DECISIONS

Anytime we talk about leadership we need to include a discussion on decision making. Have you ever been to a restaurant with some friends? How long did it take to make a decision about what to order? This can drive me crazy. I can be just as indecisive as the next guy. There are times, though, where I decide that it is not my last meal; I am really here to talk and socialize; and it surely won't kill me (no guarantee on this last one) to just pick something. So how do we think about making decisions and the risks they invariably lead us to take?

We need to acknowledge that being a leader means making decisions. In fact this could be some of the hardest work you will ever do. It is not just THE DECISION. It is all the work it takes to get to that decision AND handling the results. Many times it is coming to the realization that there might be several right decisions and you have to choose one. God grant us mercy.

Leadership does mean moving forward. If the object of our leadership is healthy it is growing in some way. If it is growing, decisions need to be made. I can't stand over a flower plant forever without deciding it needs water to survive. If I don't water that plant it has no hope of survival. So it is with our leadership. We can't just stand back and watch life go by. We need to make decisions. They may not always be the right ones--or the best ones. But they need to be made.

One of the reasons that mission and vision is so important is that it helps us make decisions. If God has called me to make the best ice cream (simple example--but tasteful) and somebody asks if I want to make popcorn instead, I know to say NO. God called me to make ice cream. Knowing what you have been called to do and knowing how you are supposed to do it helps you make good decisions. This won't deal with every decision but it does cover some of those that can really mess up what we are doing.

Sometimes you just have to do your homework and make the best decision you can. Where should we open up a checking account? There are many options. You do your homework--interest rates, charges, policies,--and make the best decision you can. It could cause grief later but making no decision is worst.

Procrastination is a real decision killer. Decisions need to be made in a timely manner. Procrastination is, in effect, a decision (usually a bad one) to put something off, and off, and off. What this does in those who depend on us cannot be diminished. They begin to doubt our ability to lead. It also tells them that they, too, can put off their decisions (like paying the mortgage or spending time with the family). Here is an illustration from history. General George McClellan was a leader who avoided making decisions. Early in the American Civil War he was ordered by Lincoln to attack Richmond, Virginia, but he delayed. Historians speculate that if he had made an immediate decision to attack as ordered, the war could have been over in a matter of months rather than dragging on for four years.

More than likely, the majority of your decisions will be made with less than a 100% certainty. We just need to remember we are not perfect. We study, research, pray, listen, seek counsel, and then make the best decision we can with the knowledge and wisdom we have.

Remember that we don't serve alone. We need to involve appropriate others in our decision making process, but, not everyone we know. We need to involve those who have more knowledge or wisdom, those who serve along side of us, and any other appropriate people. Minor decisions should welcome the input of others as well. Much of this is determined by our attitude. What does your heart want? Are you a team player?

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Yep, some of your decisions will be wrong. Or, they won't work out as anticipated. I am pretty convinced that if we do our part, with hearts really seeking what is right, we will come out OK at the end. It may be rough going. You may learn many painful lessons. You will receive a few accolades. You will gain wisdom and strength. It is so important to acknowledge our errors and to evaluate our decisions honestly if we are to serve the people who are following us.

What are your comments?

• What is your basic decision making process?
• If someone invited you to go on a one year mission trip how would you arrive at the decision? Be honest. What are some things you should change in that process?
• Think of a bad decision you have made and explain how you could have done a better job.

LEAD CREATIVELY

As we think about leadership it becomes apparent that there are different styles of leaders/leadership. I want to offer some ideas of the different styles of leadership we can experience. Some of these overlap and you probably never use only one in a situation. Remember, we are talking about an overall style of leadership that is very different from what the business or political world shows us. We are talking about servant-leadership. Our goal is not control but release. We want to develop people is such a way that they are able to do the same for others. My "success" does not depend on my "disciples" but on their disciples. Have my disciples been able to pass on to theirs the life and style of leadership I have tried to pass on. Our life in the church is described as a body and implies that each part has a critical part to play in its life.

Some of the ways you might express your leadership follows. You will need, if you continue in leadership, to use all of them at sometime.

Hands on direct leadership: Here you accept responsibility for the task and the results. At the beginning of a training relationship this type of leadership could serve well. You've just met someone who wants to learn to be a leader. You begin by having him watch you in a specific task where you are directly responsible for the result.

Model: Perhaps this is one of the strongest training methods and one of the most dangerous. We are not perfect. We need to model our strengths as well as our weaknesses. This requires wisdom and humility. This style also requires substantial time with the trainee(s). It does not take place in a once-a-week one hour meeting. The trainee needs to see us in many various situations--and be able to talk about them later.

Partner: Here you are working together. You become an anchor or support but you do the work together, helping others develop their abilities and sharing the desired results. It is important that you don't take a "do this" approach.

Coach: You will spend time with your charges, training them in specific skills and then releasing them to use those skills in various situations without you. If you are to succeed, you will bring them back in, talk about the results and any challenges, re-teach some skills, and send them back out again.

