Don was a member of one church where I served on staff. He truly had a servant’s heart. Don had retired from a local factory and spent much of his time serving God leading Bible studies and services in nursing homes, visiting shut-ins, and the sick in the community. I cannot remember a time when Don was not available and ready to serve in whatever capacity was needed; whether it was visiting, a demolition or refurbishing project, or driving someone to the airport or doctors appointment. Don truly was a servant of God and it humbles me still today when I think of his selfless, faithful service to our Lord.

I begin this article with my perspective of Don Hollingsworth because he taught me a lot and when God called me away from that church, I feel Don gave me one the greatest compliments I have ever received. On our last day of service with this particular church Don stood before the congregation and said, “One thing I learned from George is there are no problems in life, only opportunities.” Don went on to explain what that meant in general and in his personal life.

That may not seem like what you would consider a great compliment. I was not expecting this comment, still I consider it a compliment and a testimony of living day in and day out of how iron sharpens iron. Here was a man twenty plus years my senior, whom God was using to influence and encourage me and sometimes to humble me as well. Following his statement I began reflecting on our four years together in ministry and could recall Don entering my office, riding in the car to a visit, or even sitting at lunch. Though I may not have realized the events when they happened, I could now recall Don entering my office and saying we have a problem, or sitting at lunch, or in the car saying something similar using the word problem. My response was always the same, “Don, we don’t have a problem, we have an opportunity.” Then we would begin to explore the opportunity. What did God have in mind and in store for us through this opportunity?

You may ask what is the difference. The difference, I believe is huge and of cataclysmic proportion. When we look at issues and situations as problems, our efforts and outlook are only focused on the negative. No matter how we try to explain away our attitudes and actions dealing with problems always originate from the negative plane. You cannot put enough spin on your words or actions to remove it from the negative.

On the other hand when you deal only in opportunities you always deal from the positive plane. Where ever there is an opportunity there is the prospect of betterment. When we deal with opportunity our thoughts are on improvement or becoming better. I believe it is nearly (if not always) impossible to view opportunity from a negative plane. Opportunity imparts a positive point of view and positions you for a constructive approach to your situation or issue.

When we view our situation as a problem we almost always push the reasoning to someone or some event outside of our control. “It was the economy.” “Our people are not doing their job.” This is human nature because we cannot possibly view ourselves as the “problem”.
However, when we deal with opportunities we always probe how we can improve our organization, ourselves, and the productivity of our employees or volunteers. Dealing with opportunities in this manner becomes a winning situation for everyone.

Even in personal life those who deal in problems will always operate out of the negative plane. “I really messed that up. I don’t know what I am doing.” That is certainly dealing from a negative, problematic point of view. There was certainly something gone wrong here. I did mess up, the opportunity is, now how can I learn from this and take action steps to improve and demonstrate that I can do this and greater things than this.

Hopefully, by now you can see this is much more than semantics or a play on words. There is an enormous difference in attitude and action toward the issue, the people involved and the desired improved outcome.

In life you are given opportunities to help yourself and others. As long as you view people or situations as problems you will never rise above a negative perspective on life. And you will never be all that God created you to be. However, once you begin to view life as a series of opportunities, not only will your life improve. You will assist in the improvement of life for many. That my friends is the purpose God has for you in life.

Remember, there are no problems in life, only opportunities. Let’s improve something today!

This post first appeared on January 12, 2012.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Though Shirley had not been looking forward to the task ahead, she walked out of her boss’s office with vigor and determination to get the job done. Shirley was charged up, invigorated ready to slay the dragon. Why? What made the change in her disposition. After all, Shirley had been vocally dreading this task for two weeks. The difference came because Jane, Shirley’s boss, is a spark plug leader.

Jane understands human behavior and knows her employees. She has a caring personality and demonstrates it to those who work for and with her. Jane, it seems, can make any employee feel good about themselves even in undesirable circumstances. Yet, as Shirley explains, it is much more than making you feel good. Jane has a way to make you feel you can “slay the dragon” ahead of you. Five minutes with Jane and you’ll charge headlong into action, and you’ll complete the task you’ve been dreading for months. It has happened time and time again with her coworkers and employees.

