Pondering Leadership...part 1

I woke up this morning at 4:00 AM...pondering leadership.
I KNOW.
What the heck?
It isn't as if I had worked 120 hours in the past 11 days and had anything better to do.
You know, like sleep.

Sleep is for wimps!

But I digress.
Leadership is actually one of the things that I ponder...a lot.
It shows up in my spiritual giftings and personality tests...that sort of thing.  It is something I actively think about.
I lead.
I am led.
I've led well, I haven't led well.
I've been led well, I haven't been led well.
And I have picked up a few things along the way.
And since it woke me up at 4:00 AM I took it as a sign that it's time to process this out a bit.
Sharing what I have learned,
Learned by observation and experience- by following and by leading...

I suspect it may take a couple of posts to break it all down.
And so it begins...

Leadership, to me- can be broken down into one concept.

Good leadership means setting your team up for success.

That's it.

That's all.

I mean, there is a lot that goes into making that statement true...but it all flows out of this concept.

I believe if leaders spend at least 80% of their time and energy focused on this, happy productivity  and success ensue.

But what does it mean?  HOW do we set our team up for success?

Well, there are whole sections of books and resources that you can look up...but this my blog so we will go with my two cents.

Perhaps more like a twenty, there's a lot I think...but let's start here:

-You- You need to know where you are going.  Or at least head the right direction.  Plans can change, but it's easier to change direction if you are already moving.  Be open, humble and flexible.  And stay ahead of the team- think about what they will need from  you to do their job- what do they need?

Your team needs:

-Information- 

your team needs to know:

          - what the end goal/product is

          - details of what that means- parts, expectations, outcome

          - how you expect the process to be executed (there should be a bit of flexibility in this)

          - the level of quality that is expected of them

-Time- 

There needs to be a reasonable amount of time to complete the goal.  Sure, there can be a "crunch" time- but don't make it an unreasonable expectation.  This means that the leader needs to know how long something should take.  How long does it take to perform each stage of the process?  Set clear deadlines for everyone- and then let them do it....Time management of yourself, let alone others is tricky- and one should always leave a bit of room for things to go sideways, after all, they always do.

-Physical resources-

Every team needs what it needs to complete a task- or it doesn't matter how good your team is, or how much time they have.  If they don't have the physical resources to do the job, it just won't happen.  Now there is truth that limitations and boundaries can foster creativity- and that's great.  But a lack of resources can also create an atmosphere of fear.  If people don't have what they need to do their job, and are still expected to perform, it makes for an unsafe environment.

-Rest-

Overwork isn't good for anyone.  Period.  Our society and culture are RIDICULOUS when it comes to this.  Sabbath rest is a command, not a suggestion.  People need down time, they need time to heal and relax- if we work...say... 120 hours in 11 days without a break (not that I know anyone who has done that...recently...this week)  They begin to not function.  They make mistakes, walk into walls (literally and physically) and lose their crap.  Not that it's happened to me...yesterday...or anything.

Also- keep in mind that rest means different things for different people.  Some people thrive on routine, some people have massive bursts of creativity and then collapse.  It's up to leaders to recognize it and work with them...not make them do what we do.  Which leads to the next point..

-Love and Emotional Support-

Care about who is following you.  Really.  Sincerely. It matters. More importantly, they matter. Be humble, get to know people- get to know what their strengths and gifts are and position them to do those things.  It's tricky- because we want people to grow- so we need to challenge them- but at the same time- if they do something they are constantly failing at- all that produces is discouragement.

People are created in God's image.  Each person has value, each person has a message to share with the world from the Creator.  How do we, as leaders, draw that out of them?  

Be available to listen.  Be humble.  Be transparent.  I am constantly amazed how transparency and humility breed so much loyalty.  If you confess that you can't do what you are doing without your team, it is rare that they won't rise to the challenge- usually, in my experience, they surpass it.

And when they do- show appreciation!  Shower them with thanks and praise and chocolate.

Stand with them through the rough stuff....be there. Love them.

The products and goals are temporary things.  These people?  They are eternal beings...worth your investment.

I find that if I keep these things in play- and I try- even though sometimes it's imperfect, or sometimes I flat fail...but if I try- success beyond what I can do on my own usually follows.

Things emerge that are far more beautiful than I can create on my own- and the process is way more fun.  Now, I am wired to be a mentor type, that is true- it's part of my wheelhouse- but I think we can all learn some basic paradigm shifts that can improve our teams even if we aren't natural leaders.

Thus ends today's sermon....

There is more to come...

Including such thrills as:

Leading doesn't mean you do everything yourself!

Flexibility!
Embrace your team's strengths!

When there is success- it belongs to the team!  If there is failure- well, look in a mirror!

There are things beyond our control!

Not my circus, not my monkeys!  Manage your own monkeys!

Micro-managing doesn't work!

You can't give people responsibility without authority!

Stay tuned....