Kingfisher Leadership News January 2019

Kingfisher Leadership

1 January 2019

Kingfisher Leadership news Bandwidth issues leaders need to ponder:

To help us to grow in the area of bandwidth, here are some considerations that it would be helpful to take on board regarding situations and people we are leading:

The bandwidth of a leader

Each of us has a preferred style of leadership, ranging from ‘Commanding’ (my way or the highway) to more pastorally-oriented (getting alongside people, ministering to them, bringing God’s love to bear int heir Effective lives. In our Called to Leadership course, leaders focus we identify six styles of leadership and on What and courage people to identify and come to understand their dominant style of Why. leadership.

However, although we have a preferred style of leadership, what we should really If you're be focussing on is ‘elasticity’ as a leader.

Abandon the consistently Elasticity - moulding ourselves to the ‘one size fits situation that presents itself - should not all’ approach to focusing on be understood as being a ‘people leading people How, you may pleaser’, or attempting to be all things to Because each all people, but rather as understanding be microperson we are the crucial role of bandwidth in the art of leading is managing. leadership. Your leadership bandwidth different, with refers to the whole spectrum of different different responses to and the way we deal with capabilities, different various leadership situations. We cannot personalities, different gifts, just bring the same leadership response to every different commitments, etc, we situation and to every person that we are leading on need to adopt the style of the assumption that ‘one size fits all’ and that leadership that is most everyone will respond int he same way to the same appropriate for developing and approach. That would be like judging a fish on its encoring each person. Do they ability to climb a tree! need more or less freedom to make decisions and determine A truly effective leader develops as broad a how situations should be bandwidth as possible. That is to say, an effective handled? leaders is able to discern such things as:

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Do they need to be challenged or allowed more space to figure it out for themselves?

Start small and increase the bandwidth as you assess how they respond. Wait for them to establish a track record.

It is easer to start with a narrow bandwidth and broaden it out (begin at the task level and give increasing amounts of attitude) than it is to give too broad a bandwidth too soon with the subsequent need to seek to reign them in at a later date.

“Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader.” (1 Timothy 5:22, NLT)

Always be on the look-out for how you can increase bandwidth in people you are leading. This is more important for a leader than just getting the tasks accomplished.

Your role as a leader is to develop the people around you. However, the temptation is to concentrate on getting the task done at the expense of developing the people, which results in allocating tasks rather than encouraging people to flourish with a wider bandwidth.

1 January 2019

•When to be clear/when to be ambiguous •When to launch/when to delay Should leaders be decisive and quick to act? Should leaders take a longer view and wait for certain events to unfold before they act? The answer is ‘yes’ to both - on the right occasions. Bandwidth is about the ability to judge when the former is more appropriate and when the latter is more appropriate.

The truth is, leadership cannot be reduced to a series of set formulae, a following of the set list of rules. It is more nuanced than that - an art, more than a science. The approach that will bring out the best in one person will not necessarily bring out the best in another - indeed, it might crush or demoralise that person. Some situations, some seasons, and some people, require leadership that is quick to act, decisive and blindingly clear. Other times/seasons/ people require leadership that is patient, even a bit ambiguous. Providing one person with a series of tasks to achieve (a narrow bandwidth) might stifle them, whereas allowing another person to come up with their own approach having provided them with the overall parameters might be just the motivation they need, whereas another person might feel overwhelmed with that amount of creative freedom and operate best with a narrower bandwidth.

The key here is for the leader to understand and employ the optimal growing environment for each person they are leading, as well as for the overall group, ministry or church. Keep there following in mind as you seek to broaden your bandwidth as a leader: •Leadership can never be reduced to a set of inflexible formulas •Leadership requires the ability to read a situation and respond to its unique circumstances •Leadership is much more of a fluid art than it is an exact science 2