Coaching Churches

I remember speaking at a national conference on the subject of Leadership for 21^st Century.  The major point of my presentation was the need to shift from a positional leadership model to a participative one.

The feedback after both of my sessions confirmed everything I have been reading and experiencing on this subject.  The consensus is there is very little honest and clear communication taking place between key leaders and their teams on an ongoing basis.

The challenge for most corporations today is that the majority of senior management positions are filled by baby boomer age leaders who know primarily a positional leadership model.  They were trained that way academically and that is the only system that has been a part of their entire career.

The new workforce is made up of Generation X and Millennial employees that have an entirely different world view that impacts how they view their career and life in general.   They are highly motivated and want to be a part of an interactive team where they can actively participate in the process of leadership.

If we do not provide the critical situational leadership skills that both new generations need then we are creating unnecessarily a leadership cultural war that can destroy morale and diminish productivity.  The result of any lack of relevant training is that the older generation think the younger ones are too aggressive and the younger ones are convinced that the old guard will simply not let go and delegate.

I have become an expert over the years at giving a conditional apology.  The first part of the statement of regret is usually close but then comes the rational reason why I did the wrong things.  My motives have also been an ongoing issue, to relive the awkward situation far more than genuine remorse for my offensive behavior.  This HBR post is an excellent read:

“It’s hard to admit our transgressions — to look someone in the eye and offer a sincere apology. But apologies are essential for repairing relationships in the workplace. They show that you value the relationship and that other person’s point of view.”

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This by far is one of the most important principles identified by John Maxwell in the realm of leadership.  The simple definition of the law is that a leader’s potential is determined by those closest to them.

As any organization continues to grow the leader cannot continue to spend equal time with every person on staff because of time constraints alone.  This means that eventually the majority of a leader’s time will be need to be spent with the top 20% of their leadership team.

It is a proven leadership principle that they in turn will produce at least 80% of the desired results because of the scope of their impact throughout the entire organization.  The leader is incredibly dependent upon this inner circle because they are responsible for providing the best information possible upward for decision making and they are also responsible for the downward execution of all planning.

Leaders of large organizations should still spend some time managing by walking around and maintain some personal contact with all levels of staff.  However, the purpose of this interaction is for personal encouragement and visibility and not for problem solving and day to day decision making.  The leader can be involved to some degree with everyone but they must invest themselves only in the inner circle because they are the key to continued growth and outstanding performance.