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There are so many compelling voices about leadership. With so many books, seminars, and denominationalisms we need to peal off some these layers and get at the heart/essence of leadership competencies that are true no matter who or where they lead.

Truth #1 – Making A Difference As A Leader

Every leadership decision that you will ever make in life is based upon one “Big-Hairy-Audacious-Assumption” – You Matter! It is not a question of “Will I make a difference?” Rather it is, “What difference will I make?” This became the compelling question of a fourth grader named Melissa Poe in Nashville, Tennessee. After watching a documentary on pollution and its future impact, she was motivated by the question What difference will I make?……

…..Her response was to start a club called “Kids F.A.C.E. (Kids For A Clean Environment). This fourth grader started with her friends and grew to over 500,000 globally. At the age of seventeen as she resigned her position as a child CEO of her non-profit she stated; “Change does not begin with someone else. Change begins in your own backyard, no matter your age or size….Everything you need you already have. It’s about taking the first step.” Melissa’s message shines the light on an enduring leadership truth. You do not have to look up for leadership. You do not have to look out for leadership. You only have to look inward. You have the potential to lead others to places they have never been before. Leadership begins with you.

Melissa’s example leads us to understand that leadership role models are local. After analyzing the data points of thirty years of research and over one million people globally, Kouze and Posner discovered some amazing insights pertaining to role models in our lives. Note the chart below….

No matter whether you are under or over thirty years of age, the most important role model is a family member – Mother or Father. Take note of the over thirty group; Business Leaders are more likely to be influencers by a 50% margin over Community and/or Religious leaders in the under thirty group. These data points that are charted can be deflating to non-profit leaders. We have a choice, we can either curse the darkness or speak to the light. The dominant question becomes “What are the best practices of leaders that people willingly follow?” Kouze and Posner suggest five best practices that have emerged from their thirty-year study:

Model The Way

Inspire A Shared Vision

Challenge The Process

Enable Others To Act

Encourage The Heart

LINKS

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Leadership Principles They Did Not Teach You In School

Leadership involves moving people from their current position to a preferred future. This process of moving people requires certain qualities and practices from the person influencing/leading. This presumes there are qualities and practices that will not motivate others to follow your vision for a preferred future. There are some inherent laws of relationship building and influencing that cannot be ignored.

The insights in this presentation is not from a fictitious “Leadership For Dummies,” or “Leadership Made Simple In 3 Steps,” or “Leadership How To…”

There are no short cuts to leadership development. You cannot fast track your way to excellence!

Discipline sounds like a curse word at times, but it is inescapable. Leadership is a noble discipline that is not to be entered into casually or frivolously. You must be willing to accept that there are skills, techniques, and practices that require you to master if you are to become a leader that people willingly follow.

Aristotle once stated, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit!”

James Kouze and Barry Posner have dedicated their life to the study of best practices of successful leaders that people are willing to follow. Their research has spanned over thirty years and every continent. This research is not just for-profit enterprise but universally cuts across all geographical, ethnic boundaries, or faith persuasion. John Maxwell is a global influencer that has been given the title “Leadership Guru” nine years in a row by the Fortune 100 companies in the world. Kouze and Posner were mentors to John Maxwell. John Maxwell has been invited to influence the national leadership of twenty-seven countries of the world. Michael Hyatt former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers is also a global influencer in the disciplines of leadership with over one million followers.

When these principles and practices are filtered through spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting you realize that God will take truths and use them for eternal outcomes. The end result will be a spiritual leader that has a compelling eternal message that people willingly follow. So that the obvious is not ignored, I am not implying that everyone will follow. I am saying that when leadership principles are applied you exponentially increase the possibility that people willing follow you. To illustrate the importance of this material consider….

• James Dobson’s article Shuffling Deck Chairs on The Titanic still rings true. He states there are an average of 1500 ministers leaving monthly.
• Tom Rainer wrote the average length of ministerial career is 14 years from beginning to end. It is no longer a life call.
• According to Aubrey Malphurs the majority of minister’s spouses want out of the ministry if they could only find a way to support themselves and their children.
• The North American culture is becoming more and more hostile to the voice and presence of faith-based anything. We are not in Jerusalem, but Babylon.

