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Hello friends! What is managing and leading? Let us listen to what Pastor Daniel Foo explains today.
1 Timothy 3: 5 says, “For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?”
Many leaders let their work decentralise into management when they should be exercising leadership. Warren Bennis and Kurt Nanus in their book, Leader: Strategies for Taking Charge, remarked, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
Harvard professor Abraham Zaleznik noted the difference between the goals of managers and leaders. He said: “Managers’ goals arise out of necessities rather than desires; they excel at defusing conflicts between individuals or departments, placating all sides while ensuring that an organisation’s day-to-day business gets done. Leaders, on the other hand, adopt personal, active attitudes towards goals. They look for the opportunities and rewards that lie around the corner, inspiring subordinates and firing up the creative process with their own energy.”
Management concerns with the present, taking a short-term view whilst leadership looks at the future, or the long-term prospects of a project or organisation. A main difference between the two is: managers keep the operations of an organisation running smoothly whereas leaders look at how to better achieve goals. Here are some key differences between managing and leading in short:-
Managing: 1. Supervises
2. Gets the details and operations right
3. Keeps things running
4. Streamlines workflows and keeps team members communicating well
5. Looks at the bottom line
6. Seeks to do things right
7. Asks: How and when?
8. Improves efficiency
Leading: 1. Inspires
2. Harnesses those efforts to take everyone in the right direction
3. Locates and removes the barriers to growth
4. Looks at the desired end product and ensures the team’s efforts being it about
5. Focuses on the top line
6. Seeks to do the right thing
7. Asks: what and why?
8. Improves effectiveness
Both managing and leading are necessary in an organisation and they complement with each other in functions and activities. Every manager may not be a leader but every leader must be a manager. As Christians, we are called to manage our own lives, finances and families well, applying order and structure to them in obedience to the Lord, before we can presume to lead the people of God (1 Timothy 3: 5).
Besides managing, executing and supervising others well, an outstanding leader must also inspire and align employees and team members in the right direction. 1 Corinthians 11: 1 (NIV) says, “Follow my example, as I follow Christ’s example.”
As leaders, we must constantly look towards the end product such as building a dynamic team. That’s a product of both good managers and capable leaders.
Beyond looking at cost cutting, streamlining budgets and achieving organisational objectives, there is an important point for leaders to take note. They should also know how to stand for integrity and practise kingdom values in their workplaces.
LEARNING TO LEAD
There is a theory that some people are born leaders while others are not. However, talent or leadership skills are not a guarantee of achievement. Many naturally gifted people have failed, while people with far less inborn ability achieved incredible results. Leadership can be learnt and executed by anyone, provided they take the right posture. The attitude of the learner makes all the difference.
Henry Ford, the inventor of the first automobile, said, “But the best that education can do for a man is to put him in possession of his powers, give him control of the tools with which destiny has endowed him, and teach him how to think… A man’s real education begins after he has left school. True education is gained through the discipline of life.”
Thus, we need to keep learning while we are growing. No one will have the final word on something as broad as leadership and performance, and the outstanding leader is always a learner.
The term “pedagogy” is the study of how children learn. The study of how adults learn is called andragogy. The responsibility for learning and growing shifted from the teacher to the learner in adults learning.
It is important for us to keep a posture of continuous learning. When we learn nothing from a sermon, lecture or seminar, do not blame the preacher, lecturer or trainer. It is not their fault regardless of whether we have the best or worst lecturer, no learning will take place if we have not postured ourselves to learn.
Leadership is less about what we know. It is more about what we do with what we know. In other words, it is not knowledge that produces results but our competency in that area.
TESTS OF COMPETENCY
How do we know if we are competent, not simply knowledgeable? One way is to apply the leadership concepts we have learnt and teach them to others. To be able to effectively pass on a lesson is one of the best indicators of competence.
