Recently, Josh Crowther joined Trent Dunham on the Cause+Effect podcast and shared leadership insight we hope will empower and encourage you in important decisions.
When it comes to ministry landscape, the last two years have brought a tremendous amount of change. And now more than ever, your leadership matters.
In terms of leading in this new landscape, the organizations that have succeeded most recently are the ones who have been the most flexible.
Many leaders in the midst of the pandemic redefined and reassigned certain job descriptions. Maybe the person in charge of in-person events became a podcast host. There was an amount of flexibility and lack of rigidity that communicated, “The way that we do our work is not as important as the things that we’re trying to accomplish.”
It’s that spirit of flexibility that says, “We’re willing to look under every rock. Is there a better way to do this? And how can we empower our people along the way?”
All too often, we look at someone else in our organization and think, “They are the leader. So I don’t need to lead.” False! The best organizations are the ones in which each person sees him or herself as a leader in some way.
So what do leaders do? They create capacity for others. They ensure people have what they need to get the job done. And they solve a lot of problems.
Leaders can’t be afraid of constructive criticism and must be open to hearing different perspectives. It takes vulnerability, but it makes us better.
Because here’s the truth: We don’t have all the answers. We can’t see into the future and see how our decisions unfold.
You may be thinking, “I’m ready! It’s time.” But God may know that you’re not ready and this is not the time. There’s a patience we have to display, and it doesn’t mean we forego our ambition.
As we abandon our own desires to God and His purposes, He opens those doors.
Another important value to remember is honoring those who have come before us.
Needing to be seen as the leader and the ‘one man’, we can dismiss the people who have paved the way for us. Appropriate patience honors the people who have come before you.
So if you find yourself wondering if your leadership matters as we enter 2022, it does. Be flexible, be open to different perspectives, honor those who have come before you, and finally, don’t define yourself by how successful your organization is.
Success might feel nice for a season, but it’s not long term and it’s not generational change.
Success dies with you. But legacy lives on forever.
For more insight into how you can best share your message through effective marketing, check out the Cause+Effect Podcast episode, Trends That Are Shaping 2022.
+ More Insights from Dunham+Company: “One Thing Leaders Don’t Need…“