Rob Gaschler’s College Ministry Equipping Blog

The ingredients for your leadership success February 22, 2010

What kind of leader do you want to be? What kind of influence do you want to have? How will you make yourself the most marketable candidate for whatever arena you move into?

Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden was asked what it takes to build a dream team and he answered three things: Talent. Talent. Talent.

Leadership experts like Ken Blanchard, John Maxwell or Steven Covey would not agree. Ken Blanchard says skill/talent will get you in the door, but character will keep you there.

I want to propose a leadership framework that will make you the most successful and most attractive candidate for your future.

Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell both say that leadership is influence.
My story

The ingredients for your leadership success

1. Character—Who you are
I don’t care where you work, lead, or serve, character matters first.
Willingness to admit mistakes. Turn from mistakes. Believe and uphold the truth

Ken Blanchard, “You will diminish your effectiveness by fixating on short term results at the expense of long term integrity.”

2. Competence—skills for the task
Prov. 10:4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches

Be a life long learner.
Prov. 22:17 “Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.” 23. Buy—and do not sell—truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding.

Andrew Creighton said, “Avoid competency traps. Do not stay only where you are good at things go out and be challenged.”
Always raise the bar.
But also be careful to identify your strengths and your weaknesses. You must learn to capitalize on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses. You weren’t meant to be good at everything. A good leader knows what he does best and delegates the rest.

3. Conviction—What I believe
Romans 14:23 (MSG) 23 But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.
Without conviction you turn to legalism and tyranny—Hitler

Sound conviction should influence us rather than public opinion.

Strong convictions precede great actions. William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, President Reagan

4. Commitment—What I do. This is based on what I believe
Steven Covey wrote, “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.”

To have commitment today goes against our cultural norms. But to achieve any success commitment is required. You could also consider this follow through. Or I call it stick-to-itiveness. Are you going to stick to it until your vision or goals become reality?

Parable of the Farmer (Mark 4:26-29)—preparation, patience, profit
Leo Buscaglia “what we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to chose life.”