Leadership

This morning I spoke on two of the core competencies leaders must have (convictions and curiosity). In a follow-up conversation, the topic of confidence came up. Do effective leaders have confidence and how is it different from conviction? Do they have confidence? Yes! Timid leaders emit mixed signals and don't inspire courage in their followers. Some confuse humility with a lack of confidence - not so. Humble leaders can be humble because they have a quiet confidence about what they're doing. Without confidence, a leader may abandon convictions too quickly. The confidence I'm referring to is an assurance that the leader is on the right path; for believers, it is a belief that they are doing what God would want them to do. Confidence and convictions go hand-in-hand. Without confidence, convictions may flounder. Without convictions, confidence may cause the leader to abuse his position or power. Short answer ... it…

One of the often most overlooked qualities of effective leaders is curiosity.  A curious mind is one that is open to exploration, always learning. What does a curious leader look like? He asks questions. Questions open up the door to new possibilities.  Curious leaders don't micromanage with endless questions; instead, they ask the right questions to move thinking forward. He assumes something better is still out there. A curious mind believes we haven't learned it all, seen it all, or done it all.  Growth is not only possible, but expected. He is comfortable leading what he doesn't understand. If a leader has to understand every decision, every product, every pixel ... the leader's capacity to absorb and understand becomes the pace of change and innovation.  This is why good leaders surround themselves with smart people and let them do the work. Are you a curious leader?

I'm sure you've heard someone describe the difference between sympathy and empathy.  Sympathy is saying, "I see that you're going through a hard time."  Empathy, however, speaks more personally: "I've been through that myself and I know how it feels." What does empathy have to do with leadership?  Why would I call it a core competency? An effective leader gets things done in one simple way: by working through other people.  If a leader does everything himself, he may accomplish a few things -- even important things -- but it would be hard to call that person a leader. A leader is one who harnesses the power of their influence to motivate and guide others in a common direction.  Often a leader is tasked with leading people down a path they may not feel comfortable going.  The challenge is to lead without coercing or manipulating the followers. An empathetic leader…

If you're not excited about where you're going, why would I want to follow you there? Certainly there are seasons when we just don't feel all that "rah-rah" about what we're doing.  I've had mornings when I really wanted to stay home, consume mass quantities of coffee, and then fix more coffee for the afternoon.  Dry spells come and go and it is the challenge of every leader to forge ahead. On the other hand, if we feel no passion about what we're doing -- or why we're doing it -- then the lack of passion will leak out into other areas.  We will tolerate mediocre when we should be shooting for excellent.  We'll be tempted to cut corners.  Our attitude will inspire no one, except those who get inspired by a lack of inspiration. An effective leader is one who has a sense of passion about what they're doing. …

One of the downsides to living in an age that prizes tolerance is that convictions are becoming harder to come by. An effective leader may lack many various things, but one thing he or she doesn't lack is convictions.  They come hard-wired with a set of values, principles, and beliefs that they refuse to compromise on.  It's what sets apart effective leaders from those that are just strolling in the park. For effective pastoral leaders, a key conviction is that people matter to God and therefore should matter to the church. For effective business leaders, a key conviction is that they will not cut corners when it comes to safety. For effective coaches, a key conviction is that every person has the potential to contribute and will contribute when given the tools to do so. In every leadership environment, convictions form the backbone of decisions.  They form the fodder for…