On Leading Well

Year: 2011

  • Listen and Live

    As leaders we like to talk. A lot.

    Talking is what leadership is all about, right? Casting vision, aligning, motivating others, setting direction – all of these activities require words, conversations and interactions.

    If we’re talking all the time, we’re not really having conversations, we’re having monversations.

    Last week during a set of leadership meetings our team was escorted out of the conference room and into a secluded, private space. Four men led us through some prayerful interaction and reflection, in which none of us were expected to speak. This was a lectio divina, a divine reading, where a short passage of Scripture was read aloud four times. We were asked to meditate and listen for a word or phrase that caught our attention. The phrase that grabbed me?

    “Listen, that your soul may live.” (from Isaiah 55:3)

    Attentiveness, awareness, compassion, empathy, wisdom, and genuine service of the one being listened to. How much more of these can I gain as I learn to listen more as a leader?

    How has listening helped your leadership?

     

  • I Was A Prodigal

    I was a prodigal.

    Sure, I masked my inner rebellion with excellent grades, modest athletic achievement, student leadership positions and a high degree of socialization. But the truth was still there.

    I was a prodigal.

    I ran from God. I ran from reality. Chasing wine, women and song helped me gain over 15 kg my first year of college and cut my grade point average nearly in half.

    Some of my friends reached out to me. They helped me see that I was leaving a wake of strained and broken relationships behind me. They didn’t judge me (well, some did). A few close friends demonstrated that they cared more for me than for my approval. They spoke hard truth with radical grace into my situation.

    I was a prodigal. These friends were the arms of a loving father, reaching out and waiting for me to return. To forgive. To invite me to more.

    Thanks, friends. It is in your honor that I pray for prodigals on this annual Prayer for Prodigals day, June 2. You can pray for them too. If you want more information, or have interest in journeying with others who are wrestling with a prodigal, visit here.

    After all, we’re all prodigals in need of radical grace, aren’t we?

    Read Jesus’ version of the story here.

  • Curiosity (or lack of it) Killed the Leader

    One of the most crucial aspects of leadership is curiosity.

    Curiosity presses into the unknown with playful willingness. Curiosity notices big things and little things. Curiosity fuels connections and creativity.

    Curiosity is essential to authentic leadership in a knowledge economy. And it can be risky.

    I’m not talking about false bravado or “take this hill or die trying” or “let’s bet the whole organization on this killer project” type of leadership. Unmitigated risk-taking doesn’t reflect true faith or appropriate respect for partners in the mission.

    I am talking about the courage to risk asking hard questions about uncomfortable topics, then allowing others the space and safety to honestly answer. When teammates do this, we make room for the Spirit of God to work. We open the windows and let fresh air into the room. We move away from groupthink behaviors (such as silently nodding in agreement when we have evidence or convictions to the contrary, or worse, believing that because we’ve been together for so long we can’t possibly fail) toward a healthy, if temporarily uncomfortable, embrace of reality.

    Last week during a team meeting, one of my mates took a courageous risk by asking two hard questions – about my leadership of the team. By God’s grace I was able to listen. I received both encouraging and uncomfortable feedback regarding some recent decisions I’ve made and actions I’ve taken. The next day I asked Paul, my coach, to help me discover some of the gaps between my intentions and the impact I was having on a few folks. We’re all better off because someone took a risk.

    Here’s a quote from two of my favorite leadership authors that captures the spirit of curiosity:

    “Leaders peek behind the curtain to see what’s hiding there. They see the future as a picture puzzle and figure out how all the pieces fit together. Envisioning the future is about paying attention to the little things.”

    —from The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition by Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner

    What question are you waiting to ask that might open up some new conversation with your family? In your job? In your own personal attitudes or behaviors? Ask it, and don’t be afraid to chase the truth.