Leadership Development Balancing Act
Back in November, I connected with Dan Reiland, a long time friend, member of the executive team at 12Stone Church, a leadership guru and author of several books including Confident Leader. Dan was a resource for my Leadwell Executive Pastor Cohort. He shared his expertise on all things staffing including the components of culture, selection, development, team and performance.
He had some great things to say about culture that go beyond the accurate and frequently stated phrase that “culture eats strategy for lunch.” One idea that I’ll likely circle back to in a future issues is this: “every time you hire or release a team member, there is disruption, the magnitude of which is determined by the strength of your culture and the quality of your staff.” Noodle on it, and look for a future post to further explore.
But I was most intrigued by two of Dan’s thoughts on leadership development.
First, he highlighted the differences between equipping and developing leaders.
Equipping is more science and Development is more art.
Equipping is more training for a task and Development is more investment in a person.
Equipping is more about the church’s agenda and Development is more about the individual’s agenda.
Equipping is more transactional and Development is more transformational.
Equipping is more exchange and Development is more gift.
Second, he noted that there are two broad approaches most frequently employed in the church - the “pipeline” and the development through “groups.”
Is development superior to equipping or is the leadership pipeline better than groups?
It’s really more of a balancing act, a both/and proposition.
There are of course tasks that people need to be equipped to do to accomplish the work of the church and the science of clear systems and pathways is not unimportant. Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator research says that only about 17% of people don’t need to have a clear path with well articulated next steps in order to take action. But care must also be taken to not forget that the church is a body, an organism that needs to be invested in and transformed.
Pipelines are great at reaching the breadth of the church but can easily become too complicated and will collapse if not simplifed. The group approach’s strength is that it is organic, quick and simple but it often only connects with more natural, up-front leaders … it doesn’t reach to the “back of the room.”
As you lean into 2023, might be a good time to check your leadership balance.
What’s working best in your context?
Questions like these about leadership are never easy to navigate alone. Through LeadWell Cohorts, leaders gain unique insights from peer learning environments. The wisdom of well seasoned mentors and expert resources like Dan from multiple disciplines empower participants to tackle some of the most pressing issues and opportunities of our time. This collaborative community helps leaders bust through their leadership lids and create plans for accelerated results.
2023 Cohorts are Forming Now!
Cohorts are by invitation only and are limited to 12 leaders. If you are interested in receiving an invitation email me at greg@ligongroup.com or schedule a call here.