Becoming A Reproducing Leader

Posted by Matt on January 22, 2009 under Featured Articles, Leadership |

I haphazardly picked up my copy of John Maxwell’s The 21 Most Important Minutes In a Leader’s Day. John asks a simple question: “If you were to reproduce yourself in another leader, would you be satisfied with the results?” This has been a rather thought-provoking question in my mind. To look at it another way, if you were doing your own leadership evaluation, how would you be coaching yourself to change? And perhaps another important question would be, are you reproducing yoruself in another leader at all?

The purpose of leadership really isn’t to reach the top, but to help somebody else get there. Further, the goal of leading people is to develop them to their full potential, not to use them to help you reach your own. In fact, we’re at our greatest when we’re developing others anyway. So how do you reproduce your leadership qualities in someone else? Just a few thoughts…

1. Find someone to lead. Tribes are everywhere, just waiting for the right leader.
2. Pour your life into other leaders. By life, I particularly mean time.
3. Listen, learn, and respond to leaders. Don’t just talk – you don’t know it all.
4. Provide opportunities for leaders under you to take risks, even when you will end up sharing the cost.
5. Empower people with the time, resources, and help to get the job done.
6. Check in. People don’t respect what you don’t inspect.
7. Model your values, techniques, and passions – don’t hold back.
8. Be accessible. People can’t grow under your leadership if you’re hiding in the ivory tower.
9. Get fed. Find a mentor. Don’t stagnate in your own leadership growth.
10. Remember that you were quite wet behind the ears when you started out!

Who are you leading? How are they doing? Are they a satisfactory reproduction of yourself? Would you be, based on how well you’re leading now?

This article was posted by our guest, Brandon Cox, who leads a church in Bentonville as Pastor. He also blogs at Life Here and There and designs web sites.