Personal Responsibility in Leadership

Yo, what's up? So my name is Tim Pratt Jr. I'm an associate pastor here at Willow Chapel Ministries under the direction of Timothy L. Pratt Sr., which is not just my pastor but my father. Uh, Lady Pratt, Lady Marsha Pratt, uh, so which is my mom of course. And, uh, one of the things that I want to kind of just jump straight into it, you all know I don't like to really beat around the bush, uh, but one of the things I've been tasked with or just wanting to do is take more of an assertive role in just the online direction of the ministry using this page and really, you know, just using my talents, I believe also gifts that God has blessed me with. So just a little bit about me before I kind of jump into a little bit more of the direction of this video is that so for about 10 years, maybe 11 now, I've been fortunate by the grace of God to be in kind of the technology engineering space. Uh, I was fortunate to get, uh, like I said, a job right out of college, uh, and working in kind of like drafting design technology, uh, engineering technician type work. Uh, did that for almost about 6 years. And then, uh, coming up this summer, it'll be 5 years where I've been in software development, uh, doing, uh, technical project management, agile delivery, Scrum Masters, and, uh, just agile leadership and things like that of that nature, where I'm currently a senior agile delivery manager. Um, just driving value, coaching within the organization, and, uh, just leading like teams. Like I said, more so in a Scrum framework, and all it is, it's just, it's just an agile framework, uh, more so like I say, serving leadership base. I'm trying to not really get that technical here, uh, but, uh, one of the things I really love about my, my job is the serving leadership aspect of it and the transformational leadership just working with people, man, and coaching them and spending time with them and just the mindset shifts and just the continuous engagement, as well as, uh, the opportunity I get to get coached from different leaders and my peers as well. And as well as people that— I hate to say up under me, but you know what I mean. So like people that were, you know, from just a work standpoint, title alone, uh, it's different. So what I'm saying is that I love the 360, uh, mentorship base. I've been mentored by interns, uh, that I have I have had the opportunity led, because, uh, sometimes I just feel like you have to have a submissive heart, uh, no matter the title or what. You know, it's knowledge, there is wisdom there. What can you learn? What can you take from this situation, uh, versus always trying to be the dominant personality? And so, uh, that being said, uh, one of the things I do outside of, uh, you know, just being a husband and father, and like I said, ministry and working, is that, uh, the Student Life Podcast is near and dear to my heart. And I'll drop the link to that. If you're not subscribed to that, please do, because I'm definitely about to be ramping that back up. But for me, I can say now that, you know, technology is touching literally everything. COVID definitely helped accelerate a lot of stuff that I've, you know, like I said, been graced to be in most of my, if not all my adult life. It's really just, let me see, how can I say this? Well, let's back up. So you see pretty much every ministry now and even small business where they're really trying to get their hands on technology and, you know, they're throwing up a camera, tablet, or whatever. They're trying to think online and putting out online content. They're trying to be transformational, you know, agility within the ministry, or like I say, business agility and all this type of stuff. But it, it, it takes an agile mindset. It takes a different type of transformational thinking mindset to, to carry this out. So you've seen the spike and rise in transformational agile coaches and consultants and just leadership in general. That's now trying to work with ministries. And that is an area that I focus on right now. Matter of fact, thanks to my employer as well as just things in my personal life, I'm getting credentialed in that now to just really take that step and that leap of faith to do more consulting from a professional standpoint in the agile and leadership development space with, like I say, taking in context the transformational thinking as well as business agility. So All of that being said is that this is what I want to focus on now within the context of Willow Chapel Ministries and just the things that we are— will be doing. Now, this does not negate, you know, the local church experience. It's just understanding the times. This is where we are now. You know, people, they are consumers. You know, people are online. They always have their phones. They're always like right now I have my AirPods in. They're always dialed into something electronically, uh, and you want to be able to put out value and truth. I mean, it's so much information out there now, and ministries, uh, with people just a Google away, you know, taking things out of context. You have a lot of skilled communicators that manipulate the word, you know. You have a lot of people that don't really know the word, but you have a lot of people that do, and they're spooky, and they're like just basically you almost think that, you know, did Jesus ever come? Because, you know, it's almost like you're still under the law. And so you just have all of this information, information overload, and you have knowledge. And yes, you have to pursue knowledge. I do believe knowledge is what leads to wisdom. Applied knowledge is what leads to wisdom. But however, we have a generation that's just consistently bombarded with information after information, and they're consuming this, and you, you lack wisdom, you lack understanding, you lack, uh, just true, uh, transformational thinking, uh, and most importantly, just lacking the Holy Spirit. You know, we've become so knowledgeable. And, uh, it can be a blessing and a curse. And so, uh, I'm just one person, but I do believe God has used me. He has called me and he's equipped me, uh, to be a voice in this space. And like I say, I do not know everything. I believe that you have to maintain a submissive heart, uh, but I do believe, you know, as I read and I study and I work with different people, uh, the Holy Spirit, he guides me, he teaches me, he helps me decipher things, uh, he helps me make sense of things even if I don't know the answer right there. But I'm dedicated, man, to truth. I'm dedicated to navigating this space through the power of God. And so that's what you will see here soon, upcoming, more content. Not just me, but, you know, things that bless me, I'll share, uh, you know, do videos and kind of clean them up and edit them, uh, because it's more