Leadership by Design

My church has been searching for a new lead pastor since January of this year. In our past history as a denomination we used a process called “casting lots” to choose pastoral leadership. From a small group of nominated persons (in those days only men) each person chose a book. The one whose book contained a slip of paper was considered God’s choice to lead the church. Was this selection method merely a chance process of decision-making or clear evidence that God had spoken?

I never witnessed this technique so it is hard for me to assert this was leadership by “luck” rather than by design. In fact, my faith perspective leads me to believe that coincidence and timing are simply ways that God reveals his plans to us. Unfortunately most of us are too busy plotting our own strategies to notice the signs.

Today’s MBA programs seem to churn out leaders with high ambition and little thought for the important role of mentoring and equipping others to be leaders. In many ways this reminds me of a “chance approach” to leadership. When ego and power serve as guiding influences, success may follow but it is often short-lived. Leaders who consciously serve, and seek to develop other leaders, tend to build successful organizations that can thrive long after they are gone.

What does leadership by design look like? I believe it begins with a high level of self-awareness and understanding of one’s talents. These leaders are vulnerable enough to admit when they are wrong or to ask for help when they don’t possess talent in a particular area. They surround themselves with persons who are not like them and encourage honest feedback from these trusted advisors. Love permeates their workplace – love for what they do, for those they work with, and for the customers they serve.

Leadership by design includes lifelong learning and a willingness to accept the mysteries of life. These leaders protect and share the organization’s stories – those times when everyone was at their best. These success stories drive the enterprise’s vision and daily life.

I am drawn to leaders who see life’s “chance happenings” as more than a mere twist of fate or accident. When leaders take time to reflect and cultivate their faith they can rest assured that God is at work. While they may not always see the evidence or make the right choices their future is in good hands.

In this Advent season we are reminded that God had a design for leadership in mind when he sent the Christ child to earth. The life and ministry of Jesus should be enough to convince all of us that we are part of a much larger plan. If this is leadership by “chance” I like my odds.