How do you lead? Do you and your staff work together to achieve and excel? Is your place of work enjoyable? Your leadership style has a dramatic influence on whether you achieve your goals and whether your staff and volunteers love to come to work. Your style and that felt by your people likely sits in a balance between the two opposing leadership styles of authority and freedom.
Many leaders want complete control and authority. They choose to make most of the decisions and they direct the organization independently. Staff and volunteers are discouraged or not allowed to make financial, organizational or in extreme cases any decisions at all. Volunteers and committee leaders are committed and expected to be motivated and ready to be involved and work hard. There is little or no freedom for innovation, creativity or input. The bottom line is the boss is always right! This leadership style is centered on the leader.
Now consider the volunteer or staff centered leadership. The leader and staff set the vision and direction. Staff are encouraged to find and implement the best method of achieving the goal. The leader takes a keen interest, while playing a hands off yet supportive role. The employees are responsible to schedule, plan and accomplish the task. They set high work standards, will share, likely work in teams and will innovate and utilize their creativity to the fullest. The key factor in both of these styles is the boss encourages the direction and vision, but the use of that authority and the area of freedom for the employee changes as you move from style to style.
As the leader, you don’t need to adopt either extreme, but you will find the balance based on your God given skill. The drive to excel whether in Ministry or Secular is to move the decision making as close to the front line as possible.
You and your people need to prayerfully work together to find God’s role for you and your team.
Leadership is … seeking God’s direction in your daily leadership style
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com