No Vacancies?
12 August, 2009 -
So many job advertisements offer great opportunities - everything seems to fit just right, then as they read on, you come across three little words that make a BIG difference; "must have experience!"
Where do people get experience from? Who is willing to take a risk? Who can see potential in a person and be willing to help unlock it? A job seeker can find these words very disheartening; they often stop there and lose hope of ever being able to be chosen for a job.
The Church is no different than the market place in this regard. There seems to be a trend to look outwardly for "experienced" leaders rather than inwardly and take the long road of growing leaders. There are times when the outward look is the right thing to do, yet I believe that we often miss the treasure that exists in people who sit amongst us week after week. Who is sitting in your congregation just waiting for the opportunity to be developed into the leader God has equipped them to be? Sometimes the person themselves has no idea what is locked up inside them. When we are attentive, God prompts more seasoned leaders like you and I to see, with the eyes of faith, the potential that exists deep within others. How many of us have had a defining moment in our past when someone has seen something worth developing in us and then been willing to walk that road with us?
As leaders, our job is to empower people - to get beside people and build them up, causing them to think bigger, and moving them closer towards who God is calling them to be.
John Maxwell (developing leaders DVD on offer this month) shares timeless insights on developing leaders around you. The people around you right now are either your greatest asset right or your greatest liability. Your success is based upon your ability to empower people.
Those around us will only make the change…
…When they hurt enough, they have to,
Learn enough, they want to,
Receive enough, they are able to.
An empowering Leader will identify which influence of change is taking place in the life of a potential leader. We see this demonstrated clearly in the story of the Prodigal Son. The dad showed leadership as his son came to a place where he was willing to change. His dad saw past his present situation to the potential that lay within.
People are the most appreciable asset to any organization, and are incredibly precious to God. So how do we empower them?
We must truly believe in them, demonstrated through our expectation of them.
Followers will respond to the expectation that leaders put on them. If we treat those around us as though they have a '2' on their head, they will respond accordingly - whereas when we see them as a '10', everything changes. Many people will do everything in their power to meet the level of expectation that is put on them. This is what generally separates leaders from managers; managers deal with inspection, leaders deal with expectation. Neither is wrong, and both are needed. Leaders are developed under leaders, not managers.
Leaders have certain beliefs that are demonstrated through actions. We need to be willing to be honest with ourselves and determine if our belief will lead us toward or away from empowerment.
10 Empowering Questions
1 Do I believe in people, and feel they are an organization’s most appreciable asset?
2 Do I feel that team leadership can accomplish more than individual leadership?
3 Do I pray for potential leaders and quickly assimilate them into my organisation?
4 Do I raise others above my own level of leadership?
5 Do I invest time developing people who have leadership potential?
6 Do I enjoy watching others get credit for what I have taught them?
7 Do I allow others the freedom of personality and process or do I have to be in control?
8 Do I publicly give my influence to potential leaders as much as possible?
9 Do I plan to have others take my present position?
10 Do I hand the leadership baton off to a team mate and truly cheer for them?
Empowerment is visual (90% of all that we learn is visual); we need to show people that we believe in them. When you meet an empowering person you know straight away by the way they act, talk and interact with you - you feel empowered just being around them!
As leaders we need to let people come alongside us and allow them to see how we live life. They need to be able to see our struggles, our victories and how we respond in different situations. Let’s be a real-life example, living what we teach, teaching what we live. Our time is one of best things we can give. It does get messy, and we will get hurt in the process. "If you don't let people have the opportunity to hurt you, you will never give them the opportunity to help you". -John Maxwell.
Great churches have great leaders and great leaders are developed over time by others who are willing to EMPOWER them.
E - Evaluate yourself and others
M - Model for them
P - Pray over them
O - Open your heart to them
W - Walk alongside them, journey together
E – Express your belief in them
R – Release them
