8 Excuses for not Developing Leaders

In the last post we looked at some of the ways that leaders rationalise not developing other leaders, focusing on one of the most common excuses, the mistaken belief that they are too busy to train up leaders.  

But this is not the only “reason” that leaders use to justify to themselves and others, why developing leaders is not a good idea. 

1. They will see the inner workings of what I do and will find out I’m not as good as I look.
2. They may turn out to be better than me.
3. They may want to take over my job.
4. I must have exclusivity of some things to demonstrate my higher status as the “the boss”.
5. I don’t have time for training others.
6. Only ordained ministers can do what I do.
7. My congregation members are all too busy to take on leadership roles.
8. They won’t be able to do it well enough.   

 Excuse #6:  Only ordained ministers can do what I do

           

Yeah right!  The Church in some parts of the world is conditioned to (falsely) regard ministers as a special breed apart that has the exclusive rights to preaching and certain other tasks. 

This is more about feeding egos (of the leaders) than it is nurturing souls.  There is nothing in the Bible that indicates that officers or pastors are in a class above the rest of Christians.  They do not have the divine right to carry out certain duties that others cannot.  In fact the opposite is true.  According to the New Testament writers, all Christians form the “royal priesthood of all believers” (1 Peter 2:9), are expected to preach (1 Tim 4:13, 1 Tim 5:17, 2 Tim 4:2), and to exercise a variety of other ministry gifts including prophesying, teaching, encouraging and leadership (Romans 12:6-8). 

If an officer is not developing these gifts and abilities in the people around him, he may be standing in the way of the Holy Spirit. 

Excuse #7:  My congregation members are all too busy to take on leadership roles

There may or may not be some truth to this.  Only an honest chat and an accurate assessment of their capacity to give their time will answer that.  Having said that, I have observed that often the people who give the most time are those that have the least of it.  I have seen this time and time again in corps, churches, service clubs, sports clubs and community groups across several cultures.  Perhaps, at least for some people, this is more a question of commitment to serve than it is time.  It seems that the old adage “If you want a job done ask a busy person” has some truth to it.

Excuse #8:  They won’t be able to do it well enough

Again, an informed assessment of their skills and background will answer this question, notwithstanding the propensity of some leaders to expect the least, to be Theory X thinkers. 

Here’s how

So, here's how to get started choosing and training your leaders. 

Identify the potential leaders in your corps and work alongside them, try them out to ascertain their capacity.  Do people respond to their leadership?  Have they got “the goods” spiritually speaking?  Do they have the capacity to learn new skills and the underpinning knowledge required?   Can other leaders in the corps respect them as peers and appreciate their potential?  Don’t announce your intention to develop them as a leader just yet.  Wait until you are sure before doing so. 

When you appoint a soldier to a local officer* position introduce her to the idea that this is a leadership position, one that will carry extra responsibilities, not just those immediately linked to their specialist role.  Each and every local officer should be able to lead, preach and pastor. 

From the very beginning of her local officership, let her know that you will coach and train her in the skills of leadership.  Teach her how to preach (Discover Leadership posts "Public Speaking - Making it Look Easy 1-7" can form the basis of a ready-to-use training course, and this post will give you a great training model that you can use to teach your people how to preach, lead meetings and to pastor to people.)

In your own leadership, model the leadership behaviours you want your trainee to emulate, and explain the principles of what you are doing from time to time.

Give your new leader opportunities to practice these activities under you supervision, and provide feedback afterwards.  Be clear, concise and constructive.  Do not expect perfection, but look for (and reward) continual improvement. 

Finally, appoint her to take over one day when you are going to be absent.  Don’t wait for the day when she is 100% perfect. (Were you 100% perfect when you did your first preach?  I doubt it!) don't wait for the day when she is 100% confident.  Get her started.  

Spend some time helping her get ready for the big day.  Assist her with practical and spiritual preparation.  Provide the opportunity for debrief afterwards. If you have someone who can observe her and give objective feedback ask them to do so.  

Depending on the experience and spiritual maturity of the trainee, you could have her fully up-to-speed within one to two years.  

Developing leadership skills in people around you will produce a cadre of people who can deputise whenever you are away, can support you to carry the burden of leadership and who will collectively be a much richer and capable local officership team. 

*Local Officer = A lay leader in The Salvation Army, somewhat akin to a deacon or elder in other churches or NCO in the military.  It is a volunteer (unpaid) position.