There Is An “I” in Leadership
Leaders are learners. We learn as we lead.
Learn well and quickly, my friend.
Serving God in leading outbound churches demands leaders look at what is not working and change accordingly whether they expected to or not.
A season of major change is a dangerous time to lead poorly. Poorly handled change is at the root of a huge portion of church conflicts, splits and untimely exits.
We get experience from our mistakes or from the experience of others. A few takeaways that stuck going through the briar patch of change.
7 Takeaways From Leading Change
1. Leadership requires making judgment calls that are often risky and then taking the wisest possible actions.
The tempered leader focuses first not on action but on observation for the action.
What seems like an impossibly large change is often just a series of doable, small changes.
Facts and data are your friends.
2. Leading change is 80% art and 20% science.
Leading the right change in the right way is healthy.
Just because you have the right change doesn't mean the change will be right.
In transformational change, people will be helped and hurt and sometimes both.
People do not resist change. People resist the loss the change creates.
Some people will embrace the change and resist the loss.
Grief is a part of change.
Lead with two teams - a change team and a care team.
3. Lead with clarity.
Get agreement on the why and who of what you want.
Focus on the WHY. Be flexible with the HOW’s.
Choosing whom you want to reach chooses whom you may lose.
Inform people what you will do.
Choose leading people over needing people.
When resistance comes, remind people what they wanted and why.
Remember: you are leading imperfect people and you are one.
4. The key process when facing a setback is to step back and look at the problem.
Observations always precede intervention.
Achieve some distance from the events around you and observe.
Make mid-course adjustments to the process.
Mastering setbacks allows you to observe and adjust simultaneously.
5. Take FIVE to make breakthrough change.
Focus on where you want to go.
Include others in the process.
Venture forth in faith.
Expect to stall but not to fall.
6. There is an “I” in leadership.
Inevitable: Clashes between innovation and clinging to the past.
Impossible: Leading change without being changed.
Irresponsible: Wasting the pain of leadership lessons learned the hard way.
Irrefutable: The ultimate test of a leader is the ability to lead successful change.
Inscrutable: The capacity to suffer losses and keep going and going.
Inconceivable: To please everyone and offend no one.
Irresistible: To lead wiser than you are.
7. There are border bullies in every church.
Bullies may look like allies.
Bullies will let you make change until the change adversely affects them.
Bullies carry invisible border signs – “Change ends here.” “You shall not pass.”
There is no negotiating with bullies.
Bullies cannot withstand humble, gritty, determination.
Not all, but some bullies become actual allies after a confrontation.
The hardest person to lead in your church is you. Change begins with you.
You can do it. We can help.
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.