Blending the 4 Types of Leaders for Maximum Results

Source: George Barna seminar, “Inward, Outward, Upward: Ministry that Transforms Lives”

Strategic Leadership

• Involves a team– the body of Christ

• Highlights laity on the team

• The purpose of the team is to serve others

Definition• “Strategic leadership provides a team of people

with direction geared to maximizing their collective effectiveness based on a wise evaluation of potential courses of action and outcomes.”

• 4 key words– strategic– team– direction– collective

4 Dominant Leadership Aptitudes

• Directional leadership

• Strategic Leadership

• Team-Building Leadership

• Operational Leadership

Directional Leadership

• Focus: vision, big-picture thinking

• Strengths: communication, ability to make the right things happen

• Weaknesses: details, sensitivity to others, free-spenders (hate budgets), easily irritated by other types of leaders

Strategic Leadership

• Focus: background planner

• Strengths: analysis, objectivity in assessment, creativity, thoroughness

• Weaknesses: hate risk-taking, perfectionist, more sensitive to facts than people

Team-Building Leadership

• Focus: mobilize coalitions

• Strengths: relationship networking, gift-assessment, communicators, optimism/exhortation

• Weaknesses: details, paper-work, will stray from plan

Operational Leadership

• Focus: structural architects– the glue that holds it all together

• Strengths: details, good with $, systems thinkers

• Weaknesses: over-manage and under-lead, hate conflict

Conclusions about the 4 Types

• No leader has all four leadership aptitudes

• Each type needs the other types to facilitate transformation

• Every leadership team lives with constant dynamic tension (mutual irritation keeps church from complacency)

• Ministry effectiveness comes from complementary blending of aptitudes

“Where do I begin?”

• 1. Clearly define the leadership objective.

• 2. Assess my own leadership aptitude.

• 3. Discern aptitudes in other people.

• 4. Begin to assemble a team.

• 5. Define roles carefully on the team.

• 6. Be willing to live with dynamic tension.

• 7. Check in regularly for clear evaluation of “where we are.”

Conclusion

• “Picking the right people with the right leadership aptitudes is crucial to building the team and having a healthy, effective ministry.”

Blending the 4 Types of Leaders for Maximum Results

The Ray and Ann Spence Network for Congregational Leadership

www.rasnet.org

Copyright John P. Chandler, 2000