|
By Barry Buzza
 Following up on my article last week which defined leadership as "... inspiring and stimulating others toward a worthy goal shared by both leader and follower", here are a few more thoughts to ponder.
Leadership is more than doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right people. For example, not far from our home a very beautiful expensive home was built a couple of years ago. It was lovely, well-designed and the plans were accurately executed on time and on budget. Today that house no longer stands on the lot where it was built because the foundation under it dropped about twelve inches after construction. As well as the home was built and as costly as it was, the cost of removing the three storey building from its footings far outweighed its value. Because the foundation was not solid the project was a dismal failure.
Leadership is more than reaching a preferred destination on time and on budget. A couple of weeks ago, Susan and I stood just outside of Cairo, Egypt and gazed with wonder at the magnificent 5,000 year old pyramids. They were built with a hundred thousand slaves and took about 20 years for each to be constructed. As we gazed in awe at one of the wonders of the world, I thought of this subject of leadership-Is it good leadership to force our followers to give their lives to build a monument to the glory of an ego-maniac? I don't think so.
They accomplished the goal of the leader (to construct a fitting tomb so that he could be rocketed in style to the next life) but the goal was not worthy of the work, and was certainly not shared by the pharaoh's followers.
Continue article >>
|
Leadership is about people. Without people there is no leadership. There were hundreds of thousands of people who worked diligently over scores of years to construct the pyramids. The questions are not only: Was the job completed on budget and on time? Were the goals met? Was the leader successful? Was the resulting project one of the seven wonders of the world?
Rather, because leadership integrally involves people, the questions are larger than about the leader or the assignment. In addition to the above answers, an analysis must respond to questions such as:
¥ Did those people involved feel significance as they did their assigned work?
¥ Were their personal gifts and talents used?
¥ Was their identity reinforced as they participated together?
¥ Was there a spirit of unity, partnership, mutual respect and joy in the project?
Good leaders bring their followers to a place of identity, significance and fulfillment.
Whether we've ever thought about it or not successful leadership is also about God. Leaders who lead people away from God are ultimately failures. Leaders who lead projects that are out of square with our Creator's purposes are fools.
Adolf Hitler was considered to be a strong charismatic leader, but he was ultimately a failure because he crossed purposes with his Creator. The Pharaohs, who enslaved a hundred thousand men and women to accomplish their self-focused messianic desires, missed their life purpose. Howard Hughes, who built world class businesses, was a fool. They are not examples of wise and successful leadership such as Solomon wrote about in his Proverbs. We do not want to emulate their patterns of leadership. Good leadership is about getting projects done on time and on budget. Good leadership leads people to a place of wholeness. Good leadership aligns with God's purposes.
Barry Buzza, a veteran pastor, is also the president of the The Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. www.foursquare.ca
November 15/2007
|
God bless you for this poignant thoughtful piece.
Our young generation of pastors who have become so disheartened because we are 'programs' and 'projects' oriented need to hear this.That, leadership is about
# 1 "People" and God's people
# 2 "Purpose" and Gods purpose
# 3 "Projects, but on God's principles,(the discipline of time and budget)
Thanks Pastor B.