Turning a new Page

I have turned a new page in my life. My oldest child has started High School. Now I get to test all those theories I used to give as a youth pastor to parents of High Schoolers to see if they work or not. I am quickly learning that I know a whole lot less about parenting than I thought I knew. However, one of the things that I do is look to those who know a whole lot more about life than I. I want my kids to take the leadership qualities they naturally possess and develop them for the good of our home, their school, their peers, their coaches, their churches and ultimately the Kingdom of God. So, today, I am going to give you a devotion on developing people...It is called 12 Rules for Bringing Out the Best In People. Let me know what you think...

12 Rules for Bringing Out the Best in People

1. Expect the best from the people you lead
· When your authority doesn’t expect the best in you it doesn’t motivate you to
become anything.
· Think about the people who believed in you.
· When you Expect = “I Believe” When you Demand- “I Require”

2. Make a thorough study of the other person’s need
· Take care of their needs
· Make “deposits” in the “emotional account” before you try to “withdraw.”

3. Establish high standards of excellence
· Call for this…it’s worth it. Give everything to it.
· Your attitude and actions need to exemplify excellence in kingdom principles. Attitude and Action are two things YOU control.
· Don’t challenge someone to do something that you haven’t taught them to do or standards that you personally aren’t living.

4. Create an environment where failure is not fatal
· See past failure as what they “can be”

5. If they are going anywhere near where you want to go…Climb on the other person’s bandwagon.
· Figure out their interest and be their support (outside the field/court).

6. Employ “Models” to encourage success
· Point out names so individuals know who are doing it right.
· Whatever you reinforce will be repeated.
· Give them an invisible model in front of them to live up to. When expectations are high, people tend to try to reach them...

7. Recognize and Applaud Achievement
· Let them hear what they’re good at! Motivate them. Be specific. Don't blow smoke!

8. Employ a mixture of positive and negative.
· Celebrate attitudinal successes as much as other successes.
· More positive than negative yet sparingly, there needs to be some negative reinforcements. Coach John Wooden had a 12 to 1 good/bad ratio.
· If you want to give the negative reinforcement, you need to wait to give it.

9. Appeal sparingly to the Competitive Urge
· There is a positive peer pressure to be Godly…You live to the level of your competition.
· Iron sharpens iron.

10. Place a premium on Collaboration.
· We’re a team; we need each other.

11. Build into the group an allowance for storms.
Learn to prepare for the unexpected.

12. Take steps to keep your own personal motivation HIGH!!
· Books w/ authors who motivate you.

Prayer: My prayer for you today is that God uses you where you are to bring out the best in the people that God has placed in your care.

Scripture: Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. - NASB