The L Message

Leadership that Clings 2

To leaders in the second position (see blog post below for further reference) I would want to say:

To empower leaders fully always means that you will need to relinquish something. Often that is control. If you cannot let go of that which you were once in control of, and give it to someone else then growth and development of that ministry and of that leader will never be able to fully occur. It is your role as a leader to work your way out of a job. To become so good at identifying, training up and releasing people that they end up doing your job. When this happens it means that growth has occurred and if growth has occurred there will most certainly be other tasks that God needs you to do.

If you lead with too much of a controlling desire, that everything needs to be done your way, the way you would do it, then such much is actually lost.

I think also when empowerment occurs and when permission for another to go for it occurs then as a leader you need to be very careful about whether you take that back and under what circumstances.

Maybe too, that if there is something occurring that only you can do, but you need to find someone else to take it on because you can't sustain it, but there is no one to take it on. Then I would challenge you that either this endeavor or another item on your To-Do list needs to stop.

If we hold onto ministries too tightly we actually fill the space where God's spirit could move both to stop, start, continue or change direction of things and people that are already in place. Maybe if this is you, you need to take a step back, take a breath, say a prayer and work out if your leadership is a leadership that clings or holds something loosely. The more loosely we hold it, the more tightly God can!

Leadership that Clings 1

I received and email from a friend of mine the other day who is facing the issue of taking over a ministry area from someone who knows it's time to relinquish it but isn't finding that easy. Maybe I'll start with an exert from my friends email:

"The thing is as I was driving off today I thought its so hard for God to do what he wants when we hang on to stuff that he wants us to let go of. Its like our hands are full and nothing else can fit in. If we release and let go of the things we are holding on to he can fill our hands with new and better stuff.  I know that if I let go and wait he will do his thing and it will all work out but <name of leader> had real fear/something in her face and I just wonder about leadership that doesn’t allow freedom to those who want to serve to be all God is calling them to.  Leadership that clings."

To leaders in my friends position I want to say:

Be careful. Leaders who are passionate about something but need to let it go will struggle to, none the less you can help by helping that leader know it will be left in good, capable and safe plans. That the past and what has already been put in will be honoured and valued. That the passion you bring to it will be to see the work that has already occurred strengthened and continued. What you can't afford to let happen is to be railroaded into a certain course of action or way of operation. You have to help the leader see that you have been chosen, asked and called by God to continue non this task and their final act of servanthood to these people and this ministry is to free you and support you to do that.

And to those leaders who are struggling to let go... REad more in the next installment!

To delegate or not to delegate?

"Have you any advice on delegation? We have just had a classic when <insert leaders name> delegated a task last week which then blew up in her face. Its so much easier to do it yourself but then its not good leadership practice is it?"

That was the question I was emailed which I do have some thoughts on:

When you delegate you have to make things clear. The person you are delegating a task to must need to know exactly what is expected of them.

They need to know the time frame and that they will be held account to it and how that will happen. Ie. "So I'll be checking on Friday to see how you went".

They also need to know the importance of the task. What balance gets upset if failure to complete happens? Who misses out if the task isn't completed? Who benefits and is relying on you to complete the task?

They should be well resourced to achieve the task, whether that be people, money, equipment, etc.

They should be only asked to do it if it sits within the range of their potential. Asking someone to do something that is outside of what they are capable of will never work. I have learned this the painful way! Some people who we lead are simply not up to some of the tasks we may assume they are.

I think they are some good pointers to go by when thinking of empowering leaders! But when/if it 'blows up in your face' which can and often does, then it's important that the leader who you gave the task to but did not perform knows they came up short. Affirm their success, but point out their shortcomings and the affect of these. IT's important that you don't attack the value of the person at this stage. They should know they've let you down.

Finally I would be reluctant to give them another task in the immediate future (certainly not with the same level of responsibility) without giving them lesser tasks first and seeing if they can prove themselves.

Embrace the Whirlwind

I've found myself using this axiom more and more recently. It comes from what Emilio Estevez says, as he plays Billy the Kid in the movie Young Guns. The phrase reminds me of the Ice Coffee: Fully Loaded advert on TV where the camera is trying to focus on a guy, wearing a backpack, standing ina farm yard as a hurricane bears down on him. He takes a gulp of the drink and then pulls the rip cord... embraces the whirlwind so to speak.

Ministry, life can be like a whirlwind at times. It feels out of control and dangerous and uncertain and you can't see what is ahead, good or bad. So you have a choice! You can flee the oncoming whirlwind, retreat to the safety of disengagement, or you can trust in God, as the guy on the ad trusted in his parachute, and embrace the confusion, pain, discomfort, to learn what God is wanting to teach you and to learn what is on the other side of the whirlwind.

