Quote of the Day :: 07.10.09

It’s our job as leaders to cultivate the teams that we have created and are developing, and to provide conditions under which they will flourish, in many areas of their lives, not just leadership.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 07.08.09

We will never move forward in the way we are hoping without the right people on the team – the right people in terms of integrity, in terms of giftedness, in terms of energy, in terms of initiative, in terms of drive, and in terms of team-player mentality.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 07.06.09

It really is possible to lead successfully but not lead well.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 07.03.09

One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.

- Sidney Howard

Quote of the Day :: 07.01.09

Leaders are obligated to many things, not the least of which are clarity, expectations, feedback, and follow-up.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 06.29.09

It is one of the fundamental jobs of a leader to make sure that the right people are in the right positions in an organization.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 06.26.09

There is often an enormous disconnect between the vision of an organization and the events that make up the daily calendar pages of the organization’s leaders.

- Nancy Ortberg

Quote of the Day :: 06.24.09

Defining moments are only as significant as the lifestyles they produce.

- Nancy Ortberg

Tuesday Thots

“The 4 Stages of Leadership” by Tony Morgan

Lead by example. This is the type of leadership that is required when a new ministry launches. During this season, the leader has to do most of the work themselves. That happens out of necessity because no one else is around. It also happens to establish a foundation for the future. “Leading by doing” gives the leader the opportunity to shape the mission, vision, values and strategy of the church. These folks may not necessarily be gifted as leaders but they are in a positional leadership role. They are the “leaders of tens.” Ministries with this style of leadership can grow to about 100 people.

Lead other people. During this season, the leader recruits other people to join the ministry team. Rather than doing all the work on their own, the leader begins to delegate tasks and responsibilities to other people. The leader still owns the responsibility for making things happen, they’re just including other people in the effort. These are the “leaders of fifties.” Ministries can grow to several hundred people with this style of leadership.

Lead other leaders. This is when a transition happens where leaders begin to empower other leaders. Instead of a hands-on role where they’re on top of all the tasks, they shift to a role where they’re really more concerned about leading, caring for and raising up other leaders. They don’t give up responsibility for the outcome, but they begin to release team building and decisions of execution to other people. These are the “leaders of hundreds.” Ministries can grow to several thousand people with this style of leadership.

Lead by vision. At some point, there are leaders who may continue to embrace functional leadership of specific areas of ministry, but their focus is really on the overall health of the church. Rather than a ministry-specific focus, they have a global perspective that encompasses every aspect of the organization. These folks are leading other leaders, but they also have influence that reaches beyond their direct reports. They are coming alongside the senior leader to champion the vision that God has given the church. These are the “leaders of thousands.” Ministries can grow to tens of thousands of people with this style of leadership.

Quote of the Day :: 06.22.09

As leaders, we constantly need to determine whether something is a problem to be solved or a tension to be managed.

- Nancy Ortberg