Are You A Leader?

[Tamika Phai Mills]

Through the years I've learned that leadership actually has many faces. The man or woman in whom I'd spotted leadership potential simply had a different style of leading than the more common leadership type to which he or she had compared himself or herself. Over time, as his or her style of leadership fell into sync with an appropriate leadership need in his church, he or she became a high-impact lay leader.

Different leaders often lead with dramatically different styles. As I can discern it, they all have the spiritual gift of leadership, but they express that gift in varied ways.

Additionally, certain leadership styles fit better than others with specific kingdom needs. I am increasingly convinced that highly effective leaders often have impact not only because they are highly gifted but also because their leadership styles mesh perfectly with specific ministry needs. It follows then that discovering and developing unique leadership styles is another major key to leadership effectiveness.

1. THE VISIONARY LEADERSHIP STYLE

What distinguishes the visionary leader is that he or she has a crystal clear picture in mind of what the future could hold. Such a leader casts powerful visions and has indefatigable enthusiasm for turning those visions into reality.

Visionary leaders shamelessly appeal to anybody and everybody to get on board with their vision. They talk about it, write about, and burn white-hot for it themselves. They are idealistic, faith-filled leaders who wholeheartedly believe that if they cast their vision clearly enough and often enough it will become reality. They are not easily discouraged or deterred. People who tell them it can't be done just fuel the fire of their spirit. They respond to opposition by digging in their heels and raising their voices even louder. Put them in front of the troops and they will splash vision all over them.

Visionary leaders may or may not have the natural ability to form teams, align talents, set goals, or manage progress toward the achievement of the vision. To be effective over the long haul they will either have to find other people who can help them or they will have work very hard to develop the skills that don't come naturally to them. But this one thing is sure: they carry the vision, they cast the vision, they draw people into it, and they'll die trying to fulfill it.

2. THE DIRECTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE

The directional style of leadership doesn't get much press, but it is exceedingly important. The strength of this leader is his or her uncanny, God-given ability to choose the right path for an organization as it approaches a critical intersection.

A critical intersection is that point when an organization, a department, or a church starts asking, "Should we stay the course or is it time for wholesale change? Should we focus on growth or on consolidation? Should we start new ministries or deepen and improve existing ones? Should we build a new facility, renovate the old one, or relocate? Should we start a contemporary service or update our traditional service? Should we start a Gen X ministry or work harder to integrate younger attendees into our existing ministries? Should we steer the organization 15 degrees to either side of the course we're presently taking? Is it time for some fresh staff or can we keep on dancing with those who brought us here? Which course should we take?"

These are directional issues and they are huge, so huge that they often immobilize a church or sub-ministry. But a leader with a directional style is able to sort through all the options. He or she can carefully assess the values of the organization, the mission, the strengths, the weaknesses, the resources, the personnel, and the openness to change. With remarkable wisdom, the directional leader points the church or sub-ministry in the right direction.

3. THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP STYLE

Strategic leaders have the God-given ability to take an exciting vision and break it down into a series of sequential, achievable steps. This gift of leadership allows an organization to march intentionally toward the actualization of its mission.

Visions excite people. They inspire people. They compel people into action. But unless people eventually see progress toward the fulfillment of the vision they will conclude that the vision caster is just a dreamer blowing smoke, and their morale will plummet.

Strategically oriented leaders form a game plan that everybody can understand and participate in. Then they challenge team members to "work the plan." They say, "Don't go off on tangents. Don't get distracted. Just put one foot in front of the other according to the plan. Come to work and do what needs to be done today to take the first step. Then tomorrow take the next step, then the next. Stay with the plan and you'll reach the goal." And that's what happens under a strategic leader: the game plan eventually leads to the actualization of the vision.

A strategic leader will also strive to bring the various sub-groups of an organization into alignment so that all the organization's energy will be focused toward realizing the vision.

4. THE MANAGING LEADERSHIP STYLE

According to some leadership literature, the term "managing leader" is an oxymoron. That's because some leadership experts draw careful distinctions between what managers do and what leaders do. It is often said that "leaders do right things, while managers do things right." I agree with certain distinctions commonly drawn between managers and leaders. But when referring to a managing leadership style, I'm describing a leader who has the ability to organize people, processes, and resources to achieve a mission.