Jane is a spark plug leader. A gas engine does not run without at least one spark plug. A spark plug’s purpose is to generate enough electrical energy to create an electrical spark which in turn ignites the fuel to run the engine. A spark plug leader must know his people well enough to understand what motivates him/her. This is the fuel that needs to be ignited. People are different. Therefore, the fuel that ignites one man’s work passion, will likely be different from the man working next to him.

The spark plug leader learns these motivators (fuels) and through passion and a caring attitude, builds the electricity needed to ignite the fuel in each employee to charge ahead into the task that awaits. Greater results are accomplished through spark plug leaders than high octane leadership. In other words, some leaders attempt to get the fires burning in their employees/volunteers work ethic, by dousing the situation with more high-octane fuel. High octane fuel ignites quickly, but also burns out quickly.

Don’t be a high-octane leader. Learn to be a spark plug leader. Effective production will increase along with morale and employee retention.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Bruce Wilkinson tells a story of taking his two children, David 7 Jenny fishing for the first time. David had no problem baiting his hook with a worm. Jenny on the other hand refused to. Not accepting the fact that she needed a worm on her shiny hook to catch a fish, she walked to one end of the little pier and cast her shiny hook and bobber into the pond. Her brother on the other hand baited his hook, cast and caught a fish quickly. Jenny came running to see, but still could not be convinced to use a worm on her hook.

After David’s third fish, Jenny was convinced it was his “lucky pole”. So, Dad had them switch poles. David continued to catch fish, while Jenny’s empty hook, remained bare. She began to cry, and her Dad asked, “Do you know why you are not catching fish?” Jenny was convinced the shiny new hook should be enough to attract fish.

Jenny was expecting the fish to accept her concepts and thoughts. She did not consider the fish like to eat worms, but not bare metal hooks.

In organizations, churches, and classrooms today we have many leaders and teachers who are like Jenny. Many classrooms and organizational meetings are structured around the needs and desires of the teacher/leader. As Bruce Wilkinson says, “You can’t force fish to bite your hook; neither can you force students to learn.”

It is the fisherman who prepares and baits the hook. Fish do not bait hooks. In like manner it is the leader’s (teacher’s) responsibility to prepare the material to be conveyed in a manner that is interesting and relevant to our listeners.

If fish are not interested in eating green beans and potatoes, fishermen do not use them as bait. They use what will attract the fish, that bait which is interesting and relevant. As a leader, if I want my listeners to grasp, accept, and put to use the information I present, then I must prepare to deliver it in a manner that will attract their attention. If your employees, volunteers, students, are not motivated by your presentation, they’ll certainly not be motivated to put it into practice.

Don’t be afraid to bait your hook (prepare your presentation). Be sure you ae using that which is interesting and relevant to your listeners.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

“The Value of learning is determined by how effectively the teacher builds comprehension, integration, and practical application.” Bruce Wilkerson

As leaders we are teachers. As teachers it is our responsibility and obligation to not only impart knowledge, but also to give resources that generate relevant usage. If the information we are sharing is not transferrable in the mind of our charges (students, employees), then we are either creating trivia buffs or speaking a foreign language to them.

As memorization and comprehension of facts are important to learning and growing in our performance, being able to integrate and utilize the information should be the leader’s main objective for his learners (employees). One reason people consider meetings boring is there is no practical application given with new information presented. Seldom do leaders (teachers) teach for lasting life-change. In the workforce this is a critical step oftentimes omitted from training and delivering of new information.

Dispensing information does not create lasting change, nor does it guarantee useful memorization. Memorization for memory purposes only is trivia. It may become useful, it may not. However, when we give new information along with practical uses, people catch the application and how to apply this in their performance. Adding application is not simply telling people how to use it. This would be the fastest way, but the least effective of producing retention for performance change.

Allowing time to practice is naturally the first line of application we think of. But, application can also take the form of questions ex. “How could this new technology assist you in your performance?” or “What can you see as the two greatest advantages of applying this to your situation?” Application can also be shown through stories and illustrations.

The Value of learning rests on the leader, not the learner.

There are numerous ways to assist your employees/volunteers in integrating new information, new technology, new ways into the workplace, church, or individual lives. Move away from being only a knowledge dispenser. Instead, become an organizer of learning experiences that compels people to grow with even greater effectiveness.

