Trends in Leadership
The Church Takes A Lead
In business and civic life today, several trends are shaping the future of leadership. For Christian leaders, these "new trends" are actually standard issue; they are (or ought to be) a key part of our leadership DNA. In mainstream life, the so-called "new leader" is focused on:
Values. Leaders in every sphere of business and community life today realise that the future is not decided by events alone, but by human responses to events; responses that are shaped by human values. Because the church has proven, positive values to share, it has the opportunity to influence the future of cities more than any other community organisation or institution. We must constantly equip people to live out their Christian values at the coalface, in real-world situations.
Less Competition, More Coordination. In business today, leaders invest in strategic studies of "best practice", where benchmarks are set according to what is proven to work across an industry. In this way, leaders are able to move forward without constantly happening to "reinvent the wheel". The church was founded on the call to work together, to demonstrate Christ's love in practical ways through cooperation. Once again, the church can and should be ahead of the game. We need to lift our game when it comes to building alliances with one another and sharing freely our know-how and resources.
The Cause. Community and business leaders recognize that people today want an outlet and focus for their passion. In an age of me-first consumerism, people are looking for a cause larger than themselves, which will give them a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. They are seeking altruism rather than hedonism. The church represents the ultimate call: to live for something that lives on when you die. We can take a lead in community if we are prepared to give people opportunities for truly costly and sacrificial living.
The New Customer. In many areas of business today, leaders are paying as much attention to meeting the needs of their employees as they do their customers. The employee has become the new customer. Enlightened leaders strive to stir passion in their employees, giving them the chance to develop their innate potential and feel fulfilled. For the church, this is second nature. Church leadership exists to "equip the saints for the work of service". We need to constantly offer training opportunities for our people - but training that serves them in very practical ways, identifying and releasing their unique areas of creativity.
Integration. Leaders throughout society are seeking to create environments in which people have a healthy "work/life balance". The goal is to help people blend their work and private lives into an integrated, seamless whole. Here again, the church can be a leading voice. In Christian life, there is an integration of every aspect of our experience, with everything revolving around our relationship with Christ and our desire to make God's made great in our world. As leaders, we must teach in such a way that people can plug their own experience into the truth we share. We must also, as Philippians 4 says, "good sense" be seen by all, speaking something of value into mainstream media and other areas of civic life.
The Calling. People in every sphere of business and community life are looking for more than a pay-check. Time and personal enrichment are the new currencies. In a data-obsessed age, people need more than new information -- they need value adding information. They need data that will help them live with things they value: including joy, meaning and fulfilment. Business seminars today talk about leaders enabling their workers to find, grow and excel in their "calling". Yet again, the church is ahead of the game. The very essence of Christian life and mission is a higher calling; living as if I am not the ultimate authority in my life and there are higher priorities than my own. Martin Luther King said: "Christianity insists that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear." We need to be sure to call we offer is very clear - and filled with hope.
During tough times, leaders at all levels of society begin to reflect on what is really important and what is not. Everything gets stripped back to its most essential ingredients -- which are always focused not on products or services, but on people. This is an exciting time for the church; we have the equipment to lead.
Copyright Mal Fletcher, 2009.
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