The managing leader salivates at the thought of bringing order out of chaos. He or she finds deep satisfaction in monitoring and fine-tuning a process, and motivates team members by establishing appropriate mile markers on the road to the destination.

It's surprising how many visionary leaders are inept at managing people, processes, and money. It's also surprising how many directional and strategic leaders are incapable of actually putting the players and plans and resources in place to achieve the goals of the organization.

Managing leaders seldom captivate attention as do those who give the inspiring vision talks or make the critical decisions or put the strategic plans in place. But in the day-to-day operational world, someone has to manage people and progress to move the organization toward its goals.

5. THE MOTIVATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE

Leaders with the motivational style are the modern day Vince Lombardis. They have that God-given ability to keep their teammates fired up. They are on the constant lookout for "sagging shoulders and dull eyes," and they move quickly to inject the right kind of inspiration into those who need it most. They have a keen sense about who needs public recognition and who needs just a private word of encouragement. They seem to know exactly when a particular team member would get a necessary boost from a day off, an office move, a title change, or a training opportunity.

Some leaders view the motivational approach as a lightweight style of leadership. But it's a huge mistake to underestimate the value of this style. As a team member I'd be glad to make do with a lower-voltage vision caster, an occasional bad call at an intersection, or a periodic lapse of managerial effectiveness, if the leader I reported to would consistently fire me up, call out my best, cheer on my progress, celebrate my accomplishments, and tell me I was important to the cause.



Motivational leaders realize that even our best teammates get tired out and lose focus. Sometimes our most dependable colleagues experience mission drift or start to wonder if what they're doing really matters to God or anybody else.

Motivational leaders don't get bitter or vengeful when moral sinks. They view it as an opportunity to dream of new ways to inspire and lift the spirits of everyone on the team.

Jesus consistently motivated His disciples. He changed Simon's name and honored him as Peter, the rock upon which He would build His church. He motivated His followers with promises of reward in this life and in the next. He planned getaways and retreats.

6. THE SHEPHERDING LEADERSHIP STYLE

The shepherding leader is a man or a woman who builds a team slowly, loves team members deeply, nurtures them gently, supports them consistently, listens to them patiently, and prays for them diligently. This kind of leader draws team members into such a rich community experience that their hearts begin to overflow with good will that energizes them for achieving their mission.

While visionary leaders tend to attract people because of the compelling nature of their cause, shepherding leaders tend to draw people together almost regardless of their cause. In other words, shepherding leaders tend to shepherd and nurture a group of folks so thoroughly, so deeply, that when it comes to the cause, teammates are often heard to say, "The cause doesn't matter all that much. If it's a God-honoring mission that we can do together, count me in. As long as we can stay in community and keep our shepherd, we'll do it."

Under a shepherding leader the range of vision can be very broad. What really matters are the community dynamics.

Leaders must remember that although there are many cause-driven people who are waiting to be drawn into a mission by a visionary leader, there are also plenty of community starved people who need to be welcomed onto a team where they can be nurtured and loved. Only then will they be motivated to answer the call of a cause. Without tender care they will hold back, but if shepherded lovingly they will joyfully pursue almost any kingdom purpose with loyal dedication.

7. THE TEAM-BUILDING LEADERSHIP STYLE

The team-building leader knows the vision and understands how to achieve it, but realizes it will take a team of leaders and workers to accomplish the goal. Team-builders have a supernatural insight into people that allows them to successfully find and develop the right people with the right abilities, the right character, and the right chemistry with other team members. Then good team-builders know how to put these people in the right positions for the right reasons, thus freeing them to produce the right results.

When the appropriate people have been placed in appropriate positions, the team-building leader says to the appointed team, "You know what we're trying to do. You know what part of the mission you're responsible for. You know what part the rest of us around the circle are responsible for. So head out! Get on with it! Work hard in your department. Communicate with your co-laborers. Create action. Get the job done!"

The difference between the shepherding leader and the teambuilding leader is that the team-builder is driven more by a clear understanding of the vision than by the desire to nurture and build community. Of course, building teams always involves building community, but the unique strength of team-building leaders is that they have a stranglehold on the strategy and an acute insight into people that allows them to make precise placements of personnel into critical leadership roles.

Leaders gifted as team-builders may or may not be skilled at managing their teams. In fact, many of them reason that management isn't all that critical anyway; if the right people are in the right slots doing the right things for the right reasons, these people will accomplish their goals whether or not there is someone looking over their shoulders.

8. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP STYLE

The entrepreneurial leadership style has a unique twist. Entrepreneurial leaders may possess any of the other leadership styles, but what distinguishes these leaders from the others is that they function optimally in start-up mode. If these leaders can't regularly give birth to something new they begin to lose energy. Once a venture is up and operational, once the effort requires steady ongoing management, once things get complicated and require endless discussions about policies, systems, and controls, then most entrepreneurial leaders lose enthusiasm, focus, and sometimes even confidence.

At that point they start peeking over the fence and wondering if it might be time to start something new. They may feel terribly guilty at the thought of leaving the ministry, organization, or department they started, but eventually they have to face the truth: if they can't give birth to something brand new every few years, something inside of them starts to die. That's just their style. And it's important in the kingdom.

I believe the apostle Paul was an entrepreneurial leader. He pioneered and built churches in areas where the name of Christ was not yet known. After launching these churches he turned them over to other people who could run them, so that he could move on without apology. He may not have described himself with these exact words, but he obviously knew how he was gifted and how he could most optimally serve the kingdom.

How the kingdom would be diminished if entrepreneurial leaders stopped dreaming new dreams and starting new ventures!

9. THE RE-ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP STYLE

While entrepreneurial leaders love to start new endeavors, re-engineering leaders are at their best in turn-around environments. These leaders are gifted by God to thrive on the challenge of taking a troubled situation - a team that has lost its vision, a ministry where people are in wrong positions, a department trying to move forward without a strategy - and turning it around. This leader says, "This is my lucky day. I get to start re-engineering this mess."

These leaders enthusiastically dig in to uncover the original mission and the cause of the mission drift. They re-evaluate personnel, strategy, and values. They repeatedly meet with team members to help them figure out where the "old" went wrong and what the "new" should look like. Then they prod team members on to action.

Re-engineering leaders love to patch up, tune up, and revitalize hurting departments or organizations. But when everything is back on track and operating smoothly, these leaders may or may not be motivated to stay engaged. Some of them are content to stick around and enjoy the fruits of their labors, but many prefer to find another department or organization that needs to be overhauled. When they find one they start salivating. "Would you look at that kingdom train wreck?" they say. "If I could get my hands on all that twisted metal, I know I could turn it into something great for God."

I believe that God has placed re-engineering leaders in every church. It's your job and mine to find them and put them to work.

10. THE BRIDGE-BUILDING LEADERSHIP STYLE

Though there are additional leadership styles that could be mentioned, I'd like to end with the bridge-building style. While author Garry Wills calls this the electoral or political style, I call it the bridge-building style because I am referring to it outside of a political framework.

Bridge-building leaders make important contributions to large organizations such as parachurch ministries, denominations, and educational institutions because they have the unique ability to bring together under a single leadership umbrella a wide range of constituent groups. This enables a complex organization to stay focused on a single mission.

The unique gift that bridge-building leaders bring to this feat is enormous flexibility. They are diplomats who possess a supernaturally inspired ability to compromise and negotiate. They are specially gifted to listen, understand, and think outside of the box. But above everything else, bridge-builders love the challenge of relating to diverse groups of people.

In start-up ventures, leaders are usually surrounded by family members and close friends who share their exciting new vision. All goes well until that little start-up group doubles or triples in size. New people bring new leadership challenges. How do all these new people fit into the original group? What happens when the leadership team has to be divided? How do you maintain optimal group dynamics? How does the point leader relate to all these people?

Now imagine leading a megachurch or large parachurch organization made up of scores of well-defined constituencies. Many of these special interest groups care little about the overall vision of the umbrella ministry. They simply want to make sure that their particular concerns are attended to.

Bridge-building leaders are most energized when facing the challenge of drawing together and meeting the needs of varied constituents. These leaders would joyfully meet privately with the heads of various sub-ministries to understand their passions and their goals. After building relationships of trust, the bridge-builders would try to refine the vision of each sub-leader, negotiating with them until their goals were working in harmony with the overall vision and mission of the larger organization.

When leaders are optimally positioned so that their leadership strengths mesh perfectly with the specific needs of a church or an organization they can have huge impact. Under their leadership the troops can be mobilized, the mission can be achieved, and the kingdom can move forward like never before.