ENGAGE  

• GREETING – Shake hands at the door and welcome each person and have everyone fill out a nametag.  
• GOOD THINGS…Tell me something good about anything positive in your class/area of leadership this past year

X-PLORE 

• ACTIVITY: Flexible Trollies 
• DEBRIEF: Who won? Why? What were your observations of the two teams?
• APPLICATION: Today we are going to talk about the ABC’S of leadership. The three keys of the previous activity are:
  • 1) ACTIVE LISTENING (Listening to your teammates)
  • 2) BEST EFFORT (Trying your very best)
  • 3) CAREFUL COMMUNICATION (Talking with your teammates about the activity)

• 1) ACTIVE LISTENING – Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
• 2) BEST EFFORT – Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
• 3) CAREFUL COMMUNICATION – Revelation 12:11 – And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

COMMUNICATE  

• 1) ACTIVE LISTENING  
  • Telephone Game
  • POWER WRITE: What is your definition of Active Listening?

• 2) BEST EFFORT  
  • POWER WRITE: What is your definition of Best Effort?
    • Being present | Showing up early | Preparing early 
• 3) CAREFUL COMMUNICATION  
  • 55% body language 
  • 38% Tone
  • 7% Actual WORDS we use
  • Greet 3 people with this in mind!

• • Notes from chapter “Negotiate Success”
    • Read aloud – The group will simply listen 
    • Individually read again silently (Need pen or highlighter)
    • Note 1 wow you discover and 1 ow (as in ouch)

“The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter” by Michael Watkins

CHAPTER 4 – NEGOTIATE SUCCESS

DON’T EXPECT YOUR BOSS TO CHANGE. You and your new boss may have very different working styles. You may communicate in different ways, motivate in different ways, and prefer different levels of detail in overseeing your direct reports. But it’s your responsibility to adapt to your boss’s style; you need to adapt your approach to work with your boss’s preferences.

TAKE 100 PERCENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING THE RELATIONSHIP WORK. This is the flip side of “Don’t stay away.” Don’t expect your boss to reach out or to offer you the time and support you need. It’s best to begin by assuming that it’s on your shoulders to make the relationship work. If your boss meets you partway, it will be a welcome surprise. 

AIM FOR EARLY WINS IN AREAS IMPORTANT TO THE BOSS. Whatever your own priorities, figure out what your boss cares about most. What are his/ her priorities and goals, and how do your actions fit into this picture? Once you know, aim for early results in those areas. One good way is to focus on three things that are important to your boss and discuss what you’re doing about them every time you interact. In that way, your boss will feel ownership of your success.

THE STYLE CONVERSATION. This conversation is about how you and your new boss can best interact on an ongoing basis. What forms of communication does he/ she prefer, and for what? Face-to-face? Voice, electronic? How often? What kinds of decisions does he/she  want to be consulted on, and when can you make the call on your own? How do your styles differ, and what are the implications for the ways you should interact?

LOOK FOR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL EXCHANGES. Seek resources that both support your boss’s agenda and advance your own. Look for ways to help peers advance their agendas in return for help with yours.

• Lineup up quietly in the order of your spouse’s birthdate. If you don’t have a spouse- your birthdate. Jan- Dec
  • Fold the line 
  • Think/ Pair/ Share your Wow and Ow. 
  • The whole group will share out
  • We will have everyone go around the room and state ONE WORD that shows your biggest takeaway from “communication.”
  • QUOTES
    • “Communication is the real work of leadership.” Nitin Nohria 
    • “Communication works for those who work at it.” John Powell 

EMPOWER  

• TED TALK – Every Kid Needs a Champion – Rita Pierson

LAUNCH 

• WEB OF PRAYER – Everyone will share a prayer request while building a “web-like community” in the process. This will take ACTIVE LISTENING to hear each other’s prayer request, BEST EFFORT as we see what happens when we hold the web in prayer and when we let loose, and finally CAREFUL COMMUNICATION as we lift our voices to God in prayer for ourselves, each other and the church.