Don’t Just Know. Do.

“The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd. But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else.” 

ECCLESIASTES 12:12 (THE MESSAGE)

That quote is, of course, from the book of Ecclesiastes. Take your Zoloft before reading: the author is painfully honest about the seeming randomness and pain of life as he questions its very meaning. It is not for the fainthearted.

But there is a reality-check in this simple verse: more than likely, you’ve read a few leadership books. And they probably won’t be the last. Most good leaders want to develop themselves as best they can, whether that be attending conferences, seeking mentors, reading books, taking assessments, rubbing shoulders with other leaders, and so on. They take leadership development very seriously...especially their own.

But like everything else in life, it doesn’t mean anything without application.

I can read and study until I’m blue in the face, but the first step toward effective leadership is simply asking the question: What am I going to do about it?

In any organization, it’s vitally important to use the same language. When we formed The Elemental Group, we based our work on the four vital elements that every healthy organization has: Integrity (healthy systems, processes, infrastructure), Passion (commitment to the organizational mission), Servanthood (an outward-focused culture), and Imagination (change capacity, adaptability, and innovation). You can read more about that here.

When working with church leadership teams and working through assessments, we encourage them to create space to share what they believe is their primary element and appraise where there may be “element gaps” in their team. If there is a disparity, what might they do to balance that out? Are there other staff members with that key element that can be called on for input from time-to-time, perhaps in the preplanning stages of a particular project or strategy?

It’s good to reflect on why a particular element, say, the Passion element, is strong in your organization—consider why that is and whether any “best practices” should be jealously protected or replicated in some way. Is it reflective of the “elemental makeup” of the leadership team? Or vice versa, if an element is weak, what strategies can be uniquely used in your organization to enhance it? Make the strengthening of that element a key strategic focus over the next year.

Reflect for a moment: how would you rate those four elements in your church/organization? And equally important: what are you going to do about it?

Knowledge is one thing—application is where the Pirellis meet the pavement.

Dave Workman | The Elemental Group

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