What's Your Motive?

Motive Matters.

There is a central fact that those of us in leadership positions cannot escape: people are dependent on us. They depend on us to anticipate the future and make appropriate course corrections. They depend on us to provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs. And, they depend on us to do the right thing in terms of recognition and rewards.

The fact that they are dependent on us gives us a lot of power. In fact, we could call this the elasticity of power because the more dependent a person is on us, the more power we have. Sadly, I can think of former colleagues that abused the power of their position and manipulated people who were very dependent upon them.

For the math and engineering types, here’s the functional notation:

POWER = f (DEPENDENCY)


Kind of scary to think about isn’t it? So, here’s the issue:

How will I handle their dependency?

How will I use my power?


At the heart of the issue is a more fundamental question: What is your motive?


Those of us who have been entrusted with leadership roles – and, remember there are many more leadership roles than the ones with formal authority and titles – need to consistently evaluate our motives. And the question – What is Your Motive?– is the single most important question we as leaders must ask.

To help with this, I have developed a motive check using the following questions:

Motive Check

> In any decision, ask yourself, “What is your intent?”

> Take time to examine why you are doing what you are doing.

> Examine what your gain will be from what you do. It is not a bad thing to gain something from your actions. But, you need to be aware of what you will gain and how that influences your actions.

> Determine whose approval is most important.

> Are you seeking the approval of God or of people?

> We also need to cultivate a set of friends who will love us enough to tell us about our blindspots and question us about our motives.

> We need to allow ourselves the discomfort of letting people ask us the tough questions and challenge our motives. Who is somebody in your life that you are comfortable checking your motives?

> Will you be a servant-leader who uses your power to serve others?

> Or, will you be a self-serving leader who uses power to benefit yourself and advance your personal agenda?


What is your motive?

In Need of Resurrection

I have to confess that I stumbled into last week like a marathon runner stumbling across the finish line.


(OK, so I have never run a marathon...but I did stumble across the finish line of the Cowtown 10K - twice!)


I was depleted. As with so many activities, I don't realize the amount of physical and emotional energy I am expending while I am doing it. But the week before I had poured myself out and didn't realize until Monday that I was running on empty. I was experiencing what our pastor has labeled a "holy hangover."


I was so glad we had the C3 (Creative Church Conference) scheduled for last week. We also had C3 nights, which meant I did not have to prep and deliver talks for the classes I am currently teaching at Fellowship Church on Wednesdays and Thursdays.


The C3 has been my annual pep rally for the last several years. But, this year I needed more than a pep rally. I needed a full blown revival, or as one of my favorite worship songs says: "Here I am, in need of resurrection."


For me the highlight of the C3 Conference the last three years has been getting to hear Bishop T.D. Jakes from The Potter's House. He was again the highlight for me; but, this year his message seemed to be aimed right at me. His message was titled "Let It Flow!"

There were several great points that he made, but the most appropriate for me were these:

• "If we will use what we've got, God will replenish it: LET IT FLOW!"
• "We understimate the supplier. We need to take the limits off of God."
• "We hold on to what we should be pouring out."

I needed to hear that because when I am depleted, my natural reaction is to say that I am not going to do that again...I am going to hold back.

But God said to me Friday night: "Don't hold back what I have put in you. Don't hold back what you should be pouring out. If you will use what you've got, I will take care of building your capacity. If you pour it out, I will replenish you."

And He did!

The Leadership Imperative

A recent book was titled “Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?” That’s a really good question. Why should anyone be led by you? Why should anyone follow you?

If you had to take a philosophy or ethics class in college, you probably remember Immanuel Kant. He is famous for his “categorical imperative.” This was a general rule that Kant developed for ethical decision-making. According to this rule, we should "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

Here’s my paraphrase: In any situation I should act in such a way that if other people in the same situation acted the same way it would be OK with me. (Now, some of my philosophy colleagues might not give me an A for that, but I think it gets to the essence of Kant’s meaning).

What about a “Leadership Imperative”? Could we develop a general rule for leaders?

A good way to get at this issue is to answer this question: Are you worthy of imitation?

As I study the leadership model provide by the Apostle Paul, I see that this was a recurring theme for him.


“Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” (1 Corinthians 4:16)

“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1)

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:6)

In his letter to the Philippians, he provides us with a great test to evaluate how worthy we are of imitation:


“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9)

Can I say that what people:

· Learn from me
· Receive from me
· Hear from me
· See in me

Is worthy of imitation? Is worthy of practicing?

And if they do, will it bring them closer to God?

Are you worthy of imitation?

Legacy Now

Two weeks ago we began a new teaching series at Fellowship Church. The title of the class is A Marriage That Lasts and the background for the class is the book, Legacy Now: Why Everything About You Matters.

