The #1 Enemy Of Sustainable Leadership Success

The #1 Enemy Of Sustainable Leadership Success

 

Do you read your press clippings?  Do you enjoy it a little too much when people are complimenting you?  Do you talk more about your successful past than your bright future?
This is not uncommon for leaders who have experienced success.  However, staying hungry and being a continual learner are disciplines every leader must develop in order to experience sustainable success.  Otherwise, you fall into a rut and your success will be short-lived.
Successful leaders, those who experience sustained success, know The #1 Enemy Of Sustainable Success is Complacency.
I was reminded of this truth when I read a recent article by Len Pasquarelli on the Seattle Seahawks’s blue print for constructing their team.  Most experts stress the importance of the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, specifically the first round.  Notice the make-up of the Seahawks.

• 21 of their 53 players entered the league as undrafted free agents.
• 16 players were drafted afted the 3rd round.  For example, only one (Earl Thomas) of the eight defensive backs who suited for the NFL Championship game were drafted before the 4th round.
• An astonishing 69.8% of their players were not drafted by the Seahawks in the first three rounds.
• General Manager John Schneider has made over 900 personal moves since arriving in 2010.

This large number of personnel moves is a clear indication Schneider is not afraid to fail and is continually tinkering to make the team better.  An unnamed NFC personnel man says, “But the thing you have to admire most about them is that they just keep trying. They’re not afraid to put their hands over the stove again, even if they got burned a little the last time. Give them credit for their conviction. They don’t worry a lot about what other people think.”
This mentality is reflected in the players they have assembled.  When putting together a team of a team of leaders, here is what we learn from the island of misfit toys known as the Seahawks roster:

1. Their players are hungry.
2. Their players are desperate.
3. Their players have a chip on their shoulder the size of the Space Needle.
4. Their players thrive in competition.
5. Their players desperately want to prove themselves no longer how long they have been in the league.
6. Their players battle for every inch.
7. Their players take nothing for granted.
8. Their players earn their keep every, single day.
9. Their players are continually improving.
10. Their players are never complacent.

Could these same 1o things be said of your leadership team?
And one other thing – Their players are in the Super Bowl.
There is a healthy tension leaders wrestle with between appropriately celebrating success and not becoming complacent.  The Seattle Seahawks have found the happy middle.  This is why they will win the Super Bowl this Sunday.

8 Traits Of Grace Filled Leadership

8 Traits Of Grace Filled Leadership

 

Today I have a special gift for you.  Chris Lautsbaugh has been in ministry and missions for over twenty years, teaching and ministering in over 35 countries. He is currently living and serving in South Africa with Youth With a Mission. He has spent years training student from around the world in discipleship and Biblical training as they prepare to be missionaries.  He also operates the wonderful website No SuperHeroes.
I have interacted with Chris for several years online and recently met him in person at the Catalyst Conference.  He is a leader you should know about.  The following is a guest post from Chris which really challenged me.  I am honored to pass it along to you.
———————————————————————————————————-
My first leadership experience was as an 11-year-old in Boy Scouts. As a newly christened “Assistant Patrol Leader”, I led as I had seen others leading. Experience said the way in which you led other pre-teen peers was through yelling and screaming, using all of your newly learned expletives until finally the group accomplished the task. Unfortunately my model came through watching the 12 and 13-year-old leaders!
Some leaders never outgrow this style.
They refine it, dropping the cursing, but maintaining the control and the “no questions asked” style. Hollywood promotes this style with military drill sergeants and gruff police captains.
As we grow in our leadership, we realize the limits of this style’s effectiveness. We come to understand a need to value people, not absolute obedience.
Here are 8 traits of grace filled leadership:
1. Emphasis on principles rather than rules - Rules modify behavior, principles change hearts. Anyone can adjust their lifestyle for a season or adhere to a structure. Lives are truly changed through transformation rather than conformity. When we focus on principles, it teaches people wisdom which works in a multitude of situations.
2. Valuing people - It is easy to view people as a means to success in our teams. If our people feel cared for and valued for who they are, not merely what they do; we will have their hearts and their loyalty. This involves listening to our people and finding ways to serve them; all motivated by a desire to see them succeed.
3. Push towards excellence, leaving room for failure - As gracious leaders, we know our own shortcomings and failures. This gives us the ability to push people towards success while also allowing them to make mistakes. After all, people allowed us to learn some of our greatest lessons through failure. No one wants to work for a leader who demands perfection.
4. Allows different opinions while promoting commonalities - One of the leading traits of controlling leaders is insecurity. Insecure leaders hurt people. Gracious leaders recognize the need to surround themselves with other strong leaders, valuing differing strengths and ideas.
5. Confronts personally - Gracious leadership is not a free for all with no confrontation. Rather, the confrontation occurs in a manner which values the team member. You want to avoid general announcements or side comments to a group. Value people enough to say the hard things to them face to face.
6. Allows people to experience the consequences of their actions - Another misconception of grace is “sloppy agape”. True grace realizes lessons are often learned through experiencing the result of a bad decision and learning from it. Grace does not remove consequences or attempt to protect people from their bad decisions. Titus 2:12 tells us, “grace trains…”
7. Believes the best - We must trust our people; doing away with judgment, critical spirits, and suspicious attitudes. This value allows us to truly release people to do the job, avoiding the dreaded dirty delegation or micro-management.
8. Willing to be abused - Grace filled leaders often get accused of being taken advantage of. People naturally look for loopholes or ways to work the system. But, this happens in rule-based leadership as well. The potential for abuse does not disqualify the leadership style. A few will work the system, but more will flourish and thrive under this style of leadership.
The greatest example of a grace filled leader is Jesus himself. Read through the list again and you will see Jesus modeled every one of these traits.
I have run an international Bible school for many years. Our students study all 66 books of the Bible in nine months. Aside from Biblical revelation, one of the greatest takeaways students refer to is observing a new style of leadership. It matches up with what they are learning from the Scripture, bringing healing from leadership abuse in the past.
Grace filled leaders are not perfect, but we know this.
In a world filled with heroes falling every week, we need better examples of leadership.  People who are concerned with changing hearts rather than merely modifying behavior or accomplishing tasks.
What are other traits of gracious leadership you would add to this list?
How have you been impacted by examples of this kind of leadership?