Book Review: "Good to Great"
Essential Principles
I. Define your Level 5 Leaders
1. You must put in place leaders who have “personal humility” and “professional will.” The leaders are focused upon inward humility but have an outward aspiration to be excellent in their work. 2. You must get the right people “on the bus” if it will end up in the correct destination. 3. Confronting the “brutal facts” is the only way to achieve greatness in any organization. 4. Level 5 leaders look out for the interest of the organization before themselves. 5. Do not hire someone who is not a fit for the job.
II. The Hedgehog Principle
1. This process is to clearly communicate the simple and understandable meaning of the business. 2. A healthy organization makes money, is passionate and has self-discipline. 3. Technology is not the focus but is used as a motivator for change.
III. Culture of Discipline
1. Great companies have a spirit of sacrifice and discipline. 2. The structure of discipline helps build a culture that helps people live out their vision for the organization. 3. The “stop doing” list was a fascinating approach to helping the organization lead people to greatness and not mediocrity.
VII. Strengths
1. This book is a clear presentation for businesses to be streamlined and focused upon principles for growth. 2. The communication of resisting apathy was felt throughout the book. 3. It conveyed the importance of leadership setting the tone and direction for any organization. 4. Biblical principles can be transferred into the business world and this book highlighted them well.
VIII. Weaknesses
1. The book was written mainly to businesses and it is hard to apply some principles into the church world. 2. It was somewhat hard to follow and used explanations of “great” companies that were secular with no mission for the gospel.
Personal Assessment
Good to Great has a great starting point for setting the strategy, “Good is the enemy of great” (Collins, 1). Jim Collins displays a clear presentation of the need for leaders and organizations to achieve greatness over mediocrity. This book is written more along the lines of businesses, but some aspects can be transferred into the church organization. To understand what great really is, one must define it. Collins explains, “the crucial question in our study is not, what did the good-to-great companies share in common that distinguished them from the comparison companies?”(Collins, 7). From the explanation of the book, greatness is much more than an idea, but it is a conscious choice.
The emphasis is upon making a choice of unwavering commitment to excellence within all aspects of the organization. Collins characterizes the Level 5 leader as, "a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will." Collins is focusing on the importance of the motivation and skills of leadership. This principle, although not backed by specific scripture, can be applied under the realm of Christian leadership. The relevant topic that stood out to me was the leaders (level 5) always put the needs of the people of the company before their own. It reminds me of servant leadership and the example that Christ left the disciples at the Last supper (Luke 22). Humility was another character trait that is applicable to God’s Word (Philippians 2:8).
The book to me was not applicable as much to leadership in the church as the earlier books we have read. The emphasis is upon human leadership more so than the Holy Spirit’s power. I have heard Jim Collins speak and he is intelligent and engaging but this book would be more fitting in a business class. I prefer to look at the thought of “good to great” more along the lines of “character leads to excellence.” Churches must become unsatisfied with the status quo to improve but not at the cost of making it man-made. There were gems of wisdom found throughout the book but found the business strategy quite irrelevant to Christian leadership.
Overall, Good to Great was a research-based book on business principles. I would agree that it can be helpful in the church, but I would rather spend my time reading Simple Church or Purpose Driven Church to find help and insights into leadership. The thesis of this book is important to remind oneself of not becoming mundane or comfortable, but to strive for God’s glory in everything.
Philosophy Matters
#2: philosophy matters. In my first few years of student ministry, I quickly learned that the philosophy of a church ministry matters. In student ministry, we are under the authority of a church. Some view their students as a "mini church" but I believe that we need to be heading the same direction as the overall vision of the church. Now, it does not mean that we agree on every detail, but we cannot disagree upon why we do what we do in ministry. Many times, student pastors are looking for a place to serve and do not ask the right questions to find out the churches overall ministry philosophy. In conversations with a lot of my friends in student ministry, many have unreasonable expectations to live up to because of the churches philosophy of ministry. Philosophy of ministry is basically, why you do what you do and how you do it. I'm not talking about what you do (the mission and vision). It is looking at the heart motive of why we do ministry.
Why is philosophy important? Because you will have clarity! You will not bounce around to whatever is the new "hype" in ministry. If you view ministry through the lens of building relationships but you are being pressured about attendance, it is a question of philosophy. Yes, it is true that numbers represent people. But if our overall goal is to grow bigger, then having a "keg" party will definitely grow attendance right? I know that is an a bad example, but think about it. If the churches end goal is to fill up seats, then they are building attenders and not disciples. Why do I say this? The modern church movement has created a sub-culture of leaders and attenders who will do whatever it takes to limit commitment and make people comfortable (Read Luke 9:23).
Philosophy matters! If you haven't realized it, many churches have different ideas of what success is in ministry. This is all stems from "why" and "how" question of ministry.
A few questions to ask to discover a ministries philosophy:
Church questions:
- What is the vision of the church?
- Why do we have the student ministry at this church?
- What are your expectations of me as a student pastor?
- What does a mature, disciple of Christ look like?
- Does numbers represent growth alone or is there more to it?
- What is your theological view of salvation?
Pastor questions:
- What is your leadership style?
- What are your personality characteristics and attributes?
- How do you view a student minister? (Pastoral staff, activities director, etc)
- What frustrations have you had with past youth ministers?
- What are the expectations for my spouse?
What questions would you add to discover the "why" and "how" behind the ministry?
Parents are Vital
#1: parents are vital. I remember coming out of college with a passion to lead and encourage students to pursue Christ. In my first few years of ministry I remember having a disdain towards some parents. I know this sounds horrible right? I equated their students decisions to their parenting. I actually thought I knew better than most parents. What I did not realize is that many parents are in dire need of encouragement, prayer and support. I quickly learned that my time with the students pales in comparison to their time at home. As I repented of my attitude, I quickly learned that ministry to students is only one half of the goal.
The family is the most influential aspect of a student's life. Leading students means ministering to them AND their families. Including and using parents in the ministry is crucial to building a healthy foundation. Over time I have realized that if we can impact parents with the gospel, we will in turn see a stronger growth in their students lives!
What I Wish I knew about parents in student ministry:
- Be an advocate. Teach students to fight FOR the relationship with their parents instead of fighting against them. Teach students on a regular basis the importance of being under the authority of their parents (as long as they are not being abused, etc).
- Admit when you are wrong. Admit you do not have all the answers. Ask forgiveness when you make a mistake.
- Resource parents to lead in the home. We offer a weekly email with the message outline and discussion questions for parents to use in the home.
- Hang out and listen. Parents appreciate sharing about their children. Listen to them without offering your ideas on, "10 steps to change your child." Listen with the heart. Listening will build trust and support from parents.
- Time Matters. Parents are working full-time jobs as well as raising a family. Start when you say you will start a meeting or event. End when you let them know you will end. Remember, they have a lot of responsibilities, so value their time.
- Communicate all the time. Maintain a healthy level of communication to parents on a regular basis. Just when you think you have communicated enough, do it again! I'd encourage you to cover all the bases (email, facebook, twitter, snail mail, bulletin inserts, parent newsletter and so forth).
- Find opportunities to get to know unchurched parents. Many times the only way you can talk to parents is when they come to pick up their student. In order to build a relationship, we must take the initiative. Sometimes it helps parents see that the church is there to support them as a family and not just provide a "free childcare" service.
- Champion parents. Let students know how much you appreciate their family. Praise their parents in front of the students. Share kind words to the students in front of their parents. Build a bridge between the student and their parent. Our goal is to help the family grow closer to each other and God.
What are some ways you have grown in ministering to parents? What tips do you have to share?