The I in Leadership, Part 4

The last few posts have been about self leadership, the "I" if you will, that needs attention in order to lead optimally.

First we talked about the importance of self leadership, then the ways I'm learning to lead myself spiritually and personally. This time I'd like to talk about how I am leading myself professionally.

Just a reminder, I'm not sharing as a guru but as a learner. The longer I serve in a leadership role, the more convinced I am of the need to take care of and lead myself well. I fail more than I succeed. But I succeed more than I used to. And it is in that spirit that I'd like to tell you three things I'm finding especially helpful about leading myself professionally.

1) I read. There's an adage you may have heard: "Leaders are readers." The more I read, the better I lead. Or perhaps I should be more specific and say, the more I read the right stuff, the better I lead in the right way. Some of the reading I do is because it is what is being "talked about" in the arena of worship leaders. I do it to stay current with my colleagues. Some of the reading I do is because others have suggested it--especially others I respect and want to lead like. My pastor, for example. Or my mentors. And then some of what I read is because I think it will help me get better. I read for pleasure (usually fiction; I love Ted Dekker's novels), I read for development (usually about leadership), and I read for spiritual growth (usually the authors I want to learn from--men and women who are getting it done).

2) I listen. My job is to serve the people in my ministry, my church, and my community. So I ask questions and I listen. When I get differing viewpoints, I do my best to choose what will serve the most people in the best way. When I get consistent answers, even if it goes agains my opinion (not my conviction), I humble myself and serve from that information. I ask my pastor (aka my boss) for feedback. I have the heart of an artist, so this is risky. Chances are, he will say something that hurts a little. But 99 out of 100 times he is right. And if I listen well, and adjust, I will get better. It's worth the pain.

3) I watch. When I'm around people who do what I do--either they work in the church setting generally or in worship ministry specifically--I watch them. I learn from them. I watch what they do that is ineffective and try not to do that. I watch what they do well and try to do that. Sometimes this is very evident--like talking before a song. But more often it is subtle--like the way they talk to someone in the hallway between services, or the way they communicate with facial and body language. I watch the folks I serve on staff with. That's low hanging fruit because we're together most days. I watch others who serve in my community. And when I can, I get to another church and experience a service or a ministry. And I watch like a hawk.

So to get better at what I do professionally, to lead myself in that way, I read, listen and watch. I'm curious: what do you do that helps you keep getting better?