Have you ever been part of a failed or failing organization? It’s never fun, but we can learn a lot from these experiences. Right now, God is calling His Bride to a new concept of leadership in the Church, in ministry, and in the marketplace. Whether we embrace the changes that God is making will determine whether we fail in the coming season, or are wildly successful.
Often we can gain insight into the changes that God is making overall by looking specifically at trends in the marketplace. This bit of research came up with results that looked surprisingly Biblical to me in key ways. Howard Stevens, chairman of the leadership assessment firm, Chally, has gathered extensive performance data from 150,000 salespeople including 9,000 sales managers as part of a decades-long research project.
According to the success vs. failure statistics that Chally has gathered, successful leaders tend to be:
1. Humble Rather Than Arrogant
Failed leaders defined their role as some form of telling people what to do.
Successful leaders put themselves into the background, coaching people to perform to their highest potential.
2. Flexible Rather Than Rigid
Failed leaders had a hard time with change, and found it difficult to get their people to embrace necessary change.
Successful leaders modeled flexibility in order to inspire similar flexibility throughout the rest of the team.
3. Straightforward Rather Than Evasive
Failed leaders used half-truths and false impressions.
Successful leaders gave people the information they needed to make the best decisions.
4. Forward Thinking Rather Than Reactionary
Failed leaders ran their organizations relying on personal judgment, constantly shifting gears and directions.
Successful leaders used a plan, and made it clear so that everyone understood it.
5. Precise Rather Than Vague
Failed leaders created vague goals that people found difficult to map into actual activity.
Successful leaders let people know exactly what was expected of them, using a clear set of common goals.
6. Patient Rather Than Ill-Tempered
Failed leaders blew up and threw fits when problems cropped up.
Successful leaders confronted problems by listening, considering options, deciding on the best approach, and then communicating what needed to be done.
Many of us are being called up to a higher level of leadership in the coming season. This message is for me as much as anyone. God is calling us to a new model of leadership that will make or break our success. And our success is crucial! We must step up to this new standard in order to establish the Kingdom of God in new ways, in new areas of thought, in new spheres. I pray that we will all get this lesson, and begin leading in love and vision. The way Jesus does.
Research from an article By Geoffrey James
Related articles
- 13 Characteristics of Leadership For the New Move Ahead (jscotthusted.wordpress.com)
J. Scott Husted -- Through the Veil 
Good stuff Scott. Appreciate this post a lot.
This is a great post, Scott. Thanks for writing it.