5 Leadership Development Principles I Wish Every Leader Knew

Maybe you've taken on new responsibility at work, or began to take on the leadership role of a ministry in the local church. Maybe you've been a seasoned leader for many years. In recent days I've been thinking about important, yet simple leadership development principles that we often miss (especially when we are starting a leadership journey).

I have some really sound advice. Here are 5 leadership development principles I wish every leader knew.

If you're going to be in a leadership position, then you need to act like a leader. Let me explain:

1. Leaders draw others around them
If you are making the transition into an area of responsibility, you have to understand, your job is not to do everything. You job is to build leaders so that together you can achieve the vision in front of you. I have seen too many new leaders, who don't lead. Some leaders run around busy, photocopying, buying things, coordinating activities, and forget the other aspects of leadership: drawing together a team, articulating what goals they want to achieve and focusing on reaching the vision before them.

Stop for a moment, and begin to think like a leader, not simply a busy volunteer. What would you do differently, if you were to lead effectively right now? How can you draw others around you to be more effective as a leader?

2. Set some goals
Take a few moments. Grab a piece of paper and set some goals. If you aim at nothing you'll reach it every time. I've been challenged recently to set SMART goals: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. You may well be running a business and having a quick speed read of this. Honestly, have you set some goals? Do you know what you seek to achieve in 2019?

Some of my goals in the past, have not always been that realistic. That's why this year, for instance, this blog has a new focus. I have a new goal:

Train and mobilise 100 leaders through this blog by the end of 2019  

This for me is specific. It's measurable (through analytics, feedback on facebook posts, etc). It's achievable and realistic (If I said 1,000 leaders, then to be honest, it wouldn't be as realistic - though possible). Lastly, it's time-bound: by the end of 2019. This is important, I will know whether I have achieved this goal or not, because it's a SMART goal.

Leaders set smart goals.

Stay with me friend. This is important. If you have a vague goal in your head at the start of 2019, you'll only have a vague idea at the end of the year on whether you've reached the vagueness.

Turn a goal like: "Have a great Children's Ministry." to something like, "Build at least 20 young disciples, who choose to follow Jesus by December 31st, 2020."

3.  Leadership and servanthood go hand-in-hand
It's best expressed by Jesus, when he washed the disciples feet (John chapter 13). We see servant leadership epitomised by Jesus. Leaders are willing to go the extra mile. Leaders are willing to stay right til the end. Leaders are willing to serve in whatever capacity is needed to get the job done. Servanthood is a must. It doesn't mean you do everything, because your role is also to empower and equip others to express servanthood alongside you, but leaders have a servant heart and a servant attitude.

4. Have a clear vision of why you're leading
I want to mobilise an army to change the world. I have that stamped upon my heart. It drives me from day to day. It gets me up in the morning. It keeps me awake at night. Leadership is about understanding where you're heading and inspiring others to come with you. As a follower of Jesus and a Salvation Army Officer, my goal is to lead people, ultimately to Jesus.

And so with that in mind, irrespective of leadership position, you can be a leader. You can lead people to the Lord.

So, develop some clarity. Why are you working where you're working? What are you trying to achieve? What's the big why? Why are you doing what you're doing?

Clarity helps you say no to the many demands of leadership. Clarity helps you stay focused on what matters most.

5. Don't let your competency outstrip your character
Keeping your character in check is important. I always come back to the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). Am I expressing unconditional love? Am I joyful? Am I self-controlled? Some people let power corrupt them, and they end up being more competent than they are controlled. They become arrogant and self-seeking. They forget that the ideals of compassion and common-decency got them to where they are in the first place. Most leaders I know, would always choose character over competency, but ideally, a leader has both.


This is naturally one blog post. There's so many more leadership development principles to consider. So I'm interested to hear from you. What leadership development principles do you think are most important?


 

A Salvation Army Wake Up Call

I don't want another ecclesiastical corps, or social centre, or small group or council meeting or mainly music program, cumbering the earth. When The Salvation Army ceases to be a militant body of red hot men and women, whose business is the saving of souls, I hope it vanishes utterly.

Though, I'm not ready for this movement to vanish. I'm not ready for it to be less than what God intended it to be. I'm not ready for this blood and fire movement to become a monument; where a decade from now we have some distant memory of well attended Congresses and Sunday School meetings, when the Lord used to do great and powerful things.

