John Maxwell popularized this leadership proverb: He who thinks he is leading, but has no one following is only taking a walk. So, are you leading or talking a walk? Whatever your leadership position, are there folks who are following you? If they are following you do you know why? Is it merely because you have the title of leader in their lives so they’re forced to follow you or pay the consequences? Do they follow you, because you have established a relationship with them that makes them want to follow you? Do they follow you, because you have sown into their lives and they have seen growth in their lives because of you?
I know that was a lot of questions. Great leaders ask themselves a lot of questions, because reflecting on who we are, what we’re doing and why we’re doing it is a basic reality for us as leaders. After all the unexamined life is not worth living, right? When it comes to leading or taking a walk, we must look to see who is following and reflect on why they are or aren’t following us on a regular basis. One of the things I realized as a leader long ago is if I want folks to follow me then I must care about them, and care about their growth. After all, positional leadership, the leadership that comes with a title such as pastor, or manager, or crew chief is the lowest level of leadership, and if that’s the only reason people are following you, then you are basically taking a walk.
If people are going to follow us, because we care about them and are feeding into their lives, then we must actually care about them and be growing ourselves. It’s all too easy in the midst of considering the “bottom line,” to forget that a leader’s true bottom line is always more than the number of widgets produced, the number of dollars in the profit column, or even the number of souls saved. As leaders the way we care for those who are following us, or leading with us, and the way we model and encourage growth are more of a lasting bottom line, even if all we are thinking about is the business or church we lead. Let me explain: one day you and I won’t be leading or taking walks any more. Our tenure as leaders is finite. If the church, or company or organization is going to thrive after our leadership ends, then we must be developing other leaders who will take our place.
That will certainly mean developing other’s skills and abilities, but it means so much more than that. If we want folks to follow us-truly follow us-then they must know we care for them as people and not just as cogs in the wheels of the machine. They must also know we are invested in them as people. That means we care about the intangibles such as their integrity and character development as well as their skill and leadership development. It isn’t either/or when it comes to these matters but both/and. Caring about the whole person and how they are getting along in life as well as how they are getting along in their roles at work is key to ensuring you will be leading and not merely taking a walk.
We are in a time of rapid growth at New Life right now, and our staff has multiplied over the past several years. That makes it a challenge for me as the lead pastor to know everyone personally and to help with their overall development as people and leaders. The truth is my role is becoming more one of leading through other leaders than it ever has. Even so, I still want everyone on the staff team to know I am there if they need me, and that I care about them, their families and their growth.
As a leader of leaders one of the best ways for me to be leading instead of taking a walk is to ensure I am continuing to grow. As a pastor, I make sure my relationship with God is growing through a daily practice of prayer and Bible reading/study. I also continue to read books and watch and listen to videos and podcasts that will sharpen my leadership. I invest time in Nancy, because I must model what I expect when it comes to family. My season of life permits me more time for all of these things than when I was the dad of small children. I take the season of life each of our staff members is in at the moment into consideration when I think about what it means to lead in his or her life. All of these considerations are aspects of what it takes to be a leader, and to ensure that I don’t turn around one day to find no one is following.
I hope you are taking the necessary time to inspect your leadership on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking, “Is anyone following?” If so, “Why are they following?” If not, “Why not?” As we ask and address the answers to those questions our leadership impact will grow, if we’re honest with our answers, and if we truly care about being leaders who develop followers whose own lives are healthy and growing. That type of environment is one that fosters the development of other leaders, which is a key to leading well not only in our own lives, but in the generations after us as well.
Here’s to leading better by investing care and encouragement into those who are following us–today!