For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

There are four names listed in this verse for our Lord, the one who left the perfectness of heaven and came to live among us for the sole reason of providing a plan of redemption for us from our sinful nature. Four names that encompass a great amount of information and truth.

Wonderful Counselor – A counselor is one we listen to and accept advice from. People in our society today listen to all kinds of counselors; friends, politicians, talk show hosts, athletes, and actors just to name a few. Whomever you listen to and accept advice or counsel from, that person is your counselor.

Some of those counselors may give you good advice. Many are not giving advice, but only their opinion based only on selfish desires. No matter whom you listen to and seek for counsel, make certain their advice lines up with God’s word. Absolute truth is found only in the Word of God, creator of the universe. He is the Wonderful Counselor.

Mighty God – The word mighty is synonymous with power, strength, and enormous or colossal. God is not only mighty, He is Almighty. There is none, no power on earth, no person, nation, or group of people as powerful or mighty as the God who created the universe.

His might is not only above all in physical strength. His intellectual might is far above the wisest person who has ever lived. His mental might is beyond earthly comprehension. Mighty God is the one who feeds and pours into each one, our own ability of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual might.

Everlasting Father – A father figure is one who raises up his children with the utmost intent of their well-being. God Almighty, our everlasting Father desires to raise you up with the highest intent (far above earthly intent) of Not only for a few years, but from before you were conceived (You knew me before I was conceived in the womb – Jeremiah 1:5) all the way to forever and ever. His fatherly devotion to you is everlasting.

Prince of Peace – In this world we all face trials and adversity. The Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father desires to be your Prince of Peace. He alone can bring peace into your life, even in the midst of trials. You will face trials, but this Prince can bring a peace that passes all understanding.

This December, in the hustle and bustle of the season, stop for a few minutes to ponder how the four names of God in Isaiah 9:6 have affected your life and how He desires to impact you this month and in 2023.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6

This verse is packed so full with information that it cannot be exhausted in a thousand books. Just ponder for a few minutes of what that verse says about your redemption from he clutches of sin and eternal separation from God. To grasp only that one perspective is mind-boggling. Then there is he fact that the creator of the universe came to earth to live as one of us, His most cherished creation. That too is mind-boggling.

We could go on and on about the implications of Isaiah 9:6. We certainly serve a gracious God, the only true God of the universe. As we walk through this month of celebrations and joyous occasions, let us not only make memories of wonderful times. Let us also leave memories with as many people as we can of the love God has poured out on us by pouring out His love onto others.

What will you do this holiday season to share the love of Jesus with others – strangers and neighbors. The list of possibilities is endless. Bake a few extra cookies, or candies to distribute at random or to neighbors, or others. Hand out greeting cards to strangers in stores, shops, Dr. offices, at the gas pump. I plan to once again hand out ten-dollar bills at random to cashiers, restaurant workers and others on the street.

Gifts of kindness need not cost you money. What about sitting with and listening to an elderly person in their home? Or share with people of other generations of your appreciation for them. Stand at a store entrance and open the door for all going in or coming out telling each one “God Loves You.” How about volunteering at a local store to carry items out for shoppers – get the consent of the store manager first. Can you spend some time with children and teachers sharing the love of God as He has loved you?

Let me encourage you to find something to share the love of God with people outside of your normal circle of influence this holiday season. Be certain you are not doing it for recognition or to put a feather in your cap. Do something that you expect nothing in return. Perhaps your greatest blessing will come when you share the love of Christ anonymously.

Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. You will be blessed indeed! After all, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” What more could we ask than what He has done?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

This was first written to appear in the December 2022 Newsletter of Central Baptist Church, Paris, KY.

I recently heard of an associate pastor who moved from one church to another. His new pastor was different. The associate pastor said when his new pastor spent time with him, the associate pastor was always waiting for the negative bomb to drop. His anticipation of some rebuke or negative comments was strong, yet it never came. In his former setting, this did not happen – ever. His former pastor was a reducing leader. His new pastor is an increasing leader, desiring to build up and encourage the associate pastor.

