There’s a popular opinion that says followers resist change and leaders like change. That’s not true at all.
Most of the time, leaders like changes only if the changes were their idea! Very few people prefer change, for the simple reason that change requires more work than maintaining the status quo.
If we are going to change an organization, we must begin by changing ourselves. Change is not a once and for all kind of thing—if only it were that easy.
No, changing ourselves is a lifelong process. Not only that, but we must be intentional about how we want to change. I have found that:
1) When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs
The following strategy has been particularly effective in helping me bring about change in my thinking. I’ve trained myself to think in ways that are:
- Positive – This allows me to look for the best and receive the best.
- Creative – This allows me to find answers when others quit looking.
- Bottom line – This allows me to prioritize and get rid of busy work.
- Simple – This allows me to communicate my thoughts to everyone.
- Practical – This allows me to apply principles to everyday life.
- Continual – This allows me to assimilate everyday experiences into projects that are “on the table.”
2) When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations
Belief is the knowledge that we can do something. It’s the inner feeling that what we undertake, we can accomplish. For the most part, all of us have the ability to look at something and know whether or not we can do it. So in belief there is power: our eyes are opened; our opportunities become plain; our visions become realities.
There are two fundamental beliefs we must have before we begin to see changes. First, that change is possible. Second, that change is profitable. Until we believe that both are a possibility and that the change will ultimately be in our best interests, our ability to change is crippled.
I also believe:
- God has a plan for me.
- God wants me to fulfill that plan.
- God will help me succeed in that plan.
- I can know God’s plan for my life.
- I can experience God’s blessing on my life.
- I must change to grow with God’s plan for my life.
- When I grow, those closest to me grow as well.
- When my inner circle grows, my organization grows.
So continue to invest the time necessary to explore those areas of your life where you are resisting change. You may just discover the roadblock in leading the change process at work.
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John Maxwell grew up in the 1950s in the small Midwestern city of Circleville, Ohio. John's earliest childhood memory is of knowing that he would someday be a pastor. He professed faith in Christ at the age of three, and reaffirmed that commitment when he was 13. At age 17, John began preparing for the ministry. He attended Circleville Bible College, earning his bachelor's degree in 1969. In June of that same year, he married his sweetheart, Margaret, and moved to tiny Hillham, Indiana, where he began his first pastorate.
While serving in his second church, Maxwell began to study the correlation between leadership effectiveness and ministry effectiveness. On July 4, 1976, while preaching at a service commemorating America's bicentennial, John sensed that God was calling him into a ministry to pastors. Within days after that event, pastors began to contact him, asking for his assistance in nurturing their churches. Over the next four years, on an informal basis, John helped scores of fellow pastors. Then, in 1980, he was asked to become Executive Director of Evangelism for the Wesleyan denomination.
Though his time at Wesleyan headquarters was productive, John soon realized that his deeper desire was to help pastors from numerous denominations. He knew that desire would be unfulfilled if he were to stay at denominational headquarters. As a result, in 1981 John accepted the call to return to the pastorate, this time at Skyline Wesleyan Church in the San Diego, California area. But he did so with the church's blessing to pursue his vision. The Skyline congregation allowed him to continue mentoring and assisting pastors even as he led them to new levels.
In 1985, as he continued to equip and encourage other pastors, John took the next crucial step in leadership development. He founded a new company called INJOY and created the INJOY Life Club, featuring a monthly tape for leaders. The fledging operation, established in the corner of a garage, was soon bursting at the seams. The INJOY Life Club tapes were received with great enthusiasm, and the number of subscriptions quickly increased from hundreds to thousands. Simultaneously, the demand for other resources and seminars exploded. Pastors from coast to coast were responding, and their desire for help was even greater than John had anticipated.
As the years passed, INJOY began demanding more and more of John's time. In 1995, he resigned from his position as senior pastor at Skyline following a very fruitful 14-year tenure. The church had tripled in size and its lay ministry involvement had increased ten-fold. Dr. Maxwell is in great demand today as a speaker. Through his bestselling books, audio and video resources, and major conferences, he communicates directly with more than one million people every year. He is frequently asked to speak for organizations such as Promise Keepers and Focus on the Family, but his greatest joy and desire is to help pastors become better leaders.
Because the need for leadership development knows no borders, John established EQUIP, a non-profit organization which trains leaders in urban communities, academic institutions, and within international organizations. EQUIP is also spearheading a movement which has enlisted more than one million pastoral prayer partners who covenant to pray specifically for those who shepherd God's flock.
John continues to seek new opportunities to help churches and church leaders. He knows that one thing is constant: the only hope for the world is salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives life abundantly.
