Seven talents, the key to success

【All-round Servant Leadership】Series 4

“And he filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to do all kinds of work.” (Exodus 35:31)

“And the LORD gave him, and Oholiab son of Ahisamath, of the tribe of Dan, a sound heart, able to teach.” (Exodus 35:34)

"In him was a wonderful spirit, knowledge and understanding, able to realize dreams, interpret riddles, and resolve doubts. This man's name was Daniel, and King Nebuchadnezzar also called him Belteshazzar. Now you can call him. , he will understand the meaning.” (Daniel 5:12)

Looking back at the first three lectures in this series, all-round servant leaders have the courage to accept the special call of God the Father in this ever-changing era, recognize the challenges and opportunities of this era, and are willing to change the world through leadership (Lecture 1) . The leadership of an all-round leader is based on the eight solid foundations (lecture 2). From Moses, the greatest leader in history, we learn the nine character traits that an all-round leader must possess (lecture 3). In this issue we are going to explore the competencies that are key to success when a holistic leader actually leads a team, business, organization, church, agency, department or group.

It is recorded in the Bible that Daniel was trusted by at least four emperors of the two ancient civilization empires of Babylon and Persia, and served as the top leader of the court. As a foreigner, he influenced his generation with his superb all-round servant leadership beside a dictatorial ruler with "unpredictable power of God"! Let us learn from him the key enduring qualities of a full-service servant leader.

Key Competency 1: Creating Vision, Vision and Setting Strategy

Because of his exclusive trust in God, Daniel had vision, vision, and the courage to be different. Not only that, he was more strategic (see Daniel 1:12-13).
For an organization to be successful, leaders must not only have the vision to create a vision, but also set specific, feasible and reasonable goals and requirements for team members based on core values, product ideas or major activities.

Many years ago, there was a manager in the assembly group of the production department of a company I worked for. After receiving leadership training, he decided to put it into practice and jointly set a vision statement for the group with his team members - in terms of efficiency, methods, and safety environment. An assembly team that continuously improves and pursues excellence; based on this vision, measurable goals have been set - goals such as optimal daily efficiency, lowest error rate, and zero accidents. Every time a goal is achieved, team members will be led to cut a cake to celebrate. This group quickly stood out and became the group with the best performance, the lowest employee conversion rate, and the highest attendance rate among hundreds of groups in the company until he retired.

There are many practical tools that can be used for reference in setting strategies, goals and methods, and the author plans to explain them in a future series of articles on "All-round Servant Leadership".

Key Talent 2: Take risks and be creative

When faced with a crisis, Daniel showed courage, taking risks and going beyond the norm to come up with alternatives (see Daniel 2:14-16).

Any experienced leader knows that there is no perfect plan, and it is impossible to follow a plan in everything. For me, leadership is not about being in a certain position, but my attitude towards work and the actual value I bring to this job. It has little to do with my title.

James Megellas is just such a leader. Born in 1917, he was an officer in the U.S. Airborne Forces during World War II. Before the decisive battle of the European War, the Normandy Landing, the advance troops he led had to parachute into the enemy's rear area. In a situation where he was trapped in heavy snow, an enemy tank suddenly attacked, and the situation was full of dangers. As a commander, in order to protect his comrades from being trapped in the enemy's formation, he desperately rushed to the tank, threw a grenade at the target, and then quickly Get on the tank and throw another grenade into it. In this way, his troops suffered no casualties and successfully captured the enemy town. He is courageous and strategic, and often "plays cards that don't follow the rules" when fighting the enemy. He is a leader who is willing to sacrifice for his men. His heroic deeds are too numerous to mention. He is the most successful leader in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army. The most decorated soldier.

Leadership and management require creativity and cannot be static, especially when leading people. Because everyone is very unique and needs to be treated as unique! Leaders who are memorable and loyal often have their own unique and creative leadership methods.

Key Competency 3: Conflict Resolution, Political Negotiation and Influence

Daniel was in an extremely complicated political situation and faced life and death situations many times. However, he had firm faith in God and would never compromise even if he lost everything. In his turbulent court career, we have repeatedly seen him demonstrate the ability to resolve conflicts and know how to use his influence to reverse the situation.