Though, here's the thing:

If the middle majority remain silent, the movement dies. And that's the work of the enemy. Silence the troops. That's not the work of flesh and blood, but it's the clear strategy of the evil one. Shut them up. If I can just get them to shut their mouths. If I can just get them to choose not to speak out. If I can just get them to cower away in fear, then I've won.

Well, here goes... If you want to help mobilise The Salvation Army you have to stop sleeping and wake up! Revival doesn't come to you served up on a platter with cheese and biscuits. No one said it was going to be easy. You can't sit around and expect the world to conform to the idealistic, Kingdom picture you have for it. You have to soldier up.

You won't find me lamenting about the glory days of The Salvation Army. I believe in a rich future for The Salvation Army. One that upholds the fundamental tenets of faith that made this movement what it is. I believe in a Spirit-filled, Jesus-focused, Justice-expressing, Faith-abiding movement, that wants to win the world for Jesus.

I have settled for less than that in recent days. Devil watch out, because I'm shaking the slumber from my eyes. The light is growing clearer. I'm not going to sit any longer idly by, while the heedless millions die. I lost my voice. You have tried to silence me for too long!

If you're still reading, here's what I want you to do. Understand the context in which you live. Understand what it means to live a prophetic life, that holds culture in tension.

As Court and Noland write in Reinventing the Movement:

Popularly understood, culture is far from the be all and end all for Christians. We’re not about conforming to it; we’re about transforming it. We’re not about cultural awareness as an end, but as a means. And it is awareness, not imitation. Ultimately, we don’t want to become like the culture, we want the culture to become like us.

It's time to stand for Christ. For Christ alone. I'm not going to sing. 

It's time. 

Don't be silent in the middle of the left and right of theological discourse. Wake up. 'Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet!' (Isaiah 58:1-2). Come on. I've heard some of your brass bands. Now raise your voice like a trumpet. Go and tell people what Jesus has done for you!

See, this is why that's important...

A truth not articulated is a truth unheard. A truth unheard is a truth unable to be embraced.

As Court and Noland state:

It is good and nice to save people from thirst, hunger, cold/embarrassment, indigence, unemployment, loneliness, silence, and ignorance. But such a “salvation” is but a human imitation of the divine salvation that we are really all about. Only divine salvation lasts beyond the grave. Human helps are merely that. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation. Insist on the real thing; without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. AND, without the shedding of sins there is no forgiveness of sin. We are The Salvation ARMY. We are not a metaphor.  

Friends, we must storm the forts of darkness. Anything less underestimates the global context in which we live. Take a look around! Have another look. We are not living out a dress-rehearsal. We are in a spiritual battle.

And in the midst of that battle we have to remember the words of Isaiah:

If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 
 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (58:9b-10)

We have a job to do: United together in the transformative work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through his life, death and resurrection we have the forgiveness, faith and fortitude to move forward in his name.

I call you to pray.

I call you to repent.

I call you to holiness.

Wake up.

Lest one day you find yourself still sleeping as the bridegroom arrives...


*The contents of this blog reflect the thoughts and opinions of Pete Brookshaw.

Leaders Establish a Shared Vision - Day 4: 100 Days of Leadership

Continuing with a look on vision and its relationship to leadership, we see that Kouzes and Posner speak of the importance of inspiring a shared vision. Leaders, 'envision the future, creating an ideal and unique image of what the organization can become' (The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model). 

A shared vision is what separates this from a maverick leader, with paint swished under their eyes, yelling out in a loud voice what direction they intend to go. There’s a tension here. A leader who has been appointed to a particular field, generally has expertise in that field. It’s paramount though, that the leader finds a way to lead decisively, yet collaboratively.
I have been in a pastoral situation, where I have been appointed as a new leader. On the existing team, one has asked quite confidently, ‘What is your vision for this church?’ While I would suggest, others at the same time were wondering how much say they would have in determining the future vision. That’s the tension. Some want leaders to act decisively and articulate to them vision right from the get-go, and others prefer to have their position heard, and have their opinion on the future direction of the organisation. Depending on the context, the current climate of the leadership environment and the unity and coherency of the team, will determine how that tension is best played out.  

What does the Bible say?
Acts 15:5-7a - Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them...

What will I do now?

