Mission Drift

Today’s launch of Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches by HOPE International executives Peter Greer and Chris Horst marks a critical opportunity for leaders and stakeholders to revive their thinking about how and why they lead their organizations.

Mission Drift by Peter Greer & Chris Horst

While the book is geared toward leaders and stakeholders of faith-based non-profits, the authors’ insightful analysis and considerable research will expand the horizons of for-profit leaders as well.

Shadowboxing, Legacy & Significance

In reading my advance copy, I found Mission Drift to be a most beneficial sparring partner in shadowboxing issues of legacy, significance and what it means for an organization to be Mission True today – and for generations to come.

Peter and Chris, CEO and Director of Development, respectively, for HOPE International, give voice to many encouraging stories of great leadership of Mission True organizations. Conversely, they also contrast with cautionary tales of organizations that have decidedly drifted in their mission and the implications of those drifts. However, the book is intentionally not an exposé of errant organizations. The authors strike an appropriate balance with grace and aplomb.

150-Year Mission

In one such example, Dr. Albert Mohler turned a drifting Southern Seminary into a Mission True institution that again became a “beacon” of faithfulness. Soon after taking the helm of Southern Seminary, Dr. Mohler wrote a letter to the seminary’s president 150 years in the future. Imagine writing such a letter for your organization! What a great example of intentional, visionary leadership.

Measuring Mission

In chapter 11, the authors discuss “measuring what matters.” They write, “What’s not measured slowly becomes irrelevant. In our organization, our fascination with metrics has sometimes undermined our effectiveness and outreach. Ironically, it was shortly after this one millionth loan celebration that we uncovered significant operational lapses.”

“It is possible to be successful in the things that ultimately don’t matter to your organization’s success. Using the wrong metrics can be a cause of Mission Drift.”

How do you measure the effectiveness of the pursuit of your organization’s mission? Do you measure more than just the easy-to-measure metrics?

To what extent does your Board of Directors, shareholders or other stakeholders actively shepherd and safeguard your organization’s mission? You can add a comment by clicking here.

Some for-profit leaders will also benefit from the book’s discussion of the importance and influence that Boards of Directors and other stakeholders have in ensuring Mission True organizations.

I highly recommend Mission Drift to leaders of for-profit and non-profit organizations who wish to build a legacy of significance and positive impact.

Tomas T, Multi Grand Champion Rocky Mountain Horse
Photo provided by current owner. Regrettably, photographer is unknown.

It was the day before Thanksgiving. Glorious blue skies, mild temperatures and distant mountain peaks garnished with snow reminded me that it was another good day to be in Colorado. A few miles outside of town, we turned onto a dirt road lined with white fences announcing pastures, ranches and a country lifestyle.

Upon arriving at the barn, my friend Stacey greeted us and introduced my kids and me to her horses. She handpicked Tomas T to be my steed for the day, while my teens met Easy Money and Glory, their new equine friends.

For the record, we are horse riding novices from the suburbs. Greenhorns. We’ve enjoyed a few trail rides where horses just plod along, nose-to-tail. That’s about it.

This day would be different.

I would also unexpectedly experience a living parable of great team performance.

The Ride

After saddling up, Stacey gave us some beginner’s instructions on how to ride our respective horses. Each had its own – shall we say – motivational preference. We practiced riding in a small corral then progressed to the bigger arena. Much to our excitement, we surpassed our previous riding experiences, gaining some decent speed in the arena.

After some practice, it was time to head out to the dirt roads of this charming ranching hamlet. Once on the open road, these horses love to run and compete with each other. My kids squealed with delight as each horse challenged the other to gallop faster down the country lane.

The Horse

As Tomas T churned his legs, I became enthralled at his sheer power, determination and focus. As we raced to the top of the hill, I held a tight rein so as to partially throttle back this Multi Grand Champion. Even so, the speed was exhilarating.

Tomas T was on a clear mission: to win the “race” back to the barn.

And yet, this powerful animal was also incredibly sensitive and responsive to his rider. Before we left the corral, Stacey had taught me that verbal cues or a squeeze of my legs would be enough for Tomas T to get his giddyup on. He did not need to feel the heels of my boots in his side.

I also learned how to signal him with a combination of a light touch of the reins and the easy pressure of my foot. This tactic could be used to quickly and completely disengage his forward momentum if needed. Stacey talked about how Tomas T, a Rocky Mountain Horse, was trained to respond to the subtle body position changes of the rider. He attends to the slightest cues from touches to various parts of his body, in addition to the reins.

In a word, this horse has presence.

The Rocky Mountain Horse Association’s magazine profiled this majestic “Rockie” about 10 years ago. The horse’s previous trainer testifies about the stallion: “Tomas T carries himself with great pride and presence.”

As I rode Tomas T, it was clear to me that he was fully on mission and fully present.

The Leadership Lesson for Team Performance

Leaders often find these two dynamics in tension with each other. Like Tomas T, great leaders attend to both. They integrate the practice of mission alongside the practice of presence. Being on mission, Tomas T was full of action, determined and focused on the goal ahead. Being fully present, he was aware, connected and responsive to his team member – me! He had distinguished himself, after all, for his ability to drive high team performance with his rider.

Great leaders are fully on mission and fully present.

Such leaders are able to lead teams with soul, draw out the highest team performance and sustain engagement and team performance.

May we all draw inspiration from Tomas T as we lead!

Questions: How do you practically integrate mission and presence in your leadership? What barriers get in your way? What’s the impact on your team performance? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

In my previous post in this series, I described how a youth football coach neglected to own his leadership impact and one of the consequences of his approach.