than one voice. It's more than— it's only one truth, but it's more than one voice, uh. And the only truth that it is is the truth that God has defined, and that's the only absolute truth, uh. So Uh, that being said, I just want you to plug in, you know, share this with people, uh, share it with your leadership team. Look, I'm willing to work with anybody, uh, within context. I am now starting to qualify my yes to some degree because whatever I'm saying yes to, I'm saying no to something else. Uh, but I, I want to work with so many people, man. I want to work with pastors, I want to work with leaders. I want to use what God has, like I say, graced me to do and what I've been cultivating over the last 10 years to really be prepared for this moment and to genuinely prepare. Uh, so I want to of course do it and recognize it that, uh, at my local church that I'm a member of, but also to want to just work with others, you know, in whatever capacity I can. Like, I love being behind the scenes. I'm, I'm not governed, uh, by or just thirst for a microphone, uh, to preach or whatever. I, I really love being behind the scenes and just working with God's people and help, uh, just coaching people and mentoring them into, you know, their God-given destiny. Uh, that, that's really I love the most, the one-on-one conversations, man. Uh, before COVID hit, I probably had clocked almost about, uh, just in 2019, almost probably about 70 one-on-one 15 to 30 minute meetings, uh, just called random coffee shop conversations and just transformational conversations. Uh, so that's what I really want to drop here today. And this look like I'm recording for 8 minutes now, but I will say this, uh, to leaders, and I know I'm dropping this at the end of it, uh, I might even do a separate video video, um, later on unpacking this. But, uh, just remember that, uh, with everything that's going on in your leadership, if you are a leader right now in any capacity, even if you're not, because you can look at this from a personal responsibility standpoint, but responsibility is the price of greatness. And the reason why I want to say that, and what I kind of opened up in the various roles that I've had and just have learned, uh, I have to delegate a lot. Uh, I'm delegated to, and I have to delegate I have to, you know, really take on, like I said, servant leadership mind and more so transformational leadership. And one of the things that I have learned and continue to learn is that, like I say, responsibility is the price of greatness. So with that being said, when you are in leadership, you are taking responsibility for other people's actions. Now, you might like that and say, well, no, you can't make nobody do anything. You know, you manage processes and you lead and inspire people. People. But what I am saying is this: if God has called you to lead, or if you have been chosen to lead, or if you're leading in the secular world and have worked your way to it, uh, you have responsibility for others. Uh, no, things might not be your fault, but they are your responsibility. So like I say, responsibility is the price of greatness. Leadership comes with great responsibility. So, uh, you have to help people get over the hump. You have to learn how to serve and say, how can I meet the needs of them so they can do the things they want to do and the things that's been asked of them? Uh, and if you see yourself in a situation where, uh, that person or these people can't do it, or they won't do it, or they're struggling, they— it might not be the best role for them. But have you brought in a coach? Have you brought in a consultant outside of yourself? Someone that truly knows how to, uh, work these areas, uh, that truly knows how to like tap these people? Because it is an art and science behind it. It's not to take away, uh, from the power of the Holy Spirit, but he does work through, uh, us. He works through us and the things that he's gifted us to do, as well as the ability to have the talent. I truly believe that even with my talents, I still can't do them outside of God. Yes, I have worked hard on them, uh, but at the end of the day, I'm still nothing without Christ. And I have to cultivate those gifts and those talents in those areas. Uh, so it— I don't want to get into that so much right now, but that's just something I want to just speak to leaders because it's so much frustration going on with, uh, just like I say, uh, with the information overload, with technology touching everything. We in unprecedented times, disruption after disruption. And like I said, you know, I've been in this space where if things don't change, it's not normal. That's just the way technology goes, disruption after disruption. And so, uh, so just ask yourself, you know, do I have the right team around me? Am I being coached? Am I, uh, not just being coached by people that are older than me, uh, but am I, you know, submitted to sometimes, and in a proper context, to people that are younger than me, people that are in tune with everything that's going on, as well as my peers? You know, sometimes we always think coaching and mentorship comes from top down, meaning this person had to be doing it for this many years. But I believe in 360 coaching and 360 mentorship base. Wisdom is wisdom. And so with so much stuff going on, so much just information after information Um, and I just want to encourage you, I'm praying for leaders, I'm praying for just everybody, man. Like I say, even if you are not a leader of a ministry, if you're not a leader in your, in your secular world, if you're just leading your family, and, uh, if, if you're, if you're just leading yourself to some degree— now I, I know God leads us, you know, and we should be submitted to him, however, but you still have to make a choice to submit. So even if you're leading yourself into that self-leadership Uh, it's a thing and stuff, and in its proper context. Uh, so I'm praying for you. I hope this video touched you. If you know a pastor, if you know a leader, like I say, within context. I am qualifying my yeses now because like I said, what you say— what I say yes to, I'm also saying no to, and I'm only one person. Uh, but if it's a 15, 30-minute conversation, if I can link people up— I love relationship building, I love connecting people. Uh, please feel free to share this video. Uh, so be blessed, man. Look for more content and material to come from this. I want to say probably this summer, uh, just even if it's a status and clips and, you know, of course the online service and things like that. But just look for more content that I believe God is going to use to really touch you, bless you, and bring you into true transformation. So love you all, be blessed, connect with me anytime. And I'll also make sure to drop my website down here in the comments. Be blessed.