Key Leadership Qualities - Countability

This is one those "made-up" words, coined by John Maxwell. It captures the idea of people being able to count on each other no matter what. This lesson is about what it means to be a team leader and what it means to lead with character and integrity. So, how can we be a leader who has a reputation of "countability?"

Lead Yourself First
Thomas J. Watson (former chairman of IBM), said “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others, as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” If you're going to lead, you must stay out in front. This means living a disciplined life, staying abreast of best practices and constntly looking for ways to improve. If you are growing, your team members know they can rely on you to lead the way.

Demonstrate Character
This quote by J. C. Watts is particularly true today. "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." It is the leader's responsibility not just to set a standard, but to model it. In fact, a leader should hold him or herself to a higher standard than others do. When we keep the bar high for ourselves, it helps others to be willing to do the same.

Know Your Team
This is about relationship. One thing we can know about people is that they want their leaders to hear them and to know who they are. If you truly care about your people they will follow you where they wouldn't follow someone else. Ask them the right questions and listen to their responses. What do you know about their families? What are they passionate about? What are their hopes and dreams? A wise leader recognizes that people are not means to an end, but are valuable in and of themselves. When you value people achieve their goals, they will believe in you and help you to achieve yours.

Model Servanthood
True leadership leads for others. Servant leaders recognize that the greatest way to build loyalty is to truly care. This is the type of leadership that was modelled by Jesus, who demonstrated His commitment to His followers by laying down His life. This is the same kind of leadership the Bible encourages men to model in their homes. This sacrificial model builds security in followers. When team members are convinced that the leader would "take a bullet" for them, they will show the same commitment to you and the team.

“Leadership is the ability to inspire others to follow you. A leader never pushes or pulls. A leader moves, and those around him fall in behind and go with him wherever he takes them because they trust him.” — Brian Cameron

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Key Leadership Qualities - Endurance

This is one of those subjects that I find myself focusing on more and more lately. The truth is, anyone can get it right in spurts and starts, it's much more difficult to have sustainability as a leader. In leadership, particularly in ministry, it's not so much about how you start, but how you finish. This is one of the reasons why we honor men like Billy Graham and Charles Swindoll, because they're finishing well.

Let's start with some sobering statistics. In a recent article by Dr. Richard J. Krejcir it was revealed that 60% to 80% of those who enter the ministry will not still be in it 10 years later, and only a fraction will stay in it as a lifetime career. I suspect that statistics for other high pressure leadership careers would be similar. So, what can be done to buck this trend? How can we develop the endurance necessary for the long haul in our chosen field?

Choose Wisely
This is the first key to success. I've told all of my sons to find the thing that they enjoy doing the most, then learn to do it so well that people will gladly pay them to do it. I firmly believe that this is true. As far as ministry is concerned, my first question for young candidates is this: why are you wanting to do this? Biblically speaking, ministry is not a vocation, it's a calling. Again my advice to potential ministers, knowing the stress they will face, is this: if you can do anything else and be happy - do it. The reason I can say this is if they are truly called they will never be truly happy doing anything else. Regardless of your chosen field, you need to love what you're doing in order to persevere.

Commit to Growth
Successful leaders are lifelong learners. There are no exceptions. Relying on your past accomplishments will very quickly make you yesterday's man or woman. The world is changing rapidly; only those willing to keep their minds open will be willing to adapt and use new technologies, methods and systems. What have you learned lately?

Be Accountable
No-one gets to the point where they don't need accountability. The higher you go in leadership, the more this is necessary, particularly since you may have to invite it rather than have it imposed on you. A wise leader doesn't look at accountability as a threat, but rather as a friend.

Stop and Smell the Roses
Maintain a healthy balance between work and recreation. Everyone has their limits. While being a workaholic might push you to the top, that kind of pace can only be sustained so long. Take a break. Don't neglect your family; they are (or should be) your base of support.

Remember to Nurture Your Heart
The writer of the Biblical book of Proverbs wrote "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23)
It was interesting in reading the surveys of pastors that the vast majority of those who were no longer in ministry admitted that they had neglected their personal devotional life.

What many miss is that God is interested in our work. He created us and gifted us as individuals. He knows the satisfaction that we get from a job well done because He placed that need in us. He created us for a purpose. When His purpose and ours align wonderful things happen. There's a fulfillment that takes place that few ever experience.

