You probably have no idea who Ned Kehde is (or how to pronounce his last name) and I wouldn’t blame you. He’s the man (myth and legend) behind a fishing technique called the Ned Rig, which is one of the highest performing fishing methods out there. For me, he’s the model to follow. I wouldn’t be catching fish today if I hadn’t stumbled upon his tactics.
Years ago my good friend and church member, Gary, invited me into his weekend hobby: kayaking. At the time Gary owned a fleet of a half dozen sit-in style kayaks and he really enjoyed paddling up and down the Central Texas network of rivers, lakes, and creeks. Gary was kind enough to loan me a kayak for the day so I could go along with him and a few other kayakers and hit the water. It didn’t take long to get me hooked! A second trip involved me and my son in a borrowed canoe…not as quick and efficient as a kayak, but no less enjoyable! In time I found a Craigslist used kayak to call my own.
After a few solo kayak trips I realized something…it wouldn’t be difficult to bring a fishing rod. I kept paddling past anglers who were bank fishing, and I realized that I had access to some portions of the waterway that you couldn’t access by land! So my kayaking turned into kayak-fishing. I had always enjoyed fishing, but I really hadn’t learned very much about fishing the lakes and rivers of Central Texas successfully.
As much as I enjoyed time kayaking out on the water, a lot of fishing trips ended in frustration. I just wasn’t catching fish. On a good day, I’d catch 2 or three small fish. I was reading Bassmaster articles, watching Youtube videos from the pros, and spending whatever precious dollars I had on any and every lure that was guaranteed to “get more bites” and put “more fish in the boat.” Years later, I now realize that every fishing lure and bait commercial ends with these same outrageous promises…
I was pretty sure that I was fishing in active areas and that catching fish was possible, and that if I could figure out how to fish these spots that I could get more bites. I remember after an especially disappointing day coming home, unloading my gear, and searching the internet for something like “what is the most efficient bass catching technique?” And behold…I found an article that explained the Ned rig. My fishing life hasn’t been the same since then…in a lot of ways.
It’s easier for us to follow footsteps than orders. What’s the difference Ned has given me footsteps to follow: a specific technique for catching fish that is simple and effective. The Ned Rig is a small, flat jig head meant to be paired with a 2-3 inch plastic worm. You can buy all these parts and pieces now, but back in his day, Ned was cutting up 6 inch plastic worms into pieces to make his own bait presentations. Ned and his fishing buddies spent years trying all kinds of fishing lures and techniques, charting the results, and filing down the results until the Ned rig became their proven way to put fish in the boat. “Ned Rig” as a name came about years later when products emerged in the market – Ned and his people just called it a finesse rig.
The Ned rig is that it is small and light, causing it to sink slowly. I’ve caught all kinds of fish on it: largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, gar, crappie, drum, and carp. Now, I’m not trying to catch drum, carp, and gar…but the Ned rig is just too effective. Once I started catching fish on the Ned, I started to discover even more about fishing…the fish were biting early and slowing down towards noon. I began learning the hot spots where fish gather and the dead zones where they don’t. I learned that sometimes the fish like a bright blue Ned and sometimes they like a dark green. Sometimes instead of a small worm, switching to a crawfish or a creature bait with tentacles made an impact. It’s crazy how much learning happened after one small key opened a lock. I used to minnow fish and sit around waiting for bobbers to drop…I still do sometimes, but for the most part, the Ned rig is my go-to form of fishing.
That’s a long story to get to this one simple point: it’s easier to follow footsteps than orders. Following Ned Kehde’s tactics brought me success, where as I had been following random ads, advice, and suggestions from people selling products. Ned Kehde isn’t selling anything – he just shared what he learned through experience and experimentation. And that little bit of success helped me discover a whole world of knowledge in my little Central Texas fishing world. I have confidence that I can go out catch fish!
Not only is it easier to follow footsteps than orders, it’s more successful. We want our church ministries to find a level of success in meeting needs, growing in relationships, and sharing the Gospel. Now for some Bible…In 1 Corinthians 11 – Paul pleads with the Corinthian church to follow his own example, as he is following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the previous chapter Paul is addressing the attitude of some people in the Corinthian church who are saying: “I have the right and freedom to do anything I want!”
