By Monica O'Neil ; first appeared in The Advocate
“Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Leadership is your capacity to guide others to places they (and you) have never been before.” James Kouzes and Barry Posner in Leadership Next by Eddie Gibbs.
“Leadership is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it towards a goal of beneficial permanence that fulfils the group’s real needs.” John Haggai in Lead On!
The Leadership Compass - leadership can happen in four directions:
South: Leading down.
This is the classic ‘follow me’ method of leadership. We influence those under us. Perhaps staff, volunteers in a team, our children. This leader has been given power and responsibility.
If you find yourself leading south, set clear expectations and stay in touch with those under your care. Jesus says we should approach this kind of leadership with the humility and actions of a servant. It is easy to boss others around. It feels powerful and satisfying, but “with great power comes great responsibility” (Peter Parker – Spiderman). Having people under your authority is not a licence to bully, but a licence to serve.
East: Leading across.
If you belong to a group or team, you have a capacity to influence your peers, although this influence needs to be earned. It comes quietly in a number of ways: by serving those with you; by having a clear set of values and living by them with courage; and by honestly and respectfully saying what you really need to when it might be easier to hide. Do you keep your word? Do you live by your convictions? Do you respect the convictions and ideas of others? You can influence your group.
North: Leading up.
We can influence those in authority over us (sometimes!). We can take responsibility to communicate well with our up-line people. What do we need to thrive in our role? What method of communication is most effective with our leader? What truth do they need to hear? Not many leaders are good mind readers. We can be other-centred with our boss! Take the time to get to know what they need and be clear about what your needs are. This approach is more constructive than whinging.
West: Leading Yourself.
When the sun sets at the end of the day, how you have led yourself will really matter. Did you do what you didn’t want to do in order to get the results you want? Did you discipline yourself for a greater good? Did you go out of your way to learn something new? Did you obey Jesus in some concrete way? Did you live by the courage of your convictions? When your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, do you have an assurance that you used today’s gift of breath well?