Public Speaking - Making it look easy (5)

According to statistics more people fear public speaking than fear death.  But, for many people, the most anxiety-provoking elements of public speaking are dealing with a hostile audience and handling a Question and Answer session (Q&A).  Is it really that bad?

Handling Q&A’s – Six Judgement Calls

Presenters get nervous about Q&A’s because they call for snap decisions and quick thinking while trying to look relaxed and composed under pressure.  There appears to be no way of preparing adequately beforehand.  But actually there is. 

Recognising the nature of certain "tension points" that call for judgement during a Q&A is the first step to being in control.  Understanding and managing these points of tension during the preparation phase will empower you to be confident and effective in the delivery. 

These are the six "tension points" or judgement calls that I aim to keep in balance when I handle a Q&A.

Judgement Call #1:  Prime the pump . . . , but don’t keep pumping

Often there is a reluctance in the audience to be the first to ask a question.  After a suitable pause you can get things started yourself.  I will often say something like, “Then let me ask you a question.  Has anyone here come across this problem before?”  The first question is simple and requires no more than a nod of the head.  Usually, there is someone in an audience who will communicate by their non-verbals they are willing to say more.  I follow up with a question that requires something extra, “How did you resolve it?”  Then we're away. 

If, after a reasonable honest attempt, nothing happens; it is time to stop. Sometimes, you just have to come to terms with the fact that everyone is tired and they want to go home.  They are just not as fascinated with your subject as you are. 

In this case, thank everyone for their attention and wrap up the session by underscoring your central statement. 

Judgement Call #2:  Confidence . . . , but not cockiness

When asked a question, you can assert your confidence by physically stepping forward as the question is being asked.  This creates a psychological impact for you and for the audience.  You give yourself the message “I am not going to shrink away from this anxiety-provoking event”, and the audience get the idea that you are confident, in control and ready for anything. 

Present your answers strongly and confidently, but don’t feel you have to have an answer for every question.  If you don’t know the answer, it is OK to say so, usually with a promise to provide that information at a later date. 

Sometimes, audience members will ask you detailed questions that you could not reasonably be expected to remember (about dates, numbers, data, that kind of thing).  My reply usually goes something like.  “That’s a good question.  Off-hand I don’t know exactly how many.  I don’t carry that kind of detail around with me in my head, but I will find out for you.” 

This kind of reply is a plus for your credibility. It indicates you’re a big-picture (strategic) thinker but you are willing to make the effort to provide the small picture stuff. 

Judgement Call #3: Keep it simple . . ., but don’t dumb it down

If you have spent the whole of your presentation being careful to relate to the stereotypical member of your audience (See my first post in this series) the last thing you want to do is to blow it on the Q&A. 

Continue to pitch your comments at the right level for the audience, not getting too technical or long-winded on one hand, nor making it over-simplistic on the other. 

Judgement Call #4:  Stay on message . . . , but it’s not an infomercial

By now you have spent most of your address communicating a message that you believe is important for your audience to hear. 

It is so easy for the Q&A to become a time when that message is lost in an avalanche of other material.  Remember the principle of primacy and immediacy in No 2 of this series? Keep relating your answers back to your central message. 

On the other hand, don’t go overboard to the extent that you resort to the old politician’s trick of always answering with what you want to say regardless of the question.  That’s a sure way to lose the respect of your audience. 

Judgement Call #5:  Impromptu  . . . , but well-prepared

The best preparation for a Q&A is to know your material and have ready answers for the expected questions.  If you’re not sure what questions to expect, use the old journo’s brainstorm technique.  Write down the words who, what, when, why and how and use them as the basis for developing a series of questions and answers that are both quantitative (about numbers) and qualitative (about stories).  Keep in mind your stereotypical audience member as you prepare.  Once you have considered the possibilities, leave it alone. 