You might say there are two kinds of leaders in this world. Those who increase and those who reduce. Neither of these terms, increasing or reducing, have to do with the leader him/herself, but how the leader impacts those whom he leads. An organization where morale is low and turnover is high will likely have reducing leaders/managers. While all reducing managers do not intentionally operate this way, it is what they have learned and is their leadership or management practice. Reducing leaders drain the morale and capacity of others.

Some reducing leaders have the need to be the smartest person in the room (organization). This is detrimental to productivity of individuals and the organization. Reducing leaders make a habit of devaluing or negating the input of others. Multiplying leaders on the other hand understand the wisdom of combining the knowledge of everyone in the organization.

An increasing (or multiplying) leader is always investing in others, helping them discover and build on their capacity. Multiplying leaders understand there is more effective organizational productivity by increasing the capacity of knowledge, skill, and work ability in each employee or member of the organization.

People want increasing leaders, they abhor decreasing leaders coming around their work station. People are invigorated by increasing leaders and welcome his/her presence.

Not only is the sum greater than all the individuals, the capacity of each individual increases as they interact and combine energies with one another. This in turn increases the capacity of productivity within the organization.

Becoming an increasing leader (a multiplier) is a choice that anyone in any position can make.

Research shows that most organizations never get more than two-thirds of the potential productivity from its employees/members. I would venture to say that in churches that number is likely only half of that or thirty-three percent. Perhaps we need a more encompassing multiplying leadership practice in our churches as well as other organizations to increase effectiveness and productivity. Productivity in the church is to fulfill our purpose, The Great Commission.

What will you undertake this week to become a multiplier?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Sitting in my fourth meeting in a six-month period with a leadership group that I had been contracted to assist and evaluate, I began to look around the room for Bill Murray, the actor. I was looking for him because I knew I had to be in his movie, Groundhog Day. Every meeting I had attended was pretty much the same. Lots of discussion on the same topic. Some good, some chasing rabbits, but no decisions were being made.

While I am certain this leadership team thought they were leading their organization, in essence they had all abandoned the bridge and gathered regularly in the galley to discuss the needs of the organization. Who’s steering the ship?

I have seen this phenomenon in churches, and organizations both religious and corporate. On the DISC scale, it will drive people with a D or C personality insane. I know, I am a C. 😊 There are people in the room who want and need a decision to be made. The organization needs decisions to be made; decisions to move the organization forward.

There are steps that can be implemented to move any organization or individual forward. The following is a five-step process that you can implement in your personal life and in your team or organization that will guide you in making good, solid, quality decisions in forward moving progress.

First, identify the issue to be addressed. Remember there are no problems, only opportunities. Seeing the issue as an avenue to greater opportunity will help you focus on the positive opportunity that lies ahead.

2. Gather the pertinent information. You need the information that will assist you in making the decision with the greatest potential of forward movement with the least amount of repercussions.
3. Identify all options that will lead to the highest impact with the least amount of negative implication.
4. Ask the following three questions of your greatest potential decision options. (top 1-3 options)
   1. If we make this decision what is the absolute best that can happen?
   2. If we make this decision what is the absolute worst that can happen? (to the organization)
   3. Are we willing and able to live with the answer to “b”? Scratch out all options that you cannot answer yes to.
5. Make your decision, take action, and move forward. Looking back, second guessing will only cause your organization to falter and languish in its efforts to succeed.

I’ve not known an organization yet that can say they have perfected the decision-making process. However, using a formula like the one above can propel your decision-making process into quantifiable action and effectiveness in the overall organization. Some have made extraordinary strides in their decision-making process.

What is your first step in improving your decision-making process? Don’t put it off. Make a decision to begin today.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Avery was asked to serve as Chairman of the Deacon body of his church. Having held this esteemed position previously, Avery was a good choice. He had served well and led the deacons through some tough times at the church. Yet, this time Avery declined the opportunity to serve in this capacity using his God-given gifts and talents. What appeared to be a certainty, a win-win for everyone, was not to be.

Avery was asked a week later to serve on the Futures committee for his church. The church attendance was growing and seeing new people come to faith.  It was easy to see the church was filling to capacity. The church entering a time of difficult decisions. The facilities were older and quickly becoming too small to handle the continued influx of people.

