites us to look deeply at ourselves and then promises us new life and gives us new character.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” ([.no-reftag]Matthew 5:4[.no-reftag]) is part of the Beatitudes that Jesus gives in His Sermon on the Mount. This is a sermon fully describing the new life Jesus offers and the blessings that come with the life He offers in the Kingdom of God.
Tim Keller explains, “Jesus Christ is the supernatural and ultimate King. And when He comes into power, His power is expressed through a new administration called the Kingdom. A new set of priorities, a new set of powers, a new set of strategies. And the effects are far greater than anything we might call an improved quality of life. The effects are more comprehensive and radical than we can imagine.
When Jesus Christ comes into power over our heart or over our life or over our family or over a group or a community or an institution there’s total transformation in every dimension of life, of that entity. Therefore, The Sermon on the Mount is here to show us just how far reaching that transformation is. And The Beatitudes can only be understood in that context.”
Kingdom Life at Work
Followers of Jesus know they are forgiven and they are comforted by understanding that Jesus has removed their sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). With the understanding that our sin is removed, we become witnesses of Jesus and agents of forgiveness in the workplace.
Being an agent of forgiveness in the workplace does not mean we quit making mistakes, or that we quit sinning. As agents of forgiveness we do the following:
- We admit our mistakes. We are vulnerable and apologize to coworkers.
- We readily and fully forgive others.
These two habits allow us to lead teams and organizations where trust and vulnerability are the bedrock of our relationship success.
Patrick Lencioni explains it this way, “The kind of trust that is necessary to build a great team is what I call vulnerability-based trust. This is what happens when members get to a point where they are completely comfortable being transparent, honest, and naked with one another, where they say and genuinely mean things like “I screwed up,” “I need help,” “Your idea is better than mine,” “I wish I could learn to do that as well as you do,” and even, “I’m sorry.”
When everyone on a team knows that everyone else is vulnerable enough to say and mean those things, and that no one is going to hide his or her weaknesses or mistakes, they develop a deep and uncommon sense of trust (see graphic below).
They speak more freely and fearlessly with one another and don’t waste time and energy putting on airs or pretending to be someone they’re not. Over time, this creates a bond that exceeds what many people ever experience in their lives and, sometimes, unfortunately, even in their families.”
With this type of vulnerability based trust, teams are able to discuss difficult subjects openly, resolve conflict, come to joint commitments with accountability that leads to outstanding results.
This is how witnesses and agents for the King on this earth lead — in the emerging kingdom of God — until Jesus comes back and makes everything new!
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: Dear Sir, I am | Joe Holland
Book: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business | Patrick Lencioni
Sermon: Blessed are They That Mourn | Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones
Sermon: Coming to Christ | Tim Keller