Medal 2012 – High Leigh
February 17-19
Focus on Leadership Style
NEW APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP
In today’s organisations where change and uncertainty are ever-present we need to think
differently about leadership styles. Bill Critchley of Ashridge Consulting Group has
identified five dimensions of leadership which, taken together, form a new approach to
leadership. These dimensions have direct relevance for our roles as leaders in our
Churches.
The ordinary leader
This person has the capacity to be authentic, to own and express their feelings,
convictions, opinions and uncertainty, and to engage on an equal basis with those they
are leading, rather than from a position of superiority. By being open and genuine, the
leader removes the biggest block to learning, the fear and dependency produced by
superior status.
The leader as a developer
This is the belief that individuals have the potential to learn and grow; that given some
real responsibility and the permission to make a few mistakes, they will exceed their own
and others’ expectations. Many organisations pay lip service to this, but to put it into
practice, leaders must fundamentally believe it.
The radical leader
A leader of change needs the courage and skill to create a climate in which the basic set
of assumptions which form the core of an organisation’s culture are routinely challenged.
This can appear obvious but many leaders have, in part at least, become leaders through
signing up to these assumptions and the challenge is as much to themselves as anyone
else. Leaders need systemic thinking - the capacity to understand interconnectedness
and to network across boundaries, to think broadly rather than hierarchically and to be
able to see “the big picture”.
The “can do” leader
Organisations, particularly well established ones, tend to breed an innate caution, a
concern to do things the right way, to protect one’s back. For the majority, this translates
into a tendency to find all the reasons why things cannot be changed rather than a
determined exploration of how they can be. The attitude that problems can be resolved
rather than putting obstacles in the way is vitally liberating and empowering.
Adapted from “The Myth of Managing Change” by Bill Critchley
AND WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY THAT LEADERS NEED?
JUST A FEW EXAMPLES . . .
Honesty and integrity
 One who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips. Proverbs 24:26
 Isaiah and many other prophets risked unpopularity, and their personal safety, by
speaking honestly – often “speaking truth to power”.
 King David wanted a piece of Araunah’s property and could have simply taken it,
as King. But he acted with integrity, insisting he paid the full price.
1 Chronicles 21:23.
Purpose
 “I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete
the task” said Paul. Acts 20:24
 The Bible is full of examples of leaders keeping their sights fixed on long-term
goals : Solomon taking seven years to build the first temple in Jerusalem; John
the Baptist sacrificing everything to prepare the way for Jesus.
Kindness and Compassion
 Oh King, be kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will
continue. Daniel 4:27.
 Some people might think that leaders have to be ruthless – that was certainly one
of the stereotypes of leadership in the past. But building lasting relationships
based on care and thought for followers, staff, whoever, is an investment in
success.
Humility
 Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honour. Proverbs 18:12
 Peter was approached reverently by Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Peter’s
response was “Stand up – I’m only a man myself”. Acts 10: 25 – 26.
 When the mother of two of Jesus’ disciples suggested that her sons should have
pride of place at Jesus’ table, he replied “whoever wishes to be great among you
must be your servant.” Matthew 20:26.
Communication
 Communicating the message is of course central to our Christian faith. We could
all quote examples of superb communication throughout the Bible – the delivery
of the Ten Commandments; the Sermon on the Mount. Corporate leaders spend
large amounts of time and money in perfecting their communication style, and yet
some of the greatest communicators were uneducated people!
Team development
 The body is a unit; although its parts are many they form one body.
Corinthians 12:12
Courage
 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.
Joshua 1:9
Leadership development
 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
Matthew 16:18
LEADERSHIP STYLE INDICATOR
The Leadership Style Indicator is a useful tool to help you identify your own strengths
and areas for development. It’s not a personality test – simply a way of holding a mirror
up to yourself, to help you look at how you exercise leadership in whatever context you
find yourself in.
It’s worth doing even if you don’t see yourself as a leader in the traditional sense. You’ll
see that many of the questions can relate to how you operate in any situation - your
family, your workplace, your college, your church . . .
Instructions
1. Answer the questions on your own. This should take you no more than about 10
minutes.
2. Try to answer all the questions, but don’t spend ages agonising over them. If
there are one or two that don’t apply to you, then leave them out, but try not to
leave out more than 2 or 3, as this may skew your result.
