Processes & Outcomes III

Imitation Not Limitation
A leader usually does not have to re-invent the wheel as such, but must always be searching to learn and grow. One aspect of learning is imitation. Imitation, unfortunately can sometimes be viewed as a negative thing, but by imitating someone who is good at something, can enable a leader to learn at a quicker rate. Imitation takes humility and eagerness which are very inspiring attributes of a leader which people love to follow.
A leader that I respect as a great imitator is James Robbins. As a professional public speaker, James has spent a lot of time imitating other speakers, their mannerisms, their tone, their styles, which in turn helped him to develop his style. Seeing that James was eager to imitate and was very humble in his approach, enabled me and inspired me in so many ways. Not only would he imitate in his speaking but also in his leadership style. James would constantly search for leaders who were making a profound impact, then imitating their ways. It is very easy to learn from someone who leads like this. It gives me comfort, that I can imitate others who are good at things and eventually master them myself.

Processes and Outcomes II

Seeking To Understand

We are all so very different in our natures and this requires of a leader to be a person who seeks understanding.
Proverbs 20:5
5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
This a very critical leadership process. Seeking to understand what your people are really thinking and why they are thinking this. The process includes asking a lot of questions and taking the time to evaluate and think about what and how things are getting done. Why your staff would approach things the way they do or respond in the way they have. Being able to draw people out, empowers them to believe in themselves and feel understood.
A leader to me that has demonstrated this process is Dr. David McAnulty. David, has the uncanny ability to ask just the right questions in a humble non threatening way. He never seems to assume anything and always tries to understand where you are coming to. It is hard to describe how great this makes one feel. To know that someone is not trying to pigeon hole you, but is trying to understand who you are is very, very empowering. It motivates you to do your best and to give wholeheartedly. Judgment would be the exact opposite to this.

Processes and Outcomes

To Change or not to Change

One of the greatest processes of a leader is the process of change. Are you willing to change, adapt as such to new situations, environments, changes in culture. Life is always changing, circumstances are always evolving and the ability to look at these changes or new situations and adapt to them is an important process for a leader.
When I think of adaptability, I think of our church administrator Manuel Francois St. Cyr. Manuel has had to demonstrate adaptability in many areas of his life and it draws many people to him and has made him a very effective leader. Manuel not only immigrated to Canada, but has been put into a variety of different and diverse environments. His willingness to look at each situation as unique and try to change or adapt even his thought processes to meet the needs at hand. One example, would be his move from Vancouver to Edmonton. Manuel wasted no time “adapting” to the Edmonton culture, he is even now an Edmonton Oilers fan!!! (Go Oilers Go) He is willing to look at new ways of thinking and see them as different, not better or worse.
This is a great process, as people then feel pulled in. It is easier for them to come close to you. But, if you are rigid and not wanting to change, then this can cause many problems.

Everyone Doing Their Part

Eph 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.(NIV)
Being in a profession where traditionally twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work poses some very interesting problems. A very important characteristic for a leader in this type of environment is the ability to create buy in. That is helping everyone to realize that they are a part of things, in fact, a very important part of things. This requires a leader to be able to discern what gifts or talents people have and then being able to get them contributing those talents to the team as a whole. In order to do this, the people need to feel believed in and therefore empowered. This characteristic can be seen, when you go into an environment and see that everyone is involved, but not just involved but enjoying their involvement.I would say, that this is something that I really try to do. I really try to look at everyone and see their strengths. See the gifts and talents that they have and then help them to see how they can use their talents within our church. My belief is that everyone needs to participate, everyone needs to be involved. Everyone, has something to offer and when you get everyone involved and offering, it creates and very loving and happy family environment. People need to be needed, they want to know that they fit and that they are important. When we can enable people as leaders, when we can learn to see the attributes that they bring, incredible things happen.

Thinking Outside The Box

There are many characteristics which are important to effective leadership. One, that I would like to talk about could be best described as “thinking outside the box”. Every organization has a culture, or a way that things are done. An effective leader has the ability to meet the needs within this culture, but also, looks for ways to improve or perhaps just explore other ways of doing things. Tradition is a very strong pull for people, it can be a good thing, but it can also be a detriment to growth or change. A leader who thinks outside the box, is a leader who loves new ideas, outside input and is eager to learn.
I have had the privilege of working with such an individual. James Robbins who is also a minister and a professional speaker, is one of the most pure hearted leaders I know. His willingness to seek out solutions, ideas and input is unbelievable. I remember a time when our churches were getting stuck in a way of doing things and in a way of thinking and James reached outside of this and pulled in new thoughts, new relationships and new ideas. This, took a lot of humility and eagerness to just want to grow and do our best. The outcome of his leadership is still felt in our church and in my life. He taught me to explore outside my own thoughts and experiences. He also, demonstrated that through this type of reaching out, not only can new ideas be fostered, but great relationships can be formed. There are many, many effective people outside our organizations, who can offer us so much. We, as leaders just need to reach out and invite them in.