Lead Others Better by Leading Yourself Well

by: VRcurator

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How does developing someone else actually develop your leadership?

It has been said that the people close to us determine our level of success. Moses learned this lesson in the wilderness and so implemented a plan to put competent, godly leaders next to him. David had his mighty men. Paul had Barnabas, John Mark, Timothy, Titus, and Phoebe.

When ministers decide to be leaders, they cross a very important line. They no longer judge themselves solely by what they can do themselves; the truest measure of the impact of a leader is found in what those around them accomplish. In God’s economy, our personal development happens most as we are developing those He has called around us.

Lead others better by leading yourself well.

THE QUICK SUMMARY – The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership, by Jenni Catron

You have the capacity to become an extraordinary leader—if you are willing to embrace a deeper definition of leadership and take action to apply it.

In The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership, Jenni Catron, executive church leader and author of Clout, reveals the secrets to standout leadership found in the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Weaving a winsome narrative filled with inspiring real-life stories, hard-won wisdom, and practical applications, Catron unpacks four essential aspects of growing more influential: your heart for relational leadership, your soul for spiritual leadership, your mind for managerial leadership, and your strength for visionary leadership.

Leadership isn’t easy, but it is possible to move from ordinary to extraordinary. Jenni Catron shows the way. 

A SIMPLE SOLUTION

Look at almost any definition of a leader, and it will include something about others: influencing them, directing their work, guiding their development. And while this is true, leaders must remember that the first priority of a leader is to lead yourself.

Leaders like to lead. And when we say we like to lead, we usually mean we like to lead others, right? But if you can’t lead yourself well, you will be ill equipped to lead others.

Part of the responsibility of leadership is understanding your influence on others. Leadership is only as strong as the leader. And that responsibility, if you’re grasping the weight of it, is the reason why your leadership journey must begin with leading yourself well.

Self-leadership is a willingness to make yourself uncomfortable in order to lead yourself and others to bigger dreams and greater goals. It requires the humility of introspection. Many leaders skip over self-leadership because the discomfort of facing their own limitations is frightening enough to discourage them before they’ve even begun.

Jenni Catron, The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

A NEXT STEP

The centerpiece of Jenni Catron’s book is based on the fundamental biblical truth found in Mark 12:28-30, commonly known as the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Using this scripture as a foundation, Catron develops a multi-dimensional leadership model that requires leading from our whole selves – heart, soul, mind, and strength.

As noted in the quotations above, Catron feels that first learning to lead yourself is a critical foundation of influence. With this model in mind, set aside time to inventory yourself in each area

You will find the self-assessment described in the book in an online version here, but first, reflect on these questions developed from the book.

Heart – Relational Leadership

• How are you connecting with those you lead?
• Do you know their stories and what inspires them?

Soul – Spiritual Leadership

• What does spiritual formation look like for you?
• When do you most feel like you’re experiencing spiritual growth?

Mind – Managerial Leadership

• What systems do you have in place to instill disciplines that transform ideas into accomplishments?
• How do you demonstrate stewardship in making good, consistent decisions about how to best manage your resources?
• What principles do you follow in creating a culture of accountability for yourself?

Strength – Visionary Leadership

• How strong do you feel about the vision you’re working toward?
• Is there anything you need to do to help own it more?

Once you spend time taking this inventory, prioritize three actions to take in the next three months, with specific and measurable markers of success.

Taken from SUMS Remix 44-3, published July 2016

This is part of a weekly series posting content from one of the most innovative content sources in the church world: SUMS Remix Book Summaries for church leaders. SUMS Remix takes a practical problem in the church and looks at it with three solutions; and each solution is taken from a different book. As a church leader you get to scan relevant books based on practical tools and solutions to real ministry problems, not just by the cover of the book. Each post will have the edition number which shows the year and what number it is in the overall sequence. (SUMS provides 26 issues per year, delivered every other week to your inbox). 

> Subscribe to SUMS Remix <<

Tags: Jenni Catron, Lead others, Lead yourself, The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

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6 Ways to Responsibly Steward the Power of Vision

by: Jenni Catron

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Recently a friend called looking for some advice. She and her husband were at a crossroads. A few years ago they had sold their home and most of their possessions, left family and long-time friends to take a job across the country. They knew it was risky adventure, but they were compelled by the vision of this organization. The organization had some audacious goals but not outside of the realm of possibility. They were excited about the possibilities. They asked lots of questions and took time to process with friends and mentors. They sought God for guidance and eventually made the leap.

