Peace Lutheran Church
416 Wellham Ave.
Glen Burnie MD, 21061
410-766-3283
Bringing Christ's love to all people and all people to Christ's love.
Parish Planning Council
Message From the President
September, 2009
I have belonged to a number of organizations throughout the years. The greatest asset each of them had was not their property or money or other tangible ‘things’ but rather it was their people - people of different ages, sex, ethnicity, religions. The rich diversity of these people is what makes the organizations successful. People who are willing to give of themselves for the purpose of the organization without a desire or need for recognition; people who are rarely seen but without whom many necessary tasks would go undone.
On the other hand, the worst part of any organization is that it is made up of these same people. As soon as you get two or more people together as a group, you begin to have personality issues, ego trips and feelings get hurt. Then you have to deal with those who feel they have ‘the power’ and wield it poorly. Along with all of this, there are also the politics.
When I was very young, I wanted to be the leader of an organization - not because I thought I would make a good leader but rather for the prestige of the position. It did not happen which was good for both the organization and me. The group had a leader who could lead properly and I was better suited for the background work.
The department of which I am a part at work, Organizational Development, is responsible for the development of the leaders of the company. Some of the courses we offer include: ‘Stepping Up To Supervision’ which is for employees who want to explore the possibility of advancing into management; ‘Foundations of Supervision’ which is designed for people new to management; ‘Performance Management’ which is designed to provide supervisors with the tools required to properly and effectively conduct performance appraisals, as well as many other courses intended to improve one’s leadership skills.
Leadership: Hundreds, if not thousands, of books have been written to define leadership as well as attempt to pass along techniques of how to lead. One definition of leadership is: a guiding or directing head of a group. The rest of this article is a compilation of various steps involved in the process of being a leader.
To be a leader, one does not have to be an elected official, or a CEO. A leader is someone that others consistently look to for guidance. A true leader inspires steadfast loyalty.
The first step towards becoming a leader is to look around and find ways to make the world as a whole, or even just their little corner, a better place. Listen to people. Think of problems in the broader sense - they are not always easy to define. Look for needs, niches, conflicts, gaps that need to be filled, and inefficiencies. The solutions do not always need to be creative or cutting edge; sometimes they are the simplest things.
Think of the big picture. As problems are being addressed and solved, patterns might be found. Those problems may be symptoms of deeper, bigger problems. Henry David Thoreau once said, "For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, one is hacking at the root." A leader needs to take a step back and try to find the root. The thing about the deeper problem is that it is not something anybody can solve alone; it will require a group effort, which is where the role of the leader comes into play.
Be proactive. If there are ideas about what the deeper issues are, it may be possible to predict the problems that may crop up. Instead of waiting for those problems to appear, take steps to prevent them. If the problems are not preventable, at least preparations may be possible. This is a difference between a leader and a manager. A good manager responds well to a variety of situations; a good leader takes effective action to prevent situations before they actually happen.
Make decisions, and take responsibility for the consequences. In order to exert influence and tackle bigger problems, decision-making power is required, and those decisions will affect the people who have given that power to the leader. This is as much a responsibility as it is an honor. Not only is it necessary to be able to make sound decisions, but it is also necessary to be willing to be held accountable for them. If things go wrong, people will assume it is the leader’s fault (whether it is or not). Think of the captain of a ship; the fate of the ship is essentially in the captain’s hands, and it is up to the captain to steer the ship in the right direction.
It is required that wisdom be exercised when calling the shots; hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If a person is not prepared to take responsibility for decisions - if they frequently struggle with hesitation and self-doubt - it might be a good idea to step down. An insecure leader may become a tyrant.
Share the vision. Leaders can often times see the bigger issues at hand. They can also see how things could be better if the obstacles could just be removed. To get people to help in changing things, the positive vision needs to be shared with them. Inspire them. Motivate them. Guide them. Show them how their actions are bringing everyone closer to that dream.
Remember that it's not all about you. The greatest leaders in history saw their role as a means to an end, and themselves as an instrument of a deeper purpose; any glory, prestige, or wealth was a side effect rather than a motivation. If a leader wants to realize a vision, the most effective way to do it is not with an army of drones; that army will only last as long as the original leader. For the most long-lasting results, the vision must be shared and let people adopt it as their own, and let it spread like wildfire. The leader needs to think of themselves as the beginning of a chain reaction--once it's begun, the leader can step away and it'll continue to happen without any effort on the leader’s part. "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." Lao Tzu
Charisma can be helpful, but it is not essential. There have been many admired leaders in human history who were not the friendliest, most charming person in the bunch. What was important, however, was that people trusted them, and they were inspired by his or her vision. What a leader needs is good communication skills (whether it is through speaking, writing, even art) so that the vision can be articulated.
Always practice what you preach. There's no better way to lose credibility as a leader than to be a hypocrite.
A leader is in the limelight, which means there is a certain loss of privacy involved. It may also be difficult to form close relationships of any kind with people in the group. There are always concerns about favoritism and preferential treatment.
How does all of this relate to Peace Lutheran Church? Some of us are leaders by virtue of having been elected to positions of responsibility. Some of us are leaders by virtue of holding positions of responsibility and authority for which we are paid. Some of us are leaders because we have volunteered to be Sunday School teachers, Altar guild members, choir members, musicians, ushers, greeters, worship or communion assistants, acolytes, crucifers, etc. The list can go on and on.
People can also be leaders just by being themselves. One does not have to be in a position of responsibility or authority to be a leader. As said earlier, a leader is someone who sees needs, niches, conflicts, gaps that need to be filled, and inefficiencies and then does something about it.
It is important to note that not everyone can be a leader. This is not a bad thing. Remember the adages: ‘Too many cooks spoil the soup’; ‘Too many chiefs, not enough Indians’. If everyone considers themselves to be the leader, there will be no one to do the work required to see the vision brought to fruition.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
God’s Peace to all.
Patrick