It did not take long for Avery to make his decision. “Yes,” he would serve on this team. Avery took long enough to pray and answer three questions. Avery’s decision proved to be the correct one. While not serving as chairmen, he helped lead the team through some difficult discussions and decisions take to the church which led the church to effectively continue serving and reaching new people, which has continued for the past seven years.

In every situation of life, we each have a question to answer. “What is to be my contribution?” It is more than “what do I have to offer?” We all have much to offer, but contribution goes farther than an offer. An offer is what I possibly could do. A contribution is to impact the outcome. A contribution imparts involvement, influence, and impact. A contribution requires taking an active role in the opportunity at hand.

Avery certainly had much to offer as chairman of deacons, but at this particular time in his life God had other plans. While he did not know until a week after turning down the deacon chair position, Avery was being prepared by God, not for an offering, but for a gifted contribution. Avery’s contribution made an impact to lead the church forward. Avery like many effective leaders asked himself the right questions to allow him to make the greatest contribution to his church at that particular time.

Effective leaders and team members – both church and business world – are willing to ask themselves the questions that will lead to the greatest effectiveness of the team in every situation.

The three questions Avery asked of himself relate to three questions posed by Peter Drucker in a Harvard Business Review article in 2005.

• What does the situation require?
• Given my strengths, my way of performing, and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done?
• What results have to be achieved to make a difference?

Answering these questions is not to be taken lightly or to be used to get my way. Every person should ask him/herself these questions while setting all personal desires and aspirations aside. This is not easy, but God gifted you for His desires, not yours. What is your contribution? Setting self aside, for the good of the kingdom, of what opportunities will you ask these three questions this week?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Without knowing it then, I guess I was blessed in my teen years with some managers and bosses who knew to get the most out of an employee you must focus on his/her strengths. A person grows under those leaders. I also remember a couple bosses who had a behavior pattern of focusing on a person’s weakness. Those latter jobs were no fun, they were completely draining and even demoralizing. I didn’t stay at those jobs long. Turnover was very high at those businesses.

I have since learned that bosses/managers who focus on people’s weaknesses have one or two reasons for this behavior. 1) The need to feel superior, so no matter how good an employee produces, the negative is always going to come out of his/her boss. Or 2) This is the only type of management he/she as ever witnessed. So this is the only way they know to lead. Focusing on people’s weaknesses will never, generate productivity.

The Gallup Organization popularized the strengths-based development for managing performance around 2000, but it has been around for several decades prior to the 21^st century. Some of my early managers were living proof. Even before it was known as a strategy, it has been practiced for centuries.

Even Peter Drucker introduced it in his writings and teachings as the fourth evidence of an Effective Executive prior to 1980. Drucker considered it “leveraging strengths—your own strengths and the strengths of those around you—to achieve results.”

Drucker taught and I agree that focusing on weaknesses only weakens the drive of the organization. The purpose of any organization should be to convert the strengths of each member/employee into results-oriented performance. As you help people maximize their strengths they will grow to bring not only better productivity, you are helping them to grow as a person and potential leader. Drucker says, “…morally, managers (leaders) owe it to the organization to maximize the strength of every employee, and to employees to enable them to excel to his/her greatest extent possible.”

Gallup says through 40 plus years of research shows that when employers focus on workers’ strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses, they have better employee engagement, better performance, higher retention rates, greater customer satisfaction, and profitability. With those results, why would anyone want to focus on the weaknesses?

Feel free to contact me for free resources and more on how you can help your church/organization focusing on strengths. You might be surprised at how a few small extra tweaks can thrust the productivity of your organization/church.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Throughout scripture we see a pattern in the lives of those God desires to use. There are five elements in every life of the people God summons. One such example is written in Matthew 14:22-33. In this passage Jesus comes to His Disciples at 3:00 in the morning. They are in a boat being tossed around on the angry waves of the sea. Jesus is walking on the water.

1. God has a Call-, a purpose on the life of every born-again believer. Every day we begin a new leg of our journey. Each day is but another passage of our voyage called life. Every day, as Christians, we must be ready to get out of the boat and walk on water as God calls.

