Tearing Down Leadership Idols in the Church

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

A quick Google search on “Church Leadership” will turn up literally over 170 million links. That’s a lot of content to dig into on church leadership. For all of the talk about church leadership out there today it sure seems that the church is pretty leadership poor. I know some folks down in Texas that would say that churches have a bad case of “big hat, no cattle.” Another way to say it would be that churches are all talk and no action when it comes to leadership.

With that said, there really are some leadership idols that many church leaders buy into that need to be torn down.

“Leadership is Influence”

If leadership was simply influence than my kids are the best leaders in my house. They’ve influenced the kind of car (or land yacht) I’ve purchased, the house we live in, our grocery budget and so on. While influence is a part of leadership, it’s not leadership. The Bible doesn’t define leadership as influence; it defines leadership as a spiritual gift. Not everybody has it.

“We need to Hire more Staff”

The church of America has been lulled into this idea that they have to hire more staff to do the ministry at their churches. Hiring another staff member may be the worst thing you can at your church this year. Your church most likely doesn’t need more staff to do ministry, rather your existing staff need to learn how to delegate, empower, and develop your church body to stop just coming to the church but be the church. Your church is full of competent and highly talented people who actually get paid to perform complicated jobs. Chances are they have a lot to offer at your church too.

“Preachers are Leaders”

Just because you’re a gifted communicator doesn’t mean you’re a gifted leader. It means you’re a gifted communicator. Young church leaders are taught (more by the prevailing church ministry model in the U.S. than by the Bible) that if you want to lead in a church then you have to do it from a stage, and if you’re not a gifted communicator then your not a gifted leader. That’s simply not true. Leadership is not just about inspiration and instruction (what happens from a stage). It’s also about being up close and over time with people and taking them from where they are to where they need to be. There’s more to that than stage. And frankly I’ve seen some fantastic preachers who can’t lead themselves or anyone else out of a wet paper bag.

“Leadership is Power”

Great leaders don’t simply amass and wield great amounts of power, rather they have the uncanny ability to share power and give it away to others. Barking out orders doesn’t endear people to you. You get more when you give, even in the economy of leadership.

What are other “leadership idols” you’ve seen in churches? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your insights!

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Learning from Kids about Leadership

Sunday, October 4, 2015

The other day I sat down with a couple of the most influential people in my life to talk about leadership. Their perspective and input is very important to me. No leader becomes a great leader alone. Great leaders learn from others and invite input from others they trust.

Me? Some of the voices I listen to are my 11 year old, 10 year old, 7 year old, and 2 year old kids. Here’s what they had to say about leadership.

Leadership is setting an example for people around you.
Good leadership is being the best you can be.
Good leaders are obedient to their parents…translation…leaders know how to be under authority not just in authority.
Leadership means always having a happy heart…translation…the attitude of a leader matters.
Good leaders care more for others than they do for themselves.
Good leaders let others go first.
Bad leaders have a bad attitude and don’t care about others.
Good leaders always have good sportsmanship.
Bad leaders don’t care about others opinions, they’re in it for themselves…translations a sure fire way to become a bad leader is only looking out for yourself and not listening to others.
Bad leaders don’t want to be around their families…translation…bad leaders are lonely leaders, they lead alone.
“Don’t be a bad leader” (nuff said)

Oh, and my 2 year old added, “bee-doo, bee-doo, bee-doo Goooo Gators!” (smart kid)

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Top Posts of 2014 #8: “How 2nd Chair Leaders Lead Up”

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

This post comes in at #8 in 2014, and rightly so. It applies to a majority of leaders in church-world, because the majority of leaders in church-world actually sit in a second chair role.

In working with leaders around the country one of the most frequently asked questions that I hear is, “How do I lead up?” In other words, second chair leaders are asking, “How do I support my leader while influencing them at the same time?” Below are six methods that the best second chair leaders I’ve met utilize to “lead up.”

No Surprises

Withholding information from your leader is a sure fire way to break trust, and trust is the foundation for all great relationships both personal and working. There should be a clear commitment to no surprises between a first and second chair leader.

