The following are notes from Rachael Sibcy from Frank Bealer’s OC16 Presentation. 

You have an amazing idea, but senior leadership isn’t buying it.

• Maybe we haven’t set them up with clarity and understanding?
• Maybe we have a part to play?
• Maybe we need to slow down?

The kind of decisions that are game changing will result from leading up. It’s how you lead up that will determine success, so frame it up!

Think about the things you want to change and put it through this filter:

Be Ready

• This is not just you, it’s your leader being ready too! Prime the meeting days, weeks, months ahead of time.
•  Don’t convince me about a new thing. Convince me that this new thing falls in with things we’ve been wrestling with for a while.
• Don’t throw up on your leader. Sometimes we are too passionate and don’t wait for the right time.
• Don’t start with passion. Start with being ready. Avoid these words in meetings: awesome, incredible, always, never, wonderful, best, fantastic.
• If a senior leader has asked you to do something, update them on how that something is going before you tell them the new something.

Be Brief

• Say what you’re going to say in 5 minutes.
• Get to the point = “I want to go ahead and get the idea in front of you.” It’s like giving the answer to a math problem before showing your work.
• You are going to be in trouble if you are 10 minutes in and they still don’t know where you’re going.
• Who says they need to be 100% in?
• Being brief doesn’t always make us feel good about our presentation, but it’s best.

Be Smart

• EEL = Examine Every Layer > Data Research
• Know your leader and know the questions they are going to ask. Example: If you are going to talk to a Finance person, they are going to ask about budget.
• Think, “What are their top 3 priorities in the church?”

Be Passionate

• Passion has a place, it’s just not the first step.
• Like a middle schooler with axe body spray! = sometimes we spray too much passion.
• I like to look at passion as icing on the cake, not the cake. –> We need substance.
• Remember that passion is not transferrable. –> Your leader can’t go to bat for you with just passion alone. You need substance.
• If we don’t get it right on the front end, how are we expecting to go through the process?
• Put passion in it’s place.
• Passion without smart = exhausting.

Be Flexible

• Your leader’s job is to make things better.
• Expect feedback, ask for it.
• If your plan moves forward past your leader as it is, that’s disturbing.
• It’s hard when your leader has an idea, but you can’t undermine something that’s better for the ministry just because it’s not your plan.
• Hopefully = They are God’s ideas and we are just stewarding them well.
• Patience = You can’t go from Point A to Point B in one step. Think long haul! Think long term!
• Don’t get defensive when your leader asks you a question! (“I already thought of that!”, “I already did that!”, “I’ll show you my work.”)
• If we aren’t getting buy in and our leader is just signing off, then how are they going to support it from the pulpit?
• Paint a picture of what things look like instead of getting angry about a plan that’s presented to you!

Rachael Sibcy relocated to Las Vegas as the children’s serve director at Canyon Ridge Christian Church. Her heartbeat is for the next generation to discover their truest identity, and for families to awaken to the redemptive and powerful work God wants to do through their households. Wherever she goes, and whatever she does, Rachael wants to influence and encourage the Body of Christ to embrace our role in every family’s journey to eternity.