I wanted someone to blame. I needed someone to blame. And blame I did. I blamed the devil. I blamed the “Jezebel Spirit”, I blamed everyone’s carnality. Then my friend, and fellow pastor, Dale gave me a copy of “Leading Change” by John Kotter. I read it and then re-read it. I had a lot of repenting and rethinking to do.
The resistance to change I faced as a pastor was not because my flock did not love God. It was not because they were hard-hearted and refused to change. They loved God and were some of the finest and most generous people I had the privilege of knowing. The problem was leadership. And I was the leader!
I thought all I needed to do was to hear from God and tell them. They, in turn, would be thrilled and ready to go in whatever direction I said we should go. Yeah, right. Boy, was I dreaming!
John Kotter taught me eight basic stages in the process of leading change. He also taught me what happens when you neglect or ignore these stages.
The eight-stage process goes like this:
- Establish a sense of urgency. (People have got to see the need, desirability, and benefit of change before they will change.)
- Create a guiding coalition. (A broad-based and fully empowered team.)
- Develop a vision and strategy. (Notice this is NOT #1.)
- Communicate the change vision (10 times more than you think necessary).
- Empower your team for broad-based action.
- Generate short-term wins.
- Consolidate the gains and create more momentum.
- Anchor the changes into the culture.
To ignore this simple, yet elegant, process is to invite failure to visit your best ideas and initiatives. Leading change is the hardest challenge a leader faces. In fact, I think leading change is the only challenge a leader faces. Who needs a leader to face the status quo?
This book made me a better leader. I am glad I read it.
Patrick Lencioni has had an equal impact on my leadership. A number of his books have helped me. I will focus on the two that made the most significant difference for me: “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable,” and “Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable… About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business.” These two books transformed how I lead teams and how I lead meetings.
If you have teams that are not functioning at their highest capacity and team members who do not trust one another, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” is for you.
If you have meetings that are mind-numbing wastes of time that no one enjoys and you want to see them become meetings that release greater creativity and productivity, “Death by Meeting” may be just what the doctor ordered for you.
Over the years I have read piles and piles of great books on leadership. “Leading Change,” “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” and “Death by Meeting” have been the most significant to me. The piles of books have informed me, but these three have transformed me.
What are your plans to improve your leadership in 2013? What books will you read? What mentors will you seek? Let me know, I would love to hear from you.
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
