International coaching expert and motivational Christian speaker, Dr Bill Price identifies essential qualities of a great leader that will be useful in your quest to extend God’s Kingdom across the earth.
I was asked to coach a mega church, helping them transition from the past into the future and help them identify ways they could develop as Kingdom leaders. There was an air of excitement as I attended an initial team meeting to diagnose where they were at; watch what they payed attention to and observe how they dealt with reality and understand their expectations of the future.
As is my custom as an executive coach, I wanted to see how they handled issues and crises and how they related to each other. I needed to determine how authentic and conscious or aware they were. Anyway, at a meeting of about 40 leaders of both genders I was surprised to see that the core team still comprised only of old men with a police-like leadership style. As you can imagine, I was relieved to walk away from that vortex.
When a church, like any other organisation, is locked into old ways without displaying the ability to self-evaluate critically, they will enter a doom loop or negative spiral. The purpose and power of coaching is to unleash the personal and collective potential of the team. In order to do that the organisation needs a certain low ego-driven leadership that actually allows self governance of the team.
Qualities of a great leader include mutual respect, honouring each others and celebrating each other’s differences, strengths and gifts are essential for success. There needs to be only a few ground rules. Interpersonal relationship trust is the main driving force of the momentum and pacing of the unfolding vision.
Kingdom Leadership must not see another’s vision as a threat. If everyone is expected to submit to the vision of the house (as the only version of the vision) and never have space or opportunity for their own vision, then that leadership is missing the point.
The point of local church ministry is to equip the ministry, the people belonging to that community, to do THEIR MINISTRY. The collective ministry is the expression of the local church.
I long for a church (local congregation or global denomination) to say, like Jacob said to Joseph, “Tell us the dream that is in your heart and how can we help out to fulfil it in your lifetime?” In other words, how can we play an active role to help you make that come true today? How can we co-dream, co-discover, co-design together and change the community and the world together?
WOW! That’s servant leadership. That’s brave leadership. How do we lead others that have potential, dreams, visions, and missions that could change the world we live in based on interpersonal relationships? What are the qualities of a great leader that we can embrace to extend God’s Kingdom?
To infuse coaching and mentoring into a culture of an organisation is no easy task. It is far more integrated than a leader just standing up one morning and making an announcement to the fact. Through research work we’ve done in companies where coaching and mentoring was applied to their culture and failed, we discovered how not to do it and how to do it right. While the data and results are from the world of business, the principles are universal.
The result was the discovery of the these 10 attributes of successful leaders. If you embrace them, they will take you into a higher dimension of kingdom leadership.
10 qualities of a great leader
- Today’s leaders need to exceed expectations – They demonstrate a sustained passion for success, willingly step up to significant challenges, set high standards, are driven to achieve results, convey a sense of urgency and hold themselves self accountable for adding value.
- Today’s leaders help others succeed – They support others by providing constructive feedback, coaching, using a process to see that others are developed and provide developmental resources.
- Today’s leaders are courageous – Willing to stand up and be counted. Step forward to address difficult issues, put self on the line to deal with important problems, stand firm when necessary, don’t hold back anything that needs to be said, not afraid to take negative action when appropriate.
- Today’s leaders cast vision – They create a vision and purpose which others buy into and share. They take actions that inspire confidence that the vision is being achieved. Set clear and compelling goals that serve as a unifying focal point of efforts – often creating immense team spirit. Good enough never is.
- Today’s leaders are audience focused – They create sustained partnerships with their audience, stakeholders or customers (internal and external) based on a thorough first-hand understanding of what creates value for them, continually search for ways to increase customer satisfaction.
- Today’s leaders are relationship builders – They initiate and develop relationships with others as a key priority, use informal networks to get things done, rely more on an ability to influence than hierarchical relationships.
- Today’s leaders are team builders – They Champion teamwork, create an environment in which teams are used appropriately, their development is supported, and they are generally successful, foster collaboration amongst teams members and among teams, create a feeling of belonging in the team.
- Today’s leaders are principled Inspiring trust through ethical behaviour, show consistency between principles, values and behaviour is authentic. Consistently live, breathe and express their principles in all that they do.
- Today’s leaders are eager learners Learn from experience, learn quickly, are versatile learners, actively pursuing learning and self-development. As such they often act as change agents, the catalysts of change and stimulate others to change, challenge the status quo and champion new initiatives, manage implementation effectively.
- Today’s leaders value others – They show and foster respect and appreciation for each person whatever their background, race, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyles – make others feel valued for their ideas and contributions regardless of differences, seek others points of view, recognise their contribution and make people feel appreciated.
If you would like to get in touch with Dr Price to discuss Christian leadership, your executive coaching requirements or would like him to speak in your church, please email inspired@drbillprice.com
Also read: Coaching and mentoring in Today’s Church – it’s purpose and power
Bill Price
Dr Bill Price is an international speaker, author and executive coach. Dr Price is based in South Africa where he is well known as a leading Neuroscience practitioner and strategic sage who guides individuals, businesspeople and corporate leaders to achieve their full potential. He also helps empowers people in their personal lives around the themes, of leadership, getting the most out of life and relationships.
