ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

Vulnerability does not mean transparency. Transparency is
simply disclosing yourself to others at times and in ways that
you choose. In vulnerability, you deliberately place yourself
under others' influence, submitting yourself to others' strengths.
You give others the right to know the pain of your weaknesses
and to care for you. You choose to let others know you, to have
access to your life, to teach you and to influence you.
Notice that vulnerability triggers two relational effects. First,
people gain access to your life as you submit to their influence.
Second, you are given access to their lives as they trust you
and see that your life is open to them. What do we call this
kind of relationship Authenticity.
The character ladder is not as concerned with what we do as
it is with who we are. Its emphasis is on human “being" more
than human “doing." When we ascend the first and second
rungs of the character ladder, entrusting our needs to God and
others and choosing to open our lives for their review, we soon
face the next step — the third rung on the character ladder
— align with truth. On this rung, we must ask more soul-searching
questions: Will I listen to what they say Do I believe it is
true Will I follow their advice This is the true test of character;
not just coming under others' influence but acting on the
wisdom and truth of their counsel.
On the fourth rung of the capacity ladder, we may enjoy certain
privileges, power and authority from our climb. On the fourth
rung of the character ladder, we come face to face with daily
opportunities to set aside those same short-ladder payoffs in
order to make profound differences in the lives of others. The
tension comes in deciding which to choose, especially when
some character-ladder choices require capacity-ladder setbacks.
On the character ladder, we must pay a price. Within the
boundaries of loving God and loving others, the payment will
be different for each of us.
Leaders desire to lead from the fifth rung — to discover destiny.
Getting there depends on the process of developing character
in the context of the right relationships and environments.
Getting to, and staying on, the fifth rung has nothing to do
with pursuing power. It is about learning how to receive power.
The fifth rung is no panacea. It does not cure all our ills or pave
the way to a utopian life. It is rooted in reality. It is dependent
upon the first four rungs and the rails of the character ladder.
But in the climb we find peace. We find joy. We find fulfillment.
We find God, and we find a community that helps us know
our Creator and ourselves more fully.
Excerpts of The Ascent of a Leader were used with permission of the publisher,
Jossey-Bass. The book was published in October, 1999.
To order, call 602-249-7000 or your local bookstore.
Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and Ken McElrath are chairman, president
and director of marketing, respectively, of Leadership Catalyst,
a training and consulting firm that focuses on leadership development.
Visit their website at www.leadershipcatalyst.org.
www.leadnet.org
6
with
Bruce McNicol
co-author of
The Ascent of a Leader
NEXT: How did you select the metaphor of the ladder
McNicol: The ladder came from watching many leaders
malfunction at the apex of their influence. We realized that
as they climbed the capacity ladder where their competencies
had been very expensively and extensively trained, their
character had been merely presumed. People presumed that if
they had certain levels of responsibility, their character could
be trusted. Many of the leaders themselves did not realize that
they could not be trusted. They were sincerely committed to
God, but simply did not have the spiritual character to deal
with the weight of their influence once they reached the apex
of their leadership.
NEXT: What do you mean by “capacity-ladder leaders focus
on the appearance of performance”
McNicol: The capacity-ladder leader often assumes a
performance environment in which imperfection and failure
are not typically honored. We position ourselves in such a way
that those who are our colleagues or followers believe we are
actually able to perform even when we are not. This causes
the capacity-ladder leader to have the appearance of success
when, in reality, we are not succeeding at all.
NEXT: What is the message for pastors or other church leaders
who might find themselves becoming more and more
“performance” driven
McNicol: We want them to have an enduring legacy, to reach
God's destiny, not just their own goals. The best way to ensure
that is to develop their character. This is where they will get
tripped up, not in their competencies but in their character
and their relationships.
NEXT: If a pastor should turn out to be at the top of the capacity
ladder and yet is looked to by others as the leader in terms of
creating an environment of grace and relationships and they
can't do it, what happens
McNicol: The first issue in God ultimately exalting us is
humility. If a pastor recognizes this principle and knows that
they do not have the infrastructure that we talked about, they
need to be protected. Their humility will kick in at this point
and they will start to ask how to develop the infrastructure,
beginning with their closest colleagues and perhaps the elder
board or pastoral team. Here the definition of humility is very
important — trusting God and others with me. These kinds
of leaders are good at trusting God with other people but not
always so good at trusting God with themselves.
NEXT: Say something about the “myth of self-sufficiency" you
describe in the book.
McNicol: It is very common in a performance culture. Many
followers want to believe that their leaders are self-sufficient
and many leaders will take on that public identity. But if we
read Scripture well, we know it is not true. The issue is, how
can I train out, or unlearn, that myth and learn instead the
truth that grace actually thrives on imperfection Performance
thrives on perfection while grace thrives on imperfection. If
I don't remember that, then I won't get to first base.
interviewed by Carol Childress