There was an interesting scene that took place in the movie "Chariots of Fire." (I know I'm dating myself.) In this movie, Eric Liddel, a runner, is preparing for the Olympics. He was also training to be a missionary to China. I couldn't embed the clip, but you can watch it here if you'd like. The line "He also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure," has always resonated with me. I believe that this is how we ought to live our lives - doing what we do with joy because it's what God made us to do. Endurance would be a good deal less trying if we could all manage that.

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Key Leadership Qualities - Maturity

Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby) said “Maturity is: The ability to stick with a job until it's finished; The ability to do a job without being supervised; The ability to carry money without spending it; and The ability to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.” I think that she was on the right track.

Maturity in areas of leadership reveals itself often as discretion. There is a learned set of behaviours associated with it. Here are some signs of maturity in leadership.

A mature leader:
Doesn't shoot first and ask questions later.
A mature leader gathers the necessary facts and chooses the right course of action, rather than having knee-jerk reactions.

Doesn't try to be the Lone Ranger.
We need other people, especially capable, trusted advisors. A mature leader is not threatened by having other strong leaders around him or her. When they need advice, they're not too insecure to go out and get it.

Deals with subordinates with class.
I was always taught to praise in public and criticize behind closed doors. No-one wants to be shown up in front of their peers. Do it the right way. This will earn and keep the respect of  your team.

Takes responsibility.
President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said simply: "The buck stops here." Simply put, ultimate responsibility resides with the leader. Immature leaders look for someone to blame when things go wrong. Real leaders stand up and say "This happened on my watch. I own this problem." This builds loyalty.

Chooses his battles wisely.
Someone said that if you make everything life and death, you'll be dead a lot. There are some things that are not worth fighting over. Show discretion with minor issues; focus on the majors. This encourages your team to take ownership, knowing they won't be micro-managed.

Leads by example.
The days of "do as I say; not as I do" are long gone. Hypocrites will not hold the respect of their team and will eventually pay the price. Conversely, you'll be surprised at how many people are willing to pay the price to accomplish the vision when they see the leader leading the charge.

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Key Leadership Qualities - Resourcefulness

I found some great hints for this article at a blog called Lifehack, so, credit where credit is due. There's a lot to be said for having a good system and being prepared, but there are times that you just have to figure out a way to get things done. That's the subject matter for today - resourcefulness.

One of my youngest son's favorite programs is Mythbusters. It's a group of science geeks and former Hollywood stunt specialists who have a blast proving or disproving urban legends and myths. Some of their favorite projects are working on MacGyver themes. MacGyver has to be the poster boy for resourcefulness. On one show he made an explosive out of salt, sugar, and weed killer. I'm not sure if it would really work because my mother wouldn't let me try it. The point is that there needs to be a little bit of MacGyver in every leader.

Resourcefulness has been defined this way: Necessity + Creativity + Persistence = Resourcefulness. There are times in our leadership careers when we are faced with unforeseen circumstances that don't fit inside the box. What we do at those times will go a long way to determine our success or failure. So, what can we do? Here is some great advice that builds on the Lifehack article by Lorie Marrero.

Ask these questions:
Is there another way to get what I want?
Is the desired result really the best result?
Who else has information that might help me?
What is something very similar to what I need that might also work?
Who is the expert in this area?
What is one more thing I can try?
What would someone I admire do in this same situation?

Don’t reinvent the wheel
Look for a solution that someone else has already created. You'd be surprised at how many people would be glad to share. Why start from scratch when someone else may have already created it. You can learn almost anything from a book or - now - a google search. Look for affordable resources that are readily available. When you come across something you think might be helpful in the future, file it for later.

Have "Go-To" People
Who around you has faced the same situation and may already have the solution you're looking for? Who is just a couple of steps ahead of you that may have already figured this one out? Build and maintain a network of people you can call on for questions and support, and make sure you make yourself available to these same people when they need help from you. I've made it a practice of having mentors with different areas of expertise for just this kind of situation.

Be A Learner
If you are reading this article on the web, you most likely know the basics of querying your favorite search engine. However, many people do not know Boolean search techniques such as AND/OR searches and other ways of narrowing search results. Here is a great page of explanations about advanced features in Google. Even in these days of online information, don’t forget your local library and even the librarian!

