Sensitive Leadership

Sensitivity is a key factor in leadership. Spiritual leadership would
have a clear call to be sensitive to the Spirit. But, every leader
needs to be sensitive to the moment, sensitive to the movements,
sensitive to the goings on in the lives of the people. This is a part
of EQ (EQ 2.0 is a great book here).

Sensitivity can direct us in the moment when we observe the responses
of people, physical and emotional responses. The observant leader
sees the people responding and if the response is the desired one,
knows when to keep pressing and when to quit pressing. If we press to
long as leaders we de-sensitize our people for they will naturally put
up walls and self protect just when we need them to be more vulnerable.

The de-sensitized leader can be so wrapped up in the moment (as a
speaker or board leader) that they are clueless to the room and
therefore miss the moment. The question is hard but clear. Is it
more important that we feel the buzz of the moment when we have the
floor or that the person or people move in the desired direction? Is
it about me or them? When my sensitivity factor is down because the
adrenaline is flowing and the moment is happening God may be working
but I am out of touch and can actually hinder the movement of God!!

What can blind us is our thinking we know, thinking we are good at
something so we excuse our missing the moment. Developing sensitivity
is done by acknowledging every time we have not been sensitive until
our heart and mind hears our mouth say it so much it becomes a quicker
thought. Becoming a sensitive leader is about governing our own inner
world so that our inner world doesn't take hostage the outer world of
others. Becoming a sensitive leader is about Galatians 5, keeping in
step with the Spirit so that we can be used by the Lord, used beyond
our own wisdom and skills, used to do a far greater work. Sensitive
leadership is always monitoring the room, the responses, the stimuli
to know how to lead from one moment to the next.

Sensitive leadership reads the room, the emotions, the culture, the
body language and leads appropriately. De-sensitized leadership
misses the moment. Caught in their own inner excitement a desensitized
leader may control the moment but is unaware of the real thoughts,
responses, reactions of people. De-sensitized leaders may do some
monitoring of the room, but mostly only connecting to those with them
and only picking up the clues of those who are into them.

It's a battle to be sure. But are we aware of when we are captured by
our emotion so that we miss the moment for others?

Vision or Bias

Some people say they have a vision but what they really have is a
bias. Vision is more than a bias, a preferred way of worship, a
preferred way of doing church, etc. I've been thinking of some
differences:
1) Bias has more to do with MY ideas and understandings. Vision is
more about others than me
2) Bias can often be driven by MY gifts and preferences. Vision is
more about a future that can and should look different.
3) Bias is MY style of worship, what I have seen work, etc. Vision
may flow from my experiences but big vision always includes others.
4) Bias has ME as the center picture. Vision is not as concerned with
me in the picture but visions others.
5) In bias I measure how do I think "it" (the experience) went. With
vision my biggest concern is others, what they experienced or didn't
experience but should have.

Bias is something we all have, preferred styles of music, patterns of
life, etc. Vision moves us past bias to the world of others and the
possibilities for others.

Vision or bias?

Pressure and Perspective

When we are under pressure / stress one of the "loses" is our
perspective. We must have time away to think and pray to regain
perspective so that we lead well and strategically (lead our family,
lead a church, lead ourselves, etc).

Leadership Values

Every leader has values. Known or unknown, spoken or unspoken those
values are there and they are HUGE to how the leader leads. If the
value is fear the culture around that leader will be one of threats,
fear, insecurity, etc. If the value is control, the org will be micro
managed. If the value is high trust, delegation and teamwork will
expand. Leaders must think and rethink their values.

But even that is not enough. Leaders must diagnose their behaviors,
decisions, actions and non-actions to discover what might be a hidden
value and then to reflect on the implications of that value. If it is
an unwanted value the beginning step is to know that this value (as in
my insecurity and my need to always prove myself) plays big and take
steps to do deeper reflection about the decision at hand and to set up
boundaries to neutralize that value.