Random Thoughts about Leadership

This month I’ve decided to feature short (at least that’s the plan) bits of random information (most of which has been gleaned from my ongoing transfer of information from the old Creator site to the new one…)

Today’s topic: leadership

Today’s source: Bob Burroughs‘ Monday Morning Email from January 2007 (yes that’s an eternity ago in web time…)

Today’s question: is this still true?

A staff that cannot get along with each other, who do not respect the privacy or rights of each other, who continue to see more and more work piled upon them, or who berate and belittle staff members publicly and privately–will eventually damage the work and ministry of the church and her reputation in the community. The general inability to “get along” is the root of the top five reasons staff members are terminated from their positions! Interesting, isn’t it. Relational issues top the top five list. Here are the top five issues:

Control issues – who’s going to “run” the church

Poor people skills – how to work with people the right way

Resistance of the churches to accept change

Pastor’s leadership being too strong or too weak

Churches already in conflict when a new pastor arrives

This survey by a top pastoral ministries specialist, began in 1996, and these five issues have been the top five EVERY YEAR since then. Bob Sheffield says, “We consistently see the inability to develop and maintain healthy relationships within the church and church staff as reason for dismissals.”

To which I can only say: Been there…done that…got the tshirt scars…

In the interest of not just repeating bad news, there’s this as well:

Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge, by Warren Bennis/Burt Nanus (Harper and Row) summarizes the findings of a study of 90 effective leaders and what has made them effective. These authors discovered 5 key skills that continued to surface with these persons.

1. The ability to accept people as they are…not as one would like them to be

2. The capacity to approach relationships and problems in terms of the present—rather than the past

3. The ability to treat those who are close with the same courteous attention that is extended to strangers and casual acquaintances

4. The ability to trust others–even if the risk seems great

5. The ability to do–without constant approval and recognition from others