Judgement Call #6: Allow freedom of speech . . . , but not too free

In every Q&A there is a guy (they are almost always men – I do not recall it ever being a woman in my experience) who wants to share his own opinion and is not really interested in what others may have to say. He is prepared to go on at length.  

It is good to give him space to express opinions, especially those differing to your own.  It marks you as a person of grace. However, if he goes on too long it is the job of the moderator to politely close him down, but often this does not happen and you may have to take charge. 

I usually handle this with a polite interruption and an appeal to the fairness of giving everyone else time for a question. I try to find something in his comments that I can affirm and always make the promise to share with him one-on-one later.  (He never takes this up by the way – he is only interested in getting an audience.)

Finish strongly

Remember that you are in front of these people because you have a message you believe is important for them to hear.  Applying the principle of primacy and immediacy, finish with a strong statement; something like, “Thank you for your attention today.  Having heard the evidence I am sure you can be in no doubt about the authenticity of Jesus’ message or how it changes lives even now, two thousand years on.”

Dealing with a hostile audience - Five realities

In my next post I will share a few scenarios that they don’t tell you about when you sign up for public speaking courses. 

For now I just want to encourage you to reflect on these five realities:

1. The fear is greater than the reality,
2.  Most audiences are supportive,
3.  Usually the worst that will happen is indifference,
4.  When there is hostility it is usually from one or two people only,
5.  The techniques for handling hostile audiences are the same as those for handling Q&A’s (more or less). 

Public Speaking - Making it look easy (4)

I have heard a lot of boring and ineffective preaching over the years! 

But I have also heard some great preaching.  Nobody sets out to be boring and ineffective, so what is it that makes the difference?  How can you prevent yourself becoming one of those preachers that everyone can’t wait to finish?

In this post, I point the way to just some of the elements that can make preaching real, relevant, and above all effective. 

But what is an effective preach? 

It’s not necessarily one that is entertaining, witty, clever, or theologically sophisticated (though it can have these elements).  It is one in which the preacher accurately portrays God’s message to God’s people in a way they understand, engage with, and which influences them for change.   

For this to happen all the elements of good public speaking should apply (see previous posts) but there is more, number one on the list being your own (the preacher’s) spiritual condition. 

What does God want you to say? 

Your first task as a preacher is to establish what God wants you to say to this congregation at this time.  Of course, you can only do this through prayer in a context of a sound spiritual life.

If you are the regular preacher to the congregation, or even a member of it, you will have a good understanding of its spiritual needs, but what does God want you to present today?  This is a matter of careful thought and prayer.  (This does not preclude the preaching series; the decision is just earlier in the process.)

If you don’t know the congregation, it becomes harder, but a discussion with your host will usually start off your thought processes.  (And, as a visitor, you may have the advantage of being able to issue a more controversial challenge than is always possible in the local setting.)

As part of working out the essential message that God wants to be communicated, seek to be led to a scripture passage.  This will form the basis of your preach. 

What did the author want to communicate?

Generally, the only legitimate way to present scripture is in a way that reflects the author’s original intention.  (When I say author in this case I mean both the human and the God who inspired him.)

To do this we have to have an understanding of the context that the writer lived and wrote in and the context that his readership received it in. 

This is an important integrity issue.  It is the way we can be sure that we do not force our own ideas on what the scripture is saying. 

For example, I once heard a sermon about the comparative qualities of various types of sheep farming methods based on the 23^rd Psalm.  I have no doubt that some farming methods are more sustainable, ethical and humane than others, but it is not the intention of the Psalmist to point that out.  He is celebrating the nurturing nature of God. 

It may sound like a difficult task to work out the context, but in fact there are resources at your disposal that will make it easy.  Here is my four-step suggestion for doing this phase of your preparation in about an hour. 

Step 1:           Check out general background (20 - 30 minutes)

Most Bibles have an introductory few pages at the beginning of each book explaining the background of the book; who wrote it, what was going on for him at the time, who the audience was, the kind of people they were, what was going on for them, the approximate dates.  Simply read this and absorb it. 

