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Board Retreats and the Steward Leader
By Dr. Brian Simmons | Years ago, I accepted the call of the Lord to lead a large Christian school in Indiana. My first year as head of school, I led up and suggested to the board chair (also founder of the school 30 years earlier) that we go on a board retreat together. He agreed. We decided to go to beautiful Brown County in southern Indiana that Fall. This founder had two board members by his side who had served with him for 30 years! After dinner the first night, we decided to take a walk. I purposefully decided to walk alongside of the 30-year board members. After a little while, I said to him “Isn’t this great to walk side by side, cast a shared vision for the school and get to know each other better!?” He replied, “I think this is a waste of time!” What makes a board retreat effective from the perspective of a faithful steward leader?
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Founder Reflections on Ownership
By Dr. Brian Simmons | My son and I are working together to found Lakeside. Christian Academy (LCA) in Lexington, SC. I have studied and read a lot about leadership through the years, and I believe the most biblical leadership theory is steward leadership. I have read very little about leadership during the founder era. “The earth’s the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him” (Psalm 24:1). Foundational to steward leadership is the truth that God the Creator owns all He has created (which is everything!) and we are His stewards. We are not owners!
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Divine-Human Cooperative
By Dr. Brian Simmons | Abraham, the father of Isaac and grandfather of Jacob (Israel) was a hero of the faith and walked closely with God. The twelve tribes of Israel emerged from Jacob who was renamed Israel by God. Jesus Christ was a descendent of the tribe of Judah. The story of Jesus and the redemption He offers is the golden thread that runs throughout the Bible. And, all of history from creation to the present day is a part of God’s overarching plan and purpose. As followers of Jesus Christ and stewards of God, Christian leaders must seek the will and purposes of God for their lives and the organizations they lead. Only then can spiritual leaders move others onto God’s agenda. It is important to remember that God had only one perfect son and his name is Jesus! So, in light of these foundational truths, what is my role and responsibility as a steward leader?
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Stop!
By Dr. Brian Simmons | “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 As Christian leaders we do our best to spend time in prayer and the Word of God so that we can walk by faith. As human beings, we can be disappointed when things don’t seem to go our way. From the perspective of time my testimony is that God’s ways are always best! “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8. As my son, Jared, and I work with our founding elementary principal Bonnie Allen, our launch team and our board of directors to found Lakeside Christian Academy some days feel like three steps forward! Others feel like one step forward and three steps back! Three steps back looks like closed doors… stop signs!
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His faithful love endures forever! -Psalm 136
By Dr. Brian Simmons | As faithful steward leaders we need to strike a balance between caring for the weeds of the organizations we lead and living in the weeds. Recently, I attended a baseball game for one of my grandchildren. By the backstop was a big weed. We have watched this weed grow over the last few weeks. Why would the person responsible for mowing the grass inside the baseball field let this weed grow? His job is to beautify and maintain the field. Big weeds are not beautiful!
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Weeds
By Dr. Brian Simmons | As faithful steward leaders we need to strike a balance between caring for the weeds of the organizations we lead and living in the weeds. Recently, I attended a baseball game for one of my grandchildren. By the backstop was a big weed. We have watched this weed grow over the last few weeks. Why would the person responsible for mowing the grass inside the baseball field let this weed grow? His job is to beautify and maintain the field. Big weeds are not beautiful!
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Backstop
By Dr. Brian Simmons | What is the purpose of a backstop? A backstop's primary purpose is to stop projectiles or objects from going beyond a designated area, ensuring safety and control. It acts as a barrier to prevent unintended damage or injury by containing projectiles like bullets, balls, or other items. In various contexts, backstops serve as a safety measure, a reinforcement, or a support mechanism. What happens when a back stop loses its “stop” function?
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Innovation and the Steward Leader
By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!
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Push and Pull
By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!
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Out with the New and Back in with the Old
By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!
