Spring is Time to Get Organized by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

Many Servant Leaders have learned that organization is an important skill to master.  For many leaders, organization of time and environment are essential in order to promote efficiency.  Many leaders find it easier to be more productive and relaxed in an organized setting that can create a stress free environment.  Effective leaders have found that when thoughts are organized and minds are clear, production increases.

According to Robert K. Greenleaf, one of the ten characteristics of an effective Servant Leader is Conceptualization.  In my book, Are You a 10? The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader (2010) an entire chapter is devoted to the skill of Conceptualization. 

Conceptualization is the skill that allows one to nurture abilities to dream great dreams.  One of the activities to develop this skill is organization.  An effective Servant Leader has set both personal and professional goals and encourages goal setting in others.  In order for one to work effectively toward goals, organization is helpful and many times necessary.

The following are a few suggestions on how to organize the work environment.

Color Code Folders – assign a color for each of your tasks.  For example, you might use the color red for all information pertaining to taxes.  Receipts and other important tax documents could be placed in the red folder for future reference.

Calendars –  use a wall calendar to help everyone in the family or in the office be up to date and notified of important activities and events.

Organizers and Planners– use an organizer or planner to track important dates and meetings.  Organizers can be found in a paper format or electronically.

Organize the Office- make sure there are no stacks of papers cluttering your office.  Un-cluttering your surroundings can help reduce frustration and increase efficiency.  When important information is received, it may be filed, acted upon but never put in a pile of other papers.

Computer and E-mail– very similar to color coding your paper files, make sure documents and emails are filed in electronic folders.  Always back up your hard drive to protect yourself from losing all your files.

Organizing Thoughts– organization is not all about paper and electronic files.  Organizing our thoughts is also important to workplace efficiency.  Never rely on immediate responses.  Allow time to process information and formulate an appropriate response.

Create the Atmosphere- the atmosphere in which we all work is important since we spend the majority of our day there.  If possible, choose a paint color for the office that promotes professionalism and relaxation.  Decorative items for a work environment should be things that make people smile such as photographs and inspirational posters.  Finally, play calming music that stimulates the thinking process.  Music such as soft piano or classical music are good options.

Greenleaf, R.K. (2006). The servant leader within: A transformative path. Paulist Press:

            New York.

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  

Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   

For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barbara@leadershipempowermentgroup.com or visit Amazon.com. 

In the Spotlight: Introduction to Series and Charlotte McKinnon

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a classic blue, that is a) I need it (whatever) to be fun, b) need to ‘keep it moving’ and c) get the greatest thrill in promoting causes dear to my heart, that includes the talents and efforts of my closest friends. What a bunch they are!

I am especially grateful for all the relationships God allowed me to cultivate and am honoring a few of them with a new series: “Sister/Brother Spotlights.”

Some of my greatest inspirations come from Super Moms, professional performers, teenagers, my Kindergarten class at church and of course many wonderful elders. You’ll get to meet them pending consent and I am thrilled to show off what my friends do. They truly are a blessing to have and to call my friends.

The first will feature a sweet friend of over 11years, Charlotte McKinnon. You’ll want to pay attention to this young lady as she has a voice that has already taken her around the world performing with Company B, Jennifer Lopez and the legendary KC and the Sunshine Band.

Charlotte has a voice that captivates and is very distinctive. Although flexible to all genres, she really loves performing house dance music and R&B. Her story will include videos, pictures and so much more. Stay tuned!!! This was so much fun to do.

Get ready to welcome...Charlotte McKinnon, Blog Family...fresh off her last show with KC and the Sunshine Band!

I'm so proud of you, Girl!!! 

Donnie McClurkin - That's What I Believe

Let this bless your spirit! Thanks for sharing the Love!!! God Bless You! Hugz!

What We Need is a Little More Convincing and a Little Less Coercing By Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

Did you know that one of the most important ways to deal with others is through influence and persuasion?  In today’s organizations, workers show little regard for authority while electronic communication and globalization have further diminished the hierarchy that has existed in business and organizations for decades.

Today’s workers often don’t just ask “what should I do?” but “why should I do it?”  Because of these changing times, leaders must be able to answer the “why” question in order for productivity to take place.  

Persuasion is the skill that will help the leader succeed in the 21^st century organization by convincing others instead of coercing.

As today’s leader, your organization’s success may depend on your ability to get things done.  In order to get things done, leaders must be able to persuade others.  In fact, effective leaders must be able to convince others to take action even when there is no formal authority.

Not only must the persuasive leader construct a rational argument, but must also be able to frame the idea with approaches and solutions that appeal to workers.  

In order to effectively persuade others, leaders must be constantly working on building relationships with those we work and live with.  Before trying to persuade others to do something, leaders must know something about the audience before preparing any arguments. 

One way this can be done is through dialogue and candid conversations.  Effective leaders invite people to discuss solutions, debate positions, and offer honest and candid feedback.

In Are You a 10? The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader (2010), I discuss ways to develop Persuasion Skills.  The following are three important steps to leading through persuasion.

1. Create transparency and credibility. Persuasion is about being open, honest, and accountable.  Credibility is usually developed through expertise and relationships. Listen actively to other people's suggestions. Establish an environment in which candid discussions are encouraged.  Be truthful.

2. Create relationships.  Speak a little less, listen a little more.  Remain positive.  Communicate better.  Encourage others.  A relationship must demonstrate both intellectual and emotional commitment. 

3. Build consensus. Structure discussions with vivid language and compelling evidence that originates from strong data.  List issues on paper.  Listen to the opinions of others.  Get conflict out in the open.  Recognize and value differing opinions.