Step 2:           Identify what genre (style) of literature this book is (5 - 10 minutes)

A little time in thought should be able to give you the answer to this.  Is it a history book, a letter, a poetry book, an evangel (a biographical book edited in such a way as to persuade the reader – such as the four Gospels and Acts), a book of wisdom, a record of prophecy, etc.?  This is as important because of the assumptions we make about we read are based on our understanding of the genre.  (Would you read an advertisement with the same trust that you read a review of the product?  Would you read a newspaper with the same assumption as you read a novel?  Of course not; you are unconsciously influenced by what you know about the genre.)

Step 3:           Check out what is going on before and after your chosen passage (10- 15 minutes)

Often a quick read of what is before and after the passage will give some insight into the passage itself. About a chapter each way should do it.

Step 4:           Check through your passage looking for things that seem odd in today’s context   (15 - 20 minutes)

Find out why this is. Most likely it is something that was widely understood by the original readership, but does not make sense without explanation today.  For example, if I wrote in a letter to you “The first thing we did when we drove into town was stop to eat at the golden arches”, you would know that I was referring to McDonalds.  In two thousand years’ time, my readership will probably not make the same conclusion.  I have often heard some embarrassing made-up answers to the questions these that these passages though up.  You are better off not addressing the matter than making something up. 

If you carry out these four simple steps, you are more likely to be true to the real intention of God and the writer than if you don’t.  It might not be perfect, but it is a reasonable step in the right direction.  And if you follow this kind of approach by habit you will build up a broader and deeper knowledge of the Bible that will make each preach easier than the previous one, as well as being a blessing to you personally.

An effective preach has an effective “how to”

If we believe that an effective preach is “is one in which the preacher accurately portrays God’s message to God’s people in a way they understand, engage with, and which influences them for change”, then, almost by definition, it must have some explanation of how to make the change.   

Each address should have “how to” part to it, so that every listener is in no doubt about what she/he has to do to apply the principles he/she has just heard. 

The “how to” should be geared to the matter that has been preached, the congregation, and the circumstances of the presentation. 

To use an extreme example, I always preach salvation at a funeral (don’t invite me if you don’t want the gospel preached at your funeral), but it is clearly not appropriate to take over the service with a prolonged call to the mercy seat. Instead I invite attenders to seek out a Salvationist or other spiritual Christian whom they trust, for further discussion, emphasising that it really should be today lest the momentum and opportunity be lost. 

Having worked with addicts and alcoholics for about twenty years I have probably had a higher-than-average number of funerals to conduct, but I do not recall anyone being offended by a clear and definite, but sensitive, “how to”.

A trap to avoid

Before closing, it would be remiss of me not to mention one of the biggest traps that many preachers fall into.  That is treating the Old Testament as though it is a manual of ethics and morality for Christians.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Old Testament serves a number of important purposes.  

• It provides historical and cultural background that culminates in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and the establishment of the Church (the worldwide body of Christians, all spiritually interconnected),

•  
It contains a number of books that capture the mythology (truths told in story or history form) of the people (Israel) from whom Jesus came,

• It is a repository for poetry, wisdom literature and prophecy of the centuries leading to Jesus,

• It is the means by which God established that we cannot win a place in heaven by obeying rules or laws, only by the grace and forgiveness of God.
 

The Old Testament contains examples of God’s people behaving in very un-Christian ways on one hand, and it imposes rules that are irrelevant, unrealistic and impractical on the other.

So generally it cannot be used as a moral guidebook for the Christian.  It is inconsistent for this purpose.  (Otherwise, Christians would be required to abstain from Pork and get circumcised, and would be expected to kill foreigners to take over their land!)  Rather it is a means of providing background and input into the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament writers. 

(Almost all the moral and ethical teaching that a Christian will ever need is contained in Jesus’ mega-speech on how to live, recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.)

