Laying Down Those Fears February 26, 2009

Fear. 

It can grip us right in the gut and control us if we let it.  My son Evan has a fear.  He doesn’t like the dark.  Not only does he not like the dark, but his brother and his dad have exacerbated the situation by jumping out at him from behind corners.  Now, Evan won’t go down to the front door (our main living area is on the second floor) to answer it or get his back pack from the front hall or go into the family room downstairs.  Night or day, he won’t go there.

We become gripped with fears too.  Perhaps not as simply laid out like Evan’s.  However complex, our fears can result in holding us back from doing the things that God is calling us to do.

Like leading.

My fears are a mixed bag of leftovers from my younger years to newly developed concerns that come with aging. 

• What will people think of what I accomplish?
• Who do I think I am?
• Do I have the ability?
• Am I healthy enough to do this?
• Will it add to the demands on my life?
• I’m getting closer to retirement – do I have enough time?

Those are just some of the things that go through my mind when I’m considering a new project or task.  This blogazine was a leap of faith and I thought, “what if nobody cares what I think about leadership? ”

Fears are as unique as each one of us.  The day I learned to face my fears was the day I heard someone I admired for all they had accomplished share their fears with me.  I was stunned!  How could this very together woman who had accomplished so much in her life have any fears?  And especially fears that were very similar to mine?  This was a woman whom everyone loved and admired – and she felt inadequate.  She worried what people would think of her.

I think the devil has been having a hey day with us, using our fears to paralyze us and to stop us from accomplishing the very thing that God has for us to do.  If we’re ever going to get beyond our fears, we must confront them head on and also confront the one who is using them against us.

When I need to confront my fears I go to a mirror.  I look in the mirror and I pray.  Eyes open, I watch myself, my facial expressions, and gaze into the eyes that stare back at me as I take my concerns to the Lord.  My eyes.  Me.  I watch as my determination grows and I tell the enemy off and order him to cease and desist. I state my intention and affirm my security in Jesus Christ.  That’s when the fears begin to fade and I find the courage to move forward.  I’m not sure why it works for me, I just know that it does.  (My worst fear in the world is that someone will walk in and hear me!)

 Cyndy Salzman commented on last week’s post and shared that reading scripture and then journalling her prayers helps her to sort things out.  When we do that often our fears will come to light and we can see them for what they are in the light of day.

We all have different methods of recognizing and dealing with our fears.  What helps you recognize and then deal with the things that sometimes have you paralyzed?  What will it take to confront those fears? 

Would you share them with us?

grace… kathie

Decisions, Decisions…. February 16, 2009

One of the things I find the hardest to do as a leader is make a decision about something important.   Now, for those that know me I’ll bet they’re thinking, “What?  Kathie Chiu finds it hard to make a decision?”  I know – how can such a bossy boots have that problem?  Well, I must confess that over the years I’ve learned to value consensus.  That’s right.  I like to listen to what everyone has to say on a particular matter and then see if we can get everyone on the same page.  So, when it’s time to make the decision, everyone on the team is thinking along the same lines.  Even though it’s not easy to get people on the same page, once they are, the decisions come a lot easier.

However…. when everyone is on a different page no matter how hard we try, it sometimes comes down to the leader to make a decision.

How do we do that without quaking in our boots??? 

Pray.  Think. Decide.

Most of the time we know the answer.  We know what to do.  It’s just the courage we lack to step out with the answer.  What are we afraid of?  Failure?  What other people think? 

Sometimes we are afraid of who we are and what we can accomplish.  We are afraid of the power we have within ourselves to make an impact in this world. 

Sometimes we’re just afraid and we don’t know why.

So, if we’re going to be good at decision making, we need to confront our fears - one at a time, take them to Jesus and lay them at His feet.

Then decide!

Tell me… what helps you make those important decisions?  How do you confront your fears? Drop me a comment and let me know!

grace… kathie

The Cost of Leadership February 3, 2009

So much depended on me.  I felt the weight of it, a burden of monolithic proportions and quivered beneath its bulk.  So much to do. So many people to talk to.  So many issues to sort out.  I began to sense my inadequacies and begged God to take it away.

How can we cope?  I know the schpiel that God equips those who He calls.  I get that He won’t give me more than I can handle.  I know that.  What I want to know is how do we – practically speaking – cope with the enourmous task of leadership.

Here are some things I’ve learned:

• Delegate. 

Give as much away as possible of what doesn’t need your own particular attention.  However, this brings frightening prospects – what if the people you delegate to fail at their appointed task?  And you’re still held accountable for it.   Well, it goes with the territory and you just have to hope and pray that God is in the details.  Leadership requires stepping into the breach for the people you are leading.

• Order your day, order, order, order…

Organization may not come naturally to some people, however, if you want to be an effective leader and handle the overwhelming burden that leadership brings, you need to get organized.  Before I start the day I take a notebook and list all the tasks that need my attention.  As the day goes on I look back at it, over and over, checking off what is done and realigning the items on the list.  I don’t get too bogged down in sorting it out according to importance, I just get at it.  I usually pick something small to give me a feeling of accomplishment early on in the day.  You just have to start one task at a time.  I used to be able to multi-task, but as I’ve become more experienced, I realize that I get more done doing one thing at a time.  Multi-tasking wore out my brain and brought infomation overload to my weakened state.  No, don’t multi-task unless you absolutely have to.

• Pray.

Ok, so this sounds pretty basic, I know.  But let me tell you, if I don’t stop and pray once in a while, I can’t keep focussed when it’s busy.  It’s usually when I’m looking at my ‘to do’ list that I pray – “Lord, please help me get through this list” or “God, please show me what’s important for me to do next” and even a desperate “Lord, I can’t handle this… you gotta help me out here!!!”

I know that what you want to hear is the secret to doing it all and having it all.  But really, friends, it doesn’t work that way.  One of the most important aspects of leadership is knowing when to ask for help – from others, from yourself and from God.

Man, am I ever glad I have God!

So, what are some of the practical things that you do to help you be a more effective leader?

I’m looking forward to hearing from you….

grace… Kathie