One of the key characteristics of leadership is keeping perspective. The temptation, especially for those of us who are pastors, is to work side-by-side with those whom we are leading. While this is a good and necessary training technique, it is poor leadership when we do not take the time to gain perspective of the larger picture.
My wife is a head-store manager at the McDonalds in Murrysville on Route 22 and leads 75 people whose job it is to make sure your burgers and fries are done to your liking. While many poke fun at McDonalds, I can tell you that McDonalds is respected world-wide as a leader in training leadership. Head store managers from McDonalds are well-respected in the business field, and often sought after by other corporations. One of the things McDonalds’ managers are taught is that they should NEVER work a position. As soon as they do, they lose control of their store.
I found additional confirmation of this, recently from another well-respected source. I finished reading the book, “We Were Soldiers, and Young” by General Hal Moore, who was an exceptional leader, both on the battlefield and in the business field following his retirement.
General Moore was commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Cavalry, which was engaged in the first large scale battle between American and North Vietnamese forces in the battle for the Ia Drang Valley, 1965. General Moore, who at the time was a Lt. Colonel, took less than 500 men into battle against several thousand Vietnamese. On several occasions during this running battle, the American lines nearly broke, and Col. Moore was tempted to pick up a gun and help shore the line. However, he knew that once he picked up a gun to join his soldiers on the line, he would lose perspective of the larger battle. If no-one kept an eye on how the battle was developing, the 1st Battalion would have been easily flanked and defeated.
For pastors, it is a mark of humility to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with God’s people, and it is necessary that we do so. However, someone needs to take a step back to see the larger picture of what is going on. We are fighting a battle, and the enemy we are fighting is capable of not only taking our life, but also our souls. If we are to be effective leaders, we need to keep an eye on the battle, for the enemy is swift and cunning, and can easily outflank us.
What this means for me is that I need to be careful not to get too deeply engaged in details that can be accomplished by others. I too quickly lose perspective. Sometimes it is easier to take care of the details of the ministry myself; however, I am stealing an opportunity for someone else to serve, and, I am losing perspective of what needs to be done, and the direction in which we must move. This week, I realized that I have done many things, none of which are bad, all of which are necessary, but which have caused me to lose focus on the bigger picture: I chose the hymns for worship this Sunday; JD and I were the ONLY ones setting up and cleaning our new worship site and office space at the Landmark Pavilion; I am the one who up-dated our web-site; I did the flyers and handouts for this weekend’s events. That is poor leadership on my part. I am depriving others of their calling, and am losing perspective of what needs to be done. To be more effective as a leader, I need to delegate these details and resist the temptation to be drawn into them.
Unlike McDonald’s and the military, however, there is no pay in the work of the church and nothing to compel one to volunteer. Therefore, I depend upon a self-motivated flock of volunteers to accomplish the tasks that need to be accomplished, which is not always an easy task.
