Leadership Development is Good
What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear “leadership development”?
Be honest…
If you’re like me, most of your thoughts go something like this.
Boring
Not Applicable
Performance Improvement
Targeting Weaknesses
Fear of Needing Help
Imposter Syndrome
Fear of Failure
Most of these connotations are pretty negative and center around the idea that leadership development is geared towards bad leaders who are failing and need their weaknesses addressed before it's too late. Maybe that is a little over the top, but I think it is true that there is some fear present. It can be daunting to ask for help.
Most leaders want to do a great job. We want to cast vision and lead our teams well. We want to make good decisions and be well rounded in our skills and abilities. We want to have what it takes. But every leader gets to a point where we need support and guidance.
Leadership Development is Good
I think we need to look at leadership development from a different perspective. What if it were good? What if it came from a place of positivity and a desire for growth?
It has been said by many that “healthy things grow and growing things change” (Christine Caine/Ben Rector).
What if leadership development is needed because your church is healthy and growing? What if your church is simply older and in a new season and they need something different from their leaders? What if your church has grown in size and depth, and new structures and leaders are needed to care for everyone? What if the city or culture around you has changed and you need to change with it?
NONE of these things are bad, yet as leaders how do you know how to adapt to growth and change?
Leadership Development. It can be good, and can be needed for very good reasons! Will it show you some areas of weakness or challenge? Sure. But leadership development is also intended to discover giftings and skills - unique aspects about your leadership that you know (or maybe you didn’t know) which bring impact to others. It can provide ideas, frameworks, tools, and guidance to help you pivot into new territory with confidence.
This is why we love leadership development. Healthy leaders build healthy families, teams, churches, organizations, and communities. Every leader needs an objective voice in their lives to partner with them for their growth and development. We need another leader supporting us to see our weaknesses and shortcomings improve. We need an honest and loving voice we can trust. We need experience and guidance to help us adapt when the game has changed. Leaders need development - it can be hard but it is always good, both for us and for those we serve.