May 19, 2012

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How to Avoid the Copy-Cat Leadership Trap

April 20, 2012 By 1 Comment

One of the best ways to develop in your leadership is to learn from other leaders. Growing leaders will read about other great leaders, will seek to discern their leadership traits, even emulate their leadership skills.

But one of the worst things you can do is to short-circuit the process by merely attempting to copy these great leaders.

Copy-cat leaders do little more than mimic someone else’s leadership style. They’ll try to copy the vision-casting style of Bill Hybels or the teaching mannerisms of Andy Stanley. They’ll even try to mimic the hip casual style of Steven Furtick.

This may result in short-term success, but rarely will it yield the lasting impact that comes only from a deeper study of great leaders.

So how can you avoid falling into the copy-cat leadership trap?

1.   Ask more “why” questions; ask fewer “how” questions
For every “how” question (“How does that leader use illustrations in his talks?”), ask at least four “why” questions. “Why does that leader bring so much energy when he preaches about lost people?” “Why does that leader pour so much of himself into younger leaders?”

“How” questions point to technique. “Why” questions point to values.

2.   Focus on a leader’s journey; not just their results
Many leaders want to copy the seemingly idyllic leadership lifestyle of Hawaii’s Wayne Cordeiro.

Few want to look at the years of burnout that he needed to endure.

Many leaders want to copy Craig Groeschel’s impressive media ministry.

Few want to look at the years of ministry spent in a garage.

The point is, the real “guts” of leadership is often found in studying these leaders’ most gruelling experiences.

3.   Seek to become the best leader you can be, not who someone else can be
God gave you certain leadership gifts, passions, dreams, and capacities.

Your goal must be to learn from other great leaders in order to fully grow into the leader God has called you to be, not to become some hybrid of other leaders.

Always learn from the leaders you most admire, but continually check your spirit to ensure you’re not seeking to merely copy them.

From that learning posture God can develop you into the leader he has uniquely designed you to be.

How do you ensure you don’t fall into “copy-cat” leadership?

Filed Under: Featured, Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How Leaders Move from the Engine Room to the Bridge

November 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You can’t steer a ship from the engine room.

Effective leaders know that their place is on the “bridge” of their organization, scanning the horizon and moving things forward. But they also know that it’s necessary and important to poke around the engine room from time to time.

Here’s the leadership question: How do you strike the right balance between bold, visionary leadership (the bridge) and paying The bridgeappropriate attention to your organization’s operations (the engine room)?

One way I’ve learned is to practice the daily leadership discipline of focusing on my purpose, not my job.

When I first joined this organization in 1997 I was given a somewhat vague responsibility called “marketing”. We were already heavily involved in initiatives such as catalogues and flyers, so in the early days I simply kept running those projects.

I was in the engine room.

But to get myself up onto the bridge I began to increasingly ask myself, “If my job is to get these catalogues and flyers done, what is my purpose?”

And then it hit me. My purpose was to connect church leaders with our ministry.

Once my focus shifted to that level everything changed. Now I was constantly scanning the horizon looking for ever more effective ways to connect church leaders to our ministry, always seeking innovative ways to add value to church leaders.

Our engine room was still humming along, producing catalogues and flyers. But increasingly I was on the bridge focused on the unique purpose my leadership was able to provide.

Today I try to keep the same approach. And I do so through a leadership discipline of asking myself these kinds of questions:

  • What unique value do I bring to the organization?
  • What of lasting value would not be achieved if I were not here?
  • Am I growing satisfied with wins of “efficiency” (the engine room) or
    of “effectiveness” (the bridge)
  • Do I have an increasingly clear picture of the future (the bridge) or am I gaining clarity only on how we function (the engine room)?

If you find yourself getting stuck in your organization’s engine room try wrestling with these questions. Over time you will see yourself increasingly scanning the horizon from where you belong; up on the bridge.

What questions would you add to this list?

Filed Under: Effectiveness, Leadership Tagged With: , , , ,

What Leaders Can Learn from Quarterback Efficiency

November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What is your “What do you think?” to “Here’s what I think” ratio?