Preaching is a huge subject, so this post is just a toe-in-the water exercise, but if you’re interested in know more feel free to contact me in English or Chinese at TAW_leadership@taw.salvationarmy.org.  Also you could follow me on Twitter as I will refer to preaching material from time to time.  

In my next post I will cover handling a Q&A session and share some ideas about coping with a hostile audience.  

Public Speaking - Making it look easy (3)

In my previous posts I shared some ideas on preparing and delivering a public presentation.  But what extra thing can you do to make your presentation buzz? 

Admired speakers are able to use humour in a way that engages their audience in the subject to a surprising degree.  Only recently, I saw the audience of a young speaker responding out loud to his rhetorical questions, so engaged were they in his material.

However, there are some pitfalls to the use of humour; it takes a degree of caution to be able to pull it off without mishap.  There’s nothing worse than a speech full of jokes that misfire!

But do not be discouraged.  The good news is that, with a few simple ground rules, new public speakers can use humour successfully and effectively every time. 

Ground Rule for Humour #1:  Be yourself and be humble

When we are attempting to be funny, there is often the temptation to think and behave as though we are being smart and clever.   Your humour should be a reflection of the real you, not some sophisticated superior you that you imagine you are presenting as.  The reality is, you are more likely to be perceived as a person who is trying to look clever, rather than one who is.  Authenticity is the way to people's hearts, not pretentiousness. In the words of Captain Danielle Strickland, "I have never heard a fantastic sermon delivered by a jerk!"

Ground Rule for Humour #2:  Your funny story must really be funny

Does the story you are telling make you laugh?  If it doesn’t, it is not likely to make your audience laugh.  If there is any doubt don’t use it. 

Ground Rule for Humour #3:  Good delivery is essential

The number of times I have heard a funny story fumbled because the speaker forgot the punch-line or missed out an important detail is too great to think about.  That is the kind of experience that leaves everyone with a moment of cringe.  Be very sure of your material and even practice it and refine it in front of a friend before “going live” with it.  

Other delivery issues to be aware of are:

• It has to sound convincing and real,
• Inject some limited acting into it; voice modulation, gestures and expressions can all add to the power of the story,
• Keep it short.

Ground Rule for Humour #4:  Keep it relevant

Usually, the only reasons for using humour are to:

1.       Illustrate the point you are making in your address, or

2.       As an icebreaker / rapport-builder at the beginning of the speech, or

3.       As an attention grabber or “lightener” when things have got a bit heavy.

If it doesn’t serve one of these goals it probably doesn’t belong in your speech. 

Ground Rule for Humour #5:  Keep it appropriate

Gauging what is appropriate and what is not for a particular audience is important.  If you go too far you will lose their support.  The better you know your audience the more accurately you can assess their sense of appropriateness.  (Be aware that the same audience may have different sense of appropriateness on different occasions.  For example, a more graphic description may be used in a Saturday night fellowship meeting than in a Sunday morning sermon.)

You also need a clear sense of what you consider appropriate and inappropriate.  An expression or turn-of-phrase you may use with family and friends might be considered disrespectful from the platform.  On the other hand don't forsake your authenticity. 

There is never a place for unclean humour, not even in a male-only audience.  Despite many speakers’ behaviour to the contrary, there are many men who do not wish to be exposed to unsavoury humour.  Most likely they will remain silent in your audience, but you will have devalued yourself and your message in their eyes. 

Ground Rule for Humour #6:  It’s OK to have the occasional flop

I once addressed an audience of sergeants and senior officers of the Western Australia police force.  As I got up to speak in my Salvation Army uniform, they all sat looking up at me in their police uniforms.  On the spur of the moment I decided to say as an icebreaker, “I see you all had the same problem as me this morning - couldn’t decide what to wear to the office.”  No one laughed.  Later in the same address, I referred to one of their senior officers (my host) in a humorous way, and again no-one laughed.  One or two further attempts at humour were met with blank stares.