Every place, organization, company, office, institution or church has what is called a political problem. Some people have so-called "politics", without exception. "Politics" has a broad meaning, not only related to the situation between people and people and things, but also includes the cultural atmosphere, system, explicit or unwritten regulations and practices of a group (the so-called "hidden rules"). Conflict resolution, political negotiation and the necessary influence are skills that every leader needs to possess.

Basically, when resolving conflicts or conducting organizational political negotiations, leaders need to ask three questions: 1. What do my team members (or employees, bosses, customers, etc.) want? 2. Why do they ask for this? 3. What will they do if they don’t get it? The leader must be able to answer correctly and assess the situation and formulate a solution accordingly.

Key Competency 4: Change Management

Change is a constant, and nothing on earth never changes. Daniel experienced two great empires, Babylon and Persia, which were famous in history, and constantly encountered emperors who changed their orders from day to day. He knew how to hold on to the unchanging God and insisted on his unchanging faith and worship of God. He also Possess the ability to manage change.

Although we all understand that whether in shopping malls, governments, churches, or institutions, change is inevitable and often necessary, but most people don't like change. Change represents the unpredictable future, unfamiliar situations, new patterns, possible loss of security, etc. Therefore, when leaders must change for future development or unavoidable circumstances, it is often the moment when leadership faces its greatest crisis. For enterprises, it is like developing new markets, establishing new departments or eliminating unnecessary departments or manpower; for churches, it is like relocating, building churches, launching new ministries, etc.

"Change management" is a systematic process for moving individuals from their current operating model to a new operating model. For a business, institution, organization or church to function successfully, it requires change management skills that improve performance. The content of change management includes cultivating leadership, marketing skills, communication skills, etc., as well as understanding the psychological stages that individuals go through when experiencing change, and based on this understanding to lead a group, unit, or church to successfully undergo change and transformation. .

Key Talent 5: Effective Communication

"Communication" seems simple, but it is one of the biggest problems in any organization or institution and the one that lacks systematic training. Leaders who cannot communicate effectively are unlikely to succeed. Joseph and Daniel, two outstanding prime minister-level leaders in the Bible, were both excellent communicators. They all gained opportunities through effective communication, which was enough to influence the times and reverse history. This is especially true in the corporate world. Virginia Rometty (nicknamed Ginni) has been ranked as one of the fifty most influential women in the world for the past seven years. In 2012, she became the first female CEO in the history of IBM, and IBM's stock also hit history. new high. Experts believe that one of the main reasons is her outstanding communication skills. Her talk is "endearing, powerful, impressive, and connects with a broad audience in a very natural and genuine way."

Warren Buffett, the stock market king, has long been regarded as the best communicator. The way he speaks and transmits his ideas makes him a very representative figure. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of receiving training in speaking, and he is often the person others ask for help and is regarded as a trustworthy leader. Buffett actively lobbied other billionaires to donate their wealth to charitable funds, and took the lead in donating US$31 billion, the largest donation in U.S. history. He does what he says and is convincing! Although he doesn't speak often, every speech he gives is sincere and powerful.

Communication skills are so important that almost all leadership experts agree that this is an indispensable talent for leaders. Effective communication means strengthening the power of language, including listening communication, influencing (persuasive) communication, using stories, plots, tone, movements, expressions to convey meaning, vision (vision), new ideas, etc., including hosting Meeting, discussion, negotiation and other abilities. I will teach the basic communication skills in the "all-round leadership" course in the cultural practice camps organized by Kingdom Resources for Christ (KRC) in various places, and I hope to find other opportunities to teach the rest.

Key Competency 6: Coaching and Development

The new generation of leaders realizes that authoritarianism no longer works, and the effects of delegation are not good enough. Therefore, "coaching and development" have recently been rediscovered and valued by many high-performing organizations or companies. This is not a new idea, but the oldest and most effective method. Alexander the Great and Aristotle. In the Bible, Joseph and Daniel were both coaches and mentors to their contemporary Pharaohs and the emperors of Babylon and Persia.

