The last week or so I have been under the weather with a common cold. Not having the energy for much activity I used the time to read as much as possible. In that way I could rest up and give my body time to heal, while at the same time taking in some mental nourishment.
My first book was The Imperfect Leader by Davis H. Taylor. Several notable quotes struck me, especially since our Chapel leadership is forming a new Long Range Planning Committee to look at our need for renewed Vision and Mission statements.
Vision is looking beyond the current reality and painting a picture of the preferred future, clearly bridging the gap between what is and what could or should be.
Compelling visions usually arise from the collective passions of leaders and followers at all levels of the organization – passions that cause people to dream about and strive for what could be.
The leader is the cheerleader for the vision. She or he repeatedly paints the picture for a preferred future and demonstrates the courage required to step into the unknown, taking necessary risks as catalysts for action. The pursuit of a preferred future is seldom easy and is often risky. Safe and easy are bywords of the status quo – they are attitudes that almost guarantee things will remain the same….corporate culture is the primary determinant of what can be achieved. Therefore, leaders must understand the realities of their current cultural environment and proactively influence that culture to greater effectiveness.
Since this places a great deal of responsibility upon leadership, whether it be the Pastor or the Board, there is the temptation to resist change because it may reveal our weaknesses and shortcomings. This advice helped me in that:
He helped me to understand the necessity of accepting my limitations, staffing to my weaknesses and focusing on my strengths. I learned to appreciate the fact that people don’t want to follow me because I am perfect, but because I am genuine enough and authentic enough to admit that I am not perfect. That’s how trust grows… and when trust grows among team members and employees, there’s virtually no end to what can be accomplished.
Just because I can’t do something that is needed to be done, doesn’t mean it cannot be done in other ways. Part of our process will be looking at what needs to be done and to find ways of doing them. This may mean adding new staff members or reconfiguring our present staff and Board responsibilities.
I liked what Taylor said about the leader’s role:
Not to impose his or her will on others or on the organization,
But instead……
1. To act as steward of the organization’s mission, vision, values, and resources.
2. To creatively use his/her influence to motivate, energize, and facilitate growth in his/her followers.
There are a lot of other good things in this short book. It certainly stimulated me in my desire to provide leadership as it is needed.