Tag: Flexibility

A Leader’s Purpose

“Leaders are not, as we are often led to think, people who go along with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see, whether anyone is following them. ‘Leadership qualities’ are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. They include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, stubbornness, a keen sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head, even when things are going badly. True leaders, in short, do not make people into followers, but into other leaders.” John Holt

Flexibility

Travel increases the awareness of flexibility. Cultures vary from one country to the next. At the same time, each culture establishes their own practices and finds a rhythm that flows through the people who participate in the daily activities of life.

While leadership is complicated enough, add the cultural factors among the various backgrounds and relationships of people who make up the church, and complexity reaches a new level.

Leaders need flexibility. I do not mean compromising truth, but leadership focuses on the needs of those who follow.

Flexibility becomes critical to the twists and turns that factor into leading a multi-cultural people.

The Leadership Possibilities

How many times have you thought or heard someone say, “Life doesn’t always go according to plan?”

Susan Gale acknowledges, “Sometimes heading in a new direction can be scary until you realize you’re headed toward a new and exciting destination.”

Imagine what would happen if we exercised a little patience and did not allow the scary nature of a new direction or change in plans distract us from seeing the new and exciting possibilities that might exist around the corner.

Life expands with our ability to demonstrate the kind of flexibility that allows us to take advantage of opportunities when presented. May we always see the possibilities.

Flexible Leadership…

While several leadership qualities were demonstrated by Paul, one is key: flexibility (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Notice the driving force of Paul’s flexibility, “So that I might win…by all means save some.” Nothing took greater precedence in his life than leading others to Christ.

There was no compromise to the truth. The “anything goes” approach was unacceptable. At all times he was in submission to Jesus.

Notice the flexibility of personal choice: “I do all things for the sake of the gospel.”

If Christians could model this today, we could change the world.

Change and Leadership…

We have become a bit more familiar with change. Resistance, opposition, denial, and rejection characterize the approach of many when it comes to change, while others accept it.

We often hear that change is bad, but it can also be good. It is safe to say, change is part of our daily existence.

As leaders, our task is to determine the best way to navigate these times of change. Leaders need the following.

1) Growth-mindset: Growth always, and I mean always, involves change.
2) Flexibility: Without knowing when to be flexible, change can be destructive.
3) Discernment: Leaders must distinguish between the negotiable and non-negotiable.