The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – September 2004
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
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What You
Need To Know About People
Ten Ways To
Develop Your Leadership Skills
A Case of
Unprofessional Conduct
Successful leadership is about 90% people knowledge and 10% product
knowledge. You can have strong people
skills and not be a good leader, but you cannot be a good leader without people
skills. Successful leaders are able to
discern the needs of their people instinctively, and then take action to meet
them. The following is a list of the
most common needs of people and how to meet them effectively.
1.
People like to feel special – compliment them. The highest compliment a person can receive is one
given by his or her leader. Mark Twain
said, “One compliment can keep me going for a whole month.” Take the time to notice your people’s work
and don’t hesitate to tell them when they’ve done a good job. Make a habit of being generous and sincere
with your compliments.
2.
People look for a better tomorrow – give them hope. “Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling
we have isn’t permanent.” In other
words, when your people are having trouble seeing the light at the end of the
tunnel, remind them of the purpose of their work and help them envision what
their work will accomplish. With hope
your people will work harder and longer to see a task through to completion.
3.
People need to be understood – listen to them. Every leader would be wise to heed the Cherokee saying: “Listen
to the whispers and you won’t have to hear the screams.” Don’t judge what your people want to tell
you before they’ve told you. Take time
to understand their point of view and listen to their suggestions. It’s the best way to ensure that they’ve
been listening to you and it opens the door to innovative ideas for
improvements.
4.
People lack direction – navigate for them. “Unhappiness
is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.” Part of your job as a leader is to help your
people figure out what they’re most passionate about, and then help them pursue
it. Sometimes that may involve a
position change within your organization or even allowing a person t0 pursue
another opportunity. But when you
understand that effectiveness comes as a result of surrounding yourself with
people who love what they do, it’s not difficult to let a person go who doesn’t
enjoy their work. Spend your best time
developing and giving direction to those who are passionate about the work your
organization is accomplishing.
Ten Ways To Develop Your
Leadership Skills
1.
Follow
your passion
2.
Follow
the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
3.
Don’t
be afraid to take risks.
4.
Develop
your network. Leaders know who to ask
and aren’t afraid to ask. Develop a
Rolodex of experts, resource people and network builders. Keep the doors open with all people of all
different skills and talents, as a leader you will never know when you might
need their service.
5.
Think. Your most powerful tool as a leader is your
mind. Develop your mind. Hang around
people who think. Engage in activities
that expand your mind. Follow your
curiosity. Listen. Ask questions. Examine.
A leader is always thinking.
6.
Keep
a journal of things you’ve learned.
Read a scholarly journal that is “outside” of your filed. Listen to books on tape (Many stores now
rent audio books.)
7.
Find
a mentor. A leader should be constantly
learning from those “above” him.
Leaders know that it’s better to learn from someone else’s mistakes than
to make them yourself. A good mentor
will want to help you avoid his mistakes.
8.
Practice
solving problems. The number one
characteristic most people, organizations and churches are looking for in a
leader is the ability to solve problems.
9.
Seek
ways to constantly develop your leadership skills. Look for seminars or conferences that will help you develop your
skills, particularly in the big three areas:
integrity, innovation, and intelligence. Hang around people who can help you develop your skills. Commit to being a lifelong learner. Your own self-identity as a leader is extremely
important. Only when you recognize your
leadership ability can you begin to develop it.
10. Maintain your relationship
with God. You’re top priority as a
leader is your relationship with God.
The ultimate leader is Jesus Christ.
We should strive to be more like Him.
A Case Of Unprofessional
Conduct
I don’t know what we’re going to do about Pastor Cooper. He didn’t attend the meeting to choose paint
for the new fellowship hall. Said he
was taking his son to the park. Said we
could choose the right color without him.
Can you imagine? And he didn’t
come to the missionary dinner! His son
had a concert at school that night and he went there instead. Well, sure he’s a neat kid. He wants to be a minister like his father, I
know, but there ought to be priorities, don’t you think?
Okay, so a man has to be with his family. But how about the time he didn’t come to the young singles
banquet? He’d been visiting hospital
patients all day and he was just too tired.
Too tired! When the minister
comes to something, that means it’s important.
I guess the banquet wasn’t important enough. But he never misses the evangelism meetings, does he? He’s never too tired for them!
You remember the special musical program we planned in October? Pastor Cooper missed it! He took his wife out to dinner. To dinner yet! Well, sure, it was their anniversary, but they could have gone
another night. As long as they
celebrated, what difference does it make which night? She shouldn’t be so sentimental.
My husband and I haven’t celebrated our anniversary for years, and we’re
still together, aren’t we?
Another thing that bugs me; he won’t make his wife work in the church. When we needed Sunday School teachers, we
thought he’d tell her to sign up for the training class, but he didn’t. I know she heads up the ladies ministries
but that just makes her more qualified to teach Sunday School.
One thing for certain, Pastor Cooper isn’t like Pastor Ormstead. I miss him a lot. He was so available. Any
time the church was open, he’d be there.
You could call him day or night and he’d come. He was in everything, remember?
Out every night of the week. And
our church really grew under his ministry; you’ve got to admit that. It was a real shame he had to resign, but
after the divorce we couldn’t very well keep him on. You know how it is.
If you believe you are headed for burnout, here is a
way to test yourself for symptoms of a downward spiral ahead:
§
More
and more, I find that I can hardly wait for quitting time to come so that I can
leave the church.
§
I
feel like I’m not doing any good at church these days.
§
I
am more irritable than I used to be.
§
I’m
thinking more about quitting the ministry.
§
Lately
I’ve become more cynical and negative.
§
I
have more headaches (or backaches, or other physical symptoms) than usual.
§
Often
I feel hopeless, like “who cares?”
§
My
energy level is not what it used to be.
I’m tired all the time.
§
I
feel a lot of pressure and responsibility at church these days.
§
My
memory is not as good as it used to be.
§
I
don’t seem to concentrate or pay attention like I did in the past.
§
I
don’t sleep well.
§
My
appetite is decreased these days (or, I can’t seem to stop eating).
§
I
feel unfulfilled and disillusioned.
§
I
can’t seem to make decisions as easily as I once did.
§
I
find I’m doing fewer things at church that I like or that I do well.
§
I
often tell myself, why bother? It
doesn’t really matter anyhow.
§
I
don’t feel adequately rewarded or noticed for all the work I’ve done.
§
I feel hopeless, as if I can’t see any way
out of my problems.
§
People
have told me I’m too idealistic about my job.
§
I think my career has just about come to a
dead end.
If you agree with a majority of these statements,
then you may be feeling burnout and be in need of help or counseling, or a
change in life-style.
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