Adventures in leadership

here’s a leadership thought…

some leaders are decisive, authoritative, and visionary.  they don’t waver in the face of opposition.  popular opinion means nothing to them.  they don’t cater to the desires of people, nor are they influenced by what people think of them or their decisions.  they believe they are gifted to lead, make judgments and get people to follow.

other leaders are collaborative and team oriented.  they value the process…sometimes even more than the product.  consensus is their only model of decision-making.   they are influenced by what others think and work hard to get a wide variety of input before leading out.  these leaders can defer to others and find their greatest satisfaction in the relinquishing of power.

here’s some irony i have experienced over the course of my life…

i have had people criticize me for not being more of an authoritative, decisive leader.  they have negatively judged my commitment to process over product and my determination to work for consensus.  i have had people look at me and say “when are you just going step up and be the leader?”.

on the other hand, i have been criticized for making decisions (even though it was clearly my responsibility to make them) and have even lost friends in the process.  even back in my earliest years of ministry, i can remember the division and disunity on teams where my leadership decision-making was the apparent cause.

sheesh.

#pastor