Do you want to be a leader valued by the ones who follow?

There are plenty of leaders…or people who have leadership roles. Not all are valued as leaders. I hear from people every week who don’t feel they follow a valuable leader. If you are going to lead…lead in a way that creates value in the lives of others and the organizations you lead.

Here are 12 ways to be a leader of value:

Be open to challenge…

Be quick to share credit…

Be mindful of what’s missing…

Be consistent to offer praise…

Be accessible to followers…

Be willing to embrace change…

Be slow to condemn…

Be diligent in matters of character…

Be looking for what’s next…

Be a servant to all…

Be an example to many…

Be ready to take risks…

Try those dozen things and see how quickly you become a leader of value.

What would you add to my list?

Leadership Tip: Collaboration leads to Cooperation

When you are leading a team, the more you collaborate with your team during the planning process and before the final decisions are made, the more cooperation you’ll receive from your team during the implementation process.

Of course, you can’t collaborate on every decision. One of the reasons you are leader is to make big picture, strategic decisions.

Whenever a decision, however, impacts other people, especially if it:

• Impacts how they do their work…
• Changes the basic nature of what they do…
• Significantly impacts the future of the team or organization…

…Collaboration is advised, because it always bring better cooperation from the team.

In fact, the opposite can be equally true. A lack of collaboration naturally brings a lack of cooperation.

And cooperation rocks in organizational health!

Cooperation brings;

• Collective buy-in
• A sense of ownership and empowerment
• Less petty arguments
• Lower resistance to change
• More passion towards the vision
• Shared workload
• Fewer cases of burnout

What leader doesn’t appreciate those things?

Leader, learn to collaborate better so your team can learn to cooperate better.

Have you seen this principle in practice? Is collaboration easy for you to do as a leader?

How have you seen this principle work or the opposite effect occur in a team’s health? Help us learn from your experience.

I’ve seen it many times…

You have an idea…it’s not a bad idea…it may be a great idea…

You just don’t know yet…

Here’s my advice…

Spend your energies at first on deciding whether it’s an idea worth pursuing…

The what…

Before you spend a lot of energy on the mechanics of the idea…

The how…

You may have to talk about some of the how to decide the what, but spend your first, best and most energy on the what…

For example: Let’s say you have an idea to add a third church service to allow for more growth…or maybe you are thinking of going multi-site…or the idea could be to plant another church. Don’t spend too much time on the how…until you decide the what.

Is this an idea worth pursuing?

Are you willing to give it a try?

Yes or no?  

Spending too much time on the how before you address the what:

• Gets you bogged down in needless details…
• Wastes energy that could be used elsewhere…
• Solves problems you don’t yet and may never have…
• Creates division about change prematurely…
• Builds momentum before it’s time…

Once you decide the what, you’ll have more passion, clarity and energy to address the how.

Do you often find yourself addressing the how before you decide the what? 

I know numerous leaders with great potential…

They have all the appearance of being a good leader…

But they lack one thing…or two…

There are a few killers of good leadership…

Any one of these can squelch good leadership…

It’s like a wrecking ball of potential…

It’s not that they can’t lead, but to continue to grow as a leader…to be successful at a higher level or for the long-term…they must address these issues.

Here are 12 killers of good leadership:

Defensiveness – Good leaders don’t wear their feelings on their shoulders. They know other’s opinions matter and aren’t afraid to be challenged.

Jealousy – A good leader enjoys watching others on the team excel.

Revenge – The leader that succeeds for the long-term must be forgiving and knows that “getting even” only comes back to harm them and the organization.

Fearfulness – The good leader remains committed when no one else is and must take risks no one else will. Others will follow. That’s what leaders do.

Favoritism - Good leaders don’t have favorites on the team. They reward for results not partiality.

Ungratefulness - Good leaders value people, knowing they cannot attain success without others.

Small-mindedness – Good leaders think bigger than today. They are dreamers and idea people.

Pridefulness - Pride comes before the fall. Good leaders remain humbled by the position of authority entrusted to them.

Rigidity - There are some things to be rigid about, such as values and vision, but for most issues, the leader must be open to change. Good leaders are welcome new ideas, realizing that most everything can be improved.

