Spiritual discernment is also a vital part of great relationships with people. This does not suggest you are constantly evaluating every word a person is saying. Remember, relationships are meant to be enjoyed.
However, you will need to discern the nuances of what someone is saying in certain conversations, especially if you are basing a significant decision upon it.
Another helpful post on this subject is titled “10 Great Relationship Principles I’ve Learned from John Maxwell.” You can read it here.
2) Strategic Execution
The people who follow your leadership not only want to know where you are going, but also that you know how to get them there.
My family knows that I’m notoriously poor with directions while driving. I start thinking and talking, and sure enough, I miss the exit! And whenever I think we should turn left, it always should have been right.
My best intentions and good relationships are not enough to get us where we are supposed to arrive. (Waze has become my best friend while driving!)
While very few people want to see charts and graphs, they all want to know you have a plan and that you are consistently working your plan.
“Strategy makes progress believable. Vision unites the team and strategy aligns the team. Alignment is the process by which the leaders and the people come together in agreement about how they will realize the vision. The vision represents the why, and the strategy encompasses the what and how.” (from Confident Leader! Page 138.)
What if you are a good leader but not a good organizer? For example, you may be good with people and a strong communicator. That’s great, but unfortunately not enough. There is good news for you.
The good news is that if you are not great with strategic plans, you can ask others to help you.
My new book, Confident Leader! will help you develop your strategy, but to get you started now, here are a few important questions from that chapter. (Ch 11 – page 139)
- Who is the point leader?
- Who is on the team?
- How are decisions made?
- What are the key objectives and the preferred timeline?
- What are the obstacles in your path?
- What resources required?
- How will you review and measure progress and determine success?
3) Inspirational Approach
So far, we have covered:
Good with people:
Good with Strategy:
The 3rd category is inspiration.
The responsibility to inspire is not reserved only for the senior pastor and a few leaders at the top of the organization.
All leaders must inspire.
The good news is that you can inspire people your own way making the most of your personality and strengths.
Keep in mind that the majority of the time you inspire others is not while standing on a stage before a large crowd, it’s more often one to one and small groups and is connected to how you live.
Of course, what you actually say matters, but your actions are much more powerful than your words.
If your life contradicts your words, you will not inspire anyone.
Whether you are casting vision to your board, or one staff member or a small group of volunteers, who you are, and how you say what you say matters.
You may be a leader who inspires others because you have a big personality, and you’re a great communicator. That’s wonderful.
But what if that’s not you?
You may be like many church leaders who inspire through your relationships because you’re just really good with people. Or you may inspire because you are so organized! Does organization actually inspire people? Absolutely! Remember, people hate chaos and love progress!
You will need some relational back up just like the relational leader needs some strategic backup, but the point is to lean into your own style of inspiring others.
Good at Inspiring:
I hope this is helpful to you and your team!
