I have to take a break from my previous blog with this incite from Henry Cloud's book, "Boundaries for Leaders".
He talks about the 3 P's that can be devastating to a leader's thinking. A typical spiral can take place in a leader's mind if things are not transpiring the way they want. Or perhaps there is some sort of criticism that affects the way a leader thinks. Here they are:
Personal: Whenever there is something negative taking place a first temptation is to take it personally.
Things might be said like, "What ever made me think I could be a leader?" " The reason we are stuck is that I'm not up to this task." "What ever made me think that I could pull it off?"
Pervasive: The next step downward in the spiral is to believe that everybody must think this is true. Or that everything is failing. Things might be said, "It seems like everything I am working on is failing." "Nothing seems to be going right."
Permanent: The final step to this spiral is that it is always going to be this way. So we think that things will never change.
How many times have any of us gone through this spiral in various forms? It is critical for us to stop the spiral. That kind of inward thinking can kill the morale of those on your team.
If you are in that spiral, it is time to stop the merry-go-round and get some outside objective counsel before you fall into a depression or create a permanent culture of negativity.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Moving from I to We part 2 A GOOD LISTENER
Now that I have introduced this new model of being a leader who is a steward of his/her own gifts and also a steward of those gifts already in the body, we need to describe how this model is practically lived out.
Dr. Ford points out that the first step is for the Steward leader to be a "good listener". This means the leader needs to listen for the passion and vision of those under his leadership. It means asking a lot more questions, being an excellent observer, and then discerning where their gifts may lie.
A Harvard University professor has said, "Most leaders die with their mouths open". Leaders are often valued more for what they say and thus fall into the trap of not being a good listener.
A leader who is good at listening communicates a teachability and sensitivity to the people in the church or on the team. When this happens, people feel validated and the freedom to express their passions and giftedness.
Once a leader understands where people's passion lay, the next step is to equip them for tasks they are passionate about. I will touch on this aspect in the next blog.
The question I want to leave you is this: Are you a good listener? Have you created an environment of understanding and discernment as the leader? Have you created a self serving agenda of leadership or a body building agenda of leadership?
Dr. Ford points out that the first step is for the Steward leader to be a "good listener". This means the leader needs to listen for the passion and vision of those under his leadership. It means asking a lot more questions, being an excellent observer, and then discerning where their gifts may lie.
A Harvard University professor has said, "Most leaders die with their mouths open". Leaders are often valued more for what they say and thus fall into the trap of not being a good listener.
A leader who is good at listening communicates a teachability and sensitivity to the people in the church or on the team. When this happens, people feel validated and the freedom to express their passions and giftedness.
Once a leader understands where people's passion lay, the next step is to equip them for tasks they are passionate about. I will touch on this aspect in the next blog.
The question I want to leave you is this: Are you a good listener? Have you created an environment of understanding and discernment as the leader? Have you created a self serving agenda of leadership or a body building agenda of leadership?
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