Teams and Leadership

Leadership: Larry Thomas
Friday, September 1, 2006

Throughout my adult life I have had the privilege of discovering what many other people already knew and practiced: leadership works best when it is provided by teams of gifted leaders serving together in pursuit of a clear and compelling vision.

In the past decade there have been over 4,000 new books written about leadership. Most of them discuss the indispensable skills needed to become king of the hill and what the super-star leader is to do; few of them focus on who the leader is in favor of serving within a team context. Most in fact laud the importance of personal superiority over team leadership.

Almost every leadership book talks about what the central leader can do to satisfy people's demands and outperform everyone else; rarely do leadership books or training courses dare to suggest that leadership is best accomplished without a high-profile, multi-talented, popular icon in the center-stage spotlight. My experience indicates that the "superstar" model of leadership, while appealing and not without some validity, can do more to decimate the health of an organization or church than to facilitate its well-being.

As human beings, we are prone to chasing outcomes that may not be realistic or even in our own best interests. We are guilty of ignoring the common good for the personal good. As often as not we make choices marked by poor judgement that we later regret. Making good choices, discerning appropriate priorities, staying focused and on-track is time consuming and can be exceedingly difficult. What will enable us to make progress toward outcomes that honor God, improve people's quality of life, and facilitate joy and meaning?

Team Leadership

The answer lies in combining the talents of gifted leaders to create powerful outcomes. Although solo leaders will always have an important place in our present and future reality, team leadership hold's the key to the future.

Until next month, remember that a person's most lasting memory of you is how you made them feel. God bless you as you lead and serve. To receive information about how to establish, nurture, and benefit from team leadership contact me at Lthomas@hoksba.org or 316-204-5632.