Our Married Life Pastor, Jimmy York, kicked the series off with a great lesson on the meaning of legacy. He pointed out that we are all going to leave a legacy. We can do it by default or on purpose. He defined legacy for us as “organizing the way you live so that you will be a blessing to other people for generations to come.” By doing this, we will ensure that our relationships and our resources will outlive and outlast our time on this earth.

Jimmy was captured by an image of a grand banquet described in that book. He asked us to close our eyes and imagine a huge banquet table. At the table we see several people we recognize from our life…our parents, our grandparents, our spouses, our children. But there are also people we don’t recognize…some dressed in clothing from various past historical periods; others dressed in futuristic costumes we have never seen before.

This is your legacy banquet. At that grand table are all of the people from the past who influenced who you are today, … and all of the people for generations to come who will be influenced by who you are today. He also pointed out that those of who are Christ-followers are joint heirs of the ongoing legacy of our Savior.


There was a sense of urgency in Jimmy’s message that night. He wanted to shake all of us out of our comfort zones so that we would realize that everything we do now has an impact on eternity. He challenged us to develop a generational mindset for our lives. He wanted us to understand that every decision we make today has implications for tomorrow. He wanted us to know that legacy isn’t something that occurs when our life is over, but rather something that we are to live out now.

Early this morning, the Lord called Jimmy home. He is now sitting in the presence of the Lord at the banquet table the Lord prepared for him. Jimmy is getting to see his legacy past.

In his all too short life of 33 years, Jimmy lived out the definition of legacy that he gave us that night. He lived a life that has been a blessing to all of us. His leadership and vision for the Married Life ministry and the Men’s Influence Groups has been a blessing and will continue to be a blessing for generations to come.

Someday, we will join Jimmy at that banquet table. Let us all honor Jimmy by living in light of his Legacy Now message. Let us follow his example and live a life that is a blessing to others and that will be a blessing – like his was – for generations to come.

Running Stream or Stagnant Pond?

Today marks the end of my first of 4 months on sabbatical.

It has been very refreshing to get away from the grind, to have time to think, write, reflect, and read. Here's the list of books I read this month:


Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee (re-read)

I Do Again, Cheryl & Jeff Scruggs

Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, Bill Hybels

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception, Scott McClennan

The Measure of a Man, Gene Getz

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, Andy Crouch

Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, D. Michael Lindsay

Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation, Richard Foster


A pretty varied list: Novel, Politics, Biblical Spirituality, Sociology, Leadership, and Marriage. This is typical. I try to read a variety of genres. This helps me develop and maintaining what I call "critical multiplism." Critical multiplism is the idea of examining any topic from a variety of perspectives rather than through only one perspective.

I think reading comes with the calling of a teacher. In fact, I think those of us who teach have a moral obligation to be current. I agree with Howard Hendricks that I would rather my students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pond.

Atticus and Leland

I love to read, and I average about a book a week. Of course, being on sabbatical gives me even more time to read and I am busting the average this month with 8 completed so far. And this year, I am keeping a list of the books I read. I have promised to do this for several years, but I am actually doing it this year.

I rarely read a book more than once. There are some notable exceptions, however. The following is a list of books that I have read multiple times:

Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey
The Best and the Brightest, David Halberstam
Visioneering, Andy Stanley

And most recently, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

What a great story…and a great movie starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Atticus is a man of tremendous character who swims against the tide of small-town, southern attitudes in the depression era (and beyond). He is full of wisdom and is highly respected by everyone in town, even when he has to oppose them.

There’s a great piece of advice for all of us page 59 when Atticus tells his daughter Scout to "delete the adjectives and she would have the facts."

One of the plots of the book revolves around Tom Robinson. Tom is a young black man who has been falsely accused of attacking and raping a white woman. The entire town wanted to skip the judicial process and simply lynch Tom, but Atticus stood them down on the courthouse steps late one night when they came to get Tom out of jail. In spite of Atticus' excellent defense, Tom had no chance with the all-white jury and they convicted him.

Every time I watch the movie or read the book, I get emotional during the scene at the end of Tom Robinson’s trial when Atticus is leaving the courtroom. His children have observed the trial from the balcony with the Negroes who were there to support Tom. I will let Scout pick up the narrative here:

“Atticus took his coat off the back of his chair and pulled it over his shoulder. Then he left the courtroom, but not by his usual exit. He must have wanted to go home the short way, because he walked quickly down the middle aisle toward the south exit. I followed the top of his head as he made his way to the door. He did not look up.

Someone was punching me, but I was reluctant to take my eyes from the people below us, and from the image of Atticus’ lonely walk down the aisle.

‘Miss Jean Louise?’

I looked around. They were standing. All around us and in the balcony on the opposite wall, the Negroes were getting on their feet. Reverend Sykes’s voice was as distant as Judge Taylor’s:

‘Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin.’”