The challenge as a leader is to find the balance between collaboration and decisive decision making without consultation. Consider now who the people are that you ‘share the vision’ with? How could you help them better understand the vision?

The Art of Visionary Leadership - Day 3: 100 Days of Leadership

Most people can see out to the horizon, but it takes a visionary leader to see beyond the horizon and then call people to follow that which they cannot see. There’s an element of faith involved in grabbing a hold of a dream from God. See a vision, is not reality, but a preferred reality. It is not wishful thinking. It is not pie-in-the-sky day-dreaming. Visionary leaders will picture something that is not reality, and not only believe that it can become reality, but will work to bring others along to see the fulfilment of a new reality. That is the art of visionary leadership.



In The Lion King, when Mufasa and his son Simba were looking out to the horizon, there was curiosity and youthful exuberance in little Simba to desire to go beyond the horizon. He longed to go beyond the borders of the Pride Land. Maybe we need to recapture that kind of thinking that allows us to dream big and seek after what others have deemed ‘out of bounds’ or not within the suitable confines of what others deem appropriate.

Leaders can see beyond the horizon. Australian of the year for 2015, Rosie Batty, envisages a time when Australians would no longer be a country with profound issues of family violence. After her son was tragically killed by her father after a fit of rage, Rosie is now an activist against domestic violence. Her circumstances had led her to see beyond the horizon, but by doing so, she inspires herself and others to usher in a culture in Australian society that is utterly opposed to violence in our community.

What does the Bible say?

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.

What will I do now?

Take a moment and consider your own leadership situation. What would you do differently, if you knew you couldn’t fail? Look beyond the horizon. Maybe it’s not as impossible as you first think.

King David: A Great Leader of his Time - Day 2: 100 Days of Leadership

Visionary leaders create buy-in and inspire action. In this respect, I cannot help but think of King David. King David had something that allowed him to flourish as a brilliant leader. Chronicles highlights at one point that volunteers of armies were flocking to David to join him. There was something about who David was, the vision he communicated and the legacy of victory over the years that caused a tremendous flood of support to turn Saul’s kingdom over to David. King David was not the perfect leader. He committed adultery at one point. We know that. Though, at the end of the journey, God noted, he was a man after God’s own heart. A leader. A visionary.

What is worth noting is that effective leadership will create buy-in from others and in turn inspire action. You won’t have everyone on board, but stay focused to a God-given vision and you will see people support you and work hard to add value to the vision.  

What does the Bible say?

1 Chronicles 12:18 – Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.”
So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.

What will I do now?

What have you been doing in the last 7 days that helps others to catch the vision? How are people best inspired within your style of leadership? It may help to articulate what vision/dream wakes you up in the morning. What are you doing to inspire others towards that dream?

How to Become a Visionary Leader - Day 1: 100 Days of Leadership

Leaders are not leaders without vision. Good visionary leaders have a vision that excites; a vision that motivates; a vision that grips. I may well grab a hold of a vision and let people know about it, but if it is not motivating, relevant and inspiring, who would want to follow?

I start these 100 days of leadership with an axiom on vision. Proverbs 29:18 highlights, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish...'

Years ago I caught a hold of a vision to run a 48 Hour Prayer Marathon. I remember it clearly; a few of us became energized of the prospect of having people pray continuously for 48 hours (in one hour shifts). Back in a church culture that could not even 'get people to a prayer meeting', this little dream captivated us. We could surely pray for 2 days, and we could surely garner the support for it to happen. Before church one Sunday morning, I had a plan to rally the support for prayer. I placed advertisements on every pew, and had A4 posters permeating the entire foyer. There was no way someone would come to church on this particular Sunday morning and NOT hear about this prayer marathon. Well, the event went well and some people came and lit candles, wrote prayers, listened to music, read the Bible, placed a pin on a world map and the rest of it. Visionary leaders harness the support of others through passionate, inspiring vision. How do you become a visionary leader? Start by stepping back from the busyness of task-orientated leadership, and consider, where do we need to be in 5 years time?

What does the Bible say?

Genesis 15:1 - After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield. Your very great reward."

What will I do now?

If God has laid a vision on your heart, then work towards it. Spend time claiming it and believing the fulfilment of it. If you are in a visionary black hole, then spend a moment and pray. God, created the heavens and earth is not lacking in vision.