Leadership

3 Keys to Leadership Effectiveness When Influence Fails
By Jeff R. Hale

You've taught, trained, encouraged, empowered, and prayed. You've invested your life in the person who is walking away - unwilling to do what is necessary to take his or her effectiveness to the next level. John Maxwell states, "Leadership is influence - nothing more and nothing less" (13). What happens when your influence fails? Is there a difference in failing to influence and failing to lead? Perhaps you've already experienced a time when your influence as a leader failed. If not, you may in the future find yourself standing alone, your leadership rejected, and asking "Was it me?" Let's address that question by turning our focus to a story found in the Bible. This story will help us prepare for such experiences in the future by embracing the processes of commitment, teaching, and self-sacrifice. Sometimes we fail as leaders because of our own shortcomings. Other times, we fail in our influence, even though as a leader we have done well. We should be encouraged that the model of Jesus does make a distinction between a failure to lead and a failure to influence.

Jesus Leads the Rich Man

Jesus set out on a journey. A man runs to Jesus, falls to his knees, and asks, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life." The Good Teacher begins to teach, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother." The rich man speaks again "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth." Jesus looked at him. Jesus felt love for him, and responds, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me." At these words, he went away - sad and grieving - "for he owned much property" (Mark 10:7-22). The rich man rejects both Jesus and his stated goal - eternal life. Did Jesus fail as a leader? Let's take a closer look at Jesus' leadership behaviors in this story.

Jesus uses several positive leadership behaviors including participative, supportive, directive, and achievement-oriented leadership. Jesus employed participative leadership by engaging the man in dialog and asking for his input (Mark 10:18). The serious consideration Jesus gave to the man's question demonstrate supportive behavior. The narrator informs us of Jesus' love for the man, and therefore exhibits a supportive desire for the man's well-being (Mark 10:18, 21). Jesus provided both directive leadership and achievement-oriented leadership by giving the man specific actions leading to the realization of the man's self-expressed goal - eternal life (Mark 10:21). The standards were high - abandon everything to follow Jesus. It was within the man's grasp to make a rational choice that would lead him to realize his goal. However, he found the cost too high, the effort too great, and made a deliberate decision to abandon his goal and his leader. Why? Did Jesus fail as a leader?

Why Influence Fails

Sociologists use the concept of social control to explain how a society keeps its wayward members in line. Social controls include physical violence, political and legal controls, economic pressure, persuasion, ridicule, gossip, or ostracism (Berger). The story of Jesus and the rich man illustrates the power social control can exert on a person - a power so great that it can usurp the influence of the Good Teacher. When confronted with the actual cost of "eternal life" the rich man could not become a follower of Jesus. His religious background, potential ostracism by his community and family, and the certain loss of power and status exerted a force too strong to overcome. Leaders should understand that there are social controls that, in some situations, will limit the extent of the leader's influence. Nevertheless, he or she must be the embodiment of proven leadership principles, even when others refuse to follow. In these cases, leadership is being.

Learning to "Be"

There are three concurrent processes that will help us prepare for and persevere when our influence fails. These three keys to effective leadership are commitment, teaching, and self-sacrifice. They are concurrent processes because all three must be continually forming and modeled in our lives at all times.

• Develop and model commitment. Jesus required of the rich man total commitment: "go and sell all you possess and give to the poor . . . and come, follow Me." The prerequisite for leadership is unswerving commitment to values, mission, and vision that form the foundation of your leadership.
• Develop and model teaching. Noel Tichy notes that all leaders should have a teachable point of view about what it takes to win in their business and what it takes to lead people. When the rich man needed Truth he ran to the Good Teacher. Jesus taught the rich man all he needed to know, do and be in order to "inherit eternal life."
• Develop and model self-sacrifice. The responsibility of every leader is self-sacrifice. Jesus said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13 NLT). I believe Jesus' concept of ''friend'' is broad enough to include employees or other followers. Jesus called the rich man to a self-sacrificing lifestyle. In his own self-sacrificing lifestyle, Jesus modeled that leaders should be willing to put the well-being of others above their own interests so that their followers can achieve their personal and professional potential.

Lead through "Being"

As the story of Jesus and the rich man illustrates, not all will follow even when the leader is fulfilling his or her highest leadership potential. It also makes clear that failure to influence and failure to lead are not synonymous. When influence fails, as a leader, you must remain consistent in "being." It is in the concurrent processes of commitment, teaching, and self-sacrifice that you can acquire the inner resources to persevere as an effective leader when others do not respond positively to your leadership influence.

Copyright (c) 2009 Jeff R. Hale

Works Cited

Berger, Peter, L. (1963). Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. New York: Anchor.

Maxwell, John. C. (1998). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Cohen, Eli, and Noel. Tichy. How Leaders Develop Leaders. 1997. (See noeltichy.com).

Jeff R. Hale is co-founder of WellSpirit Consulting Group, Inc. WellSpirit engages organizations around the world to get well, stay well, and create positive futures: http://www.wellspiritconsulting.com.

Jeff is a proven leader in Christian organizations with 23 years full-time leadership experience and recognized as a strong communicator of vision, a team builder, and an implementer of strategic action. Jeff has demonstrated ability in cross-cultural leadership for 16 years in the African context. He specializes in starting, stabilizing, and growing effective new organizational units and initiatives. In addition to his affiliation with WellSpirit Consulting Group, Inc., Jeff serves as Executive Director for Africa Ministries with Bible League, Chicago, IL.

For more thoughts on leading from a self-less perspective visit Jeff's blog at http://goforthtodie.blogspot.com/

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