That is a hard concept for many leaders. They own their vision. They have in their mind what they want to achieve. They have pre-determined exactly what a win looks like. They can almost detail it out in their heads. Therefore, if a leader is not careful he or she begins to stress the details of that vision as opposed to stressing and rewarding people for results achieved.
A friend of mine called recently to discuss his business. He wants his employees to assume more ownership for their work and take more initiative on their own, without having to be asked to do something. He wants to lead an organization that produces innovative leaders, not a bunch of managed followers. Knowing a little about his workplace, I asked him an important question. “Have you created an environment conducive to produce the kind of employees you say you want?”
One absolute necessity for effectively leading a growing environment is the art of delegation. The leader who fails to delegate will inhibit growth of the organization and stifle leadership development of the team.
I am becoming a student of Strengths Finder. This personality reviewer gives a person insight into his or her “signature themes” of strengths or behaviors that help drive a person. Over the next few days I will share my individual themes in an afternoon post. Hopefully this will give insight into some of what makes me the way I am and even a clue as to why I may blog about what I blog about.
Titles to me are too specific. They seem to indicate a defined area of focus. I realize some people need that for clarity, but I prefer a job description to a title. I like for a person to understand the goals and objectives for the position, and even more than that, the overall vision of the organization and for them to realize how they are part of the organization’s success. That is hard to capture in a specific job title.
I love being able to respond to opportunities as they present themselves. I am not talking about possibilities. I am referring to legitimate opportunities, things that the organization should and wants to take advantage of when they come available. (Read HERE for a post explaining the difference in possibilities and opportunities.)
I don’t know about you, but watching this is a little scary for me. I do not want the government controlling the oil companies. Do you?
Here’s a quick encouragement to help you have a great week.
Spend the first 30 minutes of your workweek pre-planning for the week. Follow these steps:
As a leader, I have learned that there are times with the criticism is dead-on and something I need to hear and other times when I need to dismiss it and continue in the direction I feel God has led me to go. Knowing when to accommodate the critic and when to ignore the criticism is a careful balance leaders face often.
I have known so many people who claim to be leaders and are hailed as great leaders in their profession or organization, but who have family lives that are a mess. Sadly this is true in many churches also, which is where most of my leadership focus is aimed. Again, it is a matter of opinion, but I have a harder time celebrating a person as a great leader if they have no ability to lead in their private life. At our church, when we are hiring a staff person, we always consider the person’s spouse and children in the equation. It is not only Biblical, but it is also practical.