Laziness – One can’t be a good leader and not be willing to work hard. In fact, the leader should be willing to be the hardest worker on the team.

Unresponsiveness – Good leaders don’t lead from behind closed doors. They are responsive to the needs and desires of those they attempt to lead. They respond to concerns and questions. They collaborate more than control. Leaders who close themselves off from those they lead will limit the places where others will follow.

Dishonesty – Since character counts highest, a good leader must be above reproach. When a leader fails, he or she must admit their mistake and work towards restoration.

A leader may struggle with one or more of these, but the goal should be to lead “killer-free”. Leader, be honest, which of these wrecking balls do you struggle with most?

What would you add to my list?

Can you think of any other killers of good leadership?

How your team sees you may be more important than who you are as a leader…

Obviously character is most important…

You’ll often be misunderstood…

You can’t please everyone…

Somedays as a leader…it seems you can’t please anyone…  

The reality of the success of a leader, though, may depend more on how you are viewed by the people you lead than it does on what you do as a leader. I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that the two are not always the same.

• Do they see you more as an agent of empowerment or an agent of control?
• Do the see you more as a champion for their ideas or a killer of their dreams?
• Do they see you more as a proponent of change or a protector of tradition?
• Do they see you as a friend of progress or the enemy of success?

Much of your success as a leader will depend on the perception you create among the people you attempt to lead.

So, leader, how are you doing?

Have you ever known a leader who thought he or she was doing better than the team thought?

(BTW, as a shameless plug…I help leaders discover how their team really feels. Brave leaders learn more HERE.)

Chances are, if you’ve served on very many teams, that you’ve served on one that is dysfunctional. It appears to me that we have many to choose from in the organizational world. A dysfunctional team in simple terms is one that cannot operate at peak efficiency and performance because of a combination of negative characteristics.

If you have been on a dysfunctional team, then you’ve probably seen one or more of of the common traits found among a dysfunctional team. They do have commonalities.

Here are 7 signs of a dysfunctional team:

Team members don’t talk to each other…as much as they talk about each other…

Problems are never addressed; conflict is avoided…the real issues are continually ignored or excused…

No one takes responsibility…and everyone passes blame…

Communication usually brings more tension than progress…and no one is truly honest with each other…

The mention of change makes everyone nervous…and real progress has to be forced or controlled…

Only the leader gets recognition or can make decisions…and team members never feel valued or appreciated…

There are competing visions, goals or objectives….and it’s every team member for his or herself…

Have you served on a dysfunctional team?

(How many of these can you currently see on your team? If there are at least two or three and I’d say you may need to evaluate the team’s health…)

What other signs would you add to my list?

Since the beginning of Grace Community Church almost 6 years ago, we have experienced what many would call explosive growth. We’ve seen hundreds each year come to faith and reconnect with Christ. That growth has impacted every ministry in our church and been felt by every stretched staff member. It’s been an amazing journey filled with lots of excitement.

I have learned, however, that there our dangers with fast growth in any organization. I once wrote some of that HERE. This is an expansion of that post.

Here are 5 dangers of explosive growth:

Masks real problems – Growth gets the attention. Everyone is excited. Momentum is high. Problems within a team or organization won’t show up immediately…but they will eventually.

Leadership poor – I didn’t say “poor leadership”…but leadership poor. When the organization is growing fast, you can never seem to afford adequate staff or train volunteers quick enough.

Inadequate Systems – I wrote about that HERE, but basically your systems do not support your growth and you spend much of your time playing catch up to implement adequate systems to sustain growth.

People feel scattered/left behind – It’s part of the deal. With the rate of growth, communication is more important than ever, but people are stretched, often producing holes in the communication process.

Reactive rather than proactive – In a fast growing organization, “just keeping up” will be a consistent feeling emotion among leadership. You’ll often find yourself “making it up as you go”. With the speed of life in the organization, there never seems to be time to get ahead of the growth curve.

What can you do about it?

