Much of my time at work is spent in meetings, like most leaders. One meeting stood out from the rest this week. I’m still fired up, in a good way.
An up-and-coming Pastoral leader booked some time to talk about leadership and ministry ideas. His enthusiasm and eagerness to learn were edifying. I walked away from the conversation energized and full of hope for the future.
The sky is the limit for this young man. I hope his passion for personal growth never diminishes, especially as he takes on more Pastoral leadership responsibility. A humble disposition will take him further, faster than any other leadership quality he picks up along the way. And he already has many.
The truly great leaders never stop learning. That is what makes them great. They are convinced that as the inner circle of knowledge and understanding increases, so does the outer edge of ignorance. The more they come to know, the more they realize they do not know much at all which fuels their passion for learning even more!
The truly great leaders never stop learning. That is what makes them great. Click To Tweet
Abraham Lincoln is a great example of humble leadership. Even as President of the United States, he was known for his ready admittance of personal flaws and mistakes. His consistent concern of executing poor judgement was thought to have improved his tactical and strategic decision making. Aware of his own deficiencies he was well disposed to seek and then glean the collective wisdom from his closest advisors. His humility never lessened his credibility. In fact, it won him the admiration and loyalty of many, even a few adversaries.
Abraham Lincoln is a great example of humble leadership. His humility never lessened his credibility. In fact, it won him the admiration and loyalty of many, even a few adversaries. Click To TweetHumility is quickly becoming the most important leadership trait for leaders, especially pastoral leaders.
Why?
Change is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. If change were not necessary, leadership would not be necessary because management would do just fine. With the proliferation of information and quickening advances in technology, the learning demands on leaders has never been so intense. The new environment has aptly been described as permanent white-water.
The pace of continual change affects leaders across every industry. There is an extra burden on Pastoral leaders because, in addition to the permanent white-water, they must navigate massive changes within the social fabric of society. Culture is changing so fast.
There is an extra burden on Pastoral leaders. In addition to the permanent white-water hitting every industry, pastoral leaders are navigating massive changes within the social fabric of society. Click To TweetLearning how to navigate this white-water environment is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a “must-have” quality of leadership. If pastoral leaders are not committed to learning, the path to obsolescence, irrelevance and capitulation is on the very near horizon.
I believe there are three simple statements every pastoral leader needs to get comfortable saying.
#1: I don’t know. Socrates suggested that humility is the most important virtue. The wisest are often the humblest because they quickly admit how little they know. This the first and most necessary step in humility – recognizing the gap between what you know and what you need to know.
Social science confirms that leaders with greater humility are better learners. Because they learn better, they are better decision-makers and problem solvers as well. Bradley Owens is an organizational psychologist at BYU. He studied the academic performance of undergrad students and found that humility ratings proved to be a better predictor of academic performance than measures of actual IQ.
Socrates suggested that humility is the most important virtue. The wisest are often the humblest because they quickly admit how little they know. Humility is a greater indicator of performance than IQ. Click To TweetThe results were clear, students rated the most humble outperformed those who considered themselves smart. What was most striking of all the data points was the long-term trajectory. Humble learners continued along an incline of improvement over the long haul. Learners that considered themselves smarter than most plateaued. The humble learners rose above their potential and the proud learners never reached theirs.
#2: Can I get your help? Figuring those individual students may not be able to accurately assess their own humility, Owens asked the sample group of 144 students to rank each other according to certain categories. One of the rankings measured, “This person acknowledges when others have more knowledge and skills than him/herself.”
Nothing good happens when a leader operates as though he or she has all the right answers all the time. Appearing to have the answer, when in fact you do not, is demotivating to the people on your team, especially those that DO have the answers. The best leaders have the smarts to pick the right people to do the job and the self-restraint to leave them alone while they get it done.
Appearing to have the answer, when in fact you do not, is demotivating to the people on your team, especially those that DO have the answers. Click To TweetOne of my favourite movies of all-time is, Remember the Titans. So many lessons for life and leadership. One of the most powerful scenes in the film is when Coach Yoast asks (begs) Coach Boone for help with his defence. At the time, white men rarely asked for help from black men. You can watch it here.
Leadership is about bringing out the best in others. Asking for help is not primarily about delegating tasks off your plate. It’s about enabling others to act. It’s about equipping the saints for the work of ministry. It’s about releasing their talent and helping them realize their potential for impact. Build up your team members by asking for their help, seeking their wisdom, and enabling their talents.
#3: I am sorry. If you want to stand apart as a leader, learn to apologize when you mess up or hurt someone. There are several internal obstacles that may hold us back from sincere reconciliation. Pride may tempt some leaders to think that apologizing is beneath them. Insecurity may cause others to hold back from apologizing for fear of losing power. Leaders that lack empathy minimize the hurt and pain they have caused others, dismissing it as trivial.
It takes humility to apologize when you made a mistake or hurt someone on your team. It takes a lot of inner security and confidence to admit when you do not have the answer or that you need help from others. But in a world of permanent white-water, with the demands on leaders to learn and change so quickly, we don’t have time for pride.
Humility is quickly becoming the most important leadership trait for pastoral leaders. Humility more than any other leadership trait creates a high level of trust within the entire organization and when trust is high speed goes up and cost goes down on everything. In this age of massive change all around us, humility is key.
Humility more than any other leadership trait creates a high level of trust within the entire organization and when trust is high speed goes up and cost goes down on everything. Click To Tweet Humility is quickly becoming the most important leadership trait for leaders, especially pastoral leaders. Click To Tweet