The Minister as CEO

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Like it or not politics are there in every congregation. All everyone wants is to be filled spiritually, make the budget, and inspire newcomers which will lead to automatic growth and realization of both fiscal and spiritual goals. That’s simple, isn’t it?
 
Now if a minister comes into a church without an appropriate amount of experience as the leader of a complex system, he or she will soon decide that dependence upon a board of directors or other governing body is needed to supplement the necessary leadership roles. Often a new problem begins. The lay leaders of most churches have no more training than the minister in church management. Unfortunately most conflicts in churches are a result of this scenario, and it is totally unnecessary. Our research has shown that where the minister is firmly ensconced as the CEO and has the qualities of that title (comparable to those CEO’s in other large businesses), that church will grow and prosper.

We all know that it takes good preaching and teaching to help a church grow, but we also have observed that people will tolerate less than greatness in a minister’s sermons if they find that they belong to a dynamic group of congregants who are led by someone with passion and the ability to lead. People on the whole are less concerned with content of the message than the surroundings in which that message is delivered. What is vital is that there be a common vision for the church, and its mission is not only understood, but demonstrated by everyone there, especially the minister.

That being said, what is a great CEO? Raymond and Stephanie Yeh published an excellent manuscript in 2004 entitled, The Art of Business: In the Footsteps of Giants. In this book are short interviews with various CEOs of successful companies. One I found interesting was about Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines.

Here are some of the characteristics the authors found in Mr. Kelleher which they believe makes him a great CEO.

Early Influence. Kelleher was very much influenced by someone in his early life and he realizes the importance of that influence. In his case it was his mother, and he credits her with providing him most of the core values of his life.

Humility. Our authors point out that Kelleher assigned himself a small windowless office in the new corporate headquarters. Nobody in the company is any less a person to him and he values all employees with equal appreciation. His secretary has been with him for over thirty years as an example. He not only has an open door policy, but he has an open door, according to one of the company employees.

Unwavering Resolve to Succeed. In spite of his own battle with prostate cancer, he never stopped working, flying back and forth for daily treatments from Dallas to Houston. He just likes to win, and claims that with the cancer, he just kicked its butt.

Walk the Talk. Kelleher is a person who is always consistent. His employees state that you see and hear the same person whether he is on stage or off. What he says and believes in public is the same message you hear in personal contact with him.

Passion. Mr Kelleher is a man on fire with what he is doing and the company he runs. That passion is apparent in how he works and in the way he approaches every person in the organization. There is no doubt he loves what he does and where he is doing it. He is always turned in to the possibilities available in new projects and opportunities.

Confidence. The authors put it this way. A person needs tremendous confidence to be a contrarian, which Kelleher has been all his life. The number of firsts for an airline company he runs are an impressive list, and it shows in the company’s bottom line. Southwest is thriving while competitors struggle.

Focus. One of the things the authors were most impressed with was his ability to totally focus on them during the interviews. His employees all report that when they are with Mr. Kelleher one-on-one, there is no one else in the room.

Be Quick and Stay Balanced. About this he says, “Ready, fire, aim. In our business, if you keep aiming all the time, you never get to fire.” He is known for making quick decisions.

Make a Difference While Having Fun. The authors report that they have never seen anybody so eager to laugh out loud about almost everything. Added to that is one of his most precious principles; doing good for others.

Now can it be that it’s possible for a minister to be one willing to adopt these same qualities? We certainly believe so. The way we see it, none of the things which make Herb kelleher a success at Southwest Airlines would out of place in a minister of any church. So all that is needed is to take this list and measure oneself against it and begin. And above all else, we recommend adopting his basic philosophy as your own, “Make a difference while having fun.”