Essentials for Emerging Leaders | Part Two

Emerging Leaders can have an Impact if Empowered to do so! However, there are some principles that developing leaders must embrace before moving forward. These are critical for them to gain the opportunities that they are expecting. Once novice leaders embrace these realities they will unlock favor and unleash exponential growth.

Conflict is Good! Not necessarily pleasant or cherished but good nonetheless. The writer of Proverbs puts it into perspective with this observation; “Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.”

• The reality is that not everyone sees problems and opportunities through the same lens. Life shapes each person differently from family culture to positive/negative experiences. Together they give each individual a separate viewpoint which can be very valuable to the organization. The leader who refuses to yield their perspective or let go of their solution(s) will be viewed as intolerant and egotistical. Therefore, shutting down the opportunity to collaborate with others for the highest ideals and strategies.

• It’s in the clash of two opposing ideas that truth, best practices, and even personal growth can emerge. There is always more than one way to get a job done. However, the best solution can be lost, unless the proponent of that idea is invited to discuss it without feeling threatened or demeaned. Leaders who create environments for honest and vulnerable conversations will lead teams to their highest capacity. They build an atmosphere that releases truth because it is a safe place to unpack ideas. If a leader’s tendency is to shoot suggestions down or mock them, the team will remain silent waiting for orders.

• Conflict resolution principles should be applied when tension is present but, the main point here is that contention between more than one idea can be revelatory to all. When opposing viewpoints are welcomed they can knock the blinders off and allow for a broader perspective. There have been many “ah hah” moments in collaborative conversations. Leaders should never allow conflict to silence the pathway to discovery.

• The dynamic tension in disagreement can be a catalyst for character development. Character flaws get exposed in tension. A great leader will allow conflict to expose ulterior motives, conflicting values, and detrimental pride issues for the purpose of individual growth and team unity. Without character development team unity will never reach its maximum. In his book, Integrity, Dr Henry Cloud gives a great definition of what character means in this context: “Character = the ability to meet the demands of reality.”

IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR GROWING LEADERS TO HANDLE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENTS

Never Waste a Good Offence! The world is full of imperfect people. People can be misunderstood or they can deliberately manipulate. They have cultural differences, personality quirks, conflicting core beliefs and values that don’t align with others. People come from backgrounds that contain relational wounds, emotional hurts, and consequences of poor choices. Given these human discrepancies, at some point a person will experience a personal offence. The offence may be self imposed or brutally inflicted by someone they trusted. There is no way out of this life without an offence being experience. However, offences can be opportunities in disguise. They can be beneficial when the person gets on the other side of it.

OFFENCE IS AN OPPORTUNITY!

• An opportunity for personal growth…. When you outlive your critiques but thrive on truth behind what was said or assumed! Truth is what every leader needs in order to overcome blind spots. The discovery can found in the pain of taking things too personal.
• An opportunity to solve problems…. When you refuse to see opposing ideas as threats to your identity! The leaders identity is not in the contribution they bring to the team, but in their ability to be teachable and growth oriented. Moving past being offended can expose you to a world you may never have ventured to discover.
• An opportunity to build a team…. When you encourage debate for the sake of discovery & purpose! A team exists where every player is discovered, valued, and positioned where they can flourish. Insecurity in leadership mutes the input of their team. Wearing your offence in public can suppress the opportunity to reap the benefits of a team.
• An opportunity to see the future…. When you open yourself to see what’s beyond reconciliation! No one person can predict the outcomes of today’s decisions. A decision to reconcile may unlock the relational equity needed to revive momentum. The bible says there is safety in a multitude of counsel. Leaders minimize future mistakes by being vulnerable and refusing to be the only expert in the room! They reconcile differences to invite the wisdom of others to the table.

• A 360° plan is hammered out when all voices on the team are heard.

IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR AN EMERGING LEADER TO MANAGE RELATIONAL STRESS

PRO 29:18 “Where there is no progressive revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint.”

When the vision isn’t clear people begin to disconnect. People want to be a part of something greater than themselves. They desire to contribute. They want to know that their involvement moves the mission forward.

Effectively implementing vision requires several key features.

1. Leaders must be laser focused on the “why” of the organization. The “why” speaks to the motivation, the passion and the driving force for the company’s existence.
2. The leader must understand what problems are being solved by the team. Understanding what the team does well keeps everyone involved and focused on what’s important. It helps the company stay narrow and sharp rather than broad and inefficient.
3. Lastly, vision is about the future, the dream of what could be. Some would refer to it as the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal). That enormous something that requires growth, resources and people in order to be achieved. It provides the dream for tomorrow and ignites the desires to go there. BHAG creates the understanding that more investment is needed, more leadership development is required, more streamlining is vital. The dream of what could be says, “We haven’t arrived. There is another level. We have another mountain to climb.”

If a leader doesn’t have a vision, they will plagiarize it.

• No organization can live without vision.
• Even the most dynamic and charismatic leader requires vision. Because it, the vision, is what keeps the people following the leader.
• Ultimately, vision furnishes the adhesive which pulls the organization and its leadership together.

Vision, vision and more vision!