Week 5 :-: Conceptualization and stewardship

"Your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you” (Stephen Covey).

“Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course” (John Maxwell).

“Servant leaders are brokers of resources, for which they are stewards” (Forteh)!

In the previous lesson, we learned about the importance of consistently engaging in actions (small daily steps) that will help us accomplish our life missions. A servant leader is a man/woman on mission, who takes daily intentional steps by God’s grace to develop competencies (in their character, relationship with others etc) that are necessary to help them attain their life mission.

Do you have what it takes to take yourself or others to where you would like them to be? Knowing your mission, visions and goals is a good first step. Writing them down is great, but taking the steps to execution is even better. The servant leader as a steward and broker of resources has to conceptualize and plan in a manner that ensures success.

It can be argued that the principal difference between a manager and a leader is at the level of their responsibility. A manager’s main goal is to maintain systems within established guidelines. Managers are like gatekeepers and guides. They help steer the ship along the path that was charted by the captain. A leader on the other hand has as principal responsibility to visualize the end goal and determine the path, which the ship has to take. 

Servant leaders are brokers of resources, for which they are stewards. 

 A couple of definitions may help clarify things:

• Steward – Anyone managing or looking after another person’s property.
• Broker of resources- an agent or dealer in resources.

What is stewardship?

The Lord Jesus told the following story, which captures the role of a steward:

“ And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful” (Luke 12;42-46).

Replace the word servant with steward and read it again. Interesting, he calls the wise manager in subsequent verses, a servant. 

The picture of a servant leader, who is a steward, dedicated in playing his/her role promptly is rewarded. Servant Leaders, see themselves as stewards of the people who are under their charge as well as all other resources ( financial, material etc). A good steward takes care of his master's property in a manner that honors the master. They have the dual responsibility of both conceptualizing the future (mission, vision and goals) for the people under their care as well as taking care of and providing the resources and support necessary to ensure success. They manage the resources in their care with utmost integrity knowing that they will be required to give an account of how they used it. Are you a good steward who manages the people and resources that God has given you with love, integrity and care?

 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it” (Luke 14:28)?

How do I Conceptualize?

Before embarking on any action (journey), it is wise to take stock of your resources. The dictionary definition of conceptualization is "the action or process of forming a concept or idea of something". Note that it says action and not just thought. What action are you as a steward taking to make your vision real? Conceptualization is an intentional process that births the relevant steps you need to take to accomplish your vision. This may be achieved in various ways such as:

1. Brainstorming - Start with an idea and generate as many related ideas by asking questions of a group of people. No idea is stupid. You can also brainstorm alone. Once you have all the ideas, put them together and review them in the light of what you want to achieve.
2. Talking with an expert - There is a reason why God gives us different skills. Find someone, where possible who has expertise in a particular domain and talk with them. Their unique insight may help you see things from a different perspective.
3. Co-creation - Work with others to define the goals of the team. Your team's commitment will be higher when they are invited to participate in the process of developing goals. 
4. Mind-mapping - This is a way to help you generate ideas. starting from a central theme. Examples of mind-maps will be shared in your small groups.
5. Focus groups - A focus group is generally a group put together for the specific purpose of responding to well defined questions in a bid to examine trends and propose solutions. 

These are some of the different ways you can generate ideas. Whatever method you choose, what is important is to use the blessings of community to plan your action.

One tool you could also use is Maxwell's PLAN AHEAD. Maxwell describes the action of conceptualization as "Navigating".  

Watch the video below and post your thoughts on why one team succeeded over the other. Which leader better conceptualized the real challenges involved and acted as a better steward?

Maxwell proposes the acronym PLAN AHEAD for helping teams “navigate” thus;

Predetermine your cause - What is the vision that you desire to accomplish?

Lay out goals – What are some relevant (to your cause/vision) short, mid or long-term goals? Remember goals have to be SMART.

Adjust your priorities – Consider how much time you need to invest in the goals and plan accordingly. You cannot achieve your goals if you keep doing the same things without making any changes. Doing the same things and expecting different results is not logical. You may have to reduce your time on social media, stop watching TV or how long you sleep. Look at the activities you are involved in, that do not have a direct bearing to helping you get to your goals and pinch time from them.

Notify key personnel – Stakeholders must be aware of the role they will play. Write the roles down as you plan and distribute accordingly.  Do not assume that they know their roles. You need to let them know they will be involved and how much you require of them in terms of their time or financial investment. Do not make any assumptions.

Allow time for acceptance – While you may have a clear picture of what you would like to accomplish, the stakeholders may not yet be on the same page with you. Be patient and allow time for everyone to come on board. Patience is key in allowing for acceptance.

Head into action – Do not stay on spot because you are expecting someone to accept first. If you have the resources necessary to head into action, do so. Some people will only come on board when they see signs of success. Be patient and plan for such cases.

Expect problems – Things go wrong. Keep that in mind. It is always important to include a contingency plan. What do you do when things go wrong? Plan for success but also prepare for when things go wrong. I once developed an IT contingency plan for the local office of an international organization. In the process, I had to explore all the different things that may go wrong such as floods, fires etc as well as plan for what to do in case that actually happens. Expecting problems is not being pessimistic, it is being prepared!

Always point to the success – Celebrate your successes, be thankful to God. It is easy to complain about failures but how often do we take to show gratitude? Pointing to and celebrating successes is  great stewardship that helps in building team cohesion.

Daily review your plans – Evaluating your plans will help prepare you for any challenges as well as determine if progress is being made.

 Do you/your team have what it takes to ensure success? Do you have the right people in your team to ensure success? How do you know this? Be a good steward and conceptualize.

Week 5 Assignment:

1.   Complete your first quarterly test/Quiz.

2.   Are you a good steward of the resources God has given you? Do you manage the people under your care and resources with love, integrity and faithfulness?

3.  Take 3-4 of your visions and apply any of the methods discussed to help you come up with a good action plans for achieving the different visions.

4.   Go back to your all of your goals and re-view them in the light of what you have learned about stewardship and conceptualization. Make corrections/additions where needed.

5.   Share this week’s lesson with someone in your sphere of influence and help him or her shape his or her goals. Indicate in your assignment that you completed this.

6.  Write a brief summary of what you learned this week and explain why it is important for all leaders. Post on your blog and share the link in your group.