To find out more contact George Yates and visit SonC.A.R.E. Ministries.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life

As leaders, we must also strive to become master teachers. One of the gifts of a master teacher is that he/she can craft a lesson in such a way that the pupils gain the desired understanding, yet never realize the lesson is being taught. It becomes an experience of learning, not a session being taught.

It has been said that our subconscious mind often learns at a quicker pace than the conscious. I first came to realize this as I studied the ways children learn. During that course of learning a case study was presented. When a family moves to a new country with a different language, it is the children who learn the new language first. The adults may attend numerous hours of class instruction over the course of several weeks attempting to learn the language. Yet, most adults still struggle in acquiring the language and its nuances.

Children on the other hand learn the language subconsciously while playing with peers their own age. The children weren’t trying to learn as they played. The learning simply came involuntarily as they did what children do, play. And children master the language much more quickly than adults. In every case studied, the results were always the same. The subconscious often learns quicker than the conscious.

As leaders, teachers, we must move away from being only dispensers of knowledge to become models, mentors and organizers of learning experiences. The conscious mind only receives facts it is prepared to receive. Perhaps you have heard students come out of a classroom saying, “I’m on brain overload.” It is not that his/her brain is truly overloaded. It is that the amount of facts or depth of information presented was much more than the mind was ready to receive.

I am no accountant, yet I do enjoy playing with numbers, sometimes. But to sit and listen to an accountant speak on the ins and outs of bookkeeping would remind me of screeching fingernails on a chalkboard. Accounting is deeper than my simple number crunching mind can absorb.

A good leader or teacher will learn how to arrange facts and information for easier memory recall. It is true that part of learning happens through repetition. Yet, I contend that nothing flips into your long-term memory until there is a benefit attached to the learning experience. You do not pull a map out each time you go to the grocery store, right. You do not have to because early on you realize there is a benefit to you by going to the grocer. That benefit is good tasting satisfaction.

Be a leader who creates learning experiences for those you lead. If they can realize a benefit to themselves, they will learn and be a more productive employee/volunteer.

To learn more about becoming an organizer of learning experiences, pick up a copy of Teaching That Bears Fruit or contact George Yates.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life

As a child, my nephew, Cody, wanted to be like his Dad, my brother, Jim. I remember my brother telling the story of taking Cody to the mall one day. Cody was probably four or five at the time. Since Cody wanted to be like his Dad, they dressed alike that day. Both wearing similar colored casual pants and the same colored t-shirts. As they were walking through the mall Jim noticed Cody kept dropping back, walking behind his Dad. The first couple of times Jim slowed down and called Cody to catch up. Upon Cody’s dropping back one more time, Jim realized what Cody was doing. Cody was falling behind on purpose.

Not only was he dropping back, he was lining himself up directly behind his father and mimicking his father’s movements. Cody wanted to be like his Dad. Upon this realization, Jim began making other, out of the way, movements and gestures. He would run his left hand through his hair. Cody did the same. If Jim put one hand in his pocket, Cody did the same. If Jim looked left, Cody followed suit. Jim kept this up for several minutes, because the one other factor he had noticed is the smiles his son was bringing to all the people in the mall who had seen this attraction that morning.

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Imitation is certainly one of our two God-given learning abilities. Children learn from their parents and others, how to walk, talk, adopt particular mannerisms and much more. Leadership styles are often acquired in the same fashion.

We tend to take on the leadership traits of the leaders we have served under. Often, it is that leader or leaders who showed interest in our personal professional development. Observation is often the best teacher. We tend to take on certain traits of those we follow. Observation lends to imitation as Cody demonstrated in the mall twenty some years ago. Imitation is one of our God-given ways of learning.

Unfortunately, there also those leaders who have adopted the traits of leaders that were not appealing as an employee. While the younger may not have liked or appreciated these leadership traits, she may adopt them, because it is what was modeled to her as a leader. This unhealthy leadership trait transfer can be problematic, for the leader, the employees, and the organization.

