Management Mentors: The Ministry of Management: A High Calling

Seasoned professionals share their very best practices, practical tips and timeless insights on…

Mark Cutshall 

The Ministry of Mentoring …

"When I think of the word 'mentor,' my mind immediately goes to David Lewis. He was general manager of a television station where I worked as assistant manager," says Sue Croy, director of human resources for Stonecroft Ministries in Kansas City, Mo. (stonecroft.org).

"David modeled a Christ-like relationship with his staff. He always put people before tasks. He not only spent many hours listening to their concerns, he helped them with their personal needs, even if it meant staying extra hours to work on his own responsibilities. He sent couples to marriage seminars at his own expense and helped his employees with transportation needs.

"Once, he paid for a plane ticket for an employee who couldn't afford a trip to see her sick father. Always busy, he somehow always found time to put people first."

Personal dedication before duty: "Because I have always been very task-oriented, David's example of 'people first' helped me to refocus my priorities to serve others first."

The Ministry of Focusing …

"As an officer in The Salvation Army," says Commissioner W. Todd Bassett, the organization's national commander in Alexandria, Va. (salvationarmyusa.org), "it has been an incredible journey to be exposed to some of the finest Christian leaders and to learn by association and direction in developing skills for Christian management and leadership.

One leader in particular, Commissioner David Baxendale, was attuned to people and applied this three-fold model by Scripture Press:

1. Focus
2. Discover
3. Respond

"People—who they are and where they are at any given moment in their life—must always be the focus of our ministry. Once we focus on people, we can discover a person's needs."

Going deeper: "David helped me see that to get the very best from your people, you need to find the area of their life which requires your attention. It's one thing to say that we care about people and understand their needs. However, we must find how to appropriately respond to those needs. Management is achieving a given task—best accomplished with the help and support of others who know they're valued and understood."

The Ministry of Teaming …

Bob Lipps, executive director, Lockton Alliance for Ministry Protection (LAMP) in San Francisco, Calif. (lamp.lockton.com), remembers the moment: "One of the first major management lessons of my ministry career came when I was in Wycliffe's Jungle Camp (an outward bound-type staff training program) before being sent overseas. Eleven of us were dropped off in the middle of nowhere 60 miles from base camp with only two cups of granola and a few canoes. The only thing we were told was that if we followed the river bed we would eventually get back to base camp.

"George Bruneau, another Wycliffe trainee, and I grabbed our granola and a canoe and discussed heading down river. Before we took off, the group consensus was that we should all stick together and that we should pool our granola and dish it out as needed. To me, a rather independent type, this suggestion did not sound great, but I cooperated.

"After three days of pushing the group, being in the front of the pack and repeatedly waiting 20 minutes for the weaker guys to catch up, I came to the depressing revelation that I was not going to get to base camp any sooner than the slowest guy in the group."

Teaming with wisdom: "I realized the fastest way to reach our destination was to help the weaker team members, share my resources and carry their load. I've used that thinking many times over the years in a consensus-driven ministry where everything is accomplished in teams."

The Ministry of Delegating …

Steve Boersma, a ministry consultant with Seeba & Associates (seebaassociates.com), in San Jose, Calif., tells this story: "As a young manager at Intel Corporation back in the late 70s, I found myself spending more and more time in the office while seemingly accomplishing less and less. One day when the work had really begun to pile up and it seemed like there were more things to do than hours in the day, I knew it was time to talk to Ed Hanlon.

"Ed was an old-time engineer who should have been long retired but for his love of the profession. He was brought in by the corporation to deal with some sticky internal problems related to their rapid growth.

"Everyone was under tremendous pressure in those fast-paced days, yet Ed was always calm and in control. When Ed wasn't out talking with people he could generally be found in his office with his feet up and his eyes closed, contemplating.

"As I unloaded my problems on Ed that day I quickly learned his secret:

1. 'Give yourself plenty of time to think … and to reflect on just what it is that really needs to be accomplished.
2. 'Delegate everything possible, and reserve for yourself only those things where your personal attention is needed to move the work ahead.'

I never forgot those words and have applied them in my consulting practice with great success ever since.

"The best example came while I was serving as the executive pastor of a large church. Tasked with leading the congregation through a difficult strategic planning process, I soon realized the key to success would be to ensure the continued engagement of several key individuals and groups.

"Remembering Ed's words, I delegated responsibility for the actual facilitation to a skilled and respected member of the church, while I devoted most of my energies to keeping these key people involved. The plan, once adopted by the church, guided their ministry practices for years to come."

Working Smarter: "It's not always how much time you put in, but the quality of time you devote to an issue that provides the best payoff."

Mark Cutshall works from Seattle and helps leaders find the power in their story. Contact him at mcutsh@aol.com