Lead them Where No Man Has Gone Before

           An effective leader can lead people to go places where even the leader has not been before without coercing, convincing, manipulating, shaming, or in any other way trying to force the people to follow. This is especially important when launching any new project. 

            The story of Joshua leading his people across the Jordan River provides a great example of how to lead people to go where they have never been before. To read the story, click here (Joshua 3).  Before launching any new project, strategy, or idea, leaders need to:

1.      Learn to follow. The most effective leaders are also good followers. Joshua followed those who carried the Ark. He knew that the leader does not have to be in the limelight all the time.

2.      Lead the people to prepare themselves.  Joshua gave clear instructions to the people to prepare themselves for the battle that was about to come; then he followed to the letter the plan he had been given as he led the people to begin the long-awaited conquest of the Promised Land.

3.      Let go of your ego. Joshua did not have to prove himself or defend his actions before the people.

4.      Lead out in faith with confidence. Imagine being the first person to step into the water. Only the leaders’ feet got wet. They stood in the middle of the river as the people crossed over.

Hint to Leaders

            Are you absolutely certain you are leading people in the right direction with the right plan?  Are you courageous enough to lead your followers to commit to such a plan? What do you need to do to demonstrate that your own faith and confidence are well-placed?

Hint to Followers

            Are you prepared and willing to follow? What do you need to do to get ready?

© Dr. Larry Gay, October 2010

http://mylead360.blogpsot.com/

Effective Leaders Are Good Mobilizers

            The most effective leaders are good mobilizers. They know how to recruit the right people to do the right job and then release them to do it. For a great example of a leader who knew how to mobilize people, look at Joshua.  As he was preparing to march on Jericho, Joshua sent two spies who would report directly to him. To read the story, click here. (Joshua 2:1‑24)

An Effective Strategy for Mobilization

1.    Select the right people.

A.   Choose people you know you can trust to do the job.  Not everyone needs to know everyone else's business. Give specific assignments to specific persons for specific tasks.

B.   Choose people who are already committed to the project.

C.   Choose people who clearly understand the task when you give instructions.

2.    Trust them to do their job. 

A.   Although they used some unconventional methods to accomplish their task, they got the job done because they felt empowered by their leader.

B.   They were confident that their leader would back them up when they gave their word.

3.    Clarify the limits of delegated authority. 

Joshua made it clear that the two would to report only to Joshua. They would give their report secretly to the final decision maker.

4.    Value their influence, from three "I's."

A.   Encourage their input.

B.   Receive their information.  

C.   Ask for their insight.

5.    Wait for the right timing.

A.   What a difference a generation can make! (Compare Numbers 13-14):

                                                  i.    Moses had sent out twelve spies who were already leaders among the tribes. They were chosen by the tribes, not by Moses.

                                                ii.    The twelve were sent to explore the land, not to decide if, how, or when to attack. That was a strategic decision that was never intended to be decided democratically or by consensus.

                                               iii.    The ten majority spies were afraid and used their power, position, and influence to turn the people against their leader.

                                               iv.    The people were predisposed to follow a negative leadership.

                                                v.    Only Caleb and Joshua saw that the decision was really the responsibility of a higher authority than their own.

B.   Joshua must have learned from the negative experience of his mentor, Moses. He recognized that this was not a decision to be made by tribal representatives on a consensus basis, so he sent only two chosen and anonymous spies who reported only to him.

Hint to Leaders

            What can you learn from Joshua's example about empowering your followers and mobilizing them to complete the task you have been given?

Hint to Followers

            What can you learn from Joshua's example about effective followership? How can you use your empowerment and influence to help your leader be even more effective?

© Dr. Larry Gay, revised October 2010

http://mylead360.blogspot.com/

Five Principles of Leadership

Several years ago I began to analyze the principles on which I wanted to base my leadership. In my search for a personal definition of leadership, I discovered that spiritual leadership is defined by Jesus in one word—servanthood. (Mt. 18:1-4; 19:30; 20: 8, 16, 20-28; Mk. 9:35.) Jesus’ model of leadership with His disciples demonstrated that the effective spiritual leader is not so much interested in climbing a corporate ladder as in providing himself as the step-support for others to grow in spiritual maturity. Spiritual leadership is helping people to become all that God wants them to be in Him so that He can accomplish all He wants to do through them.

Five guiding principles have influenced my leadership as I have tried to apply that definition. Although none of the five maxims is original, they have become such a part of my leadership philosophy that I can no longer remember some of their original sources.

1.    Being precedes doing.

2.    Ask God to bless you with His plan, rather than asking Him to bless your plan.

3.    Do what is right because it is right.

4.    Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.

5.    Servanthood is not the way to the top; it is the top.

The effective leaders I have wanted to imitate, the people I would most willingly follow, all seem to share these common principles and characteristics, even if they might not express them in exactly the same way.

It all boils down to having the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he had positional rights in the eternal universal organization, he humbled himself and took a lower position as a servant in obedience to his Father’s plan, so that the ultimate purpose he desired to see fulfilled would be achieved by his followers, even after his death. (Phi. 2:5‑11)  Jesus could do the things he did because he knew Who he was and Whose he was. He always demonstrated his desire to do his Father’s will, and not his own. His actions were not always popular or within the accepted practices and regulations of the authorities, but he acted based on what he knew was right in God’s eyes. He never lost sight of his purpose in coming to earth, to preach the good news of the kingdom. And he showed us the way to the top by such actions as wrapping a towel around his waist, washing his followers’ feet, and submitting to a criminal’s death on the cross.

Good supervision is dependent on good leadership. Applying all the best practices of leadership is no substitute for applying the best practice of servanthood as Jesus demonstrated.

© Larry Gay, September 2005