LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT @ IMPACT

Leadership Skills: Transformative Leadership and Managing Change

Feb 23, 2010

What is transformative leadership?

A WILLINGNESS and COMMITMENT to:

• Continuously be remade from the inside out by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.

• Transform our leadership style when necessary to provide the most effective influence.

How do we pursue this transformation?

• On the inside?– By approaching the Lord in truth on a daily basis,

seeking and yielding to His will in each area of life.– Being known in truth by several other fellow believers

who can lovingly speak honestly into our lives.

• In our leadership style?– Seeking out and applying input from our peers (like

using our 360 feedback).– Asking others we respect to mentor us.

Reflection Questions: Set #1

• Who are a few people that are great leaders from your perspective? Which qualities make them great?

• How would these qualities be helpful to you in your current ministry role?

Assessing our Leadership Quotient

Our leadership quotient is a combination of three factors:

– Our personality blend – Each personality type approaches leadership a bit differently—and each type is needed! Some styles are also more people-friendly than others.

– Our practice of integrity – Relying on God’s strength to live consistently with our internal desire for godliness. We need to humbly (and often!) confess our failures to the Lord and trusted others.

Assessing our Leadership Quotient (con’t)

• Our leadership quotient is a combination of … (con’t):– Place of ministry – Different ministries may adhere to

different values. We may be tempted to take a set of values and priorities from a previous assignment and attempt to use that same “template” everywhere else.

– This will frustrate us (and those we lead!) if we also expect the same results everywhere we go. Let’s ask the Lord to guide us in managing wisely.

• We must take these three components into consideration to maximize our leadership potential.

Reflection Questions: Set #2

• Based on previous assessments, how would you summarize your: a) personality blend, b) main strengths, and c) areas of weakness?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life that might presently lack integrity. What is He asking you to do?

Reflection Questions: Set #2 (con’t)

• How do your personality, practice of integrity, and place of ministry affect your overall leadership ability (positively and negatively)?

• What adjustments could you make regarding your leadership quotient to become more effective in your role?

Dealing with CHANGE in Ministry

• While the message and mission of our ministry should NOT change, ministry strategy must adapt to ensure effectiveness in reaching our goals.

• Our current generation faces continual changes in these four areas:– Technology – With cell phones, laptops, and WiFi,

we are now in the age of the virtual office. What are pro’s and con’s in relation to this?

Dealing with CHANGE in Ministry (con’t)

• Our current generation faces continual changes in these four areas (con’t):

– Consumerism – People are less interested in location or denomination, but are drawn to ministries that meet specific needs.

– Ethnicity – Increased mobility has contributed to more

diversity in most metropolitan areas. – The postmodern generation – We prefer the participatory

leadership compared to hierarchy.

Reflection Questions: Set #3

• What current trends do you notice in your ministry context? How do you see them impacting your approach to ministry in the near future?

• How might you begin preparing yourself and your ministry for such a transition?

Change Management: Potential Pitfalls

1. When leaders are accused of changing things for the mere sake of change.

2. Whenever leaders unilaterally try to initiate change. We need to work with others to create and sustain change.

3. Without clear strategy, it becomes very labor intensive (and may not come to completion).

Wise Change Management

1. We must know our people—their passions, dreams, needs, and concerns.

2. Anticipate that change is often resisted. What support system can we create for ourselves (and our fellow leaders) to handle this stress?

3. Embrace change, rather than avoid it. It will always happen one way or another.

4. We must communicate, communicate, communicate! Keep the vision, purpose, and direction in front of everyone day in and day out.

Reflection Questions: Set #4

• As you think of changes that have affected your ministry, which ones were the hardest for you to accept or adjust to? Why?

• How could a similar drawback be avoided in the future?

• Which changes have been easier for you? Why?