The question remains, “How do leaders lead in a shifting marketplace?” Another church model may help, but models are not the primary drivers of leadership. Operating models are more a function of managing and not leading. A compelling vision that people willingly follow begins with the leader. Otherwise we are destined to chase models as our controlling vision instead of casting a compelling vision first, then the model.

John Maxwell has it right, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” As men and women of God that are called to be the “watchmen” on the wall of a rapidly changing cultural environment, announcing the good-news of the gospel of Christ, we must own our responsibility to become the leader that people will follow. The heart of this material will focus upon fundamental truths of leadership they did not teach in seminary or any conference for that matter.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

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FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Each of the five levels of leadership has a downside. The interesting note at Level 5 is that fewer leaders succumb to these downsides because few every reach this level. I want to mention three negatives for awareness should you reach this level of leading.

1.Being on the Pinnacle can make you think you have arrived – In the book by Jim Collins, How The Mighty Fall, he writes those who fall often have an entitlement mind-set, bolstered by arrogance. People at this level often feel they have nothing else to learn in life. May I suggest that if you are through learning, then you are through.

2.Being on the Pinnacle can lead you to believe your own press – remember that you started on the bottom like everyone else and worked your way to this moment of life. You had to prove your worth. Be confident, but remain humble first.

3.Being on the Pinnacle can make you lose focus – Lee Iacocca became a “rock-star” in the business world for savoring Chrysler/Dodge in the first half of his tenure. In the second half, Chrysler lost 31% of market share and retired in disgrace.

Here are six suggestions on how to do something that is greater than yourself.

Make Room For Others At The Top

Most leader make it their priority to cultivate followers instead of leaders. When you do this you do not create enough room for leadership development. When you develop leaders you increase the capacity of influence thereby increasing the size and reach of the organization. As a leader your desire is to be succeeded instead of always being needed. That means you have to give away power instead of hoarding it.

Continually Mentor Potential Level 5 Leaders

Who will be your successor and where are you going to find such a person? The answer lies within those leaders that you are attempting to take with you. If you are the star at the top and it is all about you – your accomplishments will fade because you failed to take the time to invest in others.

Create an Inner Circle That Will Keep You Grounded

Inner circle members help take organizations to new heights. Jim Collins in his book How The Mighty Fall, writes about erosion of healthy teams in highly successful organizations – “There is a marked decline in the quality and amount of dialogue and debate; there is a shift toward either consensus or dictatorial management rather than a process of argument and disagreement followed by unified commitment to execute decisions.”

Do Things For The Organization That Only Level 5 Leaders Can Do

At Level 5 you see things and do things that cannot be done at any other level of leadership development. This is not about creating and leading for your sake. Create and do things that influence the masses – this is legacy building!

Plan For Your Succession

Leaving a successor is the last great gift that you can give an organization. Leadership transitions must be planned and executed. Lorin Woolfe writes, “The ultimate test of a leader is not whether they made smart decisions and took bold action. Rather it whether they taught people to continue the success of the organization after they are gone. EGO has no place at Level 5 leading!

Leave A Positive Legacy

Someone asked Billy Graham what was the one surprising discovery he had made in life. He responded, The brevity of life!” Life is short and who will you entrust to continue the mission of the organization? Keep in mind that your legacy is the sum total of your whole life, not just a few highlights. What will your legacy become? Decide today! Then take action each and every day to leave that legacy behind.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

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FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Pinnacle Leadership Creates a Level 5 Organization

While many company’s and non-profits struggle to exist, there are a few rare examples of organizations that excel at a high level. General Electric would be one company that stands out level 5 organization. Credit is given to former CEO Jack Welch who placed a high premium upon developing people to become Level 4 leaders. Jack Welch believed that leaders produce leaders. Level 5 leaders have grown through the various levels of leading and they practice leading at a very high level. With the development of each leader and the pursuit of every opportunity, the organization becomes stronger. Given enough time developing leaders becomes part of the organizations DNA!

Pinnacle Leadership Creates a Legacy Within The Organization

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in others the convictions and the will to carry on.” – Walter Lippman. If you reach the Pinnacle of leadership, you have an opportunity to make an impact beyond your tenure and possible beyond your lifetime. Level 5 leadership is measured in the caliber of the leaders that you leave behind not the caliber of your own leadership. These leaders in turn will influence the next generation of leaders that are coming.

