Leadership: when it counts

I reflect upon the role of a leader... some say we should operate in an egalitarian mode (not our community, but usually those in the world of ideal and not in reality...I have NEVER seen egalitarian work. It has consistently reduced itself to the tyranny of the lowest common denominator). As I reflect upon this past couple of weeks, I reflect upon how I did, and did not do as a leader.

Rather than recount my successes and failures (there have been several in each column), I'll share the learning from my reflection:
1. Leaders set the pace, set the tone, set the mood, set the attitude, determine the courage or fear factor in the tough times: AND they control said areas becoming reality but their proactive speaking into these situations. [I learned from my Cavalry Squadron Commander in 1984 as a young platoon leader that our job in the chaos is to prevail in calm control - communicating not with words, but by the tenor of our presence and words the confidence that we are in control and that we will make it... That was the reality this week; I did well and I did poorly a couple of times]

2. Leaders must take the team/community where they need to go, focusing them on what they need to focus - not to satiate what they think, feel and want. Sure, there are times to definitely be mindful of others needs, others feelings, others angsts - but to satiate those felt needs, they often need the leader to define the objective, define what we'll do and how we'll do it to achieve said objectives. [I did okay with this, but should have focused how we spent our time during the evacuation, a.k.a. our hurrication. There are values that should have been expressed more often, more intentionally and more purposefully.]

3. Leaders must take their people (leaders and foot soldiers alike) to their next level. They don't often know where they need to head, how to get there... and without it, you slow momentum to existing and then we lose focus and purpose and then you fall apart. I have some focus on this in the coming two years. Some of it will be hard for my leaders.... they are going to feel me holding their feet to the fire... in a missional community, this is not a tenant that has been seen very often at all.

4. God's leaders have to step back and get perspective even more than saying "leaders". All leaders need to step back and get perspective, but God's leaders in that search for perspective MUST discover, hear, receive what God is doing, not what we determine He is doing; and we align ourselves to his agenda. The perspective peice is aligning in concert, in context to His agenda - defining our conitribution and our deliberate, measurable action steps to make said contribution.