LEADERSHIP INSIGHT... Means seeing clearly into the fundamental nature of reality

Leadership has been a “hot topic” for more than 50 years. There seems to be as many theories on the subject as there are authorities on it. I believe the confusion and lack of consensus is due to the confusion between the concepts of management and leadership.

Management is setting goals – outcomes, strategy – how things will be done, and tactics – what needs to be done. Management is accomplished through control, directing, communication, and teaching, assigning authority and responsibility and modeling. It is not time or circumstance driven. Management authority can be granted or assumed.

Leadership is having a vision and being able to cast it. It is not enough to just have a vision. You must be able to get your followers to understand what you want accomplished. They must adopt your vision as their own. History seems to show that leadership is earned and seems to be time and circumstance driven. Being the right person, at the right time and in the right place seems to be necessary for leaders to be successful. That is why it is imperative that you follow God’s leading. It is giving people freedom to act, not controlling them. It is letting things flow.

Management may be necessary for a time before leadership takes place. Jesus ministry followed this sequence pattern. He spent the first three years managing by teaching, directing and modeling. He sent his disciples out two by two with the authority to heal and cast out spirits but this was limited by their faith. When they were well trained they were ready for the transition to leadership. After His death and resurrection He appeared to them and gave them a vision that lasted them through great difficulties and for the rest of their lives. They were no longer directed as to what to do. They knew what to do. They were set free to minister as the Spirit led and were successful at their vision of spreading the gospel of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus to the world.

There is a question as to whether you should lead and manage by being upfront or by managing from behind. Management requires an upfront positioning. You need to constantly make the decisions and give direction. Poor management is having a wrong strategy, giving poor direction or having a lack of focus, which causes confusion. Things just will not flow. This produces high turnover, marginal performance and low morale.

Leadership can be done upfront or from the back. Upfront leadership is like a General leading a cavalry charge with his drawn saber pointing toward the objective. It requires teaching and modeling. Leading from behind is least stressful but most risky. The leader must be sure he has instilled the vision and has cast it in such a way that people understand it and adopt it as their own. If they do not share the vision, you will be perceived as a weak leader. What matters is giving people freedom to carry out the vision once it is theirs.

Leading from behind is best understood by looking at the horses pulling a Wells Fargo stage coach. Once the horses have a vision for the grain and rich green pastures that await them at journey’s end, their passion for the rewards will take over. The leader’s job becomes encouraging and occasionally giving direction by a slight tug on the reins.       Every driver must know his team well. Some of the horses will be sprinters, who carry the load during the first part of the trip, and others will have endurance to carry the load towards the end of the journey. The driver’s task is to develop the team effort in such a way that each horse has the freedom to contribute to the total effort.

In the 1980s thousands of Laotian refugees came to the United States. They were ardent Buddhists. For three years I taught the Scriptures to about 100 of them without results. Then one of the Laotian leaders, whose wife had severe physical and emotional problems, was cared for by loving Christian women. The leader realized that these women loved his wife more than he did. It was a defining moment, and he gave his life to Christ. Then hundreds of Laotians came to know Christ as their Savior. Some went for theological training and became pastors, church leaders, and teachers. They founded a church and built a million-dollar worship center. Today they are devoted Christians committed to winning others to Christ’s. Once they had the vision and it was theirs things began to flow and little direction was needed.

Which is better? It depends where your strength is, in managing or in leading. Managing always works but the rewards of leadership are greater. Management and leadership can be implemented either in sequence or concurrently. If they are done by two different people, doing them concurrently requires coordination and cooperation.

Management is about control. Leadership is about giving people the freedom to realize the vision.