Here are a few questions you can ask your team that will help challenge any assumptions that are hindering the development of leaders in your organization.

• Who will do your job if you are suddenly unable to continue in your role?
• Who are the three rising stars in your area that we need to invest in developing for the future?  What are the next steps in their developmental process?
• What will the organizational chart in your area of responsibility look like if our organization doubled over the next 90 days?
• How many leaders would you like to reproduce yourself in over the next 3 years?  Toward what end?
• What is the process in your department for developing someone to serve in an entry level role?  What is the process for developing someone to lead at the next levels in your department?  What is the process for developing someone to take your role? (Leadership development doesn’t happen by accident, create intentional processes)
• If I told you your only responsibility was to develop leaders how would that change your weekly schedule?
• What would the impact be on your area of ministry if you didn’t develop any new leaders over the next 12 months?

Add to this list of tough questions then create a safe environment and work through these as a team.

You’ve said the right words, cast the right vision and even set the right goals but still not gained any traction.  Why?  It could be you’ve failed to understand that people’s actions are based out of their assumptions.  Their deeply embed assumptions have greater power than your words of inspiration. If you’re unaware of these basic assumptions you may not be able to get any movement toward your leadership development objectives.

Here are FIVE Common Assumptions that you need to constantly challenge and dismantle in your organization.

1. Developing leaders is not my role.  They may nod their head and smile politely as you declare the urgent need for leader development, but deep down most people have the assumption “developing leaders is not my job”.  It’s not that they’re being stubborn or rebellious.  Most people take a job because they love it and they love the responsibility that comes with it.  So equipping someone else to do what they do is not a natural thought for them.
2. God will provide the leaders we need.  While your leaders may feel the pain of the leadership shortage their primary strategy to fill the gap is to pray for God’s provision.  I’m not down playing prayer as part of the process; of course we have to depend on God for the provision of leaders.  However, prayer as a singular strategy ignores the leaders Biblical responsibility to replicate himself.  Ignoring the discipline of leader development is unhealthy for the leader and the organization long term.
3. I can handle the current scope of work.  Some leaders look at their area of responsibility and think, “I can do it myself, there is no need to develop anyone else.”  This assumption indicates a lack of leadership maturity and cripples the long-term growth and health of that area of ministry.  While they may be very adequate at handling the current responsibilities, their refusal to develop others is short sited and selfish and ultimately puts the ministry at risk if the leader were suddenly removed.
4. Developing leaders requires a special skill set that I do not possess.  Yes, leader development requires some specific skills but they are skills that can be easily developed.  I’d rather have someone trying to develop leaders and doing it poorly than making no effort at all.  At least when they’re trying I can step in and provide coaching that will help them grow in this discipline.  As long as you’re providing feedback on their efforts they’ll get better in this area.
5. There are no consequences if I do not develop leaders.  They may not say this out loud but deep down some people think, “If I am a good ‘doer’ I will be rewarded and my superiors will overlook my inattention to leader development.”  We cannot allow current leaders to settle for simply being “doers”. To expand, grow and create vital ministries requires the replication of new leaders. Every healthy organism reproduces.  Measure and celebrate the replication of new leaders this will provide accountability and over time remove the wrong assumption.

What are other assumptions you’ve witnessed the hamper a leadership development culture?

When someone offends, betrays or hurts you there’s something deep within you that screams, “I can’t let them get by with this.” Your blood begins to boil and you think, “I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I was the one who was honest, I was the one who loved with my whole heart, I was the one who sacrificed for years, I was faithful, kind, generous, loyal, I held up my end of the deal, I gave my best.  And without warning, they hurt me!”  What are you supposed to do with that?  How are you supposed to forgive someone who is deliberately trying to destroy you? How are you supposed to forgive someone who never said I’m sorry?  How are you supposed to forgive someone who acts like they don’t even care that they hurt you?  In this message I give three Questions to help you process your pain and help you get to a place of true Biblical forgiveness and freedom from resentment.

The Last Words: Forgiveness from West Ridge Church on Vimeo.

I’ve heard it said that “leadership is better caught than taught”.  Each time I watch a seasoned leader live out a critical leadership principle I have the opportunity to process what that would look like in my own leadership.  Paul told Timothy “imitate me as I imitate Christ”  You cannot imitate what you do not see. Modeling is one of the most essential yet overlooked ingredents in leadership development.  And the only way to have a model is to “BE WITH” a leader you can learn from.

Who will you invite to “be with”, observe and learn from your leadership this year?

Greg Ligon, Vice President and Publisher for Leadership Network, states this new tool is birthed out of the organization’s desire to continue to engage the churches they serve through peer-to-peer learning. “We’re always looking for ways that innovative church leaders can connect and learn collaboratively. This new app is going to provide a powerful tool to bring this interactivity to a level we’ve never achieved before.”

Leadership Network identified a demand for compelling content that maxed out at 8,000-10,000 words – ideas you can experience and put into practice in 100 minutes or less.“There are some ideas that are important, that need to get out more quickly than a traditional publishing cycle might allow for,” Ligon explains. “We also have room for fresh ideas that might not require a full book.”