Larry Bossidy former CEO of AlliedSignal stated; “How am I doing as a leader? The answer is how the people you lead are doing. Do they learn? Do they manage conflict? Do they initiate change? You will not remember when you retire what you did in the first quarter of 1994….What you will remember is how many people your developed.”

Pinnacle Leadership Provides an Extended Platform for Leading

In America we believe that every person has the right to speak. But that does not mean that you have a right to be heard. Level 5 leaders have earned that right. Others will seek you out to gain your insight and perspectives. Think about the great leaders of government, business, and faith. Their influence far surpasses the organizations they led. Nelson Mandela had few boundaries – everyone respected him. Jack Welch is no longer at General Electric, but is sought internationally for his insight and wisdom. Billy Graham was sought by numerous Presidents for his spiritual wisdom and prayers.

No matter where you are in your leadership journey, I would encourage you to keep learning. Do not lead others for the sake of your benefit. Teach others to lead so that you can enter the “RETURNING” phase of life. They take your teaching and return it to you by investing in people in their sphere of influence. THAT IS THE BIG RUSH IN LIFE!!!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

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FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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ONLY LEADERS CAN DEVELOP OTHER PEOPLE TO BECOME LEADERS!

Nobody understands leadership until he or she does it…

• It takes a leader to KNOW a leader (Recruiting & Positioning)
• It takes a leader to SHOW a leader (Modeling & Equipping)
• It takes a leader to GROW a leader (Developing, Empowering, & Measuring)

If you desire to make the most of People Development at level 4 and you desire to raise others to lead, then this podcast will focus upon 7 guidelines to accomplish that goal.

RECRUITING – Finding The Best People Possible

Bobby Bowden stated that you get the best players and coach them soundly, you are going to win. Coach Bowden’s statement reveals a leadership axiom; You cannot develop people without potential no matter how hard you work at it.

POSITIONING – Placing the Right People in The Right Places

Red Auerbach, famous NBA Coach with 16 championships shared that putting the best 5 players he has on the court is not the key to success. It is putting the best 5 players on the court who can work together will bring success. This requires positioning people, moving people around until you have that mix for winning. As a leader you must remember that positioning people is a process and you have to treat it that way. If you choose not to, you will never help people reach their potential and you will never create a team of championship caliber.

MODELING – Showing Others How To Lead

Here are six characteristics for modeling leadership:

• Authenticity – This is the foundation for developing people.
• Servanthood – This is the soul for developing people.
• Growth – This is the measurement for developing people.
• Excellence – This is the standard for developing people.
• Passion – This is the fuel for developing people.
• Success – This is the purpose for developing people.

EQUIPPING – Helping Others Do Their Job Well

It is not enough to tell people what people what they need to do. That is not developing potential. Instead a leader must help people do their jobs and do it well. Peter Drucker stated the largest single source of failed promotion is the failure to think through and help others to think through what a new job requires.

DEVELOPING – Teaching Them To Do Life Well

One of the common recurring themes that leaders from across America say is, how talented people in their 20’s are and how few life skills they possess. Some have suggested the breakdown of the family and a lack of strong fathers being present as part of the problem. The Greek Philosopher Socrates states, “The individual leads in order that those who are led can develop their potential as human beings and thereby prosper.” This process requires assessment, challenging, and supporting.

EMPOWERING – Enabling People To Succeed

President Theodore Roosevelt stated once, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” I must admit that it is hard not to meddle. Yet releasing work to be done by others is an essential link to empowerment and and ultimately developing them as leaders.

MEASURING – Evaluating Those Whom You Develop to Maximize Their Efforts

The Center for Organizational Effectiveness in Cincinnati, Ohio suggests there are different degrees of ability when it comes to empowerment, based upon how independently a team member can work. Here are six areas by which this is determined:

• Look into it. Report. I’ll decide what to do.
• Look into it. Report alternatives with pros and cons and your recommendations.
• Look into it. Let me know what you intend to do and do it unless I say no.
• Take action. Let me know what you did.
• Take action. No further contact required.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!