Over the past 60 days, I have been going through a lot of resumes for key positions within our company. In doing this, I have realized that our discussion about the key building blocks to Christian leadership is a very timely topic for me! Depending on the position, I am likely looking for these very characteristics in the candidates I interview.
Credible Christian Leadership
This is my fifth and final post in the series on credible Christian leadership. In this series we have been looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. We started with honesty, followed by being forward-looking, or casting vision. Then, in my last post, we looked at being inspiring. Today, we will focus on the fourth and final building block, competence.
Some Incredible Claims!
As I mentioned earlier, I have been going through stacks of resumes to find the right candidates for some very key roles in our business. As I go through these resumes, I marvel at the variety of ways people can express incredible, performance-based claims. Reading some of these, you would think the candidates would be better served writing fiction than they are in managing people!
Don’t get me wrong. Not all of them are like this. Some are very factual and some even back up their claims with various means of proof. Some don’t make the outrageous claims. They simply state facts about their work experience and accomplishments.
What is my point?
Competence Is Critical
Well, my point is this – I am looking for solid leaders, those that others will want to follow. I am looking to fill roles that are critical to the success of our company, and by extension, our ability to impact eternity. If I hire only for honesty, vision, and inspiration – forgetting about competence – then I am doomed to failure!
On the surface, many of the resumes I have reviewed look good. However, I obviously won’t choose them based solely on this. I must find out if they are competent as well. If not, the people in our organization will not follow them. The truth will come out quickly.
Folks, we simply cannot get by with mediocre if we truly want to be Christian leaders that point others to God. We cannot accept just showing up for the job. Even if we have great personalities and extensive knowledge of the industry, we are not going to succeed if we are not competent at what we are called to do!
What Action Do We Take?
So, what does this mean to you and me? Assuming we agree on the absolute need for competence in our roles as Christian leaders, what does that mean we need to do about it?
The bottom line is that we are to be learners. We are to be students of our industry. We should be investing time on a regular basis to grow our skills and our understanding. We can not pass muster if we are not growing constantly.
There are too many resources available today for any excuses. If you work at it, you can even find plenty that will not cost you a penny! All you have to be willing to invest is your time! Don’t let complacency slip up on you…go learn something!
Summary
I pray you have gained something from our discussion of the four building blocks of Christian leadership. I also pray that you are taking something you have learned and are applying it. I have a quote stuck to the bottom of the monitor on my desk. Here is what it says:
Knowing is not enough; I must apply.
Willing is not enough; I must do.
What 3 leadership books have you read this year?
Are you working on your competence in your job?
Do you require the same from your team?
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