The bright side of this is that leadership qualities and traits can be changed and improved. Every leader should continuously strive to improve and graduate to a new level of leadership. I am a proponent of every leader developing new leaders. Regardless of your position in life, you are influencing someone. Therefore, you are a leader. Your goal should be to not teach someone to be like you, but to help him/her unearth his God-given skill and to develop to his or her greatest potential. Along the way, always encouraging each one to reach levels beyond your own leadership plane.

I believe one of the highest forms of compliment is when a leader’s protégé reaches heights beyond his mentor leader. Strive to be a growing leader who grows leaders.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life

It is great when expectations and reality go hand in hand. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. We all have expectations – about everything. Each time you or I experience disappointment, it is because reality did not meet our expectations. Your favorite sports team loses, you expected them to win. The wonderful meal you anticipated all afternoon, was only mediocre at best. Disappointment is always experienced when reality does not meet our expectations. When reality meets our expectations, enthusiasm is experienced. Your team wins, or the meal met or surpassed your expectations. You are enthused.

The first step in seeing your employees, volunteers, even family members, develop and thrive is to realize that he/she also has expectations. A new hire’s expectations may be putting food on the table and keeping a roof over her family’s head. Her expectations could be that she desires to be the very best worker in her department. Yet, the bosses expectation is in a totally different realm of thinking. Which is right? Which is wrong? Neither is wrong. Every person has expectations. Aligning those expectations is the key to building a successful team.

As leaders it is imperative on us, if we desire a productive team of workers or volunteers, to realize and understand the possible differing expectations involved. Once we do, then we should develop a plan to bring those expectations together. The expectations of leadership have likely been developed over time, through dreaming, planning, goal setting, and hours of intensive hard work. Leaders should realize team members have not undertaken those same dreaming, planning, and goal setting sessions. Therefore, the team members cannot possibly be at the same expectation level as leadership.

On the team that you are responsible for, what have you done to narrow the gap between the leadership expectations and the expectations of the team members at every level? What steps have you taken to understand the expectations of the team members? Is it possible to bridge the gap between the two without knowing the other end of the gap?

It is likely, that I do not know your organization. Yet there is one thing I can say about your organization. If your organization is like most others, it is filled with normal people. People who have expectations. Can you help them fulfill their expectations and grow into even greater expectations for their self-improvement and your organization’s productiveness?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Just shy of my 23^rd birthday I shifted directions in my vocational life. I accepted a position selling vacuum cleaners – in homes. Actually, I was quite good at it and was promoted to sales trainer within one month, though I had never been comfortable speaking in front of a group of people. Within about 8 months I had purchased a franchise and was running the regional office in Nashville, TN.

At one of the company annual meetings, speaking with some of the higher ups who had been with the company several years, a bit of information was shared that I had no previous knowledge. It was revealed that at the time I started with the company, office personnel would discreetly wager on when new recruits would “wash-out” or quit the company.

All bets were against me. I was not expected to make it out of the five-day initial training. When I did graduate, the bets were how many (less than five) sales calls would I make before hanging it up and walking away. As they shared this information the three were laughing, because, at the time of my hiring no one believed I would make it. Honestly, without the grace of God, I would not have made it through.

Would you agree that our mindset, in general, is that we do not expect great things from others? In particular, let us consider your family members, close associates at work, and friends. While you may certainly desire others (your children especially) to do great things, oftentimes our expectation mindset falls far short of our desires.

Be it in public schools or private, in church settings or the workplace, our expectation mindset (our private thoughts) is seldom that those around us are up to great things. And in these same settings, we believe our private thoughts do not matter.

In reality, what you think has a powerful impact on everyone you meet and interact with. Your thoughts are being continuously communicated to those in front of you. What you think is conveyed through your facial expressions, shoulder, arm, and hand movements. Even your eyes tell the story of your thoughts. Some people try to cover these up, but many of them are compulsory, and involuntary.

Perhaps I could read the signals being given off by these office personnel when I started with the company and set out to prove them wrong. Whether or not this is true, I had people within the organization who believed I could make it. And it was their mindset expectation that prevailed. I say their mindset instead of my own, because their positive actions toward me helped me establish my mindset for success.

Your expectation mindset for yourself and others is visible to those you spend time with. What are you communicating? Will your mindset lead to body language that says, “I know you can be a success!”?

What will you do today to improve your mindset expectation of others?

