Leaders & Legos
My son got a Lego set for Christmas. He loves Legos, and he seems to be really good at building them. I walked into the dining room the other day, and he had his new Lego set laid out on the table. I asked what he was doing, and he told me that he needed to sort out the pieces before he built the set. He said this would help him know how to build it. He has a strategic mind, and it reminded me of a leadership lesson I had just given to a team here at our church.
Leadership can be like building Legos. Just like the pieces needed to build a Lego set, there are pieces needed for building great leadership. I’ve provided a few here, and I hope they help you build better leadership in your life.
1. Character
Maybe you have heard this phrase: Talent Starts, Discipline Sticks, but Character Stays. Great leadership requires talent, make no mistake about that. There are certain qualities and skills necessary to inspire people, motivate people, guide people, and move people in a unified direction. But talent is never enough, because eventually talent runs out of steam. That is why discipline must be added to talent, to take leadership to the next level. Really, this applies to every effort in our lives, not just leadership. Discipline is required to grow as professionals, parents, spouses, friends, personal goals, etc. Discipline builds on talent, and turns it into skill. But Character is the bedrock of great leadership, not competency. Discipline creates consistency, but Character sustains consistency. Too many leaders focus on talent, instead of character. Talent is what shines, right? Talent shows up in the public eye, but character grounds us in the private places. Unfortunately, we view talent as the primary goal of leadership; but this is dangerous. Don’t let your talent outpace your character. Character is what happens when God’s values determine our values. Character is how we build lasting leadership.
2. Community
There’s a very short book in the New Testament of The Bible, called Philemon. In this letter, Paul (the author) encourages other leaders to engage in kindness and community. This encouragement is for the expressed purpose of continuing to make an impact for the Kingdom of God, together. Did you catch that last word? TOGETHER. Leadership is not an island destination. It is a group effort. Leadership might feel lonely sometimes, but it does not have to be that way. Leaders need community. Community gives us accountability, encouragement, motivation, support, and the ability to experience vulnerable, honest communication with others. This is like Gatorade for leaders. Community is a great way to care for our hearts and minds as leaders. Find people who Love You, Love God and want God’s Best For You. You will need community when you lead, so make it a priority in your life. It will be a Godsend throughout your leadership journey.
3. Coaching
The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, expressed the unmatched value of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. What’s interesting about his encouragement to become wise is the way he frames this pursuit: it is action-oriented. It is something we seek out. In the couple of decades I’ve been leading, I have learned this – smart people listen to smarter people. And wise people learn from wiser people. Leaders are learners, at least we should be. Great leaders ask great questions, and they often ask these questions of other great leaders. Do you have people to help you grow as a leader? Are you looking for someone like this? You should be. Coaches help us see things we can’t see, and they want us to get better at what we do. This can be a game-changer in your leadership. It will help you build on what you already have, and it can take your leadership to new levels of impact.
(Shameless Plug – if I can help you in any way as a leader, please let me know. There’s a form on the BOOK SCOTT page you can fill out and we’ll connect)