|
|||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
Champions Fax ArchiveVolume 3, Number 25, December 14, 1998 Leadership failure is often the underside of a leader's greatest strength. Here are some of their descriptive terms with comparisons to leaders Church Champions often meet. 1. The Home Run Hitter. This impatient leader always swings for the fences even before they have learned to hit. These leaders know their career goal and want to be there right now. Church Champions often meet church planters and young pastors who want it all now. Successful leaders learn to build from where they are and hit singles and doubles first. 2. The Early Harvester. Right out of graduate school, they feel they have paid their dues and are entitled to high market value. The church, like business, values performance instead of potential. 3. The Meritocrat. This person "puts tremendous energy into getting the right answers – and no energy into acquiring the power to implement them." This is the pastor or leader who is intelligent. They have good conceptual bases of what needs to be done but lack the relational tools for getting things done. 4. The Peacekeeper. These leaders are excellent at gaining collaboration from groups but lousy at confronting issues and individuals in conflict. Many pastors fall into this trap. They tend to be conflict avoiders. No pastor or leader needs to create conflict. It is a natural process in leading groups over time. 5. The Hero - Always gets the job done while hurting everyone else. They quickly develop a reputation for micromanaging and not attracting the best co-workers. In pastoral roles, this can be gratifying to a leader for a time but eventually everything stops because the leader is overwhelmed. This leader always wants to be consulted but doesn't want to consult anyone else. 6. The Rebel – Refuses to adapt and becomes ostracized when taken to an extreme. Creativity and rebellion are two different things. A good leader, in business or pastoral roles, reads the culture and makes positive response in dealing with the situation. 7. Mr. Spock – makes great decisions based on facts but ignores the human dimension. Over time, these hurt the climate of an organization, especially a church. People factors always come into play in people organizations. 8. The Acrophobe – the fear of Leadership responsibility and role. We can all point to a lack of something – education, a skill set, trophy spouse, etc. Good leaders have realistic appraisals of themselves and even though they often find themselves "in over their heads", they trudge on. Ways to beat these tendencies? First acknowledge them to yourself and key confidants. Ask a mentor or group to remind you when your actions suggest one of these traits. Use your strengths but work around your failings. "Eight Failings that Bedevil the Best", James Waldroop and Timothy Butler. FORTUNE. November 23, 1998. See www.pathfinder.com or www.careerdiscovery.com. Registration for the Gathering of Champions event scheduled for January 10-12, 1999 in Dallas, Texas has been re-opened for a limited time. To register, please call 888.532.3638.
|
|||||