An Overview about Leadership By Randall Hoag Introduction The paper provides an overview of the concept of leadership.

It begins by defining what a leader is and why they are important. The primary goal, types, and characteristics of leadership are then outlined. Next, spiritual versus natural leadership is compared. Practical leadership skills and small group facilitation ideas are provided next. Finally, myths, dangers, and recommended resources for further study are listed. What is a Leader? In its simplest sense, leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others (Sanders, 1980, p. 31). For the purpose of this paper, however, I would expand that definition to be one who influences people towards God and his truth in all areas of their life. Borrowing language from E. Stanley Jones (1972), a less precise, but easier to remember definition would be the influence of people towards the King (Jesus) and the Kingdom. These definitions are not intended to just be spiritual. To move closer to God and his truth is the progressive path for all areas of life. The Importance of Leadership There are many differences in opinion about what leadership is and how it functions, but everyone agrees that it is crucial. Some opinions about the importance of leadership include: The key to successful organization transformation is "leadership, leadership, and still more leadership" (Kotter, 1996, p. 31). "Churches rise or fall on available leadership" (Comiskey, 2000, p. 21).

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"The most critical factor in a new ministry isn't the idea, but the leadership. Each ministry rises or falls on the leadership" (Warren, 1995, p. 384).

The church has always prospered when it has been blessed with strong, spiritual leaders, but the the lack of such men is a symptom of the malaise that has gripped it (Sanders, 1980, p. 19).

John Maxwell (1998) says that nothing impacts organizational growth like developing leadership, not increasing resources, reducing costs, increasing profit margins, analyzing systems, implementing quality management procedures, or doing anything else (pp. 212, 213). The Primary Goal of a Leader The primary goal of a leader is to produce more leaders. According to Fairholm

(1997), The substance of the leaders job is to produce more leaders, not more followers (p. 211). The ultimate measure of leadership success is whether the organization and the followers grow (Fairholm, 1997, p. 56). The largest cell churches of the world have discovered this principle. "Cell leaders are not called primarily to form and sustain cell groups; their primary job is to find, train, and release new leadership" (Comiskey, 2000, p. 16,17). If this is done, than the other needs of cell groups will fall into place. As with all leadership truths, Jesus modeled this principle of leadership development. Jesus focused his energies on twelve disciples. Similarly, the Apostle Paul focused his energies on developing elders in each city where he worked (Titus 1:5). While this should not be the motivation, there is a practical reason for the development of leaders. According to John Maxwell (1995), the greatest leadership

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principle that I have learned in over twenty-five years of leadership is that those closest to the leader will determine the success level of that leader (p. 3). There are many facets of developing leaders, but possibly the most important and toughest challenge is to create an organizational climate for potential leaders (p. 17). Maxwell (1995) outlines the following steps for creating such a climate. Leaders must model the leadership they desire (p. 20). Focus on the potential of the leader and the organization (p. 20). Focus on the potential leaders needs and desires (p. 21). Look for the leader within the person (p. 22). Place an emphasis on production, not position and title (p. 24). Provide growth opportunities (p. 25). Lead (dont manage) with vision (p. 27). Do big things (p. 28). The author explains by quoting Winston Churchill: If you are doing big things, you attract big men. If you are doing little things, you attract little men. Little men usually cause trouble (p. 28). Spend more time on [developing people within the organization] than on [recruiting from the outside] (p. 28). Make difficult decisions (p. 30) when people are performing poorly. Pay the [personal] price that attracts leaders (p. 31). In other words, be willing to grow yourself.

