Thoughts About Leadership: February 2007

Friday, February 23, 2007

Leaders Lead with the Future in Mind

Proverbs 23:18 (NIV)

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Life happens. The problems of the present may be huge. Leadership is the art of bringing a proper perspective into play – vision casting, inspiring hope.

Iwo Jima is a good example. Hardships were the rule of the day. Taking the island so our fliers could land was the hope. Grounding our flag at the top inspired troops for the battles that raged long after. There was hope and a future for that island!

The Christian Worldview offers hope that will never be cut off. The Christian leader understands that the eternal impact of her/his business life has little to do with market share and domination and more to do with the relationships he/she builds into employees, suppliers, competitors and customers.

Are you building a hope that matters?

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Motivation and Leadership

Proverbs 21:4 (MSG)

Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—are just plain sin.

Why we do what we do says more about our character than what we do. Our motivations are often hidden – sometimes even from us.

Leadership that is self-centered is limiting. In Success Built to Last, the authors suggest that leadership that succeeds over time is attributable to the strength of the cause they pursue: "Enduringly successful people serve the cause--and they are lifted up by its power."

John Kotter observed in his article What Leaders Really Do , "Well-led businesses tend to recognize and reward people who successfully develop leaders."

Now there’s a cause. Find and control the motivations that are just about you. Feed and nurture the motivations that are about developing your team.

Leading is about others.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Celebrating 2007 President’s Day

Proverbs 19:27 (NKJV)

Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

In her book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, author Goodwin noted that Lincoln was consumed with learning. His Bible was never far from him and one of his quotes, no doubt stimulated by his constant reading of the Scriptures is, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”

His character was demonstrated in a paradoxical mix of humility and resoluteness of will - one of the hallmarks of “Level 5 Leadership” (Good to Great, Collins).

Resoluteness in leading a team – his cabinet – made up of many who opposed him in his bid for the presidency to keep the Union together and emancipate the slaves.

Compassion (expression of humility) demonstrated in his 2^nd Inaugural Address when he declared: "With malice toward none; with charity for all" that began the process of healing between the North and the South.

As great of a leader that Lincoln was, we have even a better model. Lincoln died. Christ rose from the dead, is living and still “instructs” us today.

Are you listening?

Friday, February 16, 2007

Leaders Connect the Heart and the Mouth

Proverbs 16:21, 23: 6 (NAS)

²¹The wise in heart will be called understanding, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. ²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

One definition of leadership incorporates the word influence: another includes the words process of persuasion.

Definitions of leadership agree simply that a person who has followers is a leader. Street gangs have leaders. Criminal organizations have leaders.

It’s NOT about leadership; it is about the right kind of leadership. Wise leadership develops from other-centeredness that can only flow from a changed heart. Motives are changed. The intent of this heart yields gracious speech that increases impact.

When your heart is in sync with God’s heart, your persuasiveness takes on a winsome patina that results in mobilized action in your followers.

Do you want willing, motivated, committed followers? Start with your heart.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Leaders Communicate Carefully

Proverbs 15:2 (NKJV)

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

The stored-up knowledge of experience becomes most useful when communicated wisely. It takes care to communicate – proper time, proper place, and proper thoughts.

Using any of the many personality inventories gives clues to how a person processes information – how to speak their language. Blanchard/Hershey’s Situational Leadership posits that the right leadership style is based on the person being led: leaders communicate with awareness so that relationships can be built – that’s using knowledge rightly.

Foolish people practice “throwing it out there to see what sticks” with no concern to listener’s style, their underlying fears, or where they are in work experience – that’s more like “belch[ing] out foolishness” ^(NLT) than speaking.

Are you taking the time you need to communicate wisely?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Leaders Understand the Promise of the Budget

Proverbs 14:4 (NIV)

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

Core Values are the promises the “team” makes to each other about how they will fulfill the mission and march to the beat of the vision. The budget puts teeth in those promises.

Whether personally or corporately, the heart follows the dollars – where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

As leaders, you may espouse one thing: your budget tells the team what you really believe.

