I am one that loves learning about leadership best practices. But unlike some who only like to learn and save (for the head knowledge), I like to learn and apply (for the heart knowledge). I think I’ve read a lot of leadership books and in some cases, there is repetition. However, there are always nuggets that you’ve not heard before or have been stated in a way that makes you pause. Such is the case with a recent page I was reading in John Maxwell’s Leadership Gold, he stated that “to see how the leader is doing, look at the people.” He quotes Max Depree who said “the signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.” That gave me cause for pause because I simply never heard that. Maxwell suggests that if we want to evaluate how a leader is doing (either ourselves or someone in an organization) we should do so by asking these four questions:
1. Are the people following?
2. Are the people changing?
3. Are the people growing?
4. Are the people succeeding?
On #1 – he shares that just because you have a position doesn’t mean that people actually follow you. Trust is a key factor in whether someone decides to follow you where you are going and you have to earn that and expect it by virtue of the fact that you have been appointed to a role. If you get your people’s trust, what usually follows is their loyalty and that can be limitless.
On #2 – Maxwell states that “good leaders inspire their followers to have confidence in them. But great leaders inspire their followers to have confidence in themselves.” Leaders are the ones that create an environment of expectation. The leader facilitates the process of change.
On #3 – Maxwell quotes Dale Galloway here when he shares “the growth and development of people is the highest calling of a leader.” Recruiting the best people is good but then you have to take the time to develop them to their full potential and that responsibility falls on the leader! The key is that you want them to become better people not just better workers. When I ran the House of Healing for the Latino Pastoral Action Center I was a much different person than when I worked at the main headquarters site (due to my own personal growth with Christ) and that was my mission with my 80+ staff members, to help them become better people. Just as recently as May 2008 I got emails from former staffers telling me how their time there was wonderful and how they’ve never found a place like that again. Some of us who worked together during that time call it our Camelot. By the time I started running House of Healing, I valued people, I understood they had a story, that they had a life outside of work and that they truly wanted to be better and perform to the best of their ability (ok, so some didn’t but don’t you always have a few of those LOL). Maxell suggests that leaders need to believe in their people so that the people will believe in themselves. So if the people aren’t growing it’s a reflection of a leader. Ouch, I think there are many leaders out there who don’t want this responsibility LOL.
On #4 – this one was vey poignant because it made me think of me. My personality tests all say that I’m an overachiever and I remember when I worked with Rev. Ray Rivera he would always tell me “people before tasks” but I didn’t get it then. Again, by the time I was working at the House of Healing I had gotten it in a big way lol! But I think the reason I didn’t get it early on was something related to this quote by Basketball coach Pat Riley, “it’s been my experience that successful people who are not naturally gifted in leadership sometimes have a difficult time transitioning from achiever to leader. They are used to performing at a high level—doing tasks with excellence, reaching their goals, achieving financially—and they judge their progress by those things. When they become leaders, they often expect everyone else to do the same, to be self-motivated. And when the people they lead don’t perform as expected, they ask, “what’s wrong with them?!!”
So you see, there is a shift that must take place for leaders to not only focus on their success but the success of their followers. “Leadership is meant to lift up others.” This is the difference between good to great leaders.
So how do you measure up? Are you a good leader or are you working to become a great one?
