Sunday, 28 October 2007
Leading Factors in Leadership
I woke up in bed last night thinking about some leadership challenges I've been facing in work recently and wondering which key factors are most significant. A number of words came to mind that I made mental note of, noticing how they seem to have a kind of balancing effect on each other. The first couple were vision and humility, the second were courage and wisdom, the third were passion and integrity. I pictured these words forming a circle with the word love in the centre - the relational imperative and bond that holds all things together. I've decided to test how well my own leadership reflects these key qualities by seeking God's perspective in quiet prayer and asking colleagues and other stakeholders for honest feedback. I may do this by creating a conversational checklist: 'In my day to day leadership practice, how well do I reflect and demonstrate...?' The journey of learning continues.
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Hi Nick,
Thought I would experiment with a different form of communication. I have been toying with the 7 deadly sins and 7 holy virtues in looking at OD and leadership behaviour. Here is an extract of somehting I am writing for SMC looking at case studies of OD:
"Spiritual virtues in leadership catalyses change
These stories from Ethiopia, Kenya and the Central African Republic are about leadership. Leadership catalysed change. This leadership example came, not just from Directors, but also from donor representatives. They were leaders who displayed particular characteristics. These characteristics are termed ‘spiritual virtues’. The seven holy virtues are the antithesis of the ‘seven deadly sins’ . But leadership was not restricted to just an individual. These seven virtues pervaded the leadership team and began to filter through to the organisation as a whole. As these virtues were lived out, leadership earned trust and people imitated these virtues and the organisations began to change. True leadership is not something that is isolated in individuals alone. Change was a team effort, inspired by God.
Humility and listening:
The leaders in both the Ethiopian and the Kenyan examples were humble. Ato Paulos in Ethiopia was clearly not ambitious for himself. He had no wish to take on the responsibility of power. It was only after a long argument that he and his wife agreed to take the role of leader on a temporary basis. In the Kenyan example, the new National Director had no need to be seen in control. He was relentlessly open and had no problem admitting that he ‘did not know’ the answers. In both cases, they insisted on working as part of a leadership team. The unity that developed in this team was a key to its success.
The commitment to listen demonstrates humility. Leadership prioritised the process of listening to others from all parts of the organisation. In the CAR example, the donors spent many hours during the post-funeral conference with different groups in the church and just listening. These time-consuming exercises demonstrated their humility and respect for other people.
Compassion and calling
The leadership in both these examples also exuded compassion. On his first day in the office the Director in Kenya and his wife spoke movingly about their commitment to children. The leadership in Ethiopia were so committed to the cause of building God’s kingdom amongst the people. They had a clear sense of individual calling, which they were able to translate into organisational calling. The donor representatives in Central African Republic showed compassion for the church to come from Sweden and sit for three weeks at the annual conference of the church.
Patience and reconciliation
We see the importance of reconciled relationships in all the examples. The new leaders in the Ethiopian church displayed patience and forgiveness to the former leadership, who wanted to take them to court when they lost power.
In the CAR example the relationship between InterAct and EEB was poor. InterAct had tried to force an OD process on EEB before they were ready. There was misunderstanding. Both sides had to be patient enough to listen to each others (mis)perceptions and learn to respect each other again. Change only came once their relationship had been re-established.
Diligence and determination
The leadership in all these cases also demonstrated a determination to see things through. Each of the change processes described took considerable time and effort. The new EEB leader in the Central African Republic was a different sort of leader. He was described as a ‘very disciplined man. His example made others in the church more disciplined’.
In the Ethiopian example, the church leadership refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer in negotiations with the Government about returning the schools to them (even though many in the church were desperate to keep the schools). They went back and back and back to the government before the change was accepted. They also realised that turning around the financial situation would take time – three years of hard work and unpopular decisions.
Generosity and sacrifice
The leaders in these examples showed great generosity of their time and of themselves and their families.
They stood against the temptation of greed. In Ethiopia the leaders showed by example by not taking allowances and by using public transport wherever possible. They avoided the ostentatious status symbols of power that were expected of them. Instead, they sacrificed their time even causing family tensions in some cases. In CAR, the donor representatives even used their own holiday time for the trip, as it was too much for their organisation to support.
Self-control and mindfulness of others
The leaders in these cases were mindful of others. They emphasised being with people, rather than doing things for them. The example of donor representatives spending days with the CAR church leadership at the post-funeral conference spoke volumes. Being prepared to “weep with those who weep” opened up the room for change. The leadership in Ethiopia practised ‘incarnational leadership’ becoming one of them through the relentless visits to the villages. In Kenya even the gesture of taking the minibus along the road where the accident occurred showed they were mindful of others and self-controlled.
Honesty and courage.
The leadership in these examples had the courage to bring honesty and openness into the organisations. In Ethiopia they emphasised right from the outset that ‘no hidden agendas’ would be their foundational value. They also surprised people by their open sharing of sensitive financial information. This was culturally very radical. In the Kenya example, openness became the hallmark of the leadership team, through a series of emotional experiences. As their own relationships with God deepened, so they performed more effectively in the team. They became more honest with themselves and with each other.
But these leaders also did not shy from taking hard decisions for the right reasons. In the Kenya example, they had to get the right people in the right posts (and therefore the wrong people out). In Ethiopia, they had the courage to go ahead with the unpopular but necessary cost saving programme."
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