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Types of Leaders There have been numerous studies and categorizations of leaders, to the point of creating a bewildering variety (Yukl, 1998, p. 57). A simplified consolidation of types fromYukl (1998) include: Task-oriented leaders are primarily concerned with accomplishing the task and utilizing personnel and resources efficiently as opposed to the needs of people (p. 61). Laissez-faire leaders have passive indifference about the task and subordinates (p. 326). They let the group decide with little interference. Charismatic leaders lead from traits such as self-confidence, strong convictions, poise, speaking ability, and a dramatic flair (p. 319). But there are potential problems with this kind of leadership: it can be used either positively or negatively, it is hard to transfer to the next generation of leaders, and it only works when there is a corresponding need amongst followers. Transformational leaders seek to transform followers by serving as coach, teacher, and mentor (p. 326) in order to empower and elevate followers (p. 327). Jesus Christ and Paul would be considered transformational leaders. There may be situations when different types of leadership are called for. A Leader needs to apply situational leadership (Yukl, 1998, p. 270-273) to determine the right style for the circumstances. A leader facing a crisis (natural disaster, legal, financial, emotional), for example, may need to use a more directive, task-oriented style. Nevertheless, transformational leadership is the style we recommend for the purposes of this study.

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Characteristics of a Leader Similar to types of leaders, there have been many studies on the key characteristics of a leader. Kouzes and Posner (1995), for example, asked over 20,000 people what they most admired in their leaders. The top four characteristics were: honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent (p. 21). Other characteristics such as intelligence, courage, imagination, decisiveness, were not even close to these top four. There are numerous instances in the Bible where key leadership characteristics are listed. The requirements for an overseer, for example, are to be above reproach, the

husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect . . . He must not be a recent convert . . . He must also have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Timothy 3:2-7, NIV). The criteria for choosing Stephen to simply wait on tables was to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3, NIV). Four leadership characteristics of particular importance are highlighted below. A fifth characteristic, being filled with the Holy Spirit, is examined in the next section. Godly Character: Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol, and Ken McElrath (1999) distinguish between leaders who strive after capacity and those who strive after character. They use the visual image of ladders to show the difference. The capacity ladder aims for achieving individual potential. Most people drop out in despair. The character ladder, however, aims for attaining God-designed potential and your destiny. These people leave a lasting legacy. The steps up the character ladder (p. 140) are: 1) Trust God and others with me, 2) Choose vulnerability, 3)

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Align with the truth, 4) Pay the price, and 5) Discover my destiny. A common trait throughout the character ladder is humility and trust (p. 70). By humbly trusting God and others with our future, God provides grace to go higher (1 Peter 5:6). Visionary. A transformational leader is characterized as one who inspires followers with his or her vision (Head, 1997, p. 18). A vision is something you can see with your mind. It is a preferred state of how things could be in the future. According to Hackman and Johnson (1996), communicating a vision to followers may very well be the most important act of the transformational leader (p. 82). The Bible states that where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18, NKJV). Servant heart: A kingdom leader seeks first the glory of God (Matt 6:33) and good of others (Luke 10:27). According to Hackman and Johnson (1996), servant leaders put the needs of followers before their own needs" (p. 339). Jesus took service and sacrifice to the point of giving his life for followers (John 10:15). He said whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant (Matthew 20:26, NIV). Even though Jesus was the king, he did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew, 20:28, NIV). If we truly lived this as leaders, it would revolutionize our view of hardships, offenses, and our treatment of others. Life-long learners: The quality of fostering organizational learning by example may be one of the most important functions of leadership (Bennis and Nanus, 1997, p. 191). When Bennis and Nanus (1997) asked leaders about the most important leadership qualities, leaders talked about learning . . . leaders are

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perpetual learners (Bennis and Nanus, 1997, p. 176). In this day and age, "most complex skills emerge over decades, which is why we increasingly talk about lifelong learning" (Kotter, 1996, p. 165).

The Apostle Paul modeled learning with his passion to continually know Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8). The key to a leader in the kingdom of God is to be a life-long learner of God and his truth. Like King David, we should strive to become people who continually love, reflect upon, and apply the word of God in all areas of their life. We should be people of the Book.

