The Harvard Business Review published a list of traits that will derail a leader. Here they are: Lack energy and enthusiasm. They see new initiatives as a burden, rarely volunteer, and fear being overwhelmed. One such leader was described as having the ability to “suck all the energy out of any room.” Accept their own mediocre performance. They overstate the difficulty of reaching targets so that they look good when they achieve them. They live by the mantra “Underpromise and overdeliver.” Lack clear vision and direction. They believe their only job is to execute. Like a hiker who sticks close to the trail, they’re fine until they come to a fork. Have poor judgment. They make decisions that colleagues and subordinates consider to be not in the organization’s best interests. Don’t collaborate. They avoid peers, act independently, and view other leaders as competitors. As a result, they are set adrift…
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As a young leader, your influence will be determined in large measure by your ability to do the task at hand. In other words, are you competent? Can you perform at the level you are leading? As we grow and seek to expand our influence, competence alone is not enough. If we rely solely on our own competence, we become the bottleneck. Our influence expands only as far as we able to perform. To produce bigger and better results, the solo leader finds herself spinning more plates at faster revolutions. It's why many competent leaders burnout. The key to expanding your influence is to surround yourself with other competent leaders and let them lead. As we are handed greater responsibilities, our success will depend in greater measure on the teams we build. Having a skill set to accomplish a specific task is not satisfactory any more. That might be sufficient…
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Skills are good. Creativity is fine. Results are important. Each of those, from a Christian perspective, is trumped by character. We should never get so pragmatic that results, even if they are good results, are valued over a person's character. Unlike the corporate world where leadership is measured by results (primarily profit), the Kingdom of God operates with a different set of standards. How can we help younger leaders develop the right character? It starts with having the right character ourselves. We pass on what God has been doing within us. With that one hopefully being a given, there are other things we can do to help a younger leader develop the right character. Lovingly challenge ungodly behavior and attitudes. Depending on their background, a younger leader may never have been shown what godly character looks like. When a selfish or sinful attitude appears, lovingly point it out and map…
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This little gem comes via Mark Batterson on Twitter: "Your level of influence isn't determined by YOUR competence but by the competence of the people you surround yourself with."
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Individually or as a group, one of the most powerful things we can do is create momentum (moh-men-tuhm). In physics, momentum is defined as the mass of an object multiplied by velocity. In simpler terms, it's the tendency of a moving object to continue moving. You know when you have momentum ... and you know when you don't. As individuals, we may sense a loss of momentum when our work becomes dull or our energy level dips low. A lack of motivation is also a symptom of waning momentum. When we're gaining momentum, external forces of motivation aren't necessary -- we get up earlier, we work longer, we play harder. Not because we're told to but because we want to. In a group setting, momentum gives birth to excitement and new ideas. There is an air of expectancy in the culture. Employees come to work expecting to have a good…
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