Leadership development is a discipline not a reflex.
This concept has been on my mind a lot over the past month. I’ve served in student ministry for somewhere around 17 or 18 summers, and I’ve never had a summer that felt like this. It seems everything is flipped upside down.
And when we park in chaos, our reflexes take over. We naturally default to the things that come easy to us, or the things in which we find comfort.
Planners find rest in planning.
Creative types find rest in creating.
Busy types find rest in busy-ness.
Very few people, however, default to developing leaders. It’s not natural to bring someone along and to empower them to serve. Capable people, especially, have a difficult time including others in their work.
Leadership development is a discipline, not a reflex.
Think of it like trying to lose weight. The only time in my life that I have lost weight without being highly intentional is when I have a stomach bug. When my body is rejecting the fuel I’m trying to give it, I can lose weight without much effort (but usually quite a bit of pain).
My natural reflex is to put my head down and accomplish. I fear rejection, so I default to not wanting to bother people for help. I justify it, and move forward alone.
But that’s not how I grow as a leader. I want to develop those around me. I want the people (young and old) around me to be grow because of the leadership influence I have on them.
But it takes discipline. It takes purpose. It takes intentionality.
Do you agree? Is developing leaders around you a discipline, or a reflex? What is one thing you need to do today to develop someone around you?