People don't leave the Army; they leave their leader!

Front-line Leader, the Army stands and falls on your leadership!  

Research evidence indicates that dissatisfaction with leadership at the front-line is the number one cause of team dissatisfaction.    

According to leadership guru Tom Peters1, the primary cause of people leaving an organisation, such as a corps or ministry team, is overwhelmingly because of their leader, not the broader organisation.  And, in most cases, if members of the team are not performing to their best it is because of shortfalls in how they are being managed and led.  

The front-line leader (corps officer, local officer, etc) is unquestionably the key to the effectiveness, retention, and full engagement of members of any team.  

Even in a great corps (or division or territory), a member of a ministry team who is at odds with his team leader is likely to be a poor performer.  Conversely, if the corps (division, territory) is not so good, but the team member serves with a great leader, he is more likely to be highly effective for the Lord. 

In fact, although they rarely express it this way, people who leave the Army, are not really leaving the Army, rather they are leaving their leader.

So the frontline leader should not consider developing leadership skills as important; he should consider it as essential, a "strategic obsession"  according to Peters.   If you are heading up a youth team, it is not enough to learn the skills of running youth groups and ministering to young people, you must know how to lead your team.  If you are a YPSM, it is not enough to know all about teaching kids, you also need to be practicing leadership that will enable your YP workers to be inspired.  The leader of a team of social workers cannot satisfy herself with knowing social work, she must also be an effective leader.  

Here are some of the ways you can develop your leadership ability:

• Access good leadership training programmes; at least one seminar on leadership per year is the minimum.  Alternatively, do a formal course on management and/or leadership.
• Get a mentor.
• Read about leadership; two or three books each year as well as a subscription to a management/leadership magazine,
• Get a mentor.
• Consider joining a management association.
• Get a mentor.
• Find websites and blogs on leadership.  Spend at least an hour or so each week on it. 
• Get a mentor2.

1.  Tom Peters is a commentator on management and leadership.  His most well known work, co-authored by Robert Waterman, "The Pursuit of Excellence", published in the early eighties, was a best selling management book of it's day and a seminal work that has had a profound effect on leadership since it was published.  This reference is taken from his latest on-line offering, "Excellence Now" at http://excellencenow.com. 

2. Did I mention the importance of getting a mentor?  A mentor is someone who offers the benefit of their experience and will act as your listener, guide and advisor .  He/she will support, advise, correct, guide and coach you. 

Questions to Consider

1.  What have I done to develop my leadership skills this year, this month, this week?

2.  Who can I ask to be my leadership mentor?