How To Be A Catalyst For Great Ideas
Barry Winders
Every leader should have an idea room or designated place where they just sit, think, and incubate ideas. Some ideas will quickly materialize while other ideas will require a slow cooking or crock-potting approach.
The first thing you need to understand is that incubating ideas is a team sport. This means a group of idea people will sit in on your pitch. Honestly, most of us generate very few good ideas. However, experienced and confident leaders know how great those ideas can become when they are shared. This risky behavior allows for a good idea to be compounded and to become a great idea.
It’s natural to feel panicky about what you imagine as a steady flow of ideas parading before hard-boiled idea “opinion-ators” who call the shots. And yes, if you let them, they will be. But while they need to learn about what you have to offer, you need to learn about them.
The trouble is, each idea person at the table sees it and expresses it differently. But ifs not as tough as you think to discover it. You just have to get them talking. You need to figure out their switch. I’m talking about the universal must-have that flips on the green light.
Below are 7 tips on how to be a catalyst for great ideas in your ministry. Take note of these. I have lived by these seven tips for many years and they definitely boost your ideas. But I must warn you. You must be secure, unselfish, and willing to hear someone periodically say you had a bad idea. Believe me, it will happen. But remember this. They will not damage your ministry. Only you can do that.1
1. Always be thinking about the ministry
2. Always be asking questions about the ministry
3. Focus your thinking on potential and problems in the ministry.
4. Know who the idea people are on the ministry team.
5. Whenever an idea comes to your mind, include them.
6. Ask and expect them to make your idea even better.
7. When they do — give them the credit.
How do you know if the people you have called to the idea meeting are the right ones? Ask yourself this. When you walk out of a meeting do you walk out “charged up” or “drained”?
If you walk out of the meeting drained, then you need to quarantine the people who are anchors on the boat instead of “wind that fills your sails.” I’m serious. Those idea people who are the “wind” to you, will be a smaller group.
The above article, “How To Be A Catalyst For Great Ideas,” is written by Barry Winders. The article was excerpted from www.ministryindicators.com website, July 2009.
This material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
