Men in Ministry Fighting For a Generation

As Men in Ministry it is our responsibility to reach the generations around us. Whether the generation is Generation X, Generation Y, the Baby Boomers or the Greatest Generation. Not my job, I have children, that is enough, I do not know how to talk the language; all good honest excuses but they are excuses. Here, let us talk about reaching Generation Y. This generation is referred to by a number of names. Some of the names are The Facebook Generation, The Millennial Generation, Generation Next or the Echo Boomers. Whatever the name we give to Generation Y it is generally agreed to be the age demographic between 14 and 29. The generation in America numbers about 70 Million it is the largest segment entering the work force.

To fight for Generation Y let us take a look at some of the characteristics of the generation.

Tech Savvy: This generation grew up with technology in full swing. They are likely plugged in 24 hours a day. Email is a passé text messaging and Facebook Communication is prevalent. Frequently they relate by being part of a group, in fact going on "group dates" rather than the one on one night out is a norm.
Family Centric: The fast track in business though working long hours and all the days has lost its attraction. They look for family and a better work life balance. Meaningful work is important and the generation is good at questioning authority. We may think of the "why question" as a moniker of Generation Y.
Achievement-Oriented: The generation is confident, ambitious and achievement oriented. They have high expectation of their leaders. The generation Y is not afraid of new challenges, truing and not succeeding is much better for them that not trying at all. They will try often to succeed.
Team-Oriented: Generation Y is comfortable on a team. They grew up in play groups, team sports and may have earned their advanced degree by working on a team throughout the experience.
Attention-Craving: Attention in the form of feedback and guidance. They appreciate being informed as a form of attention. Generation Y will benefit from a mentor to guide them and help them develop spiritually, socially and professionally.

This should give us some fundamentals for how to reach out to Generation Y and become a relevant part of their life.

Let us not read too much into this but I would say being real, living real in the ministry is very important to Generation Y. Be the example, by living the life we profess. Hypocrites need not apply for the army to fight for Generation Y.

Iron sharpens iron rings true for reaching Generation Y, as we need to live what we are promoting be the sharpening iron. Given this, which should be obvious in all our life. Let us look at a possible formula to reach and fight for Generation Y.

Communicate in the way they are comfortable communicating; text and Facebook will have to be a large part of the communication activity. The communication will likely be in short specific spurts. Work together with them on challenges, assist don't tell and encourage success all along the way to the goal. You are a partner not a dictator.

The hard part is helping them realize that the life the way the world prefers, and all or most of their friends prefer, produces the results, which they may not prefer. Showing through real example that living for Jesus will produce a life with no regrets and a fabulous future. Hopefully you can be that example.

In Glad Tidings Mens Ministry International active men in ministry making a difference is our goal.

Our vision is to love God, Love our families, love each other and love the community of San Francisco, CA. It is our mission to demonstrate this love in all aspects of our lives.

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Leaders Must Ask The Right Questions

Effective leadership requires a leader to be both able and willing to listen effectively, and then to ask relevant questions. Only by doing this can a leader put himself into a position to provide the value that today's members and prospective leaders are seeking. This reality was succinctly stated by Albert Einstein, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning."

1. Leaders must study the past to learn important lessons. What was done in the past is not sufficient knowledge, but rather understanding the nuances, what was successful (and why), and what had far less success, is essential information for effectiveness and responsiveness. Leaders must question the reasons that programs, efforts worked, and likewise why they might not have. They must also examine how the organization has changed and been transformed over the years, and ask the important questions related to the factors that may have been involved.

2. How has the organization been evolving in response to changing times and needs? What proactive measures might be taken to improve results, and provide greater value for its members, donors and sponsors? Why have certain individuals continued their involvement, while others let their membership lapsed? Has anyone ever conducted any types of surveys, and if so, how valid was that survey, and the questions asked?

3. Great leadership comes about when it learns its lessons well from the past, and used those lessons to provide wisdom in terms of how to operate and conduct business today. It is essential to effectively communicate with members, potential members, and those who have lapsed, in order to fully understand what they want, expect, need, and what their priorities are. Positive attitudes provide uplifting and motivating discussions, that result in true communication. Only by providing value (both real and perceived) can an organization flourish.

4. How will today's actions impact the future of the organization? How does the present course of action jive with the organization's mission, as well as the leader's vision for the future? How well is leadership really listening, and communicating, to enhance the group, and maximize relevance?

Every one is not set out to be a truly great leader. Some will truly lead, while others only hold some sort of position or title. No one has all the answers, but the effective leader must have the ability and willingness to question on a consistent basis. This is not usually necessarily a matter of right and wrong, but rather about learning needs of others, to be able to put yourself into a position to succeed.

With over 30 years consultative sales, marketing, training, managerial, and operations experience, Richard Brody has trained sales and marketing people in numerous industries, given hundreds of seminars, appeared as company spokesperson on over 200 radio and television programs. He's negotiated, arranged and organized hundreds of events.

Richard's owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. His company Website is http://www.plan2lead.net/, and he can be followed on Twitter @rgbrody. For great information on many topics, visit PLAN2LEAD's Facebook page and LIKE ( http://www.facebook.com/Plan2lead )

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Fundamentals of an Effective Leadership Training Program

One of the core factors behind an organizational success and growth is the effective leadership. Unfortunately, many organizations consciously or unconsciously do not provide proper leadership program to bring out leadership qualities in potential employees. Leadership development program is much more than simply discussing the philosophy of leadership, giving classroom lectures, providing guidebook or CD's to learn theory on leadership qualities.

Effectual leadership training entails more than just classroom lectures. They include a variety of training programs aimed at inculcating or motivating leadership qualities in people. Some of the most effective programs are aimed at developing the following skills:

Quick decision-making process: New leaders in any organization must be trained exclusively to take proper and quick decisions. A leader stands liable for the major decisions of the company. Therefore, the training should focus on developing this attribute in employees. One hasty decision and the company may face huge losses. The leaders should be given proper training in data analysis, understanding employees and their difficulties. This is the first step towards budding proper leadership development skills.
Developing communication skills: Imparting proper communication skills via the use of all the communication channels effectively should be the basic idea behind every leadership training program. Organizational communications are more than just e-mailing. Leaders must be trained to use all communication areas which include one-on-one interaction, giving speeches, addressing employees or other members confidently, and dealing (communicating) with clients efficiently.Maintaining staff relations: Leaders must be trained on how to handle their staff and motivate them to get the work done on time. A good leader should always maintain proper balance between being friendly and at the same time being professional. Some leaders become overfriendly with the employees which often end up degrading the work quality. Therefore, maintaining professionalism is a must.
Understanding the organization: To be a successful leader, a person must know about the company in detail, including its mission, vision and past history, and then work accordingly to fulfill company's objective. This process can work constructively in organization's progress. A leader must work in the interest of the organization.
Understanding Job Responsibilities: Prospective leaders must be briefed and trained properly about their job responsibilities. Leaders must be given details about their job profile and what they are expected to do being in that profile. Leaders should not be assigned job blindly; they must be trained in depth about the post and designation they are going to handle.

A leadership development program will be successful only when the above mentioned points are met properly. Leadership challenges can be properly tackled if the leaders are keen to learn newer concepts. Organizations must design the best leadership program and develop excellent leadership qualities in the positive interest of the company. Leadership development skills is pivotal for the progress and smooth functioning of the organization.

Padmaja Singh is a management graduate & writes on team building events & leadership training programs.

Original article