Sometimes, it just doesn’t work – and that’s OK.  (Afterwards, several members of the audience said how helpful the address was and my host apologised for their “stuffiness”.)  The important thing is to move on.  In no circumstances explain your story or apologise for it.  If it didn't work, it didn't work, and that is the end of it. Trying to squirm out of it will only make things worse. 

Ground Rule #7:  Enjoy yourself

I am convinced that humour is a gift of God, the whole idea of which is to help us enjoy our interactions with each other.  Enjoy the humour you inject into your speaking, let it be an expression of your personality, and use it to spread happiness and fun, especially if there is some serious subject matter that you have to get through.

Coming up in Public Speaking – Making it look easy:  Running a Q&A session, responding to objections, hints on preaching from the Bible, and sharing a meaningful testimony.

Public Speaking - Making it look easy (2)

In my last post I shared some ideas about how to prepare your mind and your material for public speaking, but when you actually get in front of the audience/congregation how will you go?  Speakers often find themselves embattled with thoughts like: 

• Will I fall apart with nerves? 
• Will I present as professional and competent, or bumbling and silly? 
• Will you be boring?

 Controlling nervousness

Understand that even the most accomplished of speakers have a degree of nervousness before speaking.  And it is important that they do; it provides the level of alertness and focus for a good delivery.  But the speaker must be in control of the jitters, and not the jitters in control of the speaker. 

There are myriad techniques that speakers use to control nerves, but they all come down to two basic principles; relaxation and cognitive restructuring. 

My personal approach is to pray for peace, do a quick relaxation exercise, take comfort in the fact that I have done all the preparation that is reasonable (Note the word “reasonable”.  There is no place for perfectionism in this!), and that if I mess up probably the most damage will be to my ego and not much else. (In fact some of my worst speaking experiences have resulted in the best responses.)

What are your non-verbals saying?

As you move to the rostrum all eyes will be on you, but don't be intimidated by that.  Step up confidently (even if you don’t feel it).  Smile and greet the person who introduced you.  Shake his hand and thank him if it is appropriate.  Don’t allow yourself to feel rushed arranging your notes.  Take your time. What seems like an eternity to you will be only seconds in reality.  When you are ready, look up, smile warmly and greet the audience. 

For the rest of the address, have a portion of your mind checking in on your non-verbals from time to time.  Here are some of the traps that it is easy to fall into:

• Rushing through the material (which usually affects diction and proper explanation),
• Looking down at the lectern and not up at the audience,
• Focusing on one or two friendly faces in the audiences (intimidated for the one or two, excluding for the rest),
• Fidgeting and fiddling,
• Moving about too much (can be very distracting, even disconcerting, especially to the people in the front row),
• Not moving about enough (can make you seem uninterested in your subject),
• Reading from full notes (can be done, but it is quite a skill to make it convincing),
• Being under-dressed (as a general rule dress a tiny degree smarter than audience),
• Being over-dressed (if you’re too formal a more informal audience will struggle to relate to you, especially in Australia and UK). 

Timing is everything

One of the worst ways to get your audience offside is to run overtime.  If you are not confident about timing develop a "Plan B" in case timing gets away from you.  One technique is to go through your notes highlighting those things that can be omitted.

Are you communicating or just talking?

Your audience will tell you if they are with you or not.  Watch their non-verbals.  By this means you will be able adjust your style and content.  If you suspect that you have lost them here are a few techniques you can try:  

• If it’s an interactive kind of event ask a question or two, 
• If it’s not, mix up your tone or non-verbals, perhaps move around the platform a bit,
• At a push you could stand in silence for a few seconds whilst looking around the audience, but you need a good reason ready; “In that five seconds about 28 people around the world died – and 4 of them died in poverty.”  

Closing

With speaking, as with many other things in life, the principle of “primacy and immediacy” applies.  That is, we tend to remember the first and the closest of something, and forget much of what came in the middle.  (Remember your first kiss?  Remember your last one?  Remember all the kisses in between? Point taken?)

