Kevin wrote a good post a few days ago on his struggle with doing things versus leading people that inspired me to tag on some thoughts on the subject of leadership. When I was in High School my dad was working on his Masters in Organizational Leadership and is now wrapping up his PHD in the field, so I've gotten to read a LOT of hand me down books on the subject of leadership and taken more than my fair share of personality profiles and tests.
My opinions on the subject are greatly influenced by my Dad, books, and personal observation. The two biggest leadership theories are--
1. Great Leaders aren't made, they're born
2. Anyone can become a great leader by working on....x,y,z, depends on the book.
In my experience, I tend to straddle the fence between the two camps. It's fairly obvious that some people are just naturally more followable, which makes it easier for them to lead. But the best leaders I've met are the ones who are VERY intentional about it. So, I guess that would make the best leader a guy or gal who is naturally charismatic, believes in what they are leading, has built a history of character and moral authority, and then is a veracious learner open to change and new ideas while never losing sight of the ultimate goal and their unique ability to contribute. This person will illicit passionate following, making leading a pretty easy task.
Our society has placed a high premium on leadership, which seems to have over-emphasized it to the point that everyone wants to be a leader. One of my favorite sayings is "Too many Chiefs not enough Indians", it's so common to see that in organizations today, there are lots of idea people who want to lead, but when it comes to doing there is a lack of followers (which begs the question, how effective is the leadership really being?). Probably my favorite leadership book is The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham, his First Break all the Rules is a close second. He has probably done as much to solidify my thoughts on leadership as any author. His distinction between management and leadership is excellent. At the end of the day, it's pretty easy to manage, but don't confuse that with leading and if you are good at something, don't spend too much of your time trying to develop areas of weakness... be the BEST YOU you can be.
Also, too many assume that the benefit of leadership is praise, adoration, and publicity. A true leader craves none of these but is passionate about the result of success. Max Dupree said it well in Leadership is an Art "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader is a servant."
My entire perspective on the subject was transformed when I recently re-read Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. It thoroughly convicted me on almost every page and reminded me that in the life I want to live, to lead anything out of personal ambition or ability is complete folly, if we aren't leading for the great cause of Christ, it's all a waste of time and effort.
My opinions on the subject are greatly influenced by my Dad, books, and personal observation. The two biggest leadership theories are--
1. Great Leaders aren't made, they're born
2. Anyone can become a great leader by working on....x,y,z, depends on the book.
In my experience, I tend to straddle the fence between the two camps. It's fairly obvious that some people are just naturally more followable, which makes it easier for them to lead. But the best leaders I've met are the ones who are VERY intentional about it. So, I guess that would make the best leader a guy or gal who is naturally charismatic, believes in what they are leading, has built a history of character and moral authority, and then is a veracious learner open to change and new ideas while never losing sight of the ultimate goal and their unique ability to contribute. This person will illicit passionate following, making leading a pretty easy task.
Our society has placed a high premium on leadership, which seems to have over-emphasized it to the point that everyone wants to be a leader. One of my favorite sayings is "Too many Chiefs not enough Indians", it's so common to see that in organizations today, there are lots of idea people who want to lead, but when it comes to doing there is a lack of followers (which begs the question, how effective is the leadership really being?). Probably my favorite leadership book is The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham, his First Break all the Rules is a close second. He has probably done as much to solidify my thoughts on leadership as any author. His distinction between management and leadership is excellent. At the end of the day, it's pretty easy to manage, but don't confuse that with leading and if you are good at something, don't spend too much of your time trying to develop areas of weakness... be the BEST YOU you can be.
Also, too many assume that the benefit of leadership is praise, adoration, and publicity. A true leader craves none of these but is passionate about the result of success. Max Dupree said it well in Leadership is an Art "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader is a servant."
My entire perspective on the subject was transformed when I recently re-read Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. It thoroughly convicted me on almost every page and reminded me that in the life I want to live, to lead anything out of personal ambition or ability is complete folly, if we aren't leading for the great cause of Christ, it's all a waste of time and effort.
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