So much is written about leadership.
No one will follow you where you do not go. The first person that you ever lead is yourself. If we think that the church looking nice is important, then we need to help with work days. If we think that giving to the church is important, than we need to set the example. If I think working hard is important, then I need to do so.
No one will follow you where you do not go. "Do as I say, not as I do" is a disastrous way of leading people. Leadership is not telling, it is doing. If you are doing the right things, good people will notice, and they will follow.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
1 comment:
You have made a wonderful broad point to effective leadership, Jeff. Some people enjoy the challenge of defining a good leader, and some people don't spend much time thinking about the subject.
I think good leadership touches every area of our lives, and makes a difference in any entity we find ourselves involved in.
Here are some things I've learned about effective leadership.
1. In the highest level of leading well, you could walk into a crowd and have to ask "who is your leader?" Why? Because a leader has set those he/she leads free to achieve their highest level of doing and being.
2. A good leader is more like a coach - using their own skills to bring out the very best in each person they lead. Good leaders are not intimidated by someone they lead becoming really good at what they do.
3. A good leader cannot lead all his/her charges alike, because each person they lead is different. Some individuals thrive and grow better when given sincere encouragement, strokes, reinforcement. They love being caught and commended for doing something right, and wilt when leaders point out something they're doing wrong. This type person sometimes takes a bit of a leader's time, but it's worth it because this person is always there, always faithful, always dependable, and quietly goes about being a part of what the entity wants to accomplish.
In any group there are others who are self starters, and all they need is to know the leader's expectations for what the end result needs to look like, and they are off and running, and tend to meet a good leader at the finish line. These types cringe at micro management because it gets in the way of what they know can be accomplished. These folks don't need a lot of strokes, atta boys, or reinforcement.
I guess my banner of sorts is that a good leader has to be willing to take the time to know those they lead, and know how they perform at their highest level.
My dad used to say, "the mark of a good leader is not in what he/she accomplishes, but rather in the accomplishments of those he leaves behind."
In creating us, God has given us each the potential to become all that he wants us to be. But he salted the earth with individuals who are not all alike.
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