The Mystical Leader: The Seven Myths of Leadership (2017) by Ron Edmondson
What a productive day! I
enjoy reading this book and appreciate how Ron explains each myth with his own
examples honestly and thoughtful. I love that he didn't push too much with
Christian message but outlines his ideas practically and do-able.
Here is a fact: the
church - and organizations and non-profits - need stronger leaders. But
many leaders suffer from seven common misunderstandings of leadership, making
them weak and ineffective. Ron writes, "In my long career in business and government leadership, and now after
serving in church planting and church revitalization, I've found the problems
churches face are generally the same. We need better leadership."
Here are The
Seven (7) Myths with simple summary for each chapter:
1) A Position Will Make Me a Leader. Some
believe simply has a big or fancy title makes them a leader. Not true. I’ve
known many people with huge positions whom no one was truly following. They may
give out orders and command certain obedience, but no one is willingly
following their lead. They may be a boss, but “I wouldn’t call them a leader,” writes Ron.
2) If I Am Not Hearing Anyone Complain, Everyone Must Be
Happy. Have you ever heard of passive aggression? The fact is sometimes
the leader is the last to know about a problem. Some people are intimidated by
leadership. Other times, they don’t know how to approach the leader, so they
complain to others, but not the leader. And, sometimes, as the author said, the
way I’m leading dictates who tells me what I really need to know.
3) I Can Lead Everyone the Same Way. So not
true. It simply doesn’t work. Actually, people are different and require
different leadership styles. The author not saying it’s easy, but if you want
to be effective you will learn your people and alter your style to fit their
personalities.
4) Leadership and Management Are the Same Things.
Great organizations need both, but they are not equal and they require
different skills. Simply put — Leadership is more about empowerment and guiding
people to a common vision — often into the unknown. Management is more about
maintaining efficiency within a predetermined destination but leadership
requires change and innovation.
5) Being the Leader Makes Me Popular. “My file of criticisms...,” writes Ron, “[is]
larger than my encouragement file.”
The truth is leaders can be very lonely people. (It’s why leaders must surround
themselves with encouragers and continually seek renewal). The only way to
avoid criticism and be “liked” as a leader is to make no decisions, do nothing
different, never challenge the status quo — in other words — don’t lead.
6) Leaders Must Have Charisma and Be Extroverts.
Some of the best leaders I know and read are very introverted and subdued (read
Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of
Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking). And, honestly, they are
leading some of the biggest churches and organizations. Leadership IS about
influence. If someone is trustworthy, dependable, has integrity and is going
somewhere of value — others will follow no matter how introvert or extrovert
the leaders are.
7) Leaders Accomplish by Controlling Others. Absolutely
not! This is not leadership. It is a dictatorship. Effective leaders encourage
others to lead. They challenge people to be creative and take ownership and
responsibility for accomplishing the vision. They learn to delegate through
empowerment.
I enjoyed and benefitted
from this book. I would recommend this book to pastors and those who involve in
church ministry.
FB Page: https://web.facebook.com/LEGASI.tv/
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
No comments:
Post a Comment