Be aware - Realize that everything may not be as seems. If momentum slows, the real problems will be revealed. The sooner you can identify these areas of weakness, the less damage it will cause in creating sustainable growth. Stay grounded in your faith as a team and as leaders so you can weather this season.

Recruit – It’s even more important in fast growth situations that you be constantly looking for new and developing leadership. There must be an intentional effort in every area to empower people and train volunteers for leadership positions.

Systematize – As much as possible, you should add structure to the organization along the way. You may never catch up with growth, but as problems are discovered it will often be a systems problem. Again, the more ahead of this issue you can be the better. Continually think strategically of what is needed to ensure you can continue to grow at the current rate. You might consider reading THIS POST as you add structure.

Communicate - This is another systems issue, but the faster you are growing the better your communication must become. Communication is always a struggle in any organization, but healthy organizations continually analyze their system and attempt to improve. In stressful times, communication must receive even more attention.

Discipline - It’s important, even during explosive growth, to discipline yourself enough to plan for the future. Leaders need to be visionary enough to look for what’s coming next and attempt to plan ahead. In spite of the constant demand due to growth, leaders must take time away from doing the work to evaluate and ensure operations are improved to maintain growth and momentum.

Scripture is clear that Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, so regardless of a church’s size or growth rate there is something for which to be excited if lives are changing. Sometimes God brings supernatural growth and during those seasons leaders should be especially aware of potential dangers. (Can you imagine the first century church adding 3,000 to their numbers in a single day?)

Have you ever been in an organization with explosive growth? What would you add to my list?

I’m reading John Maxwell’s book “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently”. I’m three-fourths finished and I’ve been reminded and learned some great stuff so far, but one thing hit me huge today. I see so much truth here from personal experience.

Maxwell claims, “Connectors live what they communicate”. The people who learn to connect with others best live the life they talk about when they communicate. Then Maxwell writes:

Credibility! Here’s how this works in any kind of relationship:

The first six months – communication overrides credibility.

After six months – credibility overrides communication. 

Then he closes that thought by writing, “Credibility is currency for leaders and communicators. With it, they are solvent; without it, they are bankrupt.” 

Wow! I love that! It’s so true. In the beginning of a relationship, you hang on what people say, but as the relationship matures, it doesn’t matter as much what they say…it matters what they do.

Do you see “credibility” and application here? 

I received some anonymous criticism last week. I’m one of those rare leaders who doesn’t automatically dismiss criticism from someone who doesn’t sign their name. Mostly because I try to consider if something in my personality or approach caused this person to feel the need to remain anonymous. (My StrengthFinder indicates I can tend to be controlling…something I have to continually guard against.) This person actually went to the trouble to make up a name and an email address. I know because the details in the email were accurate, but none of the information matched anyone in our database.

I was okay though, because I figured it was from someone who felt the need to remain anonymous. I would love to talk with this person, but I’m trying to reconcile his or her reasoning for withholding a name. You see, I believe there are at least four different motivations for a person offering anonymous criticism. While I still don’t believe this is the right option to take in giving criticism, and it doesn’t fit well with my straight-foward personality, I realize everyone is not like me.

Here are 4 types of anonymous critics:

Fearful – This is the anonymous critic who is simply afraid of conflict. It’s not that the person doesn’t like you or the organization or that he or she doesn’t have good suggestions for improvement. This anonymous critic simply can’t bring him or herself to reveal his or her identity, because of fear.

Pleaser – This is the anonymous critic who wants everyone to get along, and so doesn’t want to create any problems or tension. He or she thinks you need to know something, but would rather not be the one to tell you. They aren’t afraid of conflict as much as afraid you won’t like them if they tell you what’s on their heart or mind.

Trouble-maker – This is the anonymous critic who is trying to stir up trouble and knows that throwing the anonymous criticism in the loop causes confusion and concern. These people are disrupters and critics I’d rather avoid reading if I could always discern this was the critic’s intent.

Passive – This is the anonymous critic who has low interest in the organization and would prefer not to be bothered any further. He or she doesn’t want to be in the middle of the conflict, but thinks you need to know what he or she has to share.