Rights and freedoms are precious, and they come to us at a great cost. Don’t worry…Paul isn’t trying to eliminate anybody’s freedom! What Paul is addressing is HOW we use our freedom. Do we use it to exalt ourselves? Please ourselves? That’s what some of the Corinthian Christians were doing – they had a little bit of an Epicurean attitude – pleasure as the ultimate goal of life. They were deceived by the attitude: if it feels good, do it!
Paul’s answer is two-fold: #1 – good decisions aren’t just about what pleases you – good decisions benefit others. #2 – follow my example as I follow Jesus.
I love that Paul gives both answers. Answer #1 is a great answer for contemplation and reflection. Leader, have your choices, attitudes and actions benefitted others in the past week? Who was lifted up because of you? Answer #2 is kind of the old “What Would Jesus Do?” saying. As cliche as the line has become, Paul is banking on it! He reminds the people in Corinth – follow my example! Did Paul visit the Greek temples to worship their gods or eat the food of their offerings? No. Did Paul shop for meat that had been sacrificed to idols? No. Did Paul spend his time seeking out the most delicious dishes of food and most exotic vacation destinations? No. His example was that of a servant, a runner in a race pursuing the prize of exalting Jesus.
When we are struggling with taking our next steps and making our next decisions, it’s awesome to have footsteps to follow and mentors who can provide us with some muscle memory. Leader, your gift to others is one of a living example. We’ve covered that growing new leaders requires that we invest in them personally, build a relationship of trust, and find their unique contributions. Our next step is to give them footsteps to follow and not just orders. Let’s explore!
Leadership Pathway #6 – Effective leaders create healthy patterns to follow.
Blog Post #5 discussed patient modeling and mentoring – this is where you are passing on the tools of the trade, the details of the roles and responsibilities, and investing the time to show your growing leaders the ins and outs of the job. Those are the orders, basically. When we say it’s easier to follow footsteps than orders, we are talking about what kind of person you are as a leader. What kind of example are you? Do people want to follow your footsteps? Are you freely giving away your passion or keeping success to yourself?
What does an effective example achieve?
#1 – A consistent culture. Paul gives his protege Timothy this solid advice: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” Paul wants to make sure that Timothy isn’t leading alone – that he is developing other leaders and developing a team. An awesome moment will occur when the team you’ve developed has a shared sense of mission and purpose – if each one is being mentored through a consistent pattern. Being an example to others helps us to create a consistent culture in our ministry. If you have joy, your footsteps bring joy. If you have passion and sacrifice, your footsteps send the message that this is the culture and expectation you set for yourself and others.
#2 – Greater relational connection between leadership layers. People don’t want to work for tyrants. And people don’t want to grow under leaders who are just giving away garbage responsibilities. Healthy footsteps to follow ensures that every leadership layer is working hard, learning success, and interdependent on each other. I’m happy to work hard when I know that the leaders above and below me are working hard too. And I’m happy to sacrifice, explore, and learn when I know that my efforts are part of a team. Developing yourself as a leader ensures that your team shares a sense of joy and purpose in your work.
#3 – Exponential learning – When I have leaders under who have found meaningful roles, I am free to explore and research new ideas without being encumbered by those roles. Equipping more and doing less frees me to learn more, seek more, and try new ideas. The Ned rig helped me land more fish…but it also opened up a world of learning about fishing. When we give people footsteps to follow, and not just orders, we can create a community of leaders eager to explore and experiment while also keeping the bases of their roles covered.
Time for some honest feedback…
You need to get some honest feedback about what messages…what footsteps…you are creating. You can start with an anonymous survey, but this discussion really needs to end up out in the open in an honest and safe conversation or team meeting. And…it may be urgent. Don’t wait for the next for the next annual review or quarterly corporate team visit. Ask for feedback about your leadership. Bring up some of these leadership pathways, and then chart a course for fresh footsteps!