What does a fast growing organization need?

Leadership!

I've been pondering what my definition of the word is for the past couple of months. I still don't have a definitive answer, but I'm working on it. Part of it is leading by example, and part of it is taking people out of their comfort zone in order to help them learn and grow. How and when to push people and when to ease up on them is a gray area. If you pull too hard on the reins, your folk are liable to buck.

Then there's the question of how much rope to give to people (enough for them to get the job done, but not enough to hang themselves). Then the question of how far ahead are leaders supposed to look (front-line = today, supervisors= 1 month to a year, managers = 1-3 years, directors=5 years, etc).

Then there's the question of how to hire and promote people within the organization, and provide them the tools they'll need to be successful at the next level.

Ok, so with this entry I'm just asking all of the questions. If I can hammer out some definitive answers, I'll share them. But so far, all I've got are more gray area questions :(.

But if the music has been bothering you, it is from an album called "The Ancient Faith" by Michael Card.

Comments

JPH said…
In your free time (ha ha), pick up Max DePree's "Leadership is an Art." He talks alot about how he runs his company, and interjects his faith into what he calls servant leadership. The other book I used in my leadership class (Northouse, Leadership, 3rd Ed.) discusses the theories of assigned and emerging leadership. Who likes to step up to the plate, and is respected out of the entire group of employees? It's a lot of theory rather than practicality, but it really helped me define how I can lead and manage at the same time.

Thanks for the research on Cain!

And I was close on the song :P
Hawk88 said…
Yes! You were much closer on the song than I thought anyone would get actually. You know some pretty obscure music types. Congrats!

Thanks for the suggestions too. I read J Oslwad Sanders "Spiritual Leadership", but had some differences of opinions with him.

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