Do you have a sense for how often you ask for input, compared to how often you offer your own?

Tom Brady You see, just as effective quarterbacks pay attention to their touchdown to interception ratio, great leaders know the importance of their “What do you think?” to “Here’s what I think” ratio.

In football, the touchdown to interception ratio is part of a quarterback’s passing efficiency rating. Quarterbacks and coaches pay meticulous attention to it. Three touchdowns thrown in a game might seem great, but if five interceptions are also thrown that indicates a very poor outing.

This is why Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of all time. Of all quarterbacks who have ever thrown at least 2000 passes, no one has come close to matching his touchdown to interception ratio (a 2.53 ratio, meaning for every interception he has thrown, he has thrown 2.53 touchdown passes).

In the same way, I’m learning how important it is for leaders to know and to pay attention to their “What do you think?” to “Here’s what I think” ratio.

Pay attention to how effective leaders talk and I think you’ll see what I mean.

Great leaders certainly cast vision, share insights, and make bold statements. But they seem to be just as focused on seeking the input of others.

I am so committed to growing in this area, that for the rest of 2011 I have set a goal for myself to ask “What do you think?” at least 10 times a day. Whatever I’m working on I’m going to “up my game” by going out of my way to seek this kind of input from teammates, board members, and a bunch of smart people I know.

Are you willing to take the challenge? Why not join me in the “What do you think?” challenge for the next two months. It will be stretching, but I predict it will pay off.

What do you think?

Filed Under: Leadership, Sports Analogies Tagged With: , , , ,

Communicating Between the Lines

August 19, 2010 By 1 Comment

I’ve recently been reminded of an important principle in communication. I call it Communicating Between the Lines.

This refers to the fact that often what we communicate is overshadowed by what people think we have said.

I still remember a confusing conversation I had with a good friend of mine more than 30 years ago when he expressed interest in the well-being of my grandparents. My grandfather had undergone successful surgery to have a pace-maker installed to keep his heart working properly, and around the same time my grandparents had bought a second car; an AMC Pacer.

AMC PacerYou can see this misunderstanding coming straight down Main Street.

My friend, thinking he was asking about my grandfather’s surgery, mistakenly asked about his new Pacer. Naturally, I went on to describe their new car. I said it ran great, it had unique styling, and that it was blue.

My friend, still thinking we were discussing open-heart surgery, dropped his jaw in utter disbelief. “You mean…he SHOWED it to you???!!!”

Similarly, even as so much positive response has come in around our announcement that next year’s Global Leadership Summit in Canada would take place in September, the principle of Communicating Between the Lines has surfaced again, as questions have come in that show a need for a certain amount of additional clarity.

So then, here are a few basic F.A.Q.s with respect to next year’s Summit.

Q: Does this change mean we won’t see the content coming from Willow?

A: Summit participants in Canada will enjoy ALL of the content from the U.S. Summit.

Q: So, will Canada now be “on our own” instead of being part of the global experience?

A: Actually, we’re moving CLOSER to the global experience. Outside North America, the global Summit experience has always taken place several weeks AFTER the U.S. Summit. Canada will now be moving into closer alignment with the rest of the world.

Q: Why are you adding Canadian sessions? Aren’t the U.S. sessions good enough?

A: Again, this is a lesson learned from the Summit around the world. Up until now, Canada has been one of the very few Summit countries not to include at least one or two sessions originating from the host country.

Q: So, does this mean we’re just watching videos?

A: No! In addition to the U.S. content this will be an interactive event, being experienced simultaneously across Canada. From the Atlantic provinces to the west coast, Canadians will be engaged in a shared experience. There will be interactive elements and opportunities for full “real time” participation from coast to coast.

From time to time if I become aware of the need for more Communicating Between the Lines I’ll update this F.A.Q. And indeed if you have questions or ideas for next year’s event, note them below or email me at scochrane@growingleadership.com.

Filed Under: Canadian, Community, Leadership, Leadership Summit Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,