I sat with a new pastor recently trying to hold a church together long enough to help it build again. The previous pastor left town, after a series of bad decisions; some the church is still finding out about each new day.

Sadly, I see it all the time. This pastor suffered from the same temptation any pastor faces. His number one problem in my opinion: He was leading in isolation. He had no one on the inside of his life who knew him well enough to know when something was wrong and could confront him when necessary.

Leading in isolation is displayed in numerous ways to the detriment of the organization. I see 7 clear dangers of leading in isolation:

Moral failure – Without accountability in place, many people will make bad decisions because no one appears to be looking. We are more susceptible to temptation when we are alone.

Burnout – There is an energy we gain from sharing life with other people. When the leader feels he or she is alone the likelihood of burning out, emotional stress and even depression increases.

Leadership Vacuum – The leader is clueless to the real problems in the organization and is fooled into believing everything (including the leader) is wonderful. (I wrote about the leadership vacuum HERE and HERE.)

Control Freak – The leader panics when others question him or her. He or she tries to control every decision.

Limits other people – The leader in isolation fails to communicate, invest, and release, which keeps others leaders from developing on the team.

Limits leader – The isolated leader never reaches his or her full potential as a leader, because he shuts out influences, which would help him or her grow.

Limits organization – In the end, the leader who leads in isolation keeps the organization from being all that it can be. Because the leader sets the bar (read more about that thought HERE), if the leader is in isolation the organization will suffer.

Leaders, are you living in isolation? Do you need to get out of the protective shell you’ve made for yourself? The health and future success of your organization depends on it.

(I realize many pastors of smaller churches feel they have no option, but to lead in isolation. You feel you have no one you can truly trust in your church and you have isolated yourself, for various reasons, from others in the community. As hard as it may seem, and as great as the risk may appear, you must find a few people to share your struggles with to avoid these dangers. If you need help, please email me today.)

What would you add to my list as a danger of leading in isolation?

If your organization expects to grow, you’ll need to attract, develop and retain quality leaders.  One of the highest costs an organization has is replacing leaders, so ideally once a leader is hired, you’ll want to keep them.  I was reflecting recently on why leaders tend to leave an organization, apart from finding a better opportunity.  I don’t want to stand in the way of a leader leaving to an opportunity I can’t match, but I don’t want to lose them because of something the organization did wrong.

Here are 7 reasons leaders tend to quit your organization:

They couldn’t live out their personal vision – Leaders are internally driven. They have personal visions in addition to the vision of the organization.

They were told no too many times – Leaders have ideas they want to see implemented.

They felt unappreciated/never recognized for their abilities -– This goes for all team members.  People need to know that what they are offering is valued.

They were given no voice – Leaders want input into the direction of the organization.

They were left clueless as to the future of the organization – Leaders need inside information so they feel ownership in the overall direction of the organization.

Their vision doesn’t match the vision of the organization – This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but is best discovered before the leader joins the team.

They were micromanaged – Leaders don’t need managing as much as they need releasing.  Leaders need to help chart their future.

You can allow leaders to work for the good of the organization or stifle them, discourage them and spend valuable time and effort consistently replacing them.  If you want to keep leaders…let them lead!

What would you add to my list?

Which of these reasons would be/has been/is going to be your biggest reason for leaving an organization?

Kent Shaffer is an influencer, a creative and innovative genius, and apparently never sleeps. One of the best church leadership blogs I follow is Church Relevance.  It is considered an honor to be considered for one of Kent’s lists of top churches or top Christian blogs.  He is the co-founder of Acre Scout, which helps connect buyers to commercial real estate, including churches.  He is an active part of Lifechurch.tv.   He consults regularly for churches and ministries wanting to become more effective and efficient.  You can follow Kent on Twitter HERE.

Here are 10 questions with leader Kent Shaffer:

When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally?  If not, what did you want to do?

Growing up I had regular intervals where I expected to have a career in ministry when I was older. I also had seasons of expecting to be a fireman, policeman, spy, comedian, mechanical engineer, artist, or marketer. But I never fathomed (even a few years ago) being able to have the career and opportunities that I have today.

What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now?

