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What is your definition of leadership?

What do people in your organization buy into as the definition of leadership? Isn't there plenty of definitions, misconceptions, and myths that people embrace about leaders and leadership? 

Fifteen years ago, John Maxwell taught me in The Law of Influence that, "leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less." I have embraced this definition of leadership for some time. Leadership is the ability to obtain followers.  Therefore, a leader must work on that ability of becoming a person of influence that others willfully follow.

One of the misunderstandings people have about leadership is that want to think it is based on position. Positional leadership is more about rights and titles. Leaders who uses their title as a right to lead will eventually, overtime, fall flat in their leadership.

 Like William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart) said, "Men don't follow titles, they follow courage."  That quote speaks volume. Leadership titles don not necessarely make you a leader. 

Influential leadership really has more to do with relational than positional. Positional leaders, John Maxwell points out, do not generally stoop to help others; relational leaders do. Relational leaders are intent on finding ways to increase their influence index (developing, equipping, empowering, mentoring, and discipling). Relationships are 85% of leadership, therefore, elational leaders are focused and intent of the process of developing people (People Development).

Developing a passion for people development and building strong relationship skills are marks of RELATIONAL LEADERS. Relational leaders understand that by serving, developing and empowering people, that this alone will increase their influence with people.  

Why Churches Get STUCK: Lack of momentum!

John Maxwell is famous for his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. One of the laws of leadership is called the big mo.  This law states that leaders create motion in an organization by achieving and nurturing victories. The leaders who experience momentum over the long-haul in organizational life have also identified the "why" behind the "what" (they have identified the factors of their success and have not neglected their primary flywheel). 

One of the benefits of having momentum is that great leaders (influential people) are usually attracted to the movement and excitement that is in organizations with momentum. For example, large donors are attracted to churches with momentum, because they can’t think of a better recipient to make a difference with their offering. For the most part, when your experiencing momentum on your side, the future looks bright, obstacles look small, and trouble seems temporary.

There is a pastoral friend of mine who is currently experiencing high momentum,  it is alive and well in his church.  The church at one time almost closed the doors (because of such low momentum).  However, my friend made some key, smart, courageous leadership decisions that changed the DNA and organizational culture of that church. In return, the swing of momentum went his way.  The impact and difference that this church community is making right now is immense. In short, the church is experiencing real and sustained momentum, and my friend knows the "why" behind the "what." 

I have also personally observed in some organizations (churches) where there is little to no momentum to be found, and you could tell that even the simplest tasks seemed like insurmountable problems. 

Here are a few “momentum stoppers” that you may be experiencing in your organization or church:

Momentum Stoppers:

• Tweaking old, ineffective programming - “Momentum is never created by tweaking something old.” – Andy Stanley

• The neglect to engage an ineffective organizational system.  Lack of understanding from the leader to know that organizational systems create behavior (The leader has created systems in the organization that enable behavior - in return, that behavior kills momentum).  

• Overactive management that’s leading the leaderO(boards leading the leader).

• Organizational Complexity: Doing too much, with too little…resulting in confusion, burnout, and mediocrity.

• Misaligned Resources: time, energy, volunteers, and money are spread too thin with little return.

• Losing Creative Intensity: Leaders lose the creative renewal in their primary activities and current practices.

• Doing the “what” and not knowing “why” – leaders start to forget the reasons “why” they are doing “what” they are doing.

• Decline in learning orientation.  Leaders lose the inquisitness and learning orientation for continued growth.  Leadeers neglect the learning curve they had when they first started out in their career - Lack of personal growth, leadership development, and exposure to other new organizational system paradigms.  The result is “As goes the leader, so goes the church.” – Peter Scazzero

 

 

 

 

 

7 Common "Lid-Blockers" that Prevent Leaders From Growing - Part II

If we are going to "lift the lids" in our leadership we must start to do some introspective work and ask ourselves some questions...

• What are your productive strengths? (Strengths that produce the greatest yield). 
• What are your destructive weaknesses? 
• How do your rate yourself as a leader? (1-10). 

Now, identify and begin removing any "lid-blockages" that prevent you from lifting your “Leadership Lid.”

7 common “lid blockers” that keep your leadership potential from moving forward:

• Myopic thinking: Thinking too small or naroow in scople.  Settling for one solution or no solution at all. 

• Unresolved personal issues: Relationaships issues at home, finanicial dfficulties, health concerns.

• Character issues: Flaws in your integrity that compromise basic moreal and ethical standards

• Competency concerns: You are not keeping up with your skill growuth needed to move forward.

• Limited exposure: You are associated with the same people and experiences over and over again.

• Frequent exposure to wrong people: People who control, criticize, or control you.

• Not believing in yourself.

 

Old Skool Leadership: The Law of the Lid - Part 1

 
I wanted to share with you a leadership law that has particularly changed my life the most over the years, which is the Law of the Lid.  John Maxwell first introduced this leadership law to me at a leadership conference over ten years ago. That is the day I learned that my leadership would determine my success.  That was the day I decided to become a leader.

The Law of the Lid says, “Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.”  Our leadership lid for better or for worse will determine our company, our church, and our staff/team’s success.  Your organization doesn’t outgrow your leadership lid. Your leadership lid determines the size and quality of your organization.  The lid on your leadership must be raised to increase your leadership ability and influence. One of the ways to raise the lid blocking your leadership is to develop a leadership bias instead of a manager bias. 

This leadership law gave me the passion to learn to become a better leader.   The law of the Lid helps us understand the value of growing as a leadership.  Once I took hold of this law, I saw what an incredible impact leadership had on every aspect of my life and ministry. Once I understood that leadership was key to my success, I then had a passion to engage the process of growing as a leader.  My life has incredibly changed, the day I learned to grow others and myself as a leader.

 John Maxwell’s random thoughts on the Law of the Lid:

• Our leadership level determines our organizations level of effectiveness.
• Our leadership level determines our churches size.
• Our leadership is a lid and it keeps everything under it from going any higher.
• Your organization will always stay under the lid of your leadership.
• Our lid keeps us from growing and reaching our potential.
• For example, if your leadership lid is at a 6, that means your organization is a 5 and under.  
• A growing organization is a reflection of a growing leader.