Weekly Thought – February 2, 2016
Fred often asked “What is the object of the exercise?” He sought clarity before taking action. He particularly appreciated leaders who valued vision as a key responsibility.
BWFLI is moving quickly into the 2016 schedule. Planning for all four schools is well underway. Your prayer and financial support is greatly appreciated. Please lift up Lindsey Wilson College, Alice Lloyd College, Asbury University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University. And pray for the teams as they prepare.
Leading The Charge
Max DePree, author of Leadership Jazz once said, “The number one responsibility of top management is to define reality.”
Why are we operating? What are we about? What are we dedicated to? Once those questions have been addressed and a consensus around their answers develops, a leader has a mandate – a foundation out of which to determine programs, recruit leadership, establish organizational culture, and figure out what and what not to do.
1) Loyalty to the mandate, not the leader is critical. The leader has to say, “I am subservient to this mandate. You don’t serve me. Your job isn’t to make me happy. And don’t keep me in charge unless I fulfill the mandate.”
2) Narrow the focus. There needs to be specificity in the mandate – no broad umbrella statements which cover like tents. It should not be possible to interpret a mandate except in a narrow sense.
3) Create the right team. When a leader is sure of the mandate, he or she can create a more effective team. The needed leadership can be defined. Selection can be largely determined by the mandate.
4) Call is different from mandate. Mandate is institutional; call is personal. A leader needs to have a sense of call and dedication to serve effectively. Leaders continue to measure their call against the organizational mandate to assess the sync.
As leaders think about the mandate for their organizations, they should remember: the simplest way it can be accomplished is the most effective. Organizations tend to let what they do become too complicated. Albert Einstein once said, “God does what he does in its simplest form.” How can we improve upon that?
This week think about: 1) Do I operate with clarity in both my mandates and my call? 2) How effective are my teams? 3) What can I do this week to simplify my operations?
Words of Wisdom: “As leaders think about the mandate for their organizations, they should remember: the simplest way it can be accomplished is the most effective.”
Wisdom from the Word: “He prayed: ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity.’” (1 Kings 8: 23 NET Bible)