Oh yes, budgeting is paradoxical: it is about both now and the future. Without the proper foundation (now) growth is limited (future). Does your budget reflect the promises of your values, your vision and your mission?

No oxen. No harvesting of the crop.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Your Worldview is Critical to Leadership

Proverbs 8: 22-23(NASB)

The LORD possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

The literature on theories of leadership has been around a long time and studies have emerged from every discipline you can name. All are based on a worldview that assumes origins (matter vs. spirit as eternal), defines the problems with mankind and the offers a (leadership) solution.

From Plutarch’s Lives, to more moderns writers like Selznick (1957 – infusion of values and purpose), Burns (1978 - ethically and morally transformational leadership) Greenleaf (1977- “servant leadership”), Bennis, Blanchard, Kotter and others offer valid ideas and processes on leadership.

God (Eternally Existent) tells us that effective leaders are first followers (of Him) and then lead by example (after your heart is born anew (shaped in Proverbs, demonstrated in the Gospels).

Man’s theories come and go. God’s have remained constant. Your worldview matters – today at work and eternally.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Leaders Know What’s Precious

Proverbs 7:3 (NKJV)

Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.

The idiom in this verse literally means the “pupil of the eye” but has come to mean, “that which we hold most precious.”

God’s laws, like principles of leadership are fundamentally about two issues: personal integrity and the value of others. Robin S. Sharma in Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari put it this way: “The greatest privilege of leadership is the chance to elevate lives."

Robert E. Staub - (The Heart of Leadership: 12 Practices of Courageous Leader) - reveals that those who purport to lead fail because they don't understand who it is they're trying to lead – which takes competency, intimacy, integrity, and passion.

Leaders know what is precious: It not the stuff that must be done. It’s the people who team with them to get it done.

What’s most precious to you?

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Leadership Lessons from the Ant – Part II

Proverbs 6: 6 (AMP)

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! -

The instruction is simple, but profound. The ant society has no leader, no guide, no management team, but follows pattern of work built into them by their Creator.

Three observed ant “behaviors” that mirror our work include:

Career Training: Ants learn particular jobs, especially worker ants; then, on some schedule, change & learn new careers
Education: Ants may be the only group of animals besides us in which interactive teaching behavior has been observed during their life: they pace instruction to the learner’s ability
Limited Free Will: It seems that ant inter-relationships more symbiotic than coercive.

Observe and be wise: Leaders mentor, sacrificing time often to teach; a caring leader paces the instruction; and, an effective leader actively listens, interacting and communicating.

What kind of relationships do you cultivate: symbiotic or coercive?

Monday, February 05, 2007

Leaders Ponder the “Right Stuff”

Proverbs 5: 6 (NKJV)
Lest you ponder her [a sexually promiscuous woman’s] path of life-- Her ways are unstable; you do not know them.

People at work often times are put in situations that can breed the wrong kind of “pondering.”

Godly leaders (at home or at work) are called to bring captive every thought by being saturated with Wisdom and then meditating (pondering) on the “right stuff.”

Meditating on the Word is foundational. In addition, developing an integrated Christian Worldview will yield insights, attitudes and behaviors that make the Sunday stuff alive at work and play.

Ponder that!

Friday, February 02, 2007

Leaders Are Willing To Be Changed

Proverbs 2:2 (NLV)

…make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding.

William Penn, in 1699 wrote, “No man is fit to command another that can not command himself.”

There are two commands in this verse – make open and turn. It’s a matter of the will. Demanding a choice. And it’s not any wisdom: The leadership stories in both Testaments provide foundational understanding of leading. Just knowing about them is not enough. We must turn our heart (including our head, hands and habits) – ah, there’s the rub!

What is naturally in us is all about us: what is supernaturally assimilated in us changes our focus to others. That’s the key to “servant leadership.” If you want to influence others, first allow yourself to be changed – the head and the heart internally, the hands and the habits externally.

Are you willing to be changed so you can lead like Jesus?

Thoughts About Leadership