Be a leader who embraces the whirlwind!

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: Summary

This series has been written mainly to those who are just beginning in leadership, although I feel it is also a timely reminder for any who have been leading for a while and perhaps have drifted away from the basics, or are experiencing gaps in their leadership. If you want to flourish in leadership I think the following are necessary, if you are floundering in your leadership perhaps one or more of the following need your attention:

Initiative: See the problem and within your boundaries fix it.

People Skills: Relate to people well, know them and love them.

Problem Solving: Be the first to solve the problem and do it well, and if you don't try again.

Focus: Cull the distractions and hone in and do what is most important.

Follow Through: Always do what you have committed to do.

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: 6.Follow Through

There is nothing more frustrating for me as a leader than to give someone n important task and have it not done. This may be the reason why I dislike excuses so much... just get the job done. But I write about it here, not as a personal gripe but to say it is absolutely essential that anyone wanting to improve their leadership needs to be strong on this. You have to have the ability when you agree to a task to then make it happen.

Many people who don't grasp this tend to think, 'I'm just letting the person down who asked me to do it.' The reality is far greater than this however. Yes of course your letting that person down but every task fits into a bigger picture, and the bigger picture cannot be fulfilled until all tasks within that are fulfilled. Ultimately this means that every time we drop the ball, don't follow through, forget to do something, can't be bothered, don't have it high enough on our agendas, then the ultimate consequence is that people who are yet to know God in an intimate way, miss out! The stakes are huge, follow through on tasks is essential!

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: 5.Focus

Distraction, procrastination, laziness are all enemies of effective leadership. Which is why focus plays such a core and vital role in any leaders arsenal. The ability to define priorieties, dismiss the unimportant and target that which has to or needs to be done is what frees a leader to excellence.

You don't need to be an effective leader long to know that the better you get at your job, the more work you attract. Often that work is all important and necessary. But as a leader you need to develop the skills that free you to give those less important tasks off to others, to work out what is not urgent and to pour your energies into that which only you can do, which fulfills the vision God has called you to!

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: 4.Restlessness

When someone starts out as a leader, and they begin getting stuck into tasks asked of them the most encouraging words they can say are "What can I do now?" Hearing that question is encouraging because it means the previous tasks are being accomplished at a faster rate than was first perceived. I think this comes from a  restlessness. An attitude that says "I'm hear to get things done, what's next, point me in the right direction and let me at it." This quality in a leader seems to lift the entire pace of the ministry or organisation, it creates  a positive pressure that everyone around feels, and it calls out the best in people.

Effective leaders are those leaders who are not content with the status quo, who are always seeking to push the envelope, who will do what it takes to get it done and who lead with a sense of urgency and passion. Restlessness whilst not spoken of much in leadership theory is vital to any aspiring leader.

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: 3.Problem Solving

Problem solving is what leaders do. The better you are a problem solving the better your leadership skill set becomes. If you can't solve problems people won't follow you for long. Problem solving is a skill which you can hone and develop.

I think to effectively solve problems you have to:

a) Identify what the true problem is. Often the presenting problem is only a symptom of the real problem. This will require gathering all the appropriate information you're going to need.

b) Look at all the different options available to you that may be a solution to the problem. Use the wisdom and insight of others to facilitate the brain storming process.

c) Execute the solution you have settled on.

d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the solution. Ie. Did it solve the problem you had before? Did it create a new problem?

e) Don't be scared of acknowledging you got it wrong and moving onto a different solution.

If you stick at this leadership gig for long enough, you will have to solve problems and you will find that your first attempt doesn't always work. That's part of leading, move past it, and concentrating on doing what needs to be done to solve the problem!

To Flourish or Flounder in Leadership: 2.People Skills

More has been written on people skills in relation to leadership than I will ever read let alone know about but one thing I am convinced of. Leadership is about managing people. If you can't manage people you will never get very far in trying to influence them.

To manage them well means you need to understand them:

A) You need to understand what motivates them. Why do they do what they do?

B) You need to understand what they love and value.

C) You need to know their fears and concerns.

D) You need to be aware of their dreams, goals and aspirations.

E) You need to know their strengths.

F) You need to know their weaknesses.

Each one of these is extremely important when it comes to knowing people, working with them and helping them to bring their best to any situation you are requiring them to lead in. Most people overlook the importance of this and can often leave relational carnage in their wake. I would highly recommend that every person in leadership spend some time getting into the shoes of those they lead and see the world and issues from their perspective. The benefits are priceless.