What Is It Like to be Led By You?

 

"What is it like to be led by me?"

This is a foundational question for anyone seriously committed to expanding their leadership capacity and growing their influence. This is where it all starts.

 

At GiANT we define the CORE of a leader as the intersection of IQ (Skills), EQ (Connectivity) and Personality (Wiring)

 

 

All too often we focus on developing our skills and hope that will be enough. Sadly, it never is. Character is the bedrock of lasting influence and we ignore it at our own peril. Learning how to connect and engage appropriately with others in diverse social and professional contexts is an intelligence that has to be learned and developed. Since human behavior is actually quite predictable, we can also work to understand our internal wiring, studying to learn the particular strengths and weaknesses inherent in our personality. When asked what it’s like to be on the other side of us we should be able to give a real and honest answer!

That said, none of us are perfect. We are all works of grace under construction and the process of what the theologians call sanctification won’t be finished in this lifetime. We need friends who will help us grow in our areas of unconscious incompetence. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is also committed to helping us grow and He wants to help us lead more like Jesus in every area of our lives. After all Jesus is, the ultimate liberating leader.

 

What is a liberating leader?

In short, it's becoming like Jesus. It means living, leading, and loving as Jesus did.

Stated in more precise terms, we define a liberating leader as:

1. Someone who knows how to effectively calibrate high support and high challenge in the lives of those they lead, creating a culture of empowerment and opportunity for growth. (Support / Challenge Matrix)
2. Someone who has the undercurrent of love running through their lives, they are committed to speaking the truth in love and always fighting for the highest possible good in the lives of those they lead, developing character and skills in parallel.

 

 

Jesus himself was the ultimate liberator. He modeled the perfect calibration of high support and high challenge in the lives of his disciples, inviting them to come and share his life, but also challenging their tendencies to selfishness and self-preservation. He took some very rough diamonds, apprenticed them, and turned them into leaders who changed the world.

 

“Discipleship is always an invitation to imitation.”

 

Becoming like Jesus means we accept the challenge to apprentice others – the intentional multiplication of our talents and skills - with the hope and expectation that they will go on to do even greater things. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment He replied with “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” This commandment begs the question:

What does it mean to truly love ourselves? In a world where the media distorts beauty and consumerism encourages comparison and ruthless competition, so many of us live with a constant feeling of unworthiness and self-doubt.

The more we understand how we were created and wired, the greater our capacity to value ourselves and truly love others, calibrating support and challenge in a way that causes them to flourish and fulfill their God given potential. It is this unwritten code of liberating conduct towards our fellow man that was actually written on our hearts from the beginning and exemplified by the ultimate Liberator: Jesus Christ. 

 

Sadly, none of us are natural Liberators. Some leaders have a tendency under pressure to function as Dominators - providing an over abundance of challenge with little to no support. Over time this creates a culture of fear and manipulation leading to bruised hearts and damaged relationships.

Others have the opposite tendency - to function as Protectors majoring on support and encouragement but struggling to bring effective challenge. While on the surface such “servant leadership” looks sacrificial, it’s really a function of self-preservation. Their fear of relational disharmony causes them to over protect and not speak the truth in love. It’s impossible to truly apprentice anyone without bringing effective challenge.

 

Know yourself to lead yourself. Commit to growth in all three CORE intelligences. Embrace conscious incompetence as an essential part of growth. Learn from others. Invite others to highlight your areas of unconscious incompetence, and allow the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. When we follow this process and keep before us the example of Christ, we will find true freedom and liberation.

So take a moment now and find your own starting point. Ask yourself:

"What is it like to be led by me, and where do I need to grow?”