Blog Post: How to Avoid Drowning in Change

Brian Miller

This is a six part series. I’ll put the links to the rest for your convenience.

When I was 15, I found myself about 30’ behind my brother’s speedboat, as I had many times before that summer, but this time I only had one ski. The difference between two skis and one ski is huge. On two skis, I could stand straight up as soon as the boat began to move, and I was immediately stable. On one ski, I cut a deep rut into the water and began to sink. Walls of water built up on both sides of me, until I was pretty sure I was simply going to go under. At the last second, I suddenly popped up and needed to land the single ski on the water with more balance than I had ever experienced.

My first few attempts, I was drowned. The very first attempt I let go at the worst possible moment – right before I popped up. Fear made me let go, and I was rewarded by walls of water burying me alive.

Change always creates fear. During the period of change, we often start to sink and begin to believe this was the biggest mistake we could have ever made. I remember an apostle named Peter sinking into the waves due to fear. Then Jesus told him, “You can’t focus on the fear.” You have to focus on popping up and landing into a new experience.

Three Expectations I Have For This Email

1. Create for myself a new rhythm coming out of the storm of change.

2. Help you to think consider new rhythms when navigating change.

3. Give you an opportunity that will help you with change.

Create a New Rhythm as Quickly as Possible

Using the skiing analogy, I’m about to pop up after feeling like I was being buried alive. I need to focus on the possibilities rather than focus on the fear. I loved pastoring, and I’m going to love coaching, but transitions can completely mess up your regular rhythms. In a few weeks, I want to start my first full-time coaching Monday with a plan.

Here are my observations for creating a healthy work rhythm:

1. Prioritize your most important work

2. Make your work as visible as possible

3. Leverage partnerships fully

Prioritize Your Most Important Work

Over the years coaching leaders, I have found they usually start their day catching up on some forgotten work or putting out fires delivered by email overnight. It is rare that this is truly how work leaders should start their day. They should start with what is most important, not necessarily what is most urgent.

For me what is most important is creating content. It is my vision to encourage and inspire ministry leaders to create a coaching culture around them that develops people around them into effective followers of Jesus. For me to encourage and inspire, I need to create blog posts, podcasts, video courses, and new coach training classes.

Because this is the most important task for me, I want to work on it every day possible first thing in the morning for at least an hour.

· What is your most important (not urgent) task for you to accomplish your vision?

· When are you at your best?

· What are the obstacles to getting one uninterrupted hour every morning?

· What steps can you take to remove those obstacles?

Make Your Work as Visible as Possible

If you are doing important work, then it needs to be as visible as possible. This isn’t arrogance. This is mission. Jesus said not to hide your light under a bush. Let it shine so that everyone can see.

I can see that as a pastor I had this backward. I would spend much more time on writing a sermon than on getting people to church so they could hear it. You might argue that filling seats isn’t that important to you. I would actually agree. So what are you doing to develop long term relationships that would eventually bring more and more people to hear your sermon or whatever it is that you deliver? Why spend much time on content if it isn’t important how many people hear it?

For me, this means I need to spend around 30% of my time making Coach Approach work visible. Almost all of this will be online through emails and Facebook. We may try to use Periscope (check it out if you haven’t already.)

The way I know that God has created me for coaching is that by far out of everything I’ve ever done, this is the one I’m least shy talking about. I think everybody should know about coaching, so I’m going to do my best to spread the word.

· How can you best create engagement online about what you think is important?

· Where could you hang out that would give you ample opportunity to talk about what your organization does?

· What does Jesus want people to know about your ministry?

· How much time you should spend evangelizing the world about what Jesus has laid on your heart? Literally put a number on it. For me, I’m thinking it is around 12 hours per week.

Leverage Partnerships Fully

When I took the CAM 502 coaching class, Building a Dynamic Coaching Relationship, I was introduced to the High Performance Pattern (HPP). This blew me away. The HPP looks for patterns that bring you success in the four phases of performance – getting drawn in, getting rolling, keeping it rolling, and ending well. I was shocked to discover that a key to my high performance has always been having a partner. Upon further discovery, the partner has some specific characteristics.

It’s interesting that I’ve never had a partner in pastoring a church. I wonder how my church would be different had I recognized this one pattern when I started the church 15 years ago. Working with Coach Approach Ministries, I will have two partners, and even three since we’ve added my wife to the mix as our Administrative Assistant.

I’ve had lots of experiences with local schools and their use of parents as partners. In one particular case, an administrator was unwilling to ask for the number of volunteers she needed because it just felt like she was asking too much. As I coached out of her how many volunteers she would need, the number was around forty. Our Parent Teacher Organization Team got on the phone, explained to parents what we needed, and forty parents came in to help. The biggest problem for the administrator was her mindset. Another time, I sat with a few other parent leaders who complained that they had to do everything themselves because no one was willing to help. Again, this is a mindset, not reality.

I need to have the mindset as I create a healthy rhythm for myself that my partners are glad to help and if I ask too much, they will let me know rather than make this judgment before I ask. I also need to learn to be as honest with them about what load I can take upon myself.

· Who are five key partners (paid and unpaid) in your ministry?

· When was a time that you gave them too much?

· How could you create most trust and honesty among your partners?

Homework

I’m sure of one thing about my first full week of full-time coaching. I won’t pop up and land my new rhythms on the first try. It will take failure and adjusting. Let me ask you a few questions that might lead to improvement in your rhythm.

· How are you using your time? Track whether you are making progress on what is important?

· What is one step you could take to make your important work more visible?

· What is one step you could take to bring one key partner into the loop of what is important?

An Opportunity for You to Learn How to Coach Change

Coach Approach delivers classes in two ways. One way is onsite. We come to your geographic location and spend two full days teaching a course. We would love to train in your area. Let us know if you’re interested in setting up a class.

The second way we deliver coach training is online. These classes are typically 8 weeks for 1 ½ hours each week. Practice sessions are setup between classes. All you need is a phone.

Speaking of change, I will be offering our “CAM 503 — Coaching Change, Transition, and Transformation” onsite and online this fall.

The onsite class is in Findlay, OH on November 9-10, 2016 – Monday & Tuesday – 8:30am to 4:30pm EDT.

The online class starts October 27 (Tuesdays) at 10am EDT and runs every Tuesday until December 15.

If you haven’t already taken our introduction course, “CAM 501– Foundations in Christian Coaching,” I will be teaching this class onsite in Monticello, IN on December 7-8. The next online class will start today (September 14) at 3pm EDT. Even if you don’t sign up until later this week, it isn’t too late to get started in this class.

You can sign up for the onsite classes at https://coachapproachministries.org/coach-training/

You can sign up for the online classes at https://coachapproachministries.org/online-training/.

Use the coupon code CGGC for $75 off each of these classes.

Thanks for making the switch over to Coach Approach Ministries with me. I’m glad you did.