Based on where I left off last time…we all have a choice.
- We can begin to bring in and train up more leaders (I don’t mean staff)
OR
- We can begin to do nothing
However, if you are on the first boat, the next question you would probably ask is…”How do you recognize a leader?” And my answer to you would be…ask a leader who is a lot smarter than me!
RECOGNIZING the LEADERS
I’m no “leadership” guru (no seriously, I suck), so I can’t tell you what the “12 things to look for in a leader” but I can share with you what God’s been teaching me and what He’s been pointing out to me that I should look for when I’m looking for a leader…
- Head over Heels in love with Jesus
- Crazy passionate about the church & its vision
- Willing to pour into & invest in their team
- Casts vision (as if it’s how they learned to talk)
- Thinker (can put 1 & 2 together and get 3, not 7)
- Willing to have hard conversations, in love (confrontation isn’t easy, but its essential to growth)
- Takes Initiative (doesn’t wait for me to say, “go….” or “do….”
- Great communicator (leaves little to no gaps in their communication to team)
- Not afraid to take risks (for the sake of advancing gospel, not self)
I’m sure I could list a few more, but the biggest thing for me is recognizing that leaders aren’t called to manage…they are called to lead!
A leader isn’t someone who…
- Maintains a process/system (maintain is another word for mediocre to me)
- Simply keeps things running smooth (grow demands bumps in the road)
- Only puts out fires (sometimes you have to start them)
- Completes a To-Do list (for self)
- Provides a To-Do list (for team)
As leaders we have to learn to recognize who the leaders are and put them in leadership. Then we have to be able to let them lead, allow them to try things that we know won’t work (not BIG, vision challenging things…you know what I mean), allow them to learn/grow/develop as a leader.
But, wait…I’m cutting into the next post…”recognizing how to lead, leaders”
How do you recognize a leader…? 
July 6th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I don’t think that effective Vision casting must necessarily be a part of every leader, they must be able to do it too a point. Many leaders are visionaries… many have different styles.
I would recognise a leader by his/her followers. Watch how kids will follow another when put in a group together. Some leaders will Take Charge, some will lead from within the team without the original recognition.