When the above characteristics are lived out, a leader becomes a model for others to follow. This requires that the leader have courage to change themselves first. "Effective change begins when leaders effectively begin to change themselves" (O'Toole, 1998, p. x). They model a personal change model (Fairholm, 1998, p. 208). Both Jesus and Paul exhorted others to follow their example (John 13:15, Philip. 3:17). Conversely, Bennis and Nanus (1997) state that leaders can infect their employees with their own weaknesses and ills. Similarly, Jesus states that a student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master (Matthew 10:24, NIV). In other words, a leader with weak character or management of self can become a lid for the whole organization (Maxwell, 1998, p. 53). In this case, leaders need to recognize that they themselves may be the problem (Belasco and Stayer, 1993, p. 40). As the authors noted about their employees, they behaved the way they did because I behaved the way I did (p. 40).

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Natural versus Spiritual Leadership J. Oswald Sanders (1980) adds a fifth characteristic of leadership when he distinguishes between natural and spiritual leadership in his classic book, Spiritual Leadership. He provides a helpful chart that shows the differences (p. 35). Natural Leadership Self-confident Knows men Makes own decisions Ambitious Originates own methods Enjoys commanding others Motivated by personal considerations Independent Spiritual Leadership Confident in God Also knows God Seeks to find God's will Self-effacing Finds and follows God's methods Delights to obey God Motivated by love for God and man God-dependent Biblical Support (added by R. Hoag) Jeremiah 17:7 John 10:14 John 4:34 Matthew 11:29 Isaiah 55:8 Psalm 1:2 2 Corinthians 5:14 John 15:5

Sanders (1980) says the indispensable requirement (p. 112) of spiritual leadership is to be filled by the Holy Spirit. He claims spiritual leadership can be exercised only by Spirit-filled men. Other qualifications for spiritual leadership are desireable. To be Spirit-filled is indispensable (Sanders, 1980, p. 112). He states that a spiritual leader is able to influence others spiritually only because the Spirit is able to work in and through him to a greater degree than in those whom he leads" (p. 33). When the Holy Spirit sees elected to positions of leadership men who lack spiritual fitness to cooperate with Him, he quietly withdraws and leaves them to implement their own policy according to their own standards, but without His aid (Sanders, 1980, p. 114).

Key Skills for Leaders

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Understanding how people learn: People have a consistent way of learning called the learning cycle (Conner and Corbett, 1999, VOC Lesson 5, p. 11). It begins from a foundation of life experience. This is what people currently know and where a leader should begin interaction. With the provision of new information, people proceed to reflection. Based on this reflection, people make decisions. Finally, for change to occur, action must result from the decision. This action then leads to more life experience and the cycle continues. A wise leader understands this and tries to stimulate reflection, decisions, and action to help people grow.

Facilitation: The definition of facilitation is to make easy (Websters II Dictionary, 1999). Instead of providing the answer, a facilitator helps people find their own answers. This is typically done with skillful questions. Jesus was a master facilitator as he often responded to questions with a question of his own (Matthew 21:23-27). Being a facilitator does not mean the leader has no answers or vision. To the contrary, like Jesus, the best facilitators have a vision of the right way to go.

Communication: Great leaders are masters of communication and seem to be able to find just the right metaphor that clarifies the idea and minimizes distortion (Bennis and Nanus, p. 100). They use stories, metaphors, rites, rituals (Goldhaber, 1993, p. 71) or any other tool to effectively communicate the vision and values to followers. Jesus and Paul were masters of communication. Jesus, for example, used six parables to describe the kingdom of God in Matthew 13.

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Contextualization: While people use the same learning processes, their cultural norms and understanding may be quite different. This is true even within a culture, for example, between older and younger generations. A good leader uses message and methods that make sense to the people he is talking with. The Apostle Paul did this when he built a communication bridge with the Greeks by referring to their unknown God (Acts 17:23).

Peacemaking: Anytime people are in relationships, there is the potential for conflict. Dealing with conflict is one of the most fatiguing responsibilities for leaders. The organization Peacemakers International has developed helpful guidelines for biblical peacemaking. The first principle is to realize that conflicts are not always bad. They can also be an opportunity to glorify God, to serve others, and to grow to be like Christ (Sande, 1991, p. 20). The biblical steps to conflict resolution are summarized into 4 Gs: 1) Glorify God, 2) Get the log out of your own eye, 3) Go and confront your brother, and 4) Go and be reconciled.