Now they were struggling. They had made tremendous sacrifices only to discover that the organization really wasn’t ready to pursue the vision they had cast. This family was in upheaval because a leader didn’t fully understand the power of vision.

Sound crazy or extreme? Sadly, change the names and organizations and I hear a version of this story nearly every day.

Vision is essential for individuals, teams and organizations.

Proverbs reminds us “without vision people perish.” Those of us who are visionary by nature use this scripture to help us find significance in the visionary gift that we have.

But visions are dangerously powerful and a leader who doesn’t understand that power has the potential to cause irreparable damage to the people they lead.

You understand this… Think about the influence your parents have on your life. Think about your first boss. Think about your soccer coach or piano teacher. Your life has been shaped by their influence, positively and negatively.

Visionary leaders create hope and possibility. They appeal to people’s dreams and goals. They define a preferred future. The better a leader is at casting a compelling vision, the more influence they wield.

At their best, a visionary not only casts an inspiring vision, but they have the wherewithal to see that vision come to fruition. And while people may perish without a vision, we also know that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” When a leader does not have the ability to see a vision become a reality, they create pain and hopelessness for those they lead.

1. Refine your vision with the wisdom of others. Visionary leaders nearly always underestimate what their ideas will entail. Because they are often removed from frontline activity, they have lost touch with what it takes to bring an idea to life. Don’t cast your vision to the masses until you’ve worked it out with a team of people who can help you understand what it will really take. And by the way, make sure you really listen in this conversation. Your gregariousness and charm can woo others easily.
2. Slow down and be cautious. Once you’ve received critical feedback, count the cost for accomplishing this vision. What will it take? What will you risk? Who will take risks? What will it cost?
3. Get in touch with reality. As you’ve processed the impact and the cost, think through the critical points in this vision. What key conversations will you need to have? Who may try to derail it? How likely are they to succeed? What difficult decisions will you have to navigate in order to keep the vision on track? What happens and who is impacted if the vision isn’t realized?
4. Count the cost. What will this require of you? Will it pull you from other priorities and if so, what is the potential impact? What will it take financially? Do you have the margin to pursue it? What will it require of your staff? What will they give up? If you’re recruiting people based on the vision, what are they risking and if you were in their shoes would you take the risk?
5. Proceed humbly. If you have taken the time to process well and feel compelled to move forward with the vision, hold it humbly. Acknowledge what it is requiring of everyone, every step of the way.
6. Evaluate your “why”. What motivates you to this vision? Is it a vision you would pursue even if it cost you everything?

Too often I see leaders cast a vision and pursue it without a full understanding of the cost and impact. We get starry-eyed with the thrill of accomplishing the goal, that we underestimate what it will cost, especially in human capital, to achieve it.

We’ve seen this play out with the business professional who scales the corporate ladder at the expense of his family. He cast a vision for why working hard would acquire their grand “American Dream” but they underestimated the sacrifice of their relationships.

We’ve witnessed the fast-growing church with their audacious growth goal that gets blindsided by a moral failure. They were racing so fast towards the vision that they blew past the warning signs.

We’ve read the stories of start-up companies that hire for rapid growth only to make drastic cuts when investment funds run out.

Visions have enormous power. And visions in the hands of strong leaders wield extraordinary power.

Power in and of itself is not bad, but power wielded carelessly leaves carnage.

Leaders, you have the sacred responsibility of stewardship. And two of the most precious things you’ll steward are vision and people. They are inextricably linked – “without vision people perish” but without people, visions are just pipe dreams.

We need you to be visionaries. We need you to dream great, God-sized dreams. Please don’t shrink away from that. However, we need you to equally recognize the power of those visions and if they are not birthed of God and nurtured with humility, you risk wielding your power dangerously.

Leadership is sacred work. Visionary leadership is powerful work. May you sacredly steward your power for the glory of God and the good of others.

Read more from Jenni Catron here.

Do you need a plan for the future and are interested in learning more about Auxano’s Vision services? Click here.

Tags: Church Vision, Jenni Catron, Vision Clarity

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