It is hard to label one job as the “most” different. I’ve had a handful of odd jobs that have all taught me something. Working at a movie theater taught me that the quality of the grunt workers in the trenches often makes or breaks an organization. Working as a site coordinator for an intramural sports league taught me that conflict is inevitable and should never be neglected. Working as a local band manager taught me the importance of viewing your organization through the eyes of your audience and not rose-colored glasses. I’ll save some of the other stories for another time.

Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?

I had the privilege to work for and be mentored by Jim Wideman who is considered by many to be a pioneer of modern children’s ministry. He taught me how to develop leaders, manage them, and create efficient systems.

Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?

Another mentor of mine, a marketing professor named Dan Fisher, recommended that I read Coercion by Douglas Rushkoff. It is not the most impactful book I’ve read, but it was the catalyst that got me started exploring the importance of behavioral science in ministry. It led me to learning from Malcolm Gladwell, Paco Underhill, Jim Collins, and many others.

What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?

Comprehensive, Strategic, & Unconventional

What is your greatest strength in leadership?

Holistic Strategy

What is your greatest weakness in leadership?

Either insensitivity or too high of expectations.

What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?

Follow through with necessary confrontation even if it will cause change that I dread.

What is one misconception about your position you think people in your church may have?

I have a bivocational role with the non-profits I help. At my church, LifeChurch.tv, I work primarily with their Digital Mission Initiatives and sometimes assist or talk ideas with the curriculum development, leadership development, or campus teams. The biggest misconception that people have about my role is simply understanding what it is. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to switch departments and collaborate in whatever department needs me the most. In contrast, staff positions typically have a more rigid department focus.

If you could give one piece of advice to young leaders from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?

Put your benchmarks against what God says is possible and not what man has achieved.

Has Kent’s ministry impacted you as much as it has me?

Pretend for a moment that this is your scenario…

You are a leader.  You worked hard, experienced some sense of success and now you like where you are in your career. You have finally figured out the system, got the right staff or team, and there are no current problems.  Life is comfortable.

My advice:  Now may be the best time to consider a change.

The fact is that if you are comfortable now, you will likely be bored soon.  Leaders need change, stretching, and an opportunity to improve something to stay excited.

You don’t necessarily have to leave your organization, or even your current position.  You may already be at the top, but you may need to expand your responsibilities.  You may need to dream a new dream.  You may need to challenge yourself outside your comfort zone again.

It’s what keeps leaders motivated!

For more on this thought process, read my previous post: One Contrast Between a Leaders and Managers.

Part of growing an organization is delegating, or getting more people involved in the process of accomplishing the overall goals and objectives of the organization. It cannot be overemphasized that if you want to grow the organization, you must learn to delegate. The part of delegation, however, that many leaders have the hardest time doing is letting go of his or her right to control the work being delegated.

Keep this in mind as you delegate responsibilities to others:

• The work may not happen exactly when you want it to…
• The work may not be done exactly as you would have done it…
• The work may not look exactly as you had envisioned it looking…

If the person you delegate to understands and believes in the overall vision and is willing to carry the project through to completion, letting go of your right to control the outcome of the project may be necessary for delegation to occur.

The best leaders realize he or she can never accomplish everything personally, so he or she is willing to delegate. Ultimately though, there is no delegation without some release of ownership.

For a similar post on this topic, click HERE.

Credibility is important in any leadership position.   If a leader desires followers to willfully work with passion to reach an established vision, then he or she must be trusted.   Credible leaders have followers that share the organization’s values and work hard to achieve them.  When a person’s leadership is not credible, followers are less likely to be team players and will be disloyal to the organization.

Credibility in leadership is primarily established in one of three ways:

Gifted – For a brand new leader, there is sometimes a “gifting” period for credibility, at least by some in the organization.  These people are willing to trust the leader until proven wrong.  This period does not last long.

Borrowed – When a credible leader validates a new or existing leader it can often transfer the trust earned by the credible leader. A retiring pastor, for example, can often validate the incoming pastor who in turn receives instant credibility.  This period of credibility is also temporary.

Earned – Lasting credibility cannot be demanded. It doesn’t come with a title or position. The best type of credibility is gained through time and experience by a leader that has earned it.  This is the kind of credibility that excellent leaders aspire to gain and work hard to protect. It is developed through integrity, consistency and servant leadership.  The truly credible leader spends time investing in others and considers the good of the entire organization when making decisions.