In the storms of life, it sometimes takes eyes of faith to recognize when Jesus is passing by. If you are not looking for Him, you might just miss Him. This is the detriment in the lives of many church-goers. We don’t look for Jesus in the storm or the good times.

Jesus used a familiar term to the disciples. It was a Hebrew term found in the Old Testament. He said, “Do not be afraid, It is I.” or “It is I AM.” A term used for God.

2. There is always a fear – As I read and recall, when God appeared to one of His servants and “called” them to a special work, there is always one emotion present – fear.

However, each time that person or people group said yes to God’s calling, they experienced God’s power in their lives. But they first had to overcome their own fear.

3. There is always a reassurance – As Christians we find ourselves in similar situations as Peter on this night. We must ask ourselves, “Is this really what God is calling me to?”

Jesus gave Peter the reassurance. He said, “Come.” Peter, through his faith and trust in Jesus had to step out and do something beyond his comfort level resting on the reassurance of Christ.

4. There is always a decision – This is not a story of risk taking. It is a story of obedience. Peter had enough faith to be part of this miraculous event. Peter was ready for his extreme adventure in discipleship.

On this particular night 91% of Jesus’ closest followers chose fear over faith. Only one was ready to be a water-walker. Which camp are you in, fear or faith?

5. There is always a changed life – You either get out of the boat, join God in His work, allow the Holy Spirit to change you to be more like Christ,

Or you stay in the boat, and let your fears and presuppositions change you into a calloused and hardened person – a boat sitter.

Every time you get out of the boat you become a little more like Christ. With every act of obedience, you become a water-walker.

When we think of this passage, we think of Peter. We do not think of the other eleven disciples. But you and I are either like Peter or we are like the other eleven. Faith or fear?

If today were judgment day and it was your turn to stand before God, and God showed you a video of your life, would your video show a boat sitter or a water walker?

Only you can change that video. I pray that you choose to be a water-walker.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

Peter Drucker, one of the greatest minds of executive leadership of the twentieth century identified five practices essential to business effectiveness that can improve anyone’s effectiveness.

1. Management of time – While this one seems like common sense, it seems to be a difficult one for most people to tame. Having written a short self-study on time management years ago, I now realize at that young age in my late twenty’s, I had no clue about the demands on an executive’s time. It was good information and still would be effective, yet I was young and naive about the world of business and the demands on your time.

Effective leaders know the busier you get, the higher in corporate or church leadership you rise, the more time management is necessary.

2. Choosing what to contribute to the practical organization – Perhaps like me you have known managers and executives on both sides of this see-saw. Some want a hands-on approach to the extent they can hinder the work of their team or organization. They’re usually always looking for the reason their team is not functioning effectively. On the other side, we see managers or executives who are so hands off, they haven’t a clue what is going on and leave their organization to flounder, only to blame the team members.

Effective leaders learn to step back to view the organization from a broader perspective or as some would say from the 3,000 foot overhead view.

3. Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect – Many organizations only want to fill an open position or task with any warm body,

Effective leaders observe and seek out a person with passion and capacity to get the job done. This person(s) will be effective in accomplishing the task. Fill positions with the right people.

4. Setting up the right priorities – It is easy in our society to treat the urgent as the emergency basing our priorities on the nature of urgency.

Effective leaders realize prioritizing the important rather than the so-called urgent will render much more effectiveness. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus is one example. Martha, Mary, and His Disciples were about the urgent. Jesus on the other hand was focused on the more important issue. He said this will not end in death. He did not say Lazarus would not die.

5. Knitting all of the above four together with effective decision making – Working on each of the four is a challenge. No one has all the components needed to carry these out effortlessly.

Effective leaders have learned to weave together the necessities required for each of these. They will bring others along who have complementary strengths in the areas the leader is weakest.

What will you do this week to begin working on at least two of these five practices for effectiveness in your life and organization?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

While knowledge and creativity are important in leadership, both flounder without the key of effectiveness. I have known many knowledgeable men and women in leadership positions. Fewer were effective at moving his/her organization forward than those who were unable to. Knowledge does not equate to effective leadership. Knowledge does not move some person or organization forward. Likewise, I have known some brilliantly creative minds, who were not able to effectively implement their creativity into positive, forward moving action.

