LEADERSHIP STYLE

What kind of a leader are you? Bill Hybel's book "Courageous Leadership" is descriptive of 10 different styles of leadership. Let me list them:

1. Visionary. Carries a crystal clear picture of what needs to happen and recruits others to the dream. Idealistic, black and white. Will die for the vision

2. Directional. Uncanny ability to choose the right path for an organization. Can sort through the options based on an organization's purpose, values, personnel, and opportunities

3. Strategic. Ability to break an exciting vision down to sequential, advisable steps. Gets team to work together on the various components.

4. Managing. Ability to organize people, processes, resources and systems to achieve vision.

5. Motivational. Ability to keep teammates inspired. Overcomes tiredness, low morale, discouragement, apathy and fogginess.

6. Shepherding. Slowly builds a team. Loves them deeply and draws them into community so that mission is accomplished through commitment to each other.

7. Team building. Can recruit, develop the right people for the right positions and tun them loose to lead. Drive by vision, strategy and correct placement of personnel.

8. Entrepreneur. Exemplifies and of the proceeding styles but functions best in a start-up mode. High energy, creative, easily bored, loses energy, looks for challenge.

9. Re-engineering. Creates a turn-around environment, renews vision and focus, revitalizes organizations. Takes a consulting approach.

10. Bridge building. Builds alliances to achieve mission. Flexible, skilled in negotiating and achieving compromises. loves a wide variety of people and a complex environment.

All these styles have their strengths. We need to embrace all these as effective leadership styles.

Which ones do you most identify? Can you accept other styles that may be brought to your leadership table? Are you functioning outside of your leadership wiring?

CAN DO vs. MUST DO

Leonardo da Vinci said, " Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Too many pastor/leaders get bogged down with complexity. Let me give you a quote from Wil Mancini's book called "Unique Church".

"Leaders must constantly fight the good fight of clarity to overcome complexity. When God blesses the ministry, the discipline to say no determines whether the battle is won or lost. This is true for both the church as a whole and the individual leader."

The more the church grows the greater the opportunities. The more opportunities multiply, the greater the temptation to make ministry more complex. The key is to have a clear vision and be able to sort out the can do's from the must do's. Healthy leaders must learn to sort out what opportunities could be a distraction from the primary focus that God has called the church to have.

Unfortunately too many churches have never articulated clearly their vision. When that happens leaders become reactive rather than proactive. So let me challenge you to think through two issues. Have you clearly articulated your vision and are you able to sort through well the must do's from the can do's? If you haven't let me recommend Mancini's book.

Until next time!

SHEEP BITES

It is inevitable that we shepherds will have the sheep turn on us. When that happens our response can be critical to our own spiritual health much less the health of the herd.

We can respond like I did for many years. I was brilliant at substituting rationalization for reconciliation. Some of the rationalizations sounded like this: "They are just having a bad day." "The enemy is alive and well in the church." "This is the life of a pastor, so just get over it." "It isn't about me." "I am spiritually mature, so I can handle it." "It comes with the territory." "Being a leader means being misunderstood."

While all these statements have some truth, the reality is this: I was wounded and hurt and needed to forgive. In stead of spiritually sweeping it under the rug I needed to face the fact that I was hurt and needed to take healthy steps toward reconciliation.

Unfortunately for many years I failed to do this and the sun subtly kept going down on my anger. As we know this is dangerous territory for giving satan a foothold. It took me 14 years to figure this out, when all the anger and hurt bubbled to the surface of my life. Needless to say it wasn't a pretty picture. Now I am able to keep an up to date heart.

How are you handling those sheep bites in your life? Have you found your own ways of sweeping those bites under your spiritual rug?