Highlights of LeadiaTM:
• An interactive growth experience for leaders from Leadership Network.
• Practical and innovative ideas.
• Dynamic media brings you video from the author you are reading and links to a wide variety of additional resources.

Within the container application, users can peruse free content, as well as regularly updated featured content referred to as “experiences” available for $5.99 each through in-app purchasing. It will work on Apple’s iPhone and iPad platforms, with an Android version in development.

Users can interact with other leaders experiencing the same LeadiaTM volume, view their comments and take the conversation further, even sharing thoughts and ideas in their
favorite social media outlet directly from the application.

The four initial experiences available at launch will be:
• Game Changer: 5 Essential Ingredients of an Effective Care Strategy by Scott Wilson, Senior Pastor of The Oaks Fellowship, Dallas, Texas.
• Building a Leadership Development Culture by Mac Lake, Chief Launch Officer of The Launch Network, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Fighting Through A Disconnect by Dr. Stacy L. Spencer, Senior Pastor of New Direction Christian Church, Memphis, Tennessee.
• Flux: 4 Paths to the Future by Will Mancini, CEO and Founder at Auxano, Houston, TX.

Believing that meaningful conversations and connections can change the world, Leadership Network seeks to help leaders of innovation navigate the future by exploring new ideas together. Through collaborative meetings and processes these leaders map future possibilities and challenge one another to action that leads to results in their unique contexts. Leadership Network helps leaders move from ideas, to implementation to impact.

More information can be found at leadia.tv and leadnet.org.

Leadia Promo from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.

• Informational tells the learner about principles they need to know.  Transformational teaches people to behave in new ways by challenging them to put principles into practice.
• Informational dumps knowledge.  Transformational develops competencies
• Informational is one-way communication. Transformational is a two-way dialogue
• Informational uses the science of teaching.  Transformational uses the art of facilitation
• Informational follows a linear pathway.  Transformational customizes learning based on the learners present situation and needs
• Informational the instructor uses a structured, highly controlled lesson plan.  Transformational the instructor allows freedom and flexibility in the lesson plan
• Informational puts a priority on content.  Transformational puts priority on behavioral change

Organizations invest hours upon hours in leadership development.  Make sure your investment is producing the transformation you desire.

• Think about a song that’s moved your heart closer to God.
• Think about a resource that helped you achieve greater results.
• Think about a book that shaped your values and character.
• Think about a church that’s transformed your life.

All of us have encountered things that have significantly changed the course of our life.  But think about it…those things that changed us, added value to, challenged, or shaped us… didn’t always exist.  There was a point in time when someone, somewhere had a thought…an idea.  In that moment God touched their mind with inspiration and they said to themselves, “What if?”  And then a God inspired idea was born.

Often in those moments a battle takes place in our mind.  Right on the heels of inspiration comes the temptation to doubt the ideas legitimacy.  Our minds race with thoughts like, “This is crazy”, “I can’t do this”, “what will other people think” or “this is impossible.” But don’t forget sometimes great ideas require great risk and great sacrifice.

Somewhere in your heart there’s a passion, a gifting, a calling to do something great.  Don’t ignore it because the world needs more great songs, great books, great resources and great churches.

We follow a great God, so attempt great things.

• Let them know why your have chosen them as a potential mentor.  Sometimes people want to spend time with a leader because of their position, not because of their person.  If someone just wants to hang with me because of my title I’m less likely to say “yes”.  But if they indicate there is something in my character or competencies they aspire to imitate then it let’s me know they have been watching and see something they feel is worthy to learn and emulate.
• Share your dream.  What do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish with the next season of your life?  What difference do you want to make in the community or in the lives of people around you?  You have to let the potential mentor know why it would be worth their time to invest in you.  Usually when they hear your dream they feel honored to be a part of investing in your future success.  I said yes to someone recently simply because he sold me on the exponential impact he was going to have on leaders all across his state.
• Share some of the specific things you want to learn from them.  Typically you ask someone because you see specific things you want to learn from them.  Make sure you define those things and then express those things when you make the request.  For example: The way they treat their wife, how they manage their staff, how they deal with conflict, how they manage their personal character, etc.
• Suggest a time period for the mentoring relationship.  Too often leaders start off in a mentoring relationship without defining the length of the commitment.  This can led to an awkward ending rather than a natural closure to the relationship.  So ask for a 6 month, 8 month or 12 month commitment to the relationship.  Ultimately that’s the mentor’s decision but let them know you’re only looking for a short term not a life long commitment.
• Finally acknowledge that their time is valuable. Let them know that you’ll always come fully prepared and always do any assignments to the best of your ability. Then let them know that you fully intend on turning around and passing along what you learn to others that will follow you.

On occasion I will have someone I’m mentoring say, “What can I do for you?”  I always tell them the same thing; “The best way you can honor me is to put into practice the things God teaches you through our relationship.”  Asking someone to mentor you is a huge investment on their part, so do all you can to honor them from start to finish.

Courageous Leadership from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.