Finally, one of the key skills for a leader, especially given the context of this study, is how to lead a small group. This is so important that a special section has been created next. Small Group Facilitation Whether leading an organizational team or a Bible study, sooner or later any leader will need to learn to work in small groups. It is important to realize that effective

small groups are like a community. People around you have an inborn constitutional

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need to feel connected to others (Fairholm, 1997, p. 8). For that reason, the people around a leader is really a community of leaders (Fairholm, 1997, p. 209). Earlier in this paper, it was noted that the primary goal of a leader is to create more leaders. It is important to clarify, however, that this is not the only responsibility. From a kingdom of God perspective, small groups also provide an environment for progressive sanctification, mutual care, fellowship, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Mahaney, 1996, p. 3). The early Christian church modeled this life of community. They practiced a lifestyle of teaching, prayer, breaking of bread, fellowship, and sharing (Acts 2:42-47). For people to feel comfortable in a community, there needs to be an environment and relationships of grace (Thrall, McNichol, and McElrath, 1999, p. 32). This allows people to be open and honest with one another. Some practical suggestions for small group facilitation include: Agree on goals and expectations with members when starting a small group. Depending on the type of meeting, appropriately create an atmosphere of community. Examples include time for prayer, singing, fellowship, meals, and/or personal ministry. Pray for group members each week. God is the one who ultimately produces learning. Personally model what you are teaching to the group. Try to gain participation from everyone at each meeting so that no one dominates. Share group responsibilities so that you do not have the whole burden. This is the way to develop other leaders. Sit in a circle at meetings so that everyone feels equally important.

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Feel free to be fun and creative in communication methods. Examples include skits, games, pictures, etc.

Find ways to show practical care for group members in between meetings. This may be a phone call, visit, or other show of personal interest.

Be considerate by starting and ending meetings on time. If people have special questions or needs, they can be attended after others have been given a chance to leave.

Share your own needs with the group. Admit it when you dont know the answer to a question and commit to finding the answer.

Periodically review this leaders guide and other materials on leadership/facilitation. Transparently evaluate with members the small groups progress and satisfaction. Myths about Leadership Bennis and Nanus (1997) help dispel various myths about leadership. Some

excerpts are shown below. Myth #1: Leadership is a rare skill. Nothing further can be from the truth. While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors or great painters, everyone has leadership potential (p. 206). The most successful cell churches increasingly see all group members as future leaders. Myth #2: Leaders are born, not made. The truth is that major capacities and competencies of leadership can be learned (p. 207). Myth #3: Leaders are charismatic. The reality is (in their study) that leaders were all too human; they were short and tall, articulate and inarticulate, dressed for

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success and dressed for failure, and there was vitually nothing in terms of physical appearance, personality or style that set them apart from their followers (p. 208). Myth #4: Leadership exists only at the top of an organization, rather, nowadays many large corporations are moving in the direction of creating more leadership roles (p. 208). Myth #5: The Leader controls, directs, prods, manipulates. To the contrary, leadership is not so much the exercise of power itself as the empowerment of others (p. 209). Dangers of Leadership Dr. J. Robert Clinton (1992), professor of leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, has done extensive research on leadership. He has come to the conclusion that 70 percent of leaders do not finish well. He bases this conclusion on six findings (p. 7). Leaders do not finish well who lose their learning posture. The stop listening and growing. The attractiveness of character wanes. They stop living by their convictions. They fail to leave behind ultimate contributions. They stop walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny. They lose their once vibrant relationship with God.

These warning signs re-emphasize the need for leaders to walk in reliance of God, humility with others, and to be life-long learners.

