Courageous Leadership - Chapter 6
Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 11:26PM 
What is this Bloggers Book Study non-sense? Find out more about it here.
Want to catch up?
-Chapters 1 & 2 by Heredes
-Chapter 3 by Barby Ward
-Chapter 4 by Mauricio Tinoco
-Chapter 5 by LeadHerShip
When are leaders at their best?
You might say:
- When they are performing the functions of leadership.
- When they exhibit character.
- When they are working in tandem with God.
Even though all those statements are true, the bottom line is that leaders are at their very best when they are raising up leaders around them. Or put another way, leaders are at their best when they are creating a leadership culture.
When we see a leader whose radar wand is spinning around to locate an emerging leader, or when I watch an older leader investing time and energy to coach and empower a younger leader, then we are seeing leadership at its very best and we must make this one of our highest priorities, because only leaders can develop other leaders and create a leadership culture and only leaders can multiply the leadership impact by raising up additional leaders. When a leader develops not only his or her own leadership potential, but draws out the leadership potential of scores of other leaders as well, the kingdom impact from one life is multiplied exponentially. It produces far more fruit than any single leadership achievement could have.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT REQUIRES A VISION
Developing leaders is something that never happens accidentally. It only happens when some leader has a white-hot vision for it. In high-speed, high-intensity organizations — AKA your local church — leadership development will always slip to the bottom of the agenda unless mature leaders force it to the top. Imagine how strong a church would be if it had a deep bench of competent leaders in every area of its ministry, from small groups to children’s ministry to spiritual formation. That will only happen if leaders shape a compelling vision. The next challenge is to come up with a strategy for turning that vision into reality.
SOMEONE SPOTTED OUR POTENTIAL
How is it that you wound up becoming a leader? At some point in your past, somebody noticed something in your wiring pattern that you probably didn’t even know was there. Putting a hand on your shoulder, that person said, “I think you could be a leader.” That is the way you were “spotted” to lead. Now you need to be the spotter. Does my age matter? Can I lead people that are older than me? Leadership is more a function of ability than age. You provide competent leadership and people of any age will follow your direction.
SOMEONE INVESTED IN US
Maybe the person who first saw leadership potential in us also developed us, or maybe someone else along the way actually did the developmental work. But we were poured on at some point, we got to where we are today because someone built into us, coached us, and showed us how to lead. All effective leaders can point back to someone who sacrificed time and energy to grow them up as leaders. The gift those people gave us is something we should never take for granted. We need to remember and to honor the people who made these priceless investments in our leadership development. Then we need to let those memories motivate us to play the same role in another leader’s life.
SOMEONE TRUSTED US WITH RESPONSIBILITY
Someone took a risk and said, “Here’s the leadership baton. I think you’re ready to run with it. Here’s a job. I believe you can do it. Here’s a position. I’m confident you can fill it.” Leaders don’t become leaders until someone actually puts a baton of responsibility in their hand and says, “Go!”
Qualities To Look For in Emerging Leaders
1. INFLUENCE
Potential leaders always have a natural ability to influence others. Even if they have no conscious intention of leading people, they automatically exert influence.
2. CHARACTER
Lots of people with influence lack the character to use that influence constructively. Once you spot someone with influence, try to discern whether he or she has the honesty, the humility, the stability, the teachability, and the integrity to steward that influence well. Also look for evidence of a sincere walk with God.
3. PEOPLE SKILLS
This can be defined as sensitivity to the thoughts and the feelings of others, and the ability to listen —really listen — to the ideas of others. Leaders with people skills genuinely care for other people, who view others as more than a means to an end.
4. DRIVE
People that are action-oriented and comfortable taking initiative. Good leaders make things happen. People who have so much energy that they energize others without even trying. Always be on the look out for people with the necessary drive to abound in the work of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58. “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
5. INTELLIGENCE
This doesn’t mean high SAT scores or a sheepskin from an Ivy League university, it means mental quickness. You should look for people with street smarts, with the kind of mental savvy required to process lots of information, sift through it, consider all the options, and generally make the right decision. You should also look for someone with an eager, curious mind who can learn and grow over the long haul.
A Leadership Development Plan of Your Own
PHASE 1: DRAW UP YOUR OWN TOP-FIVE QUALITY LIST
Come up with a list of people you know that have potential as leaders. Get together with your team and come up with an even bigger list. You can be surprised on how your team will spot people you have no idea have potential to lead.
PHASE 2: INVEST IN EMERGING LEADERS
This is the intentional development or training stage. It takes a leader to develop a leader. Leaders learn best from other leaders. For emerging leaders to become seasoned, wise, and effective leaders, they need proximity to and interaction with veteran leaders.
PHASE 3: ENTRUST EMERGING LEADERS WITH RESPONSIBILITY
Make him or her lead something. No one can grow as a leader without the real life challenges of actually leading.
Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.”
Jesus moved through these three phases as he raised up his disciples and other potential leaders.He selected his disciples carefully. He knew that in the not-too-distant future, he would be handing the leadership of the New Testament church over to them. He had to make sure that he chose people with the potential to assume that responsibility. He:
- Spent time with them.
- Taught them.
- Nurtured them.
- Confronted them.
- Motivated them.
- Rebuked them.
- Inspired them.
- Entrusted them with real ministry responsibility and coached them into effectiveness.
Are you doing all these things to the people you are leading?
When we have identified emerging leaders, and when we have built into them, trained them, and adequately prepared them, then we must entrust these folks with real responsibilities. We as laders live for high-stake challenges! We crave the kind of kingdom goals that make us gasp and gulp.
One of the things that should motivate you as a leader more than anything else is seeing leaders you’ve helped to develop soaring as leaders in the kingdom.
Whatever challenges our churches face in the years ahead, we can face them with confidence, knowing that we were wise enough to invest in the next generation of leaders.We must create leadership cultures. We must identify emerging leaders, invest in them, give them kingdom responsibilities, and coach them into effectiveness.
That will be leadership at its very, very best.