Teach: This, perhaps, is the most abused style (along with the direct leadership). Leaders often think that their only responsibility is to present their "vast" wealth of information and then they are finished. There is a time for teaching and it is an important, necessary gift and style. But it is best used along with some of the other styles and rarely by itself. You may have a gifted teacher who speaks to your charges but you need to work with what they have learned and challenge them to apply the new knowledge so it becomes more than just information.

Advice: This should be used as doors open for the same. Giving advice when it is not asked for (please note that this does not mean a direct question but an openness to hear) can create a gulf between you and your charges. Listening and responding at the right time is critical skill to learning.

Counsel: Some may come alongside of you and need help in relating some theory to practice. They may need help in clarifying some things God is saying to them and ask for your counsel. Remember you are not God and what you can give them only comes from your life and understanding of God (limited).

Facilitate: This type of leadership is indispensable. This leader may draw up an agenda and help a group work through the agenda. Or he may just be asked to do the same from someone else’s agenda. He may lead a small group of people who have a common task and he helps to see it through to the end. This means giving up your personal agenda and beginning to work with a group in a creative process, as a servant. Often the most difficult part of this style of leadership is, not talking. Let others do it.

Observe: Hopefully as you work with your trainees you will take time to watch them in their service. Often, I would rather be part of a service and observe what is going on if I am responsible for the leader. It is a difficult position because when the "big guy" comes in they want him to teach or minister. We need to be in these meetings as members if we are going to observe our charges at work. Take time afterward to use some of the other styles to continue working with the leader.

We are called to be leader-equippers-servant. Never are we the end. We want to lead in such a way that those we lead will quickly be leading others in a way that they too will be leading others. Sometimes we need to get over ourselves and realized that Jesus is most important and we are all his body.

TO GET YOU STARTED ON COMMENTS

• What is your favorite or most used leadership style?
• What style have you been under the most?
• What do you need to do to become a better leader-equipper-servant?
• What can you do this week to move in this direction?

HELPING PEOPLE TO GROW

As a budding leader, there are many things that you can do to help people move on in their relationship with the Lord. These are not given in any specific order but should become part of who you are as a leader.

• Probably one of the most important things is to get to know your people. This means much active listening. Doing so will challenge you because they will express great diversity in personality, style, and opinion. In most cases they are going to be different then you--thank the Lord. Let them do it their way, with guidance. We can never hope to help people become who God’s wants them to be without knowing who they are. 

• Asking for their opinions and interacting with them in a way that permits them to express themselves openly will build trust. Remember you are not a god. They may have some better ideas. It is always better to listen, and hear what others have to bring to the table. Let them hear your opinion as opinions and not commands. This is not an easy thing to learn. We tend to be passionate about those things that express who we are and our passion comes across, many times, as a command or decision. 

• Be supportive and helpful as they solve their own problems. You don’t have to have all of the answers in order to lead or pastor. Asking good questions (another topic/another time) rather than giving them all the answers helps people to grow from their problems far more effectively. This can be a painful process because we have to watch them go through the consequences of their decisions and conclusions. It is not a time to walk out but a time to walk beside and support. 

• Affirm and recognize their contributions. Nothing is more disheartening for someone than to do a great job and then you take the credit for it or give no recognition of a job well done. From personal experience this is incredibly important. I have great men surrounding me who have affirmed the work that I do. Feels good. 

• Provide them with educational aids and opportunities. Remember that your charge, disciples, trainees need to be continually challenged. You must let them gain insight from other resources. They may need your help in finding those resources. Point them in the right direction for research and learning. Share with them what you're reading from books, magazines, and the internet. Invite them to join you as you go to conferences. Encourage them to go to conferences that are of interest to them and to share with you about them later.

•  Build on their strengths. Help them to do what they do best, better. If needed, help them discover what it is that they do well. 

• Help them define goals that are realizable (not too small or too large but big enough that they are stretched as they reach for them) and that will build their confidence This can be big. Young leaders will often think they can do more than they can. And often they can be afraid of doing new things. Setting goals with them, encouraging them, and then congratulating them on a job well done will take them miles. 

• Learn to listen. Doing this one skill effectively not only helps you to understand your disciples but teaches them how important it is. Ask questions and then LISTEN. Do not be formulating the next question. Let their sharing guide your questions. 

FOR YOUR JOURNAL 

• How are you doing as the servant-leader?
• How are you building people?
• What are you doing to help people become better at what they are doing?
• What has been your focus in leadership--people or your ministry?
• Write down a number of ways you can increase your focus on people as you continue to lead.
• What about today? What can you do today the move yourself forward in this area? 

I hope you understand that these are not all original thoughts but the culmination of years of being under leaders who have invested in me.

Finally, share with us, in the comments, how you have experienced any of these qualities of leadership in your own lives.