Leaders themselves need to have their own coaches and mentors, so that they can learn to become coaches and mentors for their teams, so that they can lead high-performing teams to achieve their goals.
For me, if I have any experience or contribution in faith, ministry, or work today, 90% of it is due to the coaches and guides who have helped me, trained me, taught me, and supported me along the way. friend.

My father is a faithful pastor and my first and most important coach and guide in ministry. In my memory, since I was nine years old, I followed him to visit members, lead gatherings, attend meetings, discuss ministry, Bible, and theological viewpoints with pastors and co-workers and deacons, comfort, encourage, exhort, rebuke, pray for people, and assign work , arrange gatherings, and receive everyone from traffickers to world celebrities, from teenagers who ran away from home to rich theological professors and pioneering missionaries. I have been his little helper since I was a child, and gradually followed him in everything he did, and we discussed the results and experiences together.

In the workplace, I was fortunate to be led by several seniors, and I accepted training with an open mind. Later, when I was promoted to a management position in the company I worked for, the company arranged for me to have formal internal and external coaches and mentors. The inspiration, vision, information, and methods I got from it certainly included many pointers, analysis of causes and consequences, or important reminders. Once, I was extremely troubled by a personnel issue. My guide acted as my loyal sounding board and asked me several key questions. The answers naturally emerged in my mind. I personally continue to accept and enjoy being led, taught and helped at different stages and periods, and of course I have become a coach and mentor for my team. In my career, I am often asked what my most satisfying achievement is. My answer without hesitation is: Many of the team members I guided, coached, and cultivated in the past are now rising up in large companies. important position, or continue to create great achievements in your own career!

Generally speaking, coaching is divided into two types: executive coaching and life coaching. The field of mentoring is relatively broad and can be in any field and form. Coaches and mentors differ in approach and focus. Let me discuss this in more depth in a future series of articles.

Tom Landry, recognized as one of the greatest players and coaches in the history of American football (Tom Landry, former coach of the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys), a good friend of Pastor Graham and a devout Christian who loves the Lord, once said: "Football coaches The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don't want to do, in order to achieve. what they've always want to be.) I think this sentence can also be applied to business or other fields.

Key Competency 7: Continuously learn professional skills and knowledge

An all-round servant leader must not only lead himself or herself, but also be able to lead the team or the entire company or organization to continue learning.

In April 2011, Harvard Business Review magazine published a report examining the reasons why many originally extremely successful companies declined rapidly (Why Leaders Don't Learn from Success, April 2011, Harvard Business Review). It was found that in addition to the generally recognized reasons in management, success was the main reason for their decline. Why?

1. When we succeed, we often think that the main reason lies in our talents, business models or strategies, while ignoring the external environment and other factors, resulting in stopping learning.
2. When you’re successful, it’s easy to be overconfident. It is good to be confident, but overconfidence will become a hindrance to progress, causing us to stop learning or no longer have the magnanimity to learn.
3. When successful, individuals and companies often no longer ask: "Why?" When they no longer systematically examine the reasons for performance and no longer challenge themselves with difficult problems, they stop learning from others and no longer understand the current operations of the outside world. Way.

All three reasons lead to the same situation, which is "stop learning"! Leadership guru John Maxwell once said, “When a leader stops learning, he stops leading.”

Based on years of observation, experience, and research, I believe that the above seven talents are the key to a successful leader. Although few people have these seven talents at the same time, I must emphasize that in order to become a leader who leads a team, company, institution, or church, we must study diligently and do our best if we can do several of them well, and even set Goals, improvements one by one. Furthermore, this is why we need teams. As a leader, you must face your own shortcomings and deficiencies calmly, and surround yourself with talents who can complement you.

Looking around, companies, governments, schools, institutions, churches, etc. are in urgent need of all-round servant leaders. However, there are no shortcuts in the training process. It is absolutely necessary to continuously study hard in terms of character, qualifications, talents and knowledge. Only then can we continue to exert leadership and influence generations.

Author profile
Gao Lili is the founder and CEO of Kingdom Resources Christian Association. He has served as a senior executive in large American companies for many years and is currently in full-time ministry. He often lectures and leads camps throughout North America and Asia, and is extremely responsible for training leadership and management models that are in line with God’s will.