Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Refine Your Listening Skills

Great leaders learn and forge consensus among their constituents by listening and by encouraging all group members to listen skillfully and with care to one another. To listen — really listen — is hard. Too often we:

•  assume we already know what the other person will say, so we tune out;

•  begin planning our response instead of focusing on understanding the other person’s point of view;

•  fail to note the non-verbal messages connected with the words of the other person and thus miss much of the communication;

•  become defensive because we feel threatened, and scramble mentally to justify ourselves; or

•  become impatient, because creating true consensus among a group takes time.

These behaviors and attitudes can short-circuit relationships. Yet, as we overcome these behaviors with God's help, our willingness to listen will benefit us and our organization in several ways:

•  Listening helps calm and comfort the group during times of change, pain, fear, and stress.

•  By listening, servant leaders discover roadblocks and opportunities, needs and strengths.

•  Listening develops sensitivity to people’s needs and interests, and this sensitivity builds trust.

•  Those who listen to others find that others more readily listen to them.

•  Listening deeply to others helps us avoid premature consensus on less-than-ideal decisions.

Enjoy the benefits by listening carefully as you lead!

From Servant Leadership … Setting Leaders Free, by Dr. Jane Fryar, © 2001 Concordia Publishing House (cph.org). Used with permission.

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Understanding Our Mission Statement — “To Assist Each Woman”

Sometimes we need to be reminded of ways to reach out to women in our congregations, to pique their interest, and to encourage their involvement in LWML. 

Here are just a few ways to “Assist Each Woman” as our mission statement challenges us:

1.  Try to get all the women in your congregation involved in Bible study. Encourage participation in Sunday morning Bible class and other Bible studies offered at your church. Invite them to your meetings when Bible study is the main focus. Bible study often leads to Christian maturity and service.

2.  Personally invite the new and inactive women in your congregation to an LWML activity. Assign “mentors” from your group so that no one feels uncomfortable attending a gathering for the first time. Ensure the "mentors" sit with those they invite and introduce them to the members of your group.

3.  Assume every woman in the congregation wants to be involved in Christian service. Do not pre-judge interests or time available. Even women who work outside the home or young mothers can be part of a prayer chain, make phone calls, write emails, post on Facebook or Twitter, and contribute mites. They can do these things even if they are not able to attend meetings.

4.  Plan a gathering once or twice a year with a special theme and at a different time than usual. Try a Saturday brunch, a Lenten prayer service, an evening picnic with vespers in the summer, or host a special speaker. Plan programs that meet a variety of interests.

5.  Plan frequent receptions to welcome women into your congregation. Informally share information about LWML and service opportunities. Leave time for visiting and use name tags to help newcomers become acquainted.

6.  Be an example of service to the women, just as Christ is our example. For instance, offering meals, babysitting, running errands, and housecleaning to new mothers and those who cannot do so.

Ideas from LWML Resource, Gaining, Training, Maintaining Women of the LWML, Original article by Christine Steele, 1988.

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Setting Healthy Boundaries

If you struggle with overextending yourself when responding to the needs of others, you may have problems setting healthy boundaries. 

Weak boundaries leave leaders defenseless against “users” who feel entitled to manipulate them and who expect to be taken care of at their expense. 

Rigid boundaries cause leaders to shut other people out. They live unprepared and ill-equipped for the give-and-take that healthy relationships require. 

Flexible boundary leaders are competent in living their own life, yet with a balanced and healthy interest in others. They can be generous in sharing their time, compassion, and resources, without becoming overly responsible, or betraying their God-given duty to be the unique person He made them, just to please others. 

Unlike rigid leaders, they bend and adjust as circumstances require, without becoming overwhelmed, defensive, resentful, blaming, or reactive. In tough situations, they roll with the punches, stay focused, and draw on a well of inner strength which God provides. People and circumstances don’t control them; they flex, and let God take charge. They are helpful, but they don’t feel guilty because they can’t “fix” everyone. Their boundaries enable them to adjust to circumstances. They work toward Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), without doing too much or being responsible for others.

For tips on setting healthy boundaries, Edna Ellison and Tricia Scribner have a chapter in their book, Woman to Woman: Preparing Yourself to Mentor, New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, Alabama, First Printing 1999 (subsequent publishing date: April 20, 2011).

Ideas adapted from Daily Devotions, Lutheran Church Charities: Tim Hetzner, author; used by permission; giving glory to God!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Reasons Women Join a Servant Organization

Here are some reasons why women join servant organizations:

•  To share God-given talents;
•  To grow in faith;
•  To be needed;
•  To help others;
•  To make a difference;
•  To learn new skills or use skills already developed;
•  To belong to a caring community;
•  To feel accepted; and
•  To support causes they believe in.

Does your LWML group provide opportunities for fulfillment in these areas so women will want to become a part of it?

Your LWML group can be a catalyst in involving the many talented, dedicated women in your congregation to grow in their relationship with Jesus. Consider planning events that work toward these reasons. Invite women to be part of these events.

Ideas from LWML Resource, Gaining, Training, Maintaining Women of the LWML. Original article by Christine Steele, 1988.