Photo Credit: E. Kemp

A few weeks before this incident, I met a dedicated woman who has served as an employee at a faith-based youth services non-profit for nearly 60 years. When asked the secret to working there for so long, she replied:

“I serve a great boss and a great mission.”

I have the privilege of working with her boss, Dan, the CEO. He’s a talented yet humble servant-leader who owns his leadership impact and continues to work to improve his leadership. A seasoned executive, Dan is not satisfied with where he is as a leader. He knows that to stay true to his mission and reach the vision he has cast, good stewardship insists that he sharpen and magnify his leadership strengths so that he can finish well.

Three Big Implications

I submit to you that every leader should own their leadership impact ‘How’ because of three Big Implications:

1. Implication of Engagement

The football coach demotivated and ultimately lost some players with his approach. Some just tolerated him. Few seemed to respect him. The coach didn’t own his leadership impact ‘How’ and lost sight of a mission that was bigger than X’s and O’s, wins and losses.

Dan’s leadership approach, conversely, inspires and helps draw out the best in his team. Dan is highly regarded by his executive team and Board of Directors, as his 360 review makes clear. The contrast between these two leaders suggests an important lesson for us:

When you own your leadership impact ‘How,’ your team will engage.

2. Implication of Performance

It was never clear to me that the coach successfully scared any players into executing their assignments well. The coach’s means of influence simply did not motivate these young learners. Consequently, team performance suffered in various ways. A reasonably talented football team finished 1-7 on the season. Sadly, one kid who needed the positive influence of sports, team and coach, quit the team demoralized. Over the course of the season I heard some parents express their dissatisfaction with the coach, including Mr. “HIT Somebody,” who nearly did so in a lively exchange with the coach during the last game.

In contrast, with Dan at the helm, his team has made great strides forward in transforming the lives of at-risk youth around the U.S. Of course, many elements contribute to a successful enterprise. For Dan, one element shines in contrast to the football coach:

When you own your leadership impact ‘How,’ your team will perform.

3. Implication of Sustainability

It is possible to engage teams and even produce results in the short-term with bullying tactics. Under such conditions, however, team engagement and results are typically not sustainable.

Some players on the football team finished the season questioning whether they would even continue playing football. A few chose not to attend the end-of-season party. One parent said she was “so done” with the negativity her son experienced from the coach. Another parent said he would switch to a different program next year because of this particular coach.

In his eight years as CEO, Dan has intentionally changed the culture of his organization. He made some staff changes. He cast a fresh vision. He defined and measured some new key performance indicators. Today, Dan’s team flourishes. Moreover, he has positioned the organization for even greater impact in the years ahead. These two figures have another lesson for leaders:

When you own your leadership impact ‘How,’ your team will become sustainable.

Conclusion

In her book, How We Lead Matters, Chairman and former CEO of Carlson, Marilyn Carlson Nelson writes:

“Never forget that your role as a leader is to be a steward for future generations.”

Stewardship is the purpose of leadership. We lead in order to serve a greater mission or purpose, so that others may flourish, and to sustain these positive effects.

Purposeful leadership invites us to own our leadership impact ‘How.’ Why should you own it?

1. Implication of Engagement – when you own it, your team will engage.

2. Implication of Performance – when you own it, your team will perform.

3. Implication of Sustainability – when you own it, your team will become sustainable.

Let’s own our leadership impact ‘How’ and help our teams flourish!

Question: In what ways have you noticed leaders own (or ignore) their leadership impact ‘How’ and what were the implications? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

It was the second game of the regular season as the warm Colorado summer rolled into early September.  My dad was visiting for a week. Watching our kids’ sports activities were some of the ‘Day in the Life’ of our family experiences that he naturally signed up for.

Minutes after unfolding our chairs under the port-a-shade, another dad, an imposing 6’5″ and looking as though he may have played linebacker himself, began shouting at our special teams unit lined up for kickoff. “HIT somebody! HIT somebody!” he urged, as though the force of his voice alone might cause a fumble. Coaches stomped up and down the sideline, shouting their own instructions at players. Welcome to 12-and-under youth football.

My son, #2, playing outside linebacker.
Photo Credit: Angel Kelchen

Within a few minutes we saw my son’s team go down by a touchdown. Before the end of the first quarter, a two-score deficit separated our team from a seemingly superior team.

What happened next was utterly shocking.

As our defense ran off the field, one of the coaches, a big, intimidating and loud man, stormed onto the field. With great intensity, he lit into several players, belittling them with profanity.

Did I mention these kids were 12?

The coach received some feedback and cleaned up his vocabulary, though his approach remained consistent throughout the course of the season. Overall, he coached by fear and intimidation with an occasional sprinkling of affirmation.

What are the implications of ‘leading’ a team of 12-year-old players in such an intimidating manner?

Your Leadership Impact ‘How’ Matters

During the second game of the season that coach lost the hearts of some of his players. Within a couple of weeks, I would learn from a boy we drove to practice in the carpool, that this coach continued to demotivate him in practices. This boy also lacked a father figure at home and soon quit the team. For this kid, any potentially positive leadership impact that the coach might have had on him was squandered.

What if this coach had understood his mission to be training boys to be young men and to impart the value of fun, team, discipline, athletic skills and healthy competition?

What if he had decided to be a mentor to these lads?

What if he had owned his leadership impact?

What positive difference might he have made?

On a scale of 1-10, to what extent do you own your leadership impact?

In Part 2 of this series we look at the contrasting real-life example of a CEO and examine some lessons learned from both coach and CEO.