Developing leaders (2)

“He has made us competent…” (2 Corinthians 3:6, NIV).

A leadership expert writes: ‘It takes secure leaders at the top to let the leaders working for them be full participants in the organisation’s leadership process.

If [mid-level] leaders…question them, they don’t take it personally. When they share ideas, the leaders cannot afford to feel threatened. When people lower than they are…want to take risks, they need to be willing to give them room to succeed or fail.

Leadership by its very nature challenges out-of-date ideas…old ways of doing things…[and] the status quo…The secret to developing new leaders is [to] remain secure and let them find new ways of doing things – ways that are better than yours.

Instead of trying to be Mr Answerman or Ms Fix-it, when your leaders start coming into their own, move more into the background.

Try taking on the role of wise counsellor and chief encourager. Welcome the desire of your best leaders to innovate and improve the organisation.’

The leadership expert asks: ‘So what role are you playing in your organisation? Are you “the expert”, or are you more of an advisor and advocate? Ask yourself, “Am I providing an environment where people can ask questions, share ideas and take risks?”‘

If your goal is to build God’s Kingdom and not your own, you know that the answer to that question can be found in these words of Paul: ‘Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent’ (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV).

‘Teach these truths to other trustworthy people” (2 Timothy 2:2, NLT).

Another leadership expert who conducted a poll to find out how people came to be leaders writes: ‘I asked if they became leaders because (a) they were given a position; (b) there was a crisis in the organisation; or (c) they had been mentored.

More than 80 per cent indicated that they were leaders because someone had mentored them in leadership – had taken them through the process…

As leaders, if we feel any uncertainty or insecurity about the leadership development process, it is usually not related to the training we give.

The uncertainty we feel comes when we contemplate releasing our leaders to lead. It is not dissimilar to what parents feel with their kids.

My children are grown and have families of their own, but when they were teenagers, the hardest thing for my wife and me was releasing them to go their own way and make their own decisions.

It is scary, but if you don’t let them try out their wings, they will never learn to fly. As I have grown older, I have come to think of myself as a lid lifter. That is my main function as a team leader.

If I can lift the leadership lids for the members of my team, then I am doing my job. The more barriers I remove for my people, the more likely they are to rise up to their potential.’

Jesus told his disciples, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain’ (John 15:16 NKJV).

For lasting fruit and enduring results – take the time to develop leaders.

Shared by Alfred B. Nyamekye