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Etiquette for Electronic Meetings

This spring and summer, many virtual meetings have been held using applications such as Zoom, Facebook Live, or Google Hangouts. The realization is that many of us could improve our etiquette for these types of interactive communication/video conferencing platforms.  

Here are some basic guidelines:

• Check out the free tutorials offered by your platform to learn how to use the various features before you are in a meeting.

• Check your audio and microphone before the meeting.

• Dress appropriately.

• Ask family members to avoid interrupting or moving around within camera view, and move pets to another room.

• Turn off all other internet-using devices on the same router. This is often the cause of crackling audio.

• Establish lighting to be in front of you so other viewers can see your face.

• Consider what is in the background (behind you in the room).

• Turn off your microphone when you aren’t the speaker to avoid background noises.

• Look at the camera when speaking so there is a greater probability that you will appear to have eye contact with other meeting participants.

• Don’t eat in front of the camera or cause others to be distracted by watching what you are doing. Focus your attention on accomplishing the purpose of the meeting.

• Don’t cause the meeting to go longer than it needs to. Stay on task and keep unnecessary conversations to a minimum.

• If you are the meeting host, consider having the meeting recorded. A recording of the meeting can sometimes be just as valuable as attending. It can then be shared with those who would benefit, but aren’t required to attend. If you do have it recorded, announce it to everyone on the meeting before you start recording.

• Keep private meetings private. Only share passwords with people you want to be included.

Enjoy the blessing of technology, but respect others by using it wisely!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Enhancing Your Enthusiasm 

Here are some tips for developing and enhancing your enthusiasm. A leader also has the ability to develop enthusiasm in other people!  

Anyone can be enthusiastic when everything is going right, but the person who can remain enthusiastic is the person who will step out ahead and get things started! Here are 13 ways to develop lasting enthusiasm:  

1. Believe in God. Want Him. Need Him. Think about Him. Talk to Him like you talk to a close friend. Listen to His Voice. This will help you be enthusiastic when everything seems wrong.

2. Make up your mind. Things happen when you’re decisive!  

3. Do not save enthusiasm for special occasions — every day is special.  

4. Keep learning — by reading, using new methods, taking courses, exploring, and experimenting. Be on the lookout for new ideas.  

5. Hear your own voice. Make your voice say that you are enthusiastic. Make your voice your ally. Become aware of its power!  

6. Associate with enthusiastic people. Make a list of them now!  

7. Add variety to your life: challenge yourself by going to new places, participating in new hobbies, and developing different ways of doing household chores. Choosing different ways to do things will keep you growing, interesting, and enthusiastic!  

8. Make definite plans. Think about your plans; write them down; carry that paper in your pocket. Do something about your plans. Talk about them to positive people for reinforcement, as well as to those who may be negative, as they might challenge your plans and give you opportunity to improve them.

9. Put a positive value on yourself. “I am just as good as the other person, but not better!”

10. Wear neat and attractive clothing that makes you feel good about yourself. You will walk better, feel better, and be more enthusiastic.  

11. Do one thing at a time. Focus your enthusiasm on one thing. You can do many things in one day, but only one thing at a time.  

12. Feel strongly about issues. Do your research so you need not always say, “I don’t know.” You can be tolerant and still have definite feelings. Show your enthusiasm!

13. Give people sincere appreciation and praise. Help them believe in you. Be conscious of people and their ideas.  

Idea taken from Motivation is Contagious, a Leadership Development resource originally published by LWML in 1993.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free (Ephesians 6:7–8 NIV).

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Leadership Tips

Dear LWML Leaders,

Welcome back to Tips for Leading with Confidence. We pray this leadership tip will be beneficial as you serve our Lord through the LWML. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Leaders Are Followers

Followers of God seek wisdom and strength as words of Scripture are read, and we meditate on their meaning. This “Tip for Leading with Confidence” comes to us from Scripture. Enjoy sitting with the prophet Isaiah, soaking up his words from God, and be a leader who follows Him!

Thus says the Lord:
"But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2b).

Humility: God values men and women who have a realistic grasp on the Lord’s being: the ultra-holy, wholly Other, and the omnipotent Ancient of Days. God lifts up those who know who they are — sinners redeemed by the blood of Christ. God rejoices in men and women who realize their worth as sons and daughters of the King of grace.

Contrite in spirit: Contrite hearts are hearts softened by sorrow over sin. Contrite hearts realize the hurts their sins have caused. Contrite hearts sincerely desire to make right the wrongs and to avoid involvement with evil in the future.

Trembling at His Word: Knowing God's Word; seeking God's will. Ignoring the cost, and enduring by relying on Christ's strength. Sustained by fervent prayer. Being so committed to Jesus as Lord, the heart cannot conceive of thinking or acting in a way that is contrary to His Word.

The Lord seeks us to be His — through and through, committed completely to Him. As a leader, be humble, contrite in spirit, and tremble at His Word.  

Adapted from:
Jane Fryar, Online LHM Daily Devotion, November 8, 2019; originally taken from The Lutheran Layman February 1980 issue, “Christ’s Leaders are Followers” (St. Louis, International Lutheran Laymen’s League). Used with permission.

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

LWML 2019–2021 Leadership Development Committee
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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