On Sunday 16th March 2014 I will preach a message to our Church from Colossians 1:24-29 called ‘The Path of a Leader’. Paul works hard in this passage to show the price he has paid for pioneering the way for many believers and Churches.
There are 3 critical factors to understand about the path of a pioneering leader, which actually are absolutely critical for every believer to take on board and live out too.
Paul shows us that a pioneering leader pays a price (“I suffer for you”), empowers others to be included (“Christ lives in you”) and takes a high responsibility for the task of discipleship (“We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ”).
More on 16th March, or if you are in Arnhem or Enschede then more this coming Sunday 16 February.
I just read this brilliant article by John Maxwell, “Are you busy building sandcastles?”, it sums up very well the responsibility of leaders to ensure we raise others of strength to carry on the work. As Paul wrote to the Colossians from a distance (in prison) he knew the only future of the Church was in their own hands, their own realisation that they were solid as rocks in Christ to build the future. Read and take note:
ARE YOU BUSY BUILDING SANDCASTLES?
Anyone who has constructed sandcastles knows how fragile they can be. Minutes after they’re made, incoming waves swoop in to swallow them up and wash them away. Sadly, many leaders’ legacies suffer the same fate. They diligently build an organization for years only to see it disintegrate as soon as they’ve gone.
There is no lasting success without successors. If you do not identify, equip, and develop a leader to carry on the work you have begun, then it’s likely to unravel once you transition elsewhere. As Max De Pree has said, “Succession is one of the key responsibilities of leadership.”
Training a successor is difficult because they usually make mistakes early on. As the incumbent leader, it feels as if everything will go more smoothly if you just stay in the driver’s seat. In fact, it will go easier. That is, until you leave, and then everything is in danger of falling apart. It may take a successor several months to get acquainted with new leadership responsibilities. While the road may be rocky at first, eventually they will learn the skills needed to lead and can be trusted to successfully guide the organization in your absence.
However, training a successor isn’t just a last-minute chore—something to do on the way out the door. Rather, you can prepare your successor now through the character you display, the choices you make, and the seeds you sow.
1) Character
Having character means being and becoming a moral example. As leaders, we teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are. In other words, people do what people see. Integrity—being true to yourself—and honesty—being truthful with others—are two traits essential to character. When your life and work displays impeccable character, then your example will linger on in the hearts and minds of your teammates long after you have departed.
2. Choices
Obviously, the consequences of our choices have repercussions, but our approach to decision-making also impacts others. To make the right decisions consistently, we can’t let external influence or peer pressure cause us to ignore our conscience and do something unethical. Instead, we must be guided by vision and values. When developing successors, show them how to think clearly about options and how to select carefully among alternatives. That is, share the process by which you draw on your knowledge, experiences, moral conscience, and sense of purpose to make difficult decisions.
3. Consequences
Whether positive or negative, our actions have consequences. Yesterday’s bad choices cause us to spend today repairing the messes we’ve made, whereas the wise choices of the past position us to take advantage of today’s opportunities. Success is based on the seeds you sow, not the harvest you reap. If you sow wisely and diligently, the harvest is automatic. Sow daily in the lives of others, by adding value to them, and your investment will compound over time.
Thought to Ponder
Whose influence has shaped your life and leadership in a profoundly positive way? What enabled him or her to make such an impact on you?