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Selecting the Right People is the Key to Successful Leadership
Key ingredients for potential leaders.
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Character is not reputation—what others think of us; nor is it success—what we have accomplished. Character embodies the total of our being and our actions. It originates with who we are, but it expresses itself in the way we live and behave. Leaders can't compromise the need for character in the selection process. No matter how gifted, trained, or seemingly mature a person is, the true usefulness of those attributes will be determined by character. People who are committed. That is, people who display spiritual authenticity. People who have made a mature, consistent commitment to Christ and His kingdom's purposes. People who allow God's Word to impact their lives daily. People who pray and seek the leadership of God's Spirit. People who can honestly say to others, "follow me." Do as I do. People who are compatible. The selection process requires that the leader enlist people who are a ministry fit, a relational fit, a skill fit, and a passion fit. Vince Lombardi once told his team, the Green Bay Packers, "In terms of skill and ability, every one of you is easily replaceable; there are plenty of players around with athletic talent to equal yours." He went on to explain that the quality that distinguished Green Bay from the other teams was their "chemistry." His team had the ability to identify with the goals he laid out. The power of chemistry that developed between members and the coach transcended, in Lombardi's view, individual talent and prior professional experience. He saw it as enabling him to get significant effort from his players. Compatible people turn diversity into unity. They turn an audience into an army. They know, as Peter Drucker said, "All work is for a team. No individual has the temperament and the skills to do every job. The purpose of a team is to make strengths productive and weaknesses irrelevant." Compatible people work together and help their teammates play better to accomplish the common goal. People who are coachable. An effective leader will select those individuals who may not have all the skills and attributes necessary to perform the job, but they are trainable and teachable. Coachable people are aware of their own limitations and inadequacies and eager to learn and improve. John Wooden, the former basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins, said, "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." When the leader selects the right people for the right job at the right time, he can give them the responsibility and leave them alone to do the job. Rick Ezell, D. Min., is senior pastor of Naperville Baptist Church, in Naperville, Ill. Ezell has written numerous articles and four books, including "Cutting to the Core" and "Defining Moments." Featured in www.ChurchCentral.com, July 2002 |             |
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