Leadership Superpowers
By Rod Berg | March 23rd
The longer I am in Christian leadership, the more I deeply appreciate and try to learn from those who have gone before me, especially those long-time leaders who have been in the arena for the long haul. I also have a special admiration for leaders who have been through the deep valleys and have gone through significant challenges and bounced back. These are the kind of people Brené Brown refers to as being “in the arena”, putting it all on the line.
Learning from Mistakes…and Getting Back At It:
Discouragement can creep in and paralyze even the strongest leaders. A tough parent meeting over discipline that went sideways, a challenging board meeting that left you wondering if you are a fit, or a tough teacher evaluation that did not go as planned. You know the meetings, the ones you walk away from wondering if you are still a fit in your community.
Perseverance, having a short memory and the ability to bounce back, really is a leadership superpower. Lesser leaders simply walk away and often miss the gold on the ground that could make them better. You get stronger and more resilient by pushing through the tough times. Perseverance is like a muscle. If you don’t work it, each time will be a challenge. The more you work it, the easier it gets and the more grit you develop.
The leader who stands up in the middle of the arena of life after getting knocked down, pats the dust off and says, ‘Put me back in, Lord’! That is next level leadership. That is the stuff legends are made of!
Constantly Learning and Growing
I am convinced that the most effective leaders are constantly learning. They stay hungry and are never satisfied with their skill set. They read, listen to podcasts, go to workshops, and spend time with other leaders to break through the glass ceiling of growth. Top-level leaders have no glass ceilings!
How can you ever move the dial in your organization if you are not learning new things? The Holy Spirit works powerfully in our lives, but your hamper of ideas needs to be full for the Spirit to nudge you in new directions. We need to give the Holy Spirit areas to work with in our lives. You can’t expect to run a 10K if you have not eaten in two days. You cannot expect to lead well if you are not feeding yourself with new ideas.
No new growth is a recipe for maintenance mode in leadership.
If We Did Not Fear…
Every now and then I ask the question, ‘what would I do if I had no fear?’. Each time we try something new, attempt something creative, or implement a new idea, we are redeeming our organization and moving the dial for the kingdom. It starts with saying ‘yes’ now and then to a unique professional development idea. Or having the courage to push the board on a vision idea. The book Atomic Habits is all about the small steps that lead to great things. A marathon starts with walking, and that leads to running.
The response can always be that we don’t have the money in the budget, or the staff or board won’t like it. But once you start the journey of new ideas, the rewards are so deep that it becomes a habit and you start to hunger after it!
Ask the most veteran leader what the hardest part was, and often the answer is: the first step! Jesus did not start with the cross. He started with turning water into wine, then feeding the five thousand and healing the hurting. Small steps and planting seeds for the kingdom. Redeeming, restoring and reclaiming. Nothing is more rewarding in Christian leadership! Nothing brings more joy this side of heaven!
Rod Berg is the North Toronto cohort leader for Edvance and Head of School at Timothy Christian School in Barrie, ON.