Though some people may be ‘born leaders’ people are rarely born effective leaders. Becoming an effective leader is something that must be developed. Good leaders don’t fall from heaven; they are grown on earth.
So how do you develop effective leaders in a local church?
When faced with this question the response is usually directed to the qualities/values of a good leader… or the process and competencies that are needed to produce an effective leader. Both aspects of leadership are important, but let’s look for a moment at how to develop an Effective Leaders Workshop that concentrates on the process and competencies of leadership.
The Process of Leadership
To develop this aspect you could use something like the Leadership Skill Builder Booklet to introduce leaders to a framework that provides consistency for both them and those they lead. It covers areas like:
- Learning as much as possible about yourself and about others
- Empowering individuals and teams
- Assessing specific strategies and goals that you aim to achieve
- Deciding what methods are appropriate to achieve the goals
- Evaluating overall behaviour, teamwork and outcomes
- Reviewing your own performance as a leader
Leadership Competencies
Leadership is composed of a number of different competencies, or puzzle pieces. If all these pieces are not in place the effectiveness of the leader will be limited. To develop this aspect you could use something like the Leadership Effectiveness Profileto assess the strengths and weaknesses of a leader in the following competencies:
- Emotional intelligence
- Contextual thinking
- Directional clarity
- Creative assimilation
- Change orchestration
- People enablement
- Reciprocal communication
- Driving persistence
So where do you start…
Start with yourself
The greatest leadership myth is ‘I have arrived’. The landscape is always changing and leaders are always facing new problems and new possibilities, so never stop growing your leadership skills. Why not engage a coach who will be able to guide you in developing both the process and competencies of leadership. It may be the best investment you can make in yourself as a leader.
Coach others
The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. The future will depend on how you develop more and better leaders. Remember, good leaders don’t fall from heaven; they are grown on earth. Invest some time in your current and potential leaders.
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