You can have all the degrees possible to attain in your lifetime and gain all the knowledge of each degree. Yet, without the skills to produce effective results in moving your church (organization) forward in fulfilling its mission, your knowledge will be found floundering. In the same manner, you can have the greatest creative brain that God ever designed, but without the leaned skills of effective implementation your creativity will be nothing more than post-it notes stuck on a wall.

Too often people with knowledge are considered to be great leaders. I contend, knowledge does not a leader make. Also in our culture today, we have all known people promoted to leadership positions due to their ability to be creative thinkers and designers. There is a place in leadership for all of these yet often the person with these (knowledge and creativity) traits is not also gifted with effectiveness in fulfillment to move the organization forward. Believe it or not, we see this often in the church.

Churches do a disservice to their pastor and congregation when they assume their pastor is an effective implementor. Not one of us (no-one in your congregation) has all the gifts and skills for the church to be successful. God has placed in the church each person for a specific reason and purpose. While the pastor may be the key creative mind, there is likely another person(s) on staff or in the congregation whom God has gifted to be the effective implementor(s).

A truly gifted creative mind will seek other creative minds to produce the best (God’s) plan of moving the organization to fulfilling its purpose. As a man with knowledge seeks to surround himself with others knowledgeable in the areas of need. After all ideas have been fleshed out and God’s will is revealed then it is time to engage those who are gifted in effective implementation. The pastor or leader does not turn lose of his/her creative ideas but joins in with promoting and implementing the plans for positive, effective forward movement of the organization to fulfill its God-given purpose.

Who in your church or organization has been gifted with the abilities of effectiveness? Remember, if you consider yourself to always be the most knowledgeable and capable person in the room – you’re probably not. Find those complementary personalities whom God has placed around you and your organization will move forward.

Next week, we’ll look at five practices that anyone can use to improve your effectiveness. These five practices come from one of the twentieth century’s greatest leadership minds.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.

I have been asked, “How do we measure progress as leaders?” My question is, “Doesn’t it vary with each organization and within each organization?” What and where are the evidences of progress?

I believe we must first have an understanding of what we are trying to measure. A sales manager is interested in how many sales of product his sales team can generate. A produce farmer is interested in the best way to be efficient in getting the most fruit to market. A prosecuting attorney understands the convincing that needs to take place for a conviction. In your church or organization what is it that needs to be measured to aid in progress?

In every walk of life we need to have an understanding of what we are trying to measure. The church is no different. Whether you are a teacher, secretary, deacon, or in any leadership position you must have an understanding of what you are in need of measuring.

In order to have an understanding of what you are trying to measure, you must have a knowledge of where you are attempting to go. It will do you no good to have a map of Oregon if you want to vacation in San Diego, agreed?

In your leadership position, what are you trying to accomplish (where are you going)? The term lead or leader implies that you are going on a journey and that you are taking others with you, correct? In your leadership position do you know what you are attempting to accomplish, where you are going? Ex: Reaching a lost community, growing disciples who will grow disciples.

Once you know where you are attempting to go you need to develop a strategy to get there. A strategy is a visionary, systematic combination of elements leading from now (point A) to point B. For your vacation you need to determine certain things i.e. drive or fly and rent a car. In the church if your objective is to reach the lost community, it could be determining the true needs in the community.

Next, you need to create a plan of action. This plan of action differs from your strategy in that the purpose of the plan of action is to carry out your strategy of accomplishing your task. Your plan of action will include multiple arteries for intentionally attacking your strategy. For your vacation to San Diego your plan of action will include: Making reservations, plan activities in San Diego, check venues.

For the church you may want to see where the strengths of your church align with the needs of the community. Ex. If you have good cooks in the church (I know you do) and you find out there are children in the community with no food on weekends, I trust you see a connection to begin meeting that need.

Once you know your direction and have your strategy and plan of action lined out you can work on establishing a diagnosis for progress. This is the tool you develop for measuring evidence of progress. When driving a car you do this by watching road signs and points of interest that communicate that you are headed in the correct direction.

What are you waiting for? Why not begin right now? Determine what needs to be measured, what are you trying to accomplish? Then carry on from there. Let me know how it goes for you and your church.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.