Kingfisher Leadership news - November 2019

Kingfisher Leadership

1st November 2019

Kingfisher Leadership news Leadership Development Moments As leaders, we face numerous challenges, What are some of the most common including many crisis times. One truism struggles that produce Leadership about leadership is that we experience our Development Moments which we biggest breakthroughs in the crisis times. encounter along the way?

Embedded in those crisis times are what Personal, private struggles.

we refer to at Kingfisher as Discipleship Leaders often don’t have meaningful; support networks. They Development Moments. These are the encourage accountability in others, breakthrough moments when we need to but often lack that accountability for make a godly choice, even though that themselves. So, when struggles choice is really difficult, and to make the come, they have no means of right choice will likely brining them into the light disadvantage us or cause us with anyone.

hardship. A Discipleship A Leadership Development Moment is a crucial Development part of growing as disciples of Unrealistic expectations Moment is a Christ.

Those we lead often look to us to see whether we are sign that we If that is true for every single walking in the faith we are are being disciple of Christ, how much more preaching about. There can is it true for those who are called stretched and be unrealistic expectations to leadership? While all disciples from those we lead to have it challenged in grow through encountering and all figured out and, in effect, rising to Discipleship preparation be living a sinless life. The Development Moments, leaders burden of this can break us. for greater grow as they encounter and work things through Leadership Lack of personal space Leaders are notoriously bad Development Moments. These at tending their own souls. moments increase our capacity to They are so focussed on leading others lead. Our resilience is stretched and that they underestimate the importance of enlarged as we face the weight of these leading themselves, and as a result are moments and choose to continue leading often on the edge of burnout, as they anyway. Every growth step in leadership is experience ‘compassion fatigue’, lack of preceded by a Leadership Development connection with the Lord and a general Moment - maybe several. These struggles emotional and physical weariness.

are not signs that we are failing as leaders, but rather that we are being stretched and These times of struggle are not signs of challenged in preparation for greater failure, but rather Leadership Development things.

opportunities... times of potential growth if 1 handled right.

Kingfisher Leadership

How do we handle a Leadership Development Moment (LDM)?

Remember...a crisis is not necessarily an LDM. It only becomes an LDM when God uses it to define and shape our approach to and understanding of leadership. That is in His hands, but we can be open to any stretching moment being an LDM by taking these steps:

FOCUS.

In a time of crisis or difficulty, a leader needs to lay aside other issues and things that are calling for attention and fully focus on this issue at hand. We need to put on the hat that we need to wear. We take off (for now) whatever other hat we are wearing and we put on the hat relevant to the issue at hand. In other words, we need to fully commit to this situation that has developed; we cannot afford to make a half-hearted, distracted response.

Someone with a gift of leadership will recognise storm clouds approaching before they start pouring with rain, and reach for the hat that they need to be wearing. An LDM needs focus; it needs the leader to put the hat on that's needed for this particular crisis and to focus on it.

REFLECTION.

We can go through all the pain and stress of putting the right hat on and stepping up to confront what needs to be confronted and so on, but it still not result in rising to the next level, unless we learn the bigger picture lessons of all of this. What was this time of crisis and stress all about? What are we left with as a result? What was God doing through all of this? What was he trying to teach us?

How have we changed as a result? What is different now? Unless we reflect on these bigger picture issues, the value of the LDM is lost and the likelihood is that a similar crisis will occur again, and again, until we properly reflect and learn the lessons.

1st November 2019

RECOVERY. Rising to the challenges of an LDM is a draining experience, both emotionally and spiritually. We need a recovery time and those we lead need a recovery time. This can be a simple matter of, if the LDM involved several evening meetings, making sure that we compensate for that by having a few evenings rest. We also need to be honest about any 'compassion fatigue' that is setting in as a result of coping, not just with the issue at hand, but with the all the insecurities and issues that it raised in the people that we are leading. Recovery time is not a luxury or an indulgence; it is highly strategic, as we are now on that higher level and, therefore, need to be fresh and sharp to cope with all the new things God is going to be bringing along.

Within all of this is the crucially important aspect of not approaching an LDM on your own. We need the prayer support and the space to talk it through with others. We need to see it for what it is and have the freedom of talking about this stressful time being an LDM and, therefore, what resources we need to focus on it, what the wider context of it is as we reflect on it, and to encourage each other and hold each other accountable for taking the recovery time seriously.

ANNOUNCING - NEW RESOURCES. To keep everyone int he Kingfisher Family better connected with updates, news, resources and prayer needs, we have just launched our new website:

www.Kingfisherfamily.org

Together with our new Facebook page, Kingfisherfamily.

We would love a visit from you!

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