3. When you’ve answered all the questions, complete the scoring according to the
instructions.
4. Identify your highest score and read the explanation associated with it first. Only
then proceed to read the explanations that go with your second highest score –
and so on.
LEADERSHIP STYLE INDICATOR
Thinking about your leadership, please give each of the statements a score by circling 1
to 5. A "5" represents a statement you strongly agree with, through to "1" where you
strongly disagree.
1
I spend quality time thinking about future possibilities.
12345
2
I see myself as well organised.
12345
3
Others have said how much they appreciated my encouragement.
12345
4
I try to avoid taking risks.
12345
5
I'm particularly good at sensing how people are feeling.
12345
6
I believe I can recognise gifts and potential in people.
12345
7
I see myself as much more of a people person than a task person.
12345
8
I tend to overcome barriers to reach goals.
12345
9
I delegate well to others in the church/organisation.
12345
10 I'm good at finding practical solutions to problems.
12345
11 Others see me as an energetic person.
12345
12 I place a high degree of trust in others in my church/organisation.
12345
13 I go out of my way to give people feedback on their work/ministry.
12345
14 Others have commented positively on my listening skills
12345
15 I'm often behind schedule because I have so much to do.
12345
16 I have a clear focus on what we need to do as a church/organisation.
12345
17 Having a number of activities underway gives me real satisfaction.
12345
18 I can assess what resources are required to complete a project.
12345
19 I seem to have the knack of finding the right words to motivate people.
12345
20 I am nearly always clear on the long term direction we should take.
12345
21 I would rather focus on what we need to do, than on how we should do it. 1 2 3 4 5
22 I seem to build fruitful long-term relationships easily.
12345
23 I prefer to work alone than to work in teams.
12345
24 I am often able to help the church/organisation work more efficiently.
12345
25 I enjoy reconciling different points of view.
12345
26 I have the faith to aim for things others think are impossible.
12345
27 I'm at my best spearheading a particular task or ministry.
12345
28 I'm able to break down projects into the steps that need to be achieved.
12345
29 I pray regularly for those around me.
12345
30 When I join a group, others tend to look to me for a lead.
12345
This Leadership Style Indicator is copyright to The Teal Trust. (www.teal.org.uk) © 2001.
It may be reproduced for non-profit use providing copyright attribution is kept.
LEADERSHIP STYLE INDICATOR
SCORING
This summary uses your responses to the questions to examine how you relate to six
different styles of leadership. No one of these aspects of leadership is any more or
less important than any of the others, - they complement and balance each other.
Clearly too, this report is based only on your answers.
For each area your answers are combined to give a rating between 5 and 25, where a
score of 25 would suggest that you see yourself as very strong in this area, and a score
of 5 indicates that you do not see this as your area of strength. The important thing is to
look at the relative scores between the areas. Do take time to appreciate, and thank
God for, the strengths you have in leadership.
You may also like to think and pray about who else in your church or organisation has
leadership strengths in the areas where you score less well. If this feedback summary
gives you any surprises, do talk it through with someone who knows you well - it may be
that one or two particular questions or your interpretation of them have unduly impacted
your scores.
Transfer your scores from the indicator to the table below, taking care to subtract the
score you awarded to the questions given in the final row of the table. This will give
scores for each of the areas. For some people they will be clustered quite closely
together, others will have more variation - this is a function of how closely you grouped
your scoring.
Pioneering
Leadership
Strategic
Leadership
Management/
Administration
Team
Leadership
Pastoral
Leadership
Encouraging
Leadership
Q1
Q8
Q2
Q6
Q7
Q3
Q11
Q10
Q9
Q12
Q14
Q5
Q20
Q16
Q18
Q25
Q22
Q13
Q26
Q28
Q24
Q30
Q29
Q19
Add 6
Add 6
Add 6
Add 6
Add 6
Add 6
Subtotal
Subtotal
Subtotal
Subtotal
Subtotal
Subtotal
- Q4
- Q21
- Q15
- Q23
- Q17
- Q27
Total
______
Total
______
Total
______
Total
______
Total
______
Total
This Leadership Style Indicator is copyright to The Teal Trust. (www.teal.org.uk) © 2001.
It may be reproduced for non-profit use providing copyright attribution is kept.
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