Obviously, you can’t always know which of these you’re dealing with, but it does help me think through my approach to anonymous criticism. In the criticism I received this week, for example, several things in the email lead me to believe this person is a Pleaser. Because of that, I spent a little more time considering the criticism and how it applies. It doesn’t make me appreciate anonymity anymore. I still give it less credibility than I would have with a name attached. Considering it in this light…and making a judgement call…causes me to assume the intent of the criticism was to benefit and not to harm and keeps me from dismissing it as quickly.

You can read a previous post HERE on how I process anonymous criticism.

If you had to choose one, which of these would you prefer to listen to?

How do you know when it’s time to leave an organization?

I recently wrote “Leave Before You Have To”. Sometimes it’s more damaging to stay than to quit.

I am asked frequently to help someone think through the decision of whether to stay or to leave their current position. Obviously, if God calls you to stay somewhere, you should stay, but many times, in my experience, we stay for the wrong reasons. The following are some times to consider leaving. I think these may apply if you are in a church or business setting. This post is expanded from a post I wrote a few years ago. It developed from a conversation with a church staff member suffering under tremendously poor leadership and other questionable activities. I’ve continued to encounter situations where a person is wrestling with whether it’s time to leave their position.

Here are 10 scenarios that may indicate it’s time to leave:

When God has freed you from your commitment - I believe God’s call is ultimately to the person of Christ, not to a place, but there are times God has us in a specific place for a specific season. You may only be a leader for a season. (Read about that HERE.) If you sense God has released you to pursue other positions, it may soon be time to leave.

When your work is finished - It could be that you’ve accomplished what you were sent to accomplish. I once wrote about leaders needing a challenge to stay motivated. If you have become too comfortable, it may be a time God is preparing you for a change…a new challenge. (Read more of that thought HERE.)

When your heart has left the organization or it’s vision – Sometimes you need to reenergize your heart. If God hasn’t released you from the position, for example, then you have to find a way to make it work. In many cases, however, you are freed to move elsewhere. You shouldn’t harm the organization by staying when you no longer have a heart for the mission. If you’ve quit having fun, don’t keep making life miserable for everyone else.

When you can’t support the leadership - You need to know where the power rests in the organization. It’s nearly impossible to change the organization working against an ingrained power structure. Ask yourself, “If it’s always going to be like this here, would I be content staying?”

When your family or personal life is suffering, because of the demands of the organization - If you have to neglect one of them, your career or your family, in twenty years, which do you hope it will have been?

When your mind starts working against the mission of the organization – If you would rather see the place fail than succeed; it could clearly be time to go.

When your relationship with co-workers or leadership is damaged beyond repair - You should try to work out these differences, you certainly should offer grace and forgiveness, but when it is obvious a professional relationship cannot be mended, it may be time to move forward with your life.

If the organization or senior leadership is venturing into immoral or unethical practices – Don’t get caught in the next news scandal.

When you find yourself physically ill if work crosses your mind – On the weekend (or when you are off work), if the emotional stress is greater than you can handle, you may need to protect your health over your career.

When you don’t have the energy to pull your own weight - For whatever reason, whether it’s because you’ve given up, you are bored, or just can’t keep up the pace, if you are dragging down productivity and you don’t have the incentive to improve, perhaps it’s time for a change in your workplace.

Please understand. I’m not a quitter. God may leave you in the miserable environment for a season…or even years. He certainly did for some of the men and women in Bible history. I also believe that the times described above are not always to be viewed as negative experiences. Sometimes God uses the difficult experiences of life to draw us to Him and to open our eyes to the next opportunity He has for us. I would have never made some of the moves I’ve made in life…that I know now were of God…had it not been for my miserable situation at the time.

At the same time, I believe there are times a false sense of loyalty, co-dependency or irrational fear keeps us from moving forward even though God is not holding us to the position. In my opinion, protecting our heart is more important than protecting a professional position. I wouldn’t make a decision solely on just one of these scenarios, but if numerous of them apply…

Consider this list as it compares to your situation, then ask God to confirm in your heart:

• If you are free to leave.
• If now is the time.

What would you add to my list?

You might also read: Discerning a Change in Ministry Assignment