To learn more purchase your copy of Coaching: A Way of Leadership, A Way of Life or contact George Yates.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life

Contrary to the belief of many, leadership is not something to be lorded over the masses. Looking down on those who work for you will only bring bitterness and low morale. Yet, I am confounded at many leaders who hold this position. Successful leaders are not those who reach quotas and meet deadlines. Truly successful leaders are those who strive to raise up others by helping them to find and develop their abilities. It is then that people work together for the good of the organization.

Leaders expect, even demand certain objectives and targets from their workers. Leaders believe because a person is making a wage, he/she is obligated to have a hunger for accomplishing the company objectives. This is a dangerous and fallible way of thinking. Yet, too many leaders and organizations follow this thinking as if it were a holy grail.  Workers want to know that leaders share the same hunger.

Unfortunately, much of what is seen by workers of their leaders is completely different. They see higher-paid, controlling managers, closer to slave owners than leaders. Controllers waiting to pounce on the slightest error or productivity let up. I trust this is not the type leader you wish to be. If my assumption is correct, here are three features you can undertake to become a truly successful leader.

1. Show vulnerability; You are not perfect. Admit your own mistakes. Demonstrating vulnerability validates your understanding of work and related skill. Revealing vulnerability is not a weakness. Rather, it is indeed a strength and a tool for strengthening others. It may be difficult at first, but learn to display true and tangible vulnerability. Watch production of your workers soar.
2. Act according to shared values. The values of the organization should be the same for every person within, from the CEO to the newest, lowest line level worker. Organizations where leadership has a differing set of values than the employees, cause disunity and distrust between the ranks. If lower line employees are expected to work 60 hour weeks or produce x amount, then leadership at all levels should have like expectations.
3. Always find avenues to improve yourself as a leader and provide for others to improve themselves. Every leader should have a plan for self-improvement; improving your leader and people skills as well as the skills required to perform your job at your very best. Successful organizations observe, interview, and assist employees (volunteers) in seeking out and providing opportunities for self-improvement. This can come from mentors, books, seminars, training, cross-training, and more. As a leader your self-improvement should always make others’ lives better in the process.

If you want to be a truly successful leader, commit to these three features. You will never stop growing, learning, and assisting others in self-improvement as well. And I can assure you, no financial remuneration can ever come close to the delight and contentment of the outcome of this style leadership!

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

A few years ago, cartoons and movies came out featuring trucks and other machines that would convert themselves (transform) into massive superpowered robots. Or at least that’s my recollection. I grew up a couple decades prior to these “Transformers”. I grew up with cowboys and Indians. Therefore, I admit I do not know much about these transformers. The word transform means to change. To transform is to make a total change, more than superficial, it is a radical renovation from the inside out. So, how do we apply this to leadership?

Transformational leadership consists of initiating this same type of change. It is setting out to make a conversion from the inside out, a radical and complete conversion. Transformational leadership works toward bringing change not only in the organization itself. Transformational leaders lead with the objective to empower teams, individuals, and the leader himself to do more than improve. The objective is for a radical renovation from the inside out. When a transformation like this takes place in one’s life, it normally spills over into other areas of life. Making a transformation like this at work, will overflow into one’s home life and other areas as well – positive overflow.

Transformational leaders motivate others to do more than they originally intended and more than they thought possible. Transformational leaders help others to set more challenging expectations for themselves and their teams. When encouraged and empowered like this by a transformational leader, people typically achieve higher performance and greater effectiveness. Again, this will overflow from the workplace into other areas of life.

Transformational leaders tend to have more committed and satisfied workers/volunteers. Why? Because transformational leaders empower and encourage. When we empower others, we are encouraging them by saying we believe in you and that you can “do this”, “rise to the challenge”. Empowering another person is not only encouraging them, it is giving them the authority to run ahead and accomplish the task at hand. It also means we are giving the authority to make mistakes without undue punishment or belittlement.

Empowerment is tough for some leaders, but it is necessary for transformational leaders. You cannot be a transformational leader without empowering others. Teach them what is expected, show them what can be done. Empower and encourage them to reach for heights they never dreamed possible. Then watch the transformation take place. But don’t rest on your laurels. Plan and empower your own transformation as well.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.