Growing into Leadership

Mick Daly (Elder, Purpose Leader: Leader Development)
May 2007

I just returned from another Walk to Emmaus. I attended the Walk several years ago and, together with several others from C@C, have enjoyed volunteering since then to help others enjoy the extraordinary benefits that every ‘pilgrim’ experiences. It’s wonderful to see months or years of transformation compressed into 72 hours.

Attending and then volunteering on the Walk is a perfect metaphor for growing into leadership. As we grow into leadership, the phases that we cycle through are learning, modeling, teaching and coaching. Of course, we don't ever graduate from one and then start another. Each phase – every leadership skill - builds on, challenges, and strengthens the others.

None of us outgrows the learning process. Servant Leaders always know they do not know it all. That’s why they are eager life-long students, readily identified by their teachable attitudes.

World-Class Learners

Dr. Howard Hendricks says, “The day you stop learning becomes the day you stop leading." Servant Leaders stay teachable. They are world-class learners. Servant Leaders are set apart by hearts that are always hungry to learn more.

There are three compelling reasons why we must remain teachable.

1. We don't know anything when we start. It’s true! Pastors, doctors, teachers, full-time Moms - no one begins in leadership ahead of another. Everyone is equally green!

2. We don't know everything. That includes you and me! It's taken my whole life to start seeing that I don't have the answers. In leadership, just like life, no one ever arrives. In fact, the further we go, the more we know how little we understand. So we choose to keep learning, to continue our pursuit of personal growth and transformation.

3. The third and most compelling reason for staying teachable - for becoming a world-class learner - is that we, in turn, are able to teach others how to grow.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, his ‘apprentice’: “You, therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Today we are the students. Tomorrow we are the teachers. Leaders are teacher/coaches, teacher/coaches become leaders.

That's why emulating all the Habits of Jesus is so important. This is why we encourage everyone to be in an accountability relationship with another mature Christian; they will help us make a ‘habit’ of the spiritual disciplines of solitude, prayer, mediation, and scripture reading; they will hold up a mirror so we can be healthily self-aware; they will help us achieve our goal of leading like Jesus.

This is where most of us start learning how to teach and coach others. We are students learning how to help others. And by doing it, we're learning how to teach it. This is Servant Leadership.

The Heart of Leading

There is a difference between talking and teaching. There is a difference between giving information and getting through to people. The best leaders have worked hard to become great teachers. They became great teachers not only because of their experience and knowledge, but because they took the time to organize their thoughts in ways that make those same thoughts clear to other people.

The most important trait of great teachers, however, may be a willingness to admit their mistakes. (Ok! I admit my mistakes!) Because they always regard themselves as students, Servant Leaders are ready and able to learn from others. Remaining teachable means staying vulnerable and serves as a powerful role model to the people around us. 

This how Servant Leaders lead; it is at the very heart of everything they do.

Every Leader's Job Description

The way we learn to lead is by consistently doing what Servant Leaders do: always learning; always modeling; always teaching; always coaching. Those four activities fall into every leader's job description.

It begins with the basics: every time we do a ‘basic’ thing (like listening), we are learning, modeling, teaching and coaching (whether it’s good listening or not!) Whenever we support someone with encouragement and validation, we are coaching them.

This is such good news. We are going to grow as leaders; you are going to grow as a leader. We are going to get better; you are going to get better. The thing that’s going to change in the years to come is our increasing competence and confidence, and our growing positive influence on the people all around us.   

But there's more. As Servant Leaders you and I are going to leave a legacy. We are going to help people - the people we care about, the people around us. We are going to help them to grow and learn and get better. Leadership means leaving a legacy in other people's lives.

So, I challenge you to become a World Class Learner, and to have a heart for leading as you learn, model, teach and coach others, and as you follow your leadership role model Jesus.

More next month ...                                          ~ Leadership ~