One key component to being persuasive is the strength of your relationships with those you work and live with.  Successful leaders have the ability to develop relationships that last.  In today’s economic environment, we all have to build successful work relationships and interact with people in a positive way in order to achieve our goals.

Photo Credits: Google Images

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Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barbara@leadershipempowermentgroup.com. 

Where is the Love? Part 6 of 6

Our main verse comes from Matthew 22:37- 39. Jesus replied, “You must love The Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself." (The Living Bible)

Recap from: Where is the Love? Parts 1-5

HOW DO WE SHOW THAT WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS?

Ø WE TRUST HIM – Proverbs 3:5-6

Ø WE OBEY HIM – Deuteronomy 26:16-18

Ø WE SERVE HIM – Ephesians 6:6

HOW DO WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF OUR MINDS?

When we love God with all of our mind, we will:

Study…(2 Timothy 2:15)

Pray …(2 Chronicles 7:14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17)  and

Praise Him (See the Book of Psalms for awesome examples of praise)

HOW DO WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR SOUL?

Since we are made in the image of God, Who is a Spirit, we are also all spiritual beings living in fleshly bodies. Our souls are what survive death which is why accepting Jesus as your own Savior matters so much. Your soul will live on, but where?

Simply put, according to Joyce Meyer, “We are a spirit. We have a soul and we live in our bodies.” So, we are to love God, who by His Breath gives life to our spirit. Without Him we cannot exist. We’d have no breath, no heartbeat, nor life without His Faithfulness.

Equally important to know is the fact that soul winning is very important to God. Look at James 5:20: “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” How about that?

This is why our job as soul winners is so important.  The directions that our spirit follow here on earth determine our spiritual placement in eternity.

Since we are all here on earth to help one another, I shall borrow a line from my culture, “Let’s NOT be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good!”

That means we can’t be so wrapped up in church traditions and church politics that we can’t relate to the people who need Jesus. In fact, the outcast was not an outcast where Jesus was concerned. He met people where they were and we are to do the same. 

So, loving God with all our soul means loving Him completely, which will show up in how we live.

TODAY’S FOCUS:

HOW DO WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES?

First of all, Jesus warned us to JUDGE NOT in Matthew 7:1. 

Jesus also teaches us about criticizing others.  God never called us to judge one another for Only God and God Alone has the right to Judge.  Man sees the outer being, but God sees the heart.

A closer look of Matthew 7:3-4 will show that Jesus gives three things to consider: a reason, a ridicule and a rebuke.

THE REASON
Whatever measure we use to judge, that same measure will be used to judge us.  

In other words, we must be careful about what we say, because it has a way of coming back up again.

THE RIDICULE 

How can you criticize a speck in someone else’s eye, when there is a beam or even a plank in our own eye? What we point out in other people’s eye (symbolizing one’s life) is often small compared to what’s in our own eye (life).  Often times what we have in our own life is far bigger, far greater, and far worse than what we try to identify in someone else’s life.

Many times when we spotlight a shortcoming in someone else’s life, we are really trying to minimize and/or deflect the shortcomings in our own life.

THE REBUKE

Jesus called us hypocrites to point out someone’s shortcomings and failing to address and correct our own shortcomings. It’s like Jesus is saying, Work on yourself.  Get the beam out of your own eye and then you can see more clearly how to live in relationship to other people.

Now that we have discussed what we shouldn’t do with regards to being judgmental, let’s look at what we should do to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We must be able to forgive, to serve and to love.

WE MUST FORGIVE

In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says that we should forgive not seven, but seven times seventy.  That’s a whopping 490 times that we are to forgive the same person for the same offense.

Since it would be completely insane to use the time we have on earth keeping an accurate record of when this landmark is reached, get in the habit of making forgiveness a way of life.  

By doing this, we are able to experience God’s Peace even as people are treating us badly.

WE MUST SERVE

Now in John 12 we get a glimpse of what it looks like to serve.  Martha served as she prepared dinner for Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and herself.  Her service was required to make it happen.  It was also recorded, hence we know that it was recognized by God.

When we serve, we must be careful not to make the same mistake that she did in being so caught up in the work aspect that she missed an opportunity to sit down with The Savior. In essence, she really dismissed and discounted an opportunity to worship Him.  God must get glory whenever and wherever we serve. As we serve others, it should be fueled by our love for God.

In Luke 22:25-26 Jesus reminds us that a real leader has the experience and the qualities of a servant. 

The New Living Translation says it like this:  “Jesus told them, ‘In this world the kings and great men order their people around and yet they are called ‘friends of the people.  But among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.

Finally, to our list of being able to forgive and to serve we must add the ability to love.

WE MUST LOVE

1 John 4:20-21 asks us how can we say that we love God whom we’ve never seen and not love our brother or sister that we see every day? Wow!

The NLT says it this way, “If someone says, ‘ I love God but hates another Christian, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? Then verse 21 says, “And God Himself has commanded that we must love not only Him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.

Simply put, we are commanded to LOVE!  John 13:34-35 identifies us stating, “So now I am giving you a new commandment:  Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

It’s easy to love people who love you back. Anyone can do that, which may be why Jesus told us:  

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." (Luke 6:35-36)

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I pray that this blessed you as much as it did for me to do it. Thank you so very much for Reading and Sharing the Love! May God Bless You Most Abundantly!!!~~~

Photo Credits: Google Images, 
Mike Waters of Joyful 'toons,
and www.joe-ks.com

Please note that I combined the last two installments to complete the series with this entry. I appreciate you!

Thank you so very much for Reading and Sharing the Love!