Saturday, April 10, 2010

Leadership Model

How we lead, or better yet how we serve will determine the impact that we will have on our team. I believe that the top down structure that most organizations have and adhere to is problematic and does not foster the results that sustain a healthy environment for growth.

About two thousand years ago we were given the ultimate lesson on leadership through humility and selflessness. By washing each of his disciples feet, Jesus taught us that in order to lead people to where they need to be, we have to be willing to serve them first.

I do not know about you, but this is a difficult concept to get my head around, not because serving is physically tough, but because it is humbling. I’m not sure how I fell about washing anyone’s feet except my own, because it is a position of servitude. But as leaders we have to step out of the safety of these generational misconceptions of leading/ managing and be able to humbly serve our team.

Leading is not about barking orders, or knowing all of the answers. It is about how certain changes are going to affect situations through knowing your team, and their personalities. It is about gathering facts and being able to discern what is the proper course of action, but mostly leadership is about teaching/ coaching through emulating best practices.


If leaders/ managers continue degrading practices such as micromanaging, and top down managing/ babysitting without the consideration of the genius that is in their team- then it will result in not being able to effectively perpetuate long term viable change. Micro managers will have short term success, but they will not allow success to blossom through the cloud of their distrust.

Educate, Show-coach, Empower, Evaluate, REPEAT.



JFH