Define Reality

For your leader to get where God has called them to go they need to have an accurate picture of where they are leading “from.” The first step in getting “there” is helping people become uncomfortable with “here,” even your leader. Your ability to accurately define reality for your leader, will help drive the pace of the organization and help everyone understand when you’re winning.

Understand the Values of your Leader

One of the fastest ways to build trust with your first chair leader is to demonstrate that you understand the vision and values (both organizational and personal) of your leader by proactively leading people and the organization in a direction and manner that reflects the vales and vision of your leader. Great second chair leaders see themselves as an extension of their leader.

Provide Opportunities

Great second chair leaders provide opportunities for their leader to experience success with the staff team and the organization at large. They prop their leader up and provide strength to their areas of weakness rather than exposing them.

Bringing Problems is a Problem

Your first chair leader deals with problems every day. They don’t need new ones, and they certainly don’t need to come from you. The best second chair leaders are solution oriented. They bring creative solutions and options to be implemented, not problems to be solved.

Lead with Questions not Statements

Invite the input and advice of your leader…early and often. Lead with questions that open up dialogue rather than making statements or demands of your leader, which is no way to get where you or they want to go.

Photo Credit: ekainj via Compfight cc

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How 2nd Chair Leaders Lead Up

Sunday, February 23, 2014

In working with leaders around the country one of the most frequently asked questions that I hear is, “How do I lead up?” In other words, second chair leaders are asking, “How do I support my leader while influencing them at the same time?” Below are six methods that the best second chair leaders I’ve met utilize to “lead up.”

No Surprises

Withholding information from your leader is a sure fire way to break trust, and trust is the foundation for all great relationships both personal and working. There should be a clear commitment to no surprises between a first and second chair leader.

Define Reality

For your leader to get where God has called them to go they need to have an accurate picture of where they are leading “from.” The first step in getting “there” is helping people become uncomfortable with “here,” even your leader. Your ability to accurately define reality for your leader, will help drive the pace of the organization and help everyone understand when you’re winning.

Understand the Values of your Leader

One of the fastest ways to build trust with your first chair leader is to demonstrate that you understand the vision and values (both organizational and personal) of your leader by proactively leading people and the organization in a direction and manner that reflects the vales and vision of your leader. Great second chair leaders see themselves as an extension of their leader.

Provide Opportunities

Great second chair leaders provide opportunities for their leader to experience success with the staff team and the organization at large. They prop their leader up and provide strength to their areas of weakness rather than exposing them.

Bringing Problems is a Problem

Your first chair leader deals with problems every day. They don’t need new ones, and they certainly don’t need to come from you. The best second chair leaders are solution oriented. They bring creative solutions and options to be implemented, not problems to be solved.

Lead with Questions not Statements

Invite the input and advice of your leader…early and often. Lead with questions that open up dialogue rather than making statements or demands of your leader, which is no way to get where you or they want to go.

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Global Leadership Summit 2013: Joseph Grenny

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Day 2 of Leadership Summit started off with Joseph Grenny, Co-Founder of VitalSmarts and best-selling author. He spoke on mastering the skill of influence, the topic of his book: Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change.

Leadership is Intentional Influence.
Bad behavior can feel good or bad and good behavior can feel bad or good.
Your job as an influencer is to make the good stuff feel pleasurable and the bad stuff feel bad.
Influencers understand that people can change the way they feel about behavior and decisions (we can talk ourselves into anything).
Our ability as leaders is not just about motivating people but also acquiring the competence to do so.
People change when we put together a strategy that includes impulses, motivation, training, cues, and accomplices.
Don’t just teach principles connect them to values
Help people frame specific daily decisions in godly ways
Ability is a profound factor in influence…most people start on the right and move left – they start with skills and abilities and move towards motivation
Practice setting must approximate the real world
Small bites with consistent feedback and coaching is the best environment for increasing skill levels.
You want to change the world, learn how to change behavior

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