M-A-D Ministry Leadership

LEADERSHIP?

What is leadership? Have you heard others define it? What is your own working definition? One favorite leadership proverb sets the tone for true lesadership: "The one who ays he is a leader and has no followers is merely taking a walk."

Quite simply, a leader is someone with followers. In an even smaller nutshell, leadership is influence. The leader influences others toward a new reality. Good leadership is about influencing others forward toward a better reality.

Ken Blanchard teaches that leadership is an influence process in which leaders work people to help them accomplish their goals of the organization.

Since leadership is influence, the scope of who is a leader is wide open. Leaders are not merely, or even primarily, high-flying executives ot renown people of power. Almost every individual extends influence with peers, family, organizations, and even self. A good leader takes seriously the opportunity to influence and is somewhat intentional about exercising that influence and is somewhat intentional about exercising that influence toward outcomes. such as a strong family, profitable business, missional church, or litter-free neighborhood.

The Leader Takes Responsibility with Humility

Managing: A Coach Approach to Organizational Leadership

Many leadership gurus make a clear distinction between leading and managing. One common distinction asserts, "Leaders do the right things, while managers do things right." That is, leaders set the direction for an organization, while managers help the organization move in that direction with efficiency and effectiveness.

An unmistakable message often bubbles through whenever this distinction is made: leadership is "good," and management is "necessary." Leadership is painted in romantic strokes, while management is presented as something that must be done--preferably by someone other than the leader. Management is grunt work, while leadership is where the real fun is. Nothing could be further from the truth, and coaching can help return some respect to management.

The truth is that leaders must develop effective management skills. While the distinction between management and leadership is noteworthy, most leaders fulfill the management function. this is even more true for the churches, small businesses, and not-profit organizations. Management helps people follow. While leadership can discern and cast vision all day long, management inspires and equips people to fulfill the vision as part of an organization. Several of Christ's parables involve managers who are shrewed. He recognizes that good management is a positive attribute. Leaders often have to manage. Coaches can help leaders manage well.

A Few Things Leaders Need To Know

Marcus Buckingham boiled leadership and management down to key principles. He said that a great leader engages a group of diverse people and communicates that which is universal to the group in clear and compelling ways. In almost direct contrast, a great manager finds what is unique in each person and brings it to bear on the particular outcome needed from that person. Using Buckingham's concepts of leading and managing, consider how coaching can buoy each of these practices. A manager brings out the best from each person managed to affect the organization positively. A manager is a keen observer of the distinctive resources (strengths, skills, habits, personality, knowledge, preferences, etc.) a person possesses and helps this unique person become a better contributor. As Buckingham wrote, poor managers play checkers (every person/piece having the same capacity and same contribution) while great managers play chess (every person/piece having a unique ability and contribution to winning the game).