Finishing strongly means wrapping up by reinforcing your main points and calling the audience to action. AS with the start, strong non-verbals, confident, warm and engaging, are the key.  You can use: 

• A moving story,
• A list of questions that challenge the audience,
• A simple expression of thanks for their attention and ask that they seriously consider your comments. 

You've got to be joking

Good use of humour is something that can make your presentation buzz, so in my next post I am going to share some ideas to make it work well for you and help you get round some of the pitfalls. 

Public Speaking - Making it look easy (1)

There is no doubt that as a leader, sooner or later, you are going to have to speak to a congregation / audience.  You may have to address members of the community to ask for donations, deliver a Bible address, or simply give a thank you speech to your team members. 

Are you ready for it? 

Have you noticed how some speakers seem to be able to address an audience in such a relaxed and competent manner that it seems to be no effort at all? 

Well, they didn’t get like that by chance.  Even accomplished speakers have to follow some important principles in preparation and delivery. 

Here is the first of a number of posts on the issue, starting at the beginning; the preparation.  Most people who are nervous about presenting in public are much more relaxed when they have prepared well. 

Preparing the Mind

But even as you begin the preparation of your material, preparing the mind is also important.  Consider these important mind preparation questions:

Question	Preparation of the Mind
Who am I speaking to?	Imagine you are speaking to just one person, the stereotypical member of the audience.  What are his/her interests, needs, understanding of the subject, educational level, sense of humour, etc? (If you don’t know him/her find out.)  This will influence both what you say and how you say it.
What is the occasion?	Imagine yourself in the room at the event. The occasion will influence the style, degree of formality, use of humour and much more.  If you’re not sure it is OK to ask the organisers of the event about these things.
How long am to speak for?	Be prepared to not say some of the things you want to because of the limitations of time.  With experience you will work out the relationship between the length of your notes and the time it takes to deliver them, but if you are new to it, you may actually have to time speaking it out loud.
What is the purpose of your address?	Ask yourself “What do I want to be different after I have spoken?” (Eg: the community members will be seriously thinking about donating, the congregation will be challenged to live a more effective spiritual life, my team members will know that they are appreciated.) Everything you say and do in your presentation should contribute to this goal.
Will my knowledge of the subject be up to the task?	If you are not very familiar with your subject (working with it on an almost daily basis) you must research, research and research.  Typically accomplished speakers spend about an hour research for every hour in preparation, and about three to six hours research and preparation for a 20 minute address.
Are all the arrangements going to be OK?	Get there early enough to check the data projector, where you will stand, the microphones, etc.  If you emailed you presentation, take a spare copy on a USB drive.   Sometimes, despite your best efforts, some or all of these things can go wrong.  When this happens be gracious and professional.  It’s a sure way to win the sympathy, support and admiration of your audience if you display grace under pressure.
Will the audience understand who I am, what I do, and why I am here?	Provide the organiser with a short bio of yourself, and with a new audience, spend a minute introducing yourself, your role and your organisation.

Preparing the Material

If you are preparing a Bible address, there are some special rules that you will help you, but more of that later.  For now, let’s look at general public presentations.  Here is just one approach of many. 

1. Whatever you’re speaking on it’s always a good idea to start with prayer.  You want to be able to acquit yourself well and faithfully reflect the message you and God want to get across.
2. Work out in a single sentence the essence of what you want to say, a central statement.  Write it in the centre of a piece of paper in landscape orientation.
3. Around the central statement write thoughts and ideas that support the central statement and expand on it.  An icebreaker / introduction, the use of humour, illustrative material and a strong close are all important elements to include.
4. Re-arrange your material in a linear form.  Make sure that the progression is logical, linear and definitely not rambling.  Expect to have to leave some material out – not because it’s bad material, but it does not serve the bigger picture of presenting in a logical way.  By the way, logical does not mean lack of passion.  If you are passionate about your material you will be more engaging, but it must always be logical.
5. Prepare your slide presentation to underscore or explain your address, making sure that the slides are simple, uncluttered and actually enhance (rather than distract from) what you are saying. 

