 Arrow's ONE DEGREE Monthly E-resource - March 2010 Designed to focus on issues of critical importance in your life and leadership, One Degree will keep you on track, and headed towards your leadership destination.
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"Leading Your Team Well: What I Have Appreciated Most About Those Who Have Led Me" by Darren DeGraaf  After 20 years in various leadership roles, I have had the opportunity to both lead and be led. As a student of leadership development I spend a lot of time thinking about how to effectively lead teams. Recently I asked the question of myself – “How have I experienced leadership as a follower?” The result was a fairly extensive list of behaviors I have appreciated from those who have led me. Here are a few of those behaviors that I believe are universal in their application:
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Model the behavior you desire. Kouzes and Posner in “The Leadership Challenge” say it this way, “Leaders go first…they set an example through simple daily acts.” My first mentor emphasized prayer as a core priority of our ministry. He vividly demonstrated this value by regularly laying face down in his office for times of personal prayer. When asked, he would respond that he was just too proud to adopt any other position. Watching leaders model the way helps those of us who follow to imitate worthy action. The apostle Paul unashamedly said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) |
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Share your life. Leaders who model authenticity and transparency encourage similar behavior and generate greater levels of loyalty in their team. As a young leader I was occasionally invited to eat lunch with my boss at his home. As a result, I was given a window into his family and personal life. When he shared with me about his interactions with teachers at his kid’s schools, or about normal conflict in his marriage, it provided important life lessons, encouraged me to be authentic, and strengthened my loyalty to the team. Many of today’s young leaders desire to learn how to be appropriately transparent and authentically share within a workplace that encourages community. |
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Communicate honestly and ask for sacrifice when it is needed. I have appreciated when my leader has shared organizational difficulties openly with the team. It was both educational and created a sense of team ownership when, on a previous team, we were invited to wrestle through a significant budget shortfall together, and determine solutions as a team. Together we were forced to make difficult decisions. These conversations are never easy, but leaders who engage their teams honestly during tough times provide important information, parameters and correctives. Sharing the exact position of the organization, and what steps are being taken helps to alleviate rumors, unfounded fear, but also naïve optimism. |
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Intentionally mentor your team members. At Arrow Leadership it is a common experience to hear the following phrase from our leader, Dr. Carson Pue: “I am going to be putting on my mentoring hat for a moment here…” Those words are always followed by personalized insights into the individual that are often encouraging but also gently corrective. Our whole team knows he cares enough to catch us in the act of doing things right, and correcting actions early that might lead to problems down the road. |
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Develop team members by inviting them to serve alongside you. Early in my current role, I was invited to join Carson in providing a day of training for a non-profit organization. We developed our material ahead of time, tweaked it on the trip, enjoyed the travel time together, effectively shared the training experience, and had a powerful time of evaluation on the trip back. Providing apprenticeship opportunities is one of the best ways to create a healthy team, develop staff, and inspire others. |
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Don’t do what others can do (usually better than you). I was a part of a team where the team leader was not the most innovative on the team. However, he had skillfully drawn together a high capacity team, and had the confidence to allow others on the team to provide the creativity, while he discerned the correct pathway and spearheaded implementation. It is a tremendous act of trust to delegate, empower and release others. Insecure leaders destroy teams, while healthy leaders encourage excellence in their team, and in fact surround themselves with those more skilled than themselves. |
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Celebrate small wins and special events. Just today, as I am writing this, Carson called me from an airport lounge to celebrate with me in response to a short email I had sent him about a project benchmark I had just reached. A few weeks ago, our entire team took a couple hours off to have lunch together and then attend the Olympic torch relay in our town. These kinds of moments of encouragement and celebration encourage individual staff members, and build positive team experiences. Imagine how meaningful it was for me when I once received a call from Carson on a Saturday evening, perfectly timed as I boarded a plane for home celebrating the victory my ministry trip had achieved.
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As I shared this list with a co-worker for editing, she insightfully noted: “Each of these principles prove to be valuable parenting tips as well!” Regardless of the leadership you are called to, I am hopeful that these tips and others found on our website will remind you of simple but profound actions that increase our leadership capacity and transform the teams we lead.
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Arrow Leadership is currently enrolling leaders in both our Emerging Leader and Executive Leader upcoming programs. Are you interested in learning more about our transformational leadership journey? Visit our website. Click on "Emerging Leader Stream" if you are a leader between the ages of 25-40 or on "Executive Leader Stream" if you are a leader in a senior leadership position in your ministry or organization.
Is your organization seeking a partner to walk with in the development of an intentional plan in leadership development? Arrow has been working with Christian leaders and organizations for almost 20 years. We would be glad to talk.
To learn more, email Darren at darrend@arrowleadership.org
Leading with you,
Sincerely,
Leadership Services Team
Arrow Leadership
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