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Recommended Resources for Leadership Learning This paper on leadership and facilitation highlights key concepts from many authors. To fully understand their points, however, it is necessary to read their writings. Similarly, the key to growth is life-long learning. Therefore, I recommend that you refer to the list of references at the end of this booklet. Many excellent resources for further study are provided. Conclusion The Apostle Paul says to aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition (1 Timothy 3:1, New English Version). Conversely, Jeremiah cautions against seeking greatness for ourselves (Jeremiah 45:5). Why this apparent dichotomy? The call to leadership is a serious calling. The purpose is not to become great personally, rather, to abandon ourselves unto God and the service of others. It is a call to see Gods kingdom and others increase (John 3:31). May God richly fill you with his grace as you live out your God-given gifts and calling. References Beckett, J.D. (1998). Loving Monday. Downers Grove, Illinois:Intervaristy Press Belasco, J.A. and Stayer, R.C. (1993). Flight of the Buffalo. New York, NY:Warner Books. Bennis, W.G. & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper & Row. Bible: New International Version. (1985) Grand Rapids, Michigan:Zondervan Bible Publishers. (unless otherwise noted)

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Clinton, J.R. (1992). Leadership in the Nineties:Six Factors to Consider. Altadena, CA:Barnabus. Comiskey, J. (2000). Leadership Explosion. Houston, TX:Touch Publications Conner, D. and Corbett, S. (1999). Corporate Identity Orientation. Scottsdale, AZ:Food for the Hungry International. Daft, R.L. (1998). Organizational Theory and Design. Cincinnati Ohio:SouthWestern College. Deal, T.E. and Kennedy, A.A. (1999). The New Corporate Cultures. Cambridge, MA:Perseus Publishing. Fairholm, G.W. (1997). Capturing the Heart of Leadership. Westport, Conneticut:Praeger Publishers Goldhaber, G.M. (1993). Organizational Communication (6th Edition). Dubuque, Iowa:WCB Brown & Benchmark Publishers. Grant, G. (1999). The Micah Mandate. Nashville, TN:Cumberland House Guinness, O. (1998). The Call. Nashville, TN:Word Publishing. Hackman, M.Z. & Johnson, C.E. (1996). Leadership:A Communication Perspective (2nd Edition). Prospect Height, Illinois:Waveland Press. Head, C.W. (1997). Beyond Corporate Transformation. Portland, Oregon:Productivity Press. Jones, E.S. (1972). The Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person. Nashville, TN:Abingdom Press. Kotter, J.P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.

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Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (1995). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass Publishers. Laurent, B. (not indicated) Watchman Nee:Man of Suffering. Uhrichsville, Ohio:Barbour Publishing. Lawrence, B. (1958). The Practice of the Presence of God. Old Tappan, NJ:Fleming H. Revell Company. Layton, D. (2000). Our Fathers Kingdom:The Church and the Nations. Nashville, TN:World Impact Press Mahaney, C.J. (1996). Why Small Groups? Gaithersburg, Maryland:PDI Communications. Mangalwadi, R. and Mangalwadi, V. (1993) William Carey:A Tribute by an Indian Woman. Surrey, England:Good Books. Maxwell, J.C. (1988). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Nashville:Thomas Nelson. Maxwell, J.C. (1995) Developing The Leaders Around You. Nashville, TN:Thomas Nelson Miller, D.L. (1998). Discipling Nations. Seattle, Washington:YWAM Publishing. Morgan G. (1997). Imaginization. New Mindsets for Seeing, Organizing, and Managing. San Francisco:Berrett Koehler O'Toole, J.O. (1996). Leading Change:The Argument for Values-Based Leadership. New York, NY:Ballantine Books. Sande, K. (1991). The Peacemaker. Grand Rapids, Michigan:Baker Book House Sanders, J. O. (1980). Spiritual leadership (2nd ed). Chicago:Moody Press.

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Sherman, A.L. (1997). Restorers of Hope. Wheaton, Illinois:Crossway Books. Stark, R. (1997). The Rise of Christianity. San Francisco, CA:Harper. Thrall, B., McNichol, B., and McElrath, K. (1999). The Ascent of a Leader. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass Publishers. Vander Griend (1999). Making Your Home a Light-House. Grand Rapids, Michigan:HOPE Ministries. Vaughn, D.J. (2000). The Pillars of Leadership. Nashville, TN:Cumberland House. Websters II New College Dictionary. (1999) New York, NY:Houghton Mifflin Company Yukl, G. (1998). Leadership in Organizations (4th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

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