George Barna » Master Leaders

Seeking Cues from Genuine Leaders

George Barna — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:13:36 +0000

A few days ago I had the privilege of speaking on behalf of the largest provider of services to the poor in our county. It was an interesting evening in many respects.

One of the intriguing aspects had to do with the presence of local politicians. Because the event took place five days before the state’s primary election, we had invited sitting officials as well as candidates to attend the event. They were aware that they would not be introduced and would not be given any time to address the crowd, since the event was a benefit for the service agency, not a political rally. As best I could tell, we had exactly one candidate (who is also an incumbent official) present. He did nothing to draw attention to himself. And he actually stayed awake throughout my entire presentation on why poverty lingers and how we might attack it.

At one point during the presentation I noted that we are not likely to defeat poverty without committed leaders – those who do not just campaign against poverty (after all, who’s for it?) but who are truly devoted to doing what it takes to overcome poverty as efficiently and quickly as possible. It’s a matter of justice: doing what’s right simply because it’s right. I encouraged those in attendance to sharpen their focus to listen and watch for cues that suggest a public figure isn’t using the issue of poverty for political advantage but is fully committed to paying the price and staying the course to ensure positive outcomes.

After the event ended, the incumbent official came forward to introduce himself to me. We bantered about some of the strategies the city was employing to combat poverty. And then an unexpected thing happened. He asked if I was aware of one of the newest strategies the city was introducing. I was not. He explained it and talked about the very positive results that were emerging in the early stages of the rollout and how many of the city’s poor people had benefitted in some lasting ways. And I noticed that he began to tear-up as he described the wonderful changes that were happening in those broken lives.

I had my cue.

When I did the interviews for Master Leaders last year – a book that conveys the leadership wisdom of some of America’s greatest leaders – I was reminded that whenever I encounter a leader who is genuinely passionate about serving people, especially in an area of shared passion and concern, the ball is then in my court to do whatever I can to support that leader. It’s easy to be cynical about political leaders, but one of the life lessons I derived from working in state government many years ago for a state legislator and Speaker of the House was that there are numerous people in public office who really do want to serve people. That blew my mind – and changed it. But they cannot lead well if the rest of us fail to serve them as willing and dedicated followers. If only more of us realized the power of passionate followership.

Leaders That Set Vision

George Barna — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:11:17 +0000

One of the joys of conducting the personal interviews for my latest book, Master Leaders, was learning from some of my leadership mentors. Lou Holtz is always fun to be with – but, in the midst of fun, he teaches invaluable lessons. During one of our conversations, Lou reminded me that great leaders can measure success by determining whether they motivated and empowered people to achieve more than they thought possible, in tandem with the vision that the leader set before them. As I have been thinking about the churches I’ve visited and studied this year, I wonder how many people in those congregations have been changed by the confidence that their leaders showed in them. For that matter, I know from Barna research that few congregants are aware of a godly vision that their church leaders are committed to pursuing. Lacking that vision, motivation has to come from the charisma of the leader – and that’s always an inferior and potentially dangerous source of inspiration. It’s much better to inspire people on the basis of what God has dreamt for them.

In your community of faith how many participants are inspired by the clear and compelling vision conveyed and pursued by the leadership?

Delayed Gratification

George Barna — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:29:46 +0000

During the interviewing process for my book, Master Leaders, one of the most riveting comments that emerged was the idea that leaders must be able to handle delayed gratification. Our “payoff” comes after we have helped others to be successful. Sometimes that takes a few hours, sometimes perhaps a few years. I think this is less of a struggle for a true leader than for someone posing as a leader because the natural orientation of a great leader is to think in the future, not in the moment. Perhaps one’s comfort with delayed gratification is a filter for determining whether or not someone is truly a leader. And wouldn’t recognizing that success may not be seen for a prolonged period of time reduce the pressure felt to produce immediate results? Great leaders always seem to have the long view in mind. Evaluating impact over the long haul through the growth of the people we lead is part of that package.

Master Leaders, Behind the Scenes

George Barna — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:31:17 +0000

I cannot tell you how panicked I felt after I had written the initial draft of the first third of Master Leaders. The body of wisdom from which I was drawing was, in my view, unparalleled. Maybe that placed more pressure on me than usual. All I knew was that the manuscript was cleanly written, provided an accurate representation of the things I had learned from the thirty insightful leaders whom I had interviewed – and that the manuscript was painfully boring.

How does God intrude in your reality? With me, He seems to enjoy allowing me to dig a very deep ditch that I am incapable of climbing out of on my own strength. That invariably enables Him to show His creativity, power, and love as He comes to my rescue. That’s exactly what He did – again – in the course of my developing this book. I had taken a pedestrian approach, crafting a chapter by chapter recitation of what my world-class leadership interviewees had shared. There was nothing wrong with the material itself, but the presentation was limp.

And that’s when God planted a wonderful creative idea in my brain: string all the like comments together, creating a virtual conversation. At first, the idea seemed a bit absurd, but when I began testing the concept, it flowed a lot better than I expected. After I’d spent the two weeks writing the book, nobody could have been more pleasantly surprised with the aggregate result than me. The product not only delivered a substantial amount of wisdom about leadership, but it was provided in a relatively smooth and playful way.

Beyond the format, the experience of speaking with 30 great leaders and leader developers was deeply enlightening for me. The joy wasn’t always the information they imparted; sometimes it was what I observed them doing that modeled the principles they championed. For instance, some of the most important personal lessons in leadership were:

Great leaders motivate people by seeing and retelling compelling stories that relate to the vision to which they are committed
A leader rarely changes a person; he/she simply figures out how to get the best results out of who they are, and who to team them with for the greatest productivity
Leadership analysts tend to focus on how leaders articulate their ideas; yet leaders more often succeed because of how effectively they listen than because of their speaking prowess
The world is increasingly complex and challenging: leaders help make sense of the world, often by reducing the complicated and misleading to a simpler, logical understanding
Individuals who are popular pander to public opinion; genuine leaders expect to become unpopular, choosing to do what’s right and necessary rather than what’s expected and safe
The probability of success increases if the focus is on the outcomes rather than who gets credit for those results
If you are not clear about your vision and values, and passionate about the corresponding convictions and goals, success is not likely
No leader is the “complete package.” There will be times when the chief leader must allow other leaders to provide direction under given circumstances to compensate for the chief leader’s weaknesses
Leadership is a collaborative process; it’s less about what the leader does than about what he/she facilitates through others
Great leaders recognize that all people have great worth; the leader’s task is to maximize their delivery of the unique value each person brings to the party
Leaders get what they measure and what they tolerate
All great leaders believe they have a moral responsibility to take care of people
Do not attempt to lead people unless you are prepared to pay a significant emotional, physical and spiritual price

As my mentors taught me, part of learning is applying the information gleaned, so that’s the daunting task before me now. But how much better off I am today than before this process began; now I have a clearer understanding of what it takes to get to the next level.

I hope you take some time to read this book, and that you both enjoy and feel challenged by it. The men and women featured in it “get it” and they went to great lengths to share it with you. Seriously ponder the lessons they offer. I think you’ll find it well worth the effort.