COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP

My previous staff at East Lake read this book one by one, but together. We were nerds like that. One of us couldn't read a book without EVERYONE wanting to read it and talk about it. I thought I'd post some of the notes here, for the several readers here who get jazzed up over geeky leadership talk. Keep in mind these were typed out notes from a book, so if some of them sound like gibberish, they are. If you REALLY want to understand, get the book. It's worth it.

HOW A LEADER RECIEVES VISION:
What is vision: vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.
A picture of what could be and should be fueled by the conviction that it will be.

In receiving a vision:
Have you yielded yourself fully enough to God? Have you asked God to unveil his vision for your life, or are you asking Him to bless plan that you’ve already come up with? We must come to God with empty hands and an open heart and ask, “What is Your vision for my life? What are you dreaming about?” Have you fasted? Have you prayed? Have you been quiet and waited on God in solitude? Have you cleaned up sinful patterns in your life? Have you weeded out the distractions and ambient noise that would keep you from hearing what God is trying to say to you? Have you read avidly? Have you traveled widely? Have you visited a variety of ministries around the world? Have you exposed yourself to the kaleidoscope of visions that God has given to others so that you can be inspired by the variety of options? If not, get out there! See what God is doing!

Communicate vision by embodying it. Communicate vision one on one. Communicate vision by going public.

Developing Emerging Leaders (because that's what LEADERS do):
Development Plan:
1. Identifying emerging leaders.
2. Investing in the development of emerging leaders.
3. Entrusting responsibility to emerging leaders.

TOP FIVE LIST: Influence. Character. People Skills. Drive. Intelligence.

Leadership Styles:

Visionary: has a crystal clear picture in mind of what the future could hold. Such a leader casts powerful visions and has indefatigable enthusiasm for turning those visions into reality.

Directional: uncanny, God given ability to choose the right path for an organization as it approaches a critical intersection.

Strategic: God given abilty to take an exciting vision and break it down into a series of sequential, achievable steps.

Managing: ability to organize people, processes and resources to achieve a mission.

Motivational: God given ability to keep teams fired up. Keep sense of when team member would get a necessary boost from a day off, an office move, a title change, or training opportunity.

Shepherding: builds team slowly, loves team members deeply, nurtures them gently, supports them constantly, listens to them patiently, and prays for them diligently.

Team Leadership: knows the vision and understands how to achieve it, but realizes it will take a team of leaders and workers to accomplish that goal. Supernatural ability to recruit the right people.

Entrepreneurial: function in start up mode. Give birth to something new.

Reengineering: turn around people.

Bridge Building: Networkers

1. Identify your leadership style by the descriptions.
2. Determine whether or not your style fits your current leadership situation.
3. Determine the leadership style of each person on your team.
4. Commit to developing your strong areas, and to develop your weak ones (yours, those of each person on your team, and the whole of your team).

WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES THAT DETERMINE YOUR DECISIONS? (because VALUES always determine decisions)

one must always be able to answer these questions as a leader:
IS MY CALLING SURE? IS MY VISION CLEAR? IS MY PASSION HOT? AM I DEVELOPING MY GIFTS? IS MY CHARACTER SUBMITTED TO CHRIST? IS MY PRIDE SUBDUED? AM I OVERCOMING FEAR? ARE INTERIOR ISSUES UNDERMINING MY LEADERSHIP? IS MY PACE SUSTAINABLE? IS MY LOVE FOR GOD AND OTHERS INCREASING?