Another thing happens when I read or watch To Kill a Mockingbird. I can’t help but see similarities between Atticus and my own father, Leland. Like Atticus, Leland took unpopular stands on behalf of the Negroes he worked with and who worked for him in West Texas. He told me of a time in Haskell when one of the white men in town was going to beat up the black man who worked for my dad at his service station. The man thought that the Negro had not shown him proper respect. He accused the Negro of saying “huh?” when he had asked a question. The white guy was going to “kick that N..’s ass.” My Dad told him he would have to kick his first. The man couldn’t believe my dad was defending a Negro, but the incident passed with everyone’s backside intact.

Several years later in Odessa, my dad had 5 full-service gas stations (Some of you have no idea what those are). He decided to put a black man named Wendell in charge of the one in wealthiest part of town. Everyone told my dad that he couldn’t do that and that it wouldn’t work. His response was something like “hide and watch.” And it did work. The people in the area loved and respected Wendell, as my dad did.

As a child, I used to spend a week or so with my grandparents in Breckenridge each summer. My dad’s mother used to take me to “town” with her. I was always embarrassed when she introduced me to the people in the stores. She would pat me on the shoulder as she said,

“Now, this is Leland’s boy.”

That doesn’t embarrass me anymore.

Lead Where You Are

In my first blog post, I said I would tell you the Phil K story. Here it is…

It was the worst class I have had in my 25 years of teaching. It was a small class of about 17 or so…usually a good number. And I was teaching one of my favorite subjects - organizational behavior. But, many of these students were employed at a local defense manufacturer and they were the most negative, most cynical group of students I have ever encountered. This group was a major downer. We were only a few weeks into the term when I got to where I dreaded Tuesday nights.

Every week we would discuss the topics and as usual I always peppered the discussion with stories from my days with the “Bohicans” ("bend over, here it comes again") or some insight from one of my consulting projects. But every practical application I shared was met with an attitude and some form of “That’s great, but that would never work at our place.”

The second to the last week of class Phil K said, “You’ve worked in and with lots of organizations, done lots of research, and have been teaching this stuff for a while. Tell us what works.” Well, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “I’ve been telling you what works all semester, but y’all don’t want hear it.” Instead, I said to myself, “OK, one more time, maybe they’ll get it this time.”

So I started in with transformational leadership, goal-setting, job enrichment. All the “stuff that works” that had solid research support and techniques I had often used myself. As soon as I began, Phil started shaking his head, as did several others in the class.

And I lost it.

I had never done this before, and haven’t done it since then, but I came totally unglued. I walked right up to the closest desk (lucky for Phil he was on the second row) and yelled,

“You guys have told me all semester long about how miserable your situation is, how bad it is. And every time I make a suggestion, you tell me all the reasons why my suggestion won’t work in your organization. Well, let me tell you something, IF IT’S AS BAD AS YOU SAY IT IS YOU HAVE THREE CHOICES: 1)DO WHAT I'VE SUGGESTED, 2)LEAVE AND GO WORK SOME PLACE ELSE, OR 3) SHUT UP!

I know you’re not the CEO and you may not be able to change the entire organization, but dad gummit, you can make a difference in your sphere of influence. So, either do this stuff, leave, or shut up!”

Well, I was pretty sure that would be my last semester. I wasn’t tenured and just knew the students would be complaining to the dean the next day. So, I made a preemptive strike and told the dean what had happened. He was actually proud of me and told me not to worry about it. The last week of class passed uneventfully ... after all, what else could I say?

The next semester I ran into Phil K in the stairwell on my way to class. I couldn’t avoid him or pretend I didn’t see him. We were face to face. I said rather sheepishly, “Hey, Phil.”

He responded with “It’s good to see you. As a matter of fact, I have a long email I have been working on to send to you.” I said, “Yeah, I bet you do.” He said, “No, it’s not like that at all…remember that night you kind of, well, went off on us?” “Yeah I remember,” I said even more sheepishly.

“Well,” continued Phil, “when I saw how passionate you were about what you were saying, I decided to take you up on it. I bought that book we used (A Company of Leaders) for every member of my team and we started reading and discussing one chapter every Thursday afternoon. The team thought it was kind of hokey at first, but I stuck with it – allowed myself the discomfort, as you had taught us. And you know what – it changed our organization! We have VP’s coming to observe my team, and when there are openings in other parts of the plant, managers ask my people to apply. It has changed everything!”

I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe it. Phil took another class with me before he graduated. On the first day of class, I told our story. A friend of Phil’s spoke up when I finished and said, “That’s not the whole story. The rest of the story is that Phil won a corporate-wide award for his leadership.”

Wow, all because I kind of went off.

I run into a lot of people who hide behind the fact that they don’t have a title that gives them some formal authority base. And frankly, that stuff makes me tired. Just like Phil K did, we all can make a difference in our sphere of influence.

So, allow yourself the discomfort and lead where you are.