Here is another test: Are we able to develop a biblical worldview that translates into handles for practical living? For example, do we have a biblical worldview about trials and where God is in the midst of the chaos of life? If we cannot apply the Word of God and help people be overcomers and walk victoriously with Him, it is a sign that we lack competency in handling the Scriptures in these areas of life.
In the marketplace, the leader must be competent in his areas of work within his spheres of influence. A Christian teacher should be able to argue and present different perspectives about a particular topic based on his understanding, not just what is readily available on the Internet. In his analysis, he should cover all angles and allow his students to form their own opinions.
Emotional quotient, best known as EQ, is another crucial bridge between knowledge and competency. Do we know how to relate to people and work together with them? Many people are highly intelligent but poor relaters. Some leaders are able to relate to their peers and subordinates but unable to relate to their superiors. Others are highly competent in their scope of work, but often offend their co-workers with abrasive words or insensitive comments.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman found that effective leaders have a high degree of EQ and it is demonstrated in five areas: ① self-awareness, ② self-regulation, ③ motivation, ④ empathy and ⑤ social skill.
EQ can be learnt but it cannot be developed in emptiness. That is why it is important to learn and develop leadership principles in the context of our interaction with others. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27: 17).
For example, learning is enhanced in a group setting. As we interact with each other, we learn to clearly communicate and relate to others. Both of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ will increase.
Adult learning is caught rather than taught. It is a lifelong process. The day we stop learning is the day we backslide and deteriorate as leaders.
Learn as a leader and take as many notes as possible, especially if we are attending an equipping session or seminar. Don’t worry about whether we are able to understand everything right away; the important thing is not to waste the moment. It will take time to process what we have learnt and the notes taken will come in handy. Pick up relevant points and concepts taught with a view of acquiring as much knowledge and experience as possible, so we can pass it on. We must learn for the benefit of those we are leading – whether now or in the future.
THE DYNAMICS OF TEAM COMPETENCY
1 Corinthians 12: 24-26 say, “… But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.”
For an organisation to be competent, all departments need to work collaboratively to deliver an excellent result. Team competency begins with the individual’s decision to align himself with the purpose-vision and mission of his organisation. He then works with other members of the team to fulfil the vision and mission by being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It is one thing to train and grow as an individual and quite another to be in a team that brings out the best in him and other members. This can be seen clearly in professional sports for example, football. The best goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers will have no opportunity to shine without the smooth operation of the entire team working together. The success and failure rest on the entire team’s efforts.
BUILDING A STRONG TEAM
Testimony: Stella is a leader in Pastor Foo’s church who works in corporate relations. Once, she was given two months to plan and executive an opening ceremony for an industrial plant in another country. She had two in her team initially.
While Stella was working on the details of every part and planning for the arrival details of all participants, the counterpart could not confirm the date of the event. Thank God Stella had two competent colleagues, whom she was able to empower to carry all process. They coordinated and worked along with Stella hand-in-hand. On the actual day, the opening ceremony passed without a hitch. One of her bosses complimented Stella’s team on their excellent teamwork and the well-organised event.
The above testimony illustrated that strong teams are built by paying careful attention to the key areas and empowering different team members to carry out specific duties. The following are important keys to an effective team performance:
Team members must determine if the corporate structure, activities and plans line up with the vision. These checks will ensure that only plans and activities essential to the end goal are carried out, providing focus and direction for everyone.
In a church context, when the church size is small in size which is manageable, it is possible to have someone stand before the congregation and read a passage of Scripture or request for a song to be sung. When the congregation grows, it is challenging to maintain the style but to have a worship leader and team. Similarly, when the congregation becomes more media-savvy, the church uses more visual presentations and videos. The message remains the same. The church only needs to ensure that the methods remain relevant with the changing needs of her people. What is important is that the church stay anchored on the rock of the never-changing Word of God.
In the same way, leadership in secular organisations should be based on the vision and mission of that organisation. We should be flexible and implement methods in accordance to the changing needs of our clients.
We shall look further on how to build a strong team with few other important points next week. Please stay tuned. Goodbye.
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