Are you aspiring to be a credible leader?  What characteristics build credibility in your mind?

For more thoughts on organizational leadership, click HERE.

One contrast between a manager and a leader is that managers enjoy stability…

…While leaders love chaos…

They may not admit it, because it sounds somewhat morbid, but leaders love when things are messy…

The truth is leaders love fixing a problem…

Leaders love leading a charge through adversity…

Leaders love a challenge…

Since, leaders are heads up more than heads down…

…And tend to see the big picture over the details…

Real leaders thrive best when everyone else is looking for a leader.

He or she loves figuring out solutions to different situations….

Leaders love forming strategy…

Leaders love shaping a team…

Leaders love attaining those things everyone else said couldn’t be attained…

Leaders love to lead…

Considering this observation, are you more of a leader or a manager? (Read THIS POST for more on this subject)

Do you agree? (Feel free to disagree.)

Over the next few days I will share some of the results of the Leadership Perception Survey I posted recently on my blog. Just so you know, there is no hidden agenda here. Several have asked. I simply believe perception of a situation matters, sometimes as much as reality. In leadership, we must always be aware of another person’s perception and realize that not everyone thinks as we do. That doesn’t mean perception has to alter what we do, certainly not if we are doing the right thing, but perception can play a factor in success and may alter the strategy we use to accomplish our vision. Have you ever heard of marketing? Successful marketing revolves around perception. Understanding other people’s perception is a part of successful leadership also.

Without commentary, here are the first few graphics.

Question: Are you currently a leader?

• Yes 76%
• No 24%

How many total people report to you:

• 0  22%
• 1-10 52%
• 11-25  9%
• 26-100 15%
• 100+  2%

Should the leader be entitled to more vacation or other benefits that the people he or she leads, just because of position?

• Yes  27%
• No  73%

Should a leader have a bigger office than the people he or she leads?

• Yes   30%
• No   70%

Stay tuned for more results.

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?”

The way an organization is structured (often called the DNA of the organization) determines the type of employee it attracts and retains.  An atmosphere that produces innovative leaders, for example, has more to do with the culture of the organization than it does specific programs or activities the organization does. Leaders determine, therefore, whether they will create an environment that can produce innovative leaders or whether they will be an environment that merely produces managed followers.  Here are some general characteristics of those two environments:

One that produces innovative leaders

• More rewarding
• More entrepreneurial
• More freedom
• More encouragement
• More open-minded
• More creative
• More informal
• More changeable
• More risk-taking
• More trusting

One that produces managed followers

• More oversight
• More corporate
• More rules
• More controlling
• More closed-minded
• More defined
• More formal
• More static
• More penalties for failure
• More critical

I realize there are not clear-cut divisions between the two types of environments.  Obviously “more” is a subjective word, but if you apply these broad characteristics to most major corporations you can probably tell which ones attempt to encourage innovation and which encourage a more compliant environment.  If you are a leader, ask yourself which of the two descriptions fits your organization best. Then ask yourself if this is the environment you want to lead.  (If you really want to know the correct answer, let your employees answer a survey anonymously.  You may be surprised at their response.)

What other characteristics would you add to the lists above?

(My next few posts will have further thoughts on this issue, including some specific activities to help foster innovation among your team, but remember, it begins with culture, not activities.)

In any leadership position the leader will receive criticism at some point.  It is virtually impossible to do everything in a way that pleases everyone.  Even Jesus had critics.  It comes with the territory of leadership.

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.  If I give into every critic I will never complete the mission God has called me to do.  If I never listen to critics I will become arrogant and prideful.

Here are some principles I try to remember so I can balance the two extremes:

Learn something from everything – There is usually something that can be learned even from the harshest criticism, if nothing more than better understanding people.

My ultimate calling is to honor and obey Christ – I try to make sure I am pleasing Him above everyone else.

Find my affirmation in the people to whom God has called me to minister – This is a new principle for me, but one I wrote about HERE.

Consider the person offering criticism – A person with a sincere heart for the Kingdom, my ministry and me personally carries a lot more weight with me.

Be willing to humble myself – The fact is I could be wrong and others could be right.  If criticism is warranted I must be willing to alter my position.

Leaders, how do you handle criticism?