Piggyback
Take an existing system or idea and improve on it. Put two things together to create something brand new. Think outside of the box.

Give Permission
A lot of leaders unwittingly create a culture of fear within their organization by criticizing what they see as crazy ideas. It reminds me of one of Walt Disney's teachers who criticized his artwork as a young child. She said, "Flowers don't have faces." He responded: "Mine do!" Who knows when the next great idea may come along looking foolish at the outset? So hold "blue sky meetings" with your staff where no-one's suggestion will be tossed out without consideration. You might be surprised at the outcome.

Pass It On
If your assistant or peers want to know some information, teach them how to look it up themselves, and show them reference books other than just the dictionary. When your team members come to a meeting with a problem, make it part of your company culture that they are expected to also show up with a proposed answer to that problem. Make sure that initiative is encouraged. We all tend to take the easy way out; we have to learn how to get creative and work for a solution. Model what it means to be a "can do" person. Find a way where there isn't one and they'll call you a pioneer.

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Key Leadership Qualities - Security

Here's a quality that is not talked about often, but it's certainly evident when it's missing. Think about the insecure people for whom you've had the misfortune of working. What insecurity in leadership does for the working climate of an organization can be devastating. The opposite is also true.

When a leader is emotionally healthy, secure in who they are, and confident in their abilities, it helps to provide a stable environment for everyone else. Maxwell shares a great story about Karl, who enjoyed a good laugh at his office after he attached a sign to his door - "I'm the Boss!" The laughter was even louder when he returned from lunch and saw that someone had made an addition to his sign. Next to it was a yellow Post-it note on which someone had scribbled, "Your wife called and said she wants her sign back." Secure leaders can laugh at themselves.

What makes us insecure? There are a lot of things, really. Bad experiences, family history, negative self-image, many things can go together to cause us to be insecure. Fundamentally, I believe that insecurity primarily comes from bad thought patterns. We believe certain things about ourselves, and eventually those beliefs become so powerful that they shape our behaviour - and that can get ugly.

Insecure leaders hesitate to bring around them capable people, because they don't want to look bad. They would rather have the organization flounder, or not reach its potential, then to risk being "shown up" by a subordinate. Insecurity can also lead to self-sabotage. Self-sabotage has been described like this: "shooting yourself in the foot," "putting your foot in your mouth," or "cutting off your nose to spite your face." These phrases all refer to a desire to achieve a goal, but in the process of pursuing that goal you burn bridges to achieving another, more desirable goal. The insecure person can't get past their insecurity to see the bigger picture.

In my leadership I've seen some things that have been very common for myself and others. The first is self-talk. Self-talk is the conversation you have with yourself - the voice in your head. It's almost as though each of us has a message that plays over and over in our heads; sometimes these messages can be powerful. For example, I've spoken with many who grew up in abusive homes where the primary message they heard from adults in their lives was "You're never going to amount to anything." Even though they didn't like the message, over a period of years they gradually came to believe it.

This comes into play every time they face difficulty, opposition or even opportunity. A secure person looks at a new challenge and gets excited, believing that they can learn and grow and achieve. An insecure person sees the same challenge and thinks "Here we go again, this is going to get ugly." Rather than excitement, the emotion felt may be paralyzing fear.

How can this be changed? The Bible has some great truth on this issue. In Romans 12:2 We are told to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds." A modern way of looking at it is the computer programming term GIGO, short for "Garbage in, garbage out." What we put into our minds eventually shapes our thought patterns. If the way that you think about yourself is wrong, change it.

I recommend reading books like John Maxwell's "Be All You Can Be." As a pastor, I also believe that you will never be all that you can be until you have a proper relationship with God. Replacing the negative self-image that others have placed in your minds with the truth that you were created and are loved by a personal God has had a transforming affect on many with whom I've had the privilege of working.

Security is really about what you believe. It was Henry Ford who said, "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." Every leader is responsible for his own thought life. No-one else can change this for you but you. Read good books, listen to good talks, be influenced by positive people and think good thoughts. You will find that the opposite of GIGO is also true. As the writer of Proverbs said, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Do you want to be a good leader? Think good thoughts.

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