The first Catalyst Conference I attended was in 2001, just before I went on staff there. Jim Kouzes, author of “The Leadership Challenge” was one of the speakers. One comment he made stuck with me. He said “Sooner or later every single person in your organization will leave”. He continued to say “people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their managers”. So why do your staff members quit? 2 reasons:
1. Sooner or later everybody leaves – At first glance this can be a real downer. To know that God has called you to a great vision and that many of the people you’re working with today to accomplish it, won’t be with you to see its fulfillment.
But it’s possible to leverage this reality. If you know every single person will leave your organization, how do you go as far as you can with them?
You have to learn to incubate people. If people are going to eventually leave you’ll get the most out of them by making a great investment in them and their dream. You have to become their head coach and their cheerleader. Celebrate when people who are ready……leave to pursue their call
2. They quit because of you – If people are leaving because of you, chances are, you don’t know it. In my experience with church building, I’ve come to realize a church is like any other organization. Meaning it has some great leaders, and some people who aren’t very self aware. Here are a couple of questions to determine which one you are.
Who are you making a significant investment in?
How often are you caught off guard by a resignation?
When people do leave, do you feel like you don’t know the whole story?
Do you find yourself reviewing their flaws?
If people are leaving because of you, the remedy is to understand that everybody leaves…. and then help them do it well.
Who is the first person that comes to mind as you read this? Are they getting the best of you as a coach and cheerleader? How can you get next level with them today?
I couldn’t agree with this more! I think the manager/boss has a LARGE part in people staying & leaving. In my experience I never left a place I was working if the manger was AMAZING! But the jobs where I had horrible bosses/managers I couldn’t wait to get a new job.
It really is about the environment & leadership..
Thanks for the comment Chris. Who was the best boss you ever had? Why?
I agree with this leadership principle, however, I believe “ministry calling” can create a significant difference between churches and other organizations. Submission to a “calling” to ministry and/or a particular community of faith can trump the desire to be led well. It may even serve as a challenge to be a part of helping the an organization lead more effectively in spite of poor management.
I guess my question is, where does Hybels’ “360 Degree Leadership” fit into the mix with this principle?
Great point Jimbot@mbcc.us. I think there are two ways to look at this. From the 1st person perspective and from the 2nd person perspective. For example, one of the rules I try to live my life by is “When you’re the leader and there is a problem, you’re the problem….and the solution”. I do my best only to apply this to my leadership and not to people who are leading me. It allows me to take responsibility for the solution. When I apply this rule to someone else, I’m shifting responsibility. We all know it’s easier to lead from the lazy boy. If you read this article you can choose to look at what you should do to lead better, or what someone else should do to be a better follower. I find better results focusing on myself. There’s plenty of work to be had there.