My next post will assist you with some pointers on how to deliver your presentation. 

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?

It's about the Leader / It's not about the Leader

There are a lot of books and articles that exhort their readers to practice certain behaviours or adopt a certain list of attributes so that they will become good leaders. 

But is it really that simple?  Are there other factors, not those of the leader, that affect the success of the leader?  

By my reckoning, the characteristics of the leader account for less than half of the factors that make leadership successful.  They include such things as:

• Vision and the ability to communicate vision,
• People skills,
• Technical skills in the activity in which he is leading,
• Courage,
• Grace, and
• Tenacity. 

But sadly, research evidence tells us that most of us are influenced by other, less noble, characteristics.  Even though they would not admit it, many people are highly influenced by prejudicial and superficial factors.  

More likely to follow	Less likely to follow
Tall	Short
Appearance of fitness and energy	Appearance of lethargy and poor fitness
Thin and trim	Balding and overweight
Male	Female

Obviously, these characteristics have nothing to do with whether the person is a good leader or not, but it is clear that some of us have prejudices to overcome!

But even with all this, probably only about 40% to 50% of the leader's success is due his own characteristics. 

There are two other huge factors that make it possible or impossible, hard or easy, for a leader to lead in a certain situation; they are the situation and the followers.

The Situation

In "The Admirable Crichton"1,  the butler Crichton takes over the running of the family of aristocrats when they become shipwrecked on a desert island, and everyone, including the Lord of the Manor, follows his leadership.  When the household is rescued and the crisis is over, he returns to his humble servant role, and life resumes as though it was never interrupted.  Crichton's leadership was highly situational.  

There can be a host of reasons why someone is a good leader is some circumstances and not others.  For example, a Western leader may be too consultative or too informal for an Eastern environment, or a new leader's followers may have had a negative experience before he came on board, or the situation may call for a high level of technical expertise in a certain area. 

Taking these things into account, I reckon that the situation accounts for about 20% to 30% of the success of the leader. 

The Followers

There are so many factors about the followers that can affect the success of the leader.  Here are just some common scenarios.

The Disgruntled Competitor

There is someone in the group of followers who thinks he should be the leader.  He has the capacity to gain support among the followers and disrupt the legitimate leadership. 

The Non-Believers

There are too many in the follower- group that have different values to that of the leader.  For example, if the leader wishes to lead the group in an evangelistic effort, but they do not believe in the value of evangelism, he is unlikely to be successful. 

The Limited but Keen

The followers may want to contribute, but have limited capacity.  They may be elderly, infirm, or of limited capacity.  As much as they want to support the leader, they do not have much to give.  Ironically, some of these people are the most keen and most excited about the mission. 

The Freeloaders

Sadly, in almost every Christian congregation, there are a number of people who are just in for the free ride.  They really do not want to contribute.   When the leader's claim on their time and commitment gets too hot they are most likely to slip away at best, or stay in the congregation being disruptive, at worst. 

So the nature of the follower group will influence the success of the leader, maybe as much as 20% to 30%.  

So What?

So, what should the potential leader who is armed with this information do?  Here are a few things to consider. 

1. As leaders we should do all we can to be the most effective we can be, even though there are many factors we have no control over.  We should make it our life's work to continually improve our leadership skills and to overcome the things that could be a barrier to acceptance. 

2. Remember that there are occasions when the situation or the nature of the follower group may be such that you cannot be effective as a leader.  It is OK not to be successful in every single leadership situation.  You do not have to blame yourself.  Cut yourself some slack.   Understand that sometimes it is outside of your control. 

3. If you are a leader of leaders, remember that sometimes the combination of leader, followers and situation is not going to work.  Be prepared to recognise when this is happening, and allow the leaders you lead to step out of situations that are not working with dignity.

1. A comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie.