Leadership is involving is the third in this short series.  In case you have missed the first two, here are links to those articles.  The first one was Leadership is . . .  Modeling.  And the second one was Leadership is . . .  Teaching.  But today I want to focus on involving others through our leadership.

After we have modeled our convictions, purpose and plan and then shared with others where we are headed and how they can be a vital part of that process, then we must begin involving people.

It is not enough to plan and structure things. It is not enough to have goals and action steps, we must involve and engage people in the actual implementation. Involving begins during the previous stage of teaching/learning because it simply won’t work to tell others what the vision and plan is and how they fit in it without giving them opportunity to contribute to the formation of the vision and plan.

Even if you have the leverage of certain extrinsic motivators, you and your organization will simply not achieve great results if you merely give people a list of expectations. As leaders we need to involve people in every part of the process from the brainstorming session to the recruitment of the team to the development of the process and to the analysis of the “success” of the plan. We must involve people not only by letting them have a seat at the table but seeking and welcoming their ideas and insights all along the way. Involvement should create ownership and produce far greater results than any one person can achieve alone.

Leadership is teaching.

We must tell others what we are attempting, why we are doing it, how we plan on getting there and how to avoid pitfalls along the way. As leaders we can never assume that the people we are leading know what we are thinking or reaching for.

As we live out our personal mission we must constantly be attentive to leading others through teaching. We must explain why we do what we do, and we must invite others to join us. We cannot be timid in our recruiting or our teaching. Our words must be clear and purposeful.

Our teaching must be about more than just vision, but also about the process. But let me be clear here: the teaching of leadership doesn’t only go one way. In many ways this facet of leadership could be titled “learning” because not only will our team be learning but we will be as well. Sometimes we are the teacher, sometimes one of our team is doing the teaching and of course many times it is the circumstances and failures along the way that teach us the most.

As leaders we must teach and we must learn, because if we do not then we ourselves, not to mention our team and our organization, will stagnate and become irrelevant and useless.

Leadership is leading, but perhaps first it is living.

We must live what we know is right and pursue the goals and steps we know are important to live out our purpose. In other words as leaders we must let our lives model our convictions. As those who have been given charge of a group of people we must model what we are advocating and live out loud the lifestyle and practices that we are hoping they will one day emulate. In order to have credibility we must be authentic and live what we teach. Not only this but because people learn in so many different ways a multi-sensory approach to training and equipping is a must.

Furthermore, faithfully living out what we desire for those we are responsible for will help them to realize that what we are asking of them is much more than just a routine but we believe in it enough that we devote our lives to taking our ideas, philosophies, convictions, goals and dreams and putting “skin” on them.

Be so committed to your purpose and convictions that your life is a picture of what you desire your followers to be.

In leadership we are seeking to help the people we are leading discover their purpose and potential. Each leader also may have certain goals, objectives and processes that they are supposed to meet and follow-through on, however the ultimate objective of leadership is the development of our followers.

As leaders we need to engage, equip and empower. As leaders, our followers need to know that we care, that we are available to them, that what we offer is to help them and open new doors for them. In an overly-simplistic reductionism I would assert that leadership is about the people and management is about the work. In other words our leadership ought to be for the development of followers (their lives, abilities, skill-set and productivity) but our management ought to focused on company/organization objectives, benchmarks, action-steps and of course the bottom-line.

We need to lead in such a way that our followers know that we are for them: they can come to us in times of need, in difficulties, in moments of frustration; we want to hear their ideas and we are interested in their personal and professional lives. But we should manage in such a way that our ever-developing followers understand their role in the greater machinery of the organization and the importance of getting things done. Both leadership and management are important and each have their role, but let us remember you really can’t manage people (have you ever tried to manage your spouse?) and your can’t lead inanimate objects like company objectives. Let us as leaders make the development of our followers our primary objective and watch how quickly people begin to grow, unite and flourish as persons and as workers.

In my various roles as husband, father, pastor, prayer-evangelist, chaplain and writer I have one driving desire: I want the people that I live with and interact with to discover their purpose and potential and live in perfect peace and overcoming victory. My desire is that everyone I know comes to a knowledge of all that God has for them in this life and the next. As such I want to help them find all of the strength, wisdom, provision, hope, and more that is needed. The reality though is that I don’t know what each person’s calling, gifting and potential is. And even if I did I don’t know the words to say or the things to do that will help them discover and receive all those things. As a leader of others it seems that we are often encouraged to “play to our strengths” and “put our best foot forward”; in life and business we are encouraged to show how much we know. But in deep moments of lucidity and clarity (which ultimately come by revelation of the Holy Spirit in prayer) we come to realize that we really don’t know what is best for us or others. We don’t know the “right” way to lead or the “right” words to say. At best when we are leaning on our own understanding, we are making a guess based on some books we have read or some personal experiences we have had. So in leadership, what exactly are the “right” words to say and “right” things to do to help people find their purpose and potential?

I don’t know. Our role as leaders is not to pass out our “pearls of wisdom” but to help people in their journeys of discovery. Our role as leaders is not to convince people but rather to help people receive what God is already speaking to them. Our role as leaders is not to have the “right” words but instead to have a humble and teachable heart, and be available for God to use us. After all, what are the right words to help people going through a tragedy or grief in their lives? I don’t know. Often pastors and counselors are instructed more in what not to say in these situations. What are the right words to say that will help people develop hard work, integrity, honesty, perseverance, creativity? We don’t know. Sometimes two kids raised in the same household and exposed to the same teaching and experiences will develop completely different characters.

So are we to do as leaders?  We must ask the Lord to shape our inner being, our heart. If our heart is right, God will be able speak to and through us as He fills us and flows through us. So to lead others we must first be led. To help others become like Jesus, we first must allow Jesus to make us like Him. I have noticed that people who are heard, loved, invested in, encouraged, prayed for and not left alone will begin to hear and discover for themselves all that God is speaking/revealing to them. So really our leadership of others is more accurately “let”-ership. We must learn to let God have His way in us and we have to learn to let others discover for themselves what God is offering to them.

So, let us strive not nearly so much to get our leadership “perfect” as that we allow God to perfect our inner motive and attitudes, so that what comes out can be used to help others. My prayer is that God changes my heart , humbles me, grants me His Spirit, His mind and His attitude. I want to be an empty vessel God can fill and use to draw other people to Himself. This is the goal of my life and leadership and I am regularly asking the Lord to do this in and through me for His glory. I hope and pray you are doing the same!

What makes our words powerful and effective? What we say, combined with how we live can together offer a synergistic force that can literally change the world (or at least the world around us). So if we are trying to help people become all that they can be, what words should we use and how can we redeem or replace words that have become ineffective or tired and worn-out?

The reason why our words become tired and worn out is because people have heard the claims before and have also seen a lack of follow-through, a lack of consistency and lack of integrity in the lives of those who speak the words. So first of all the simple (and yet not at all easy) reality is that our words will carry weight if our lives are in agreement with our words. If we live what we preach people will take note. If we speak what we mean and mean what we speak. If we follow through on our promises and commitments, if we back up our promises with actions, people will begin to notice. Our words are so often received with skepticism because people have been burned before and are hoping not to have it happen again. If you want to be an effective leader and have them believe your words, you must be a consistent and faithful person full of honesty, integrity and follow-through.

The reason our words become ineffective is because we are addressing things that are no longer an issue or of importance to the people we are leading. Leadership is not using certain buzz-words and simply creating an environment of excitement and unity. Leadership is helping specific people in specific situations discover their calling and purpose and empowering them to become all they can be. As such we need to know our people. We need to know what they are going through and what is important, difficult, exciting and/or tiring to them. We need to know what they are feeling and thinking and our words need to come in direct response to their specific needs. And so we need to have new words for new situations. And we don’t need to try and figure out a new vocabulary or develop a new repertoire of buzz-words but instead we need to be attentive to each individual circumstance and each individual person and offer words appropriate in each context.

So please, don’t try to look for the “magic words” that will unlock people and make each and every person and circumstance work out just right. Instead realize that we need to live and lead in such a way that our words mean something because of our integrity and because of specific care we offer through our words (and attitudes and behaviors) in each and every specific relationship and context we find ourselves in.