Dear Friends,
In a few weeks I will be meeting with some men from our church who
desire to improve their leadership skills. Before our group meetings were
closed by the pandemic, we spent one of our early sessions discussing
transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is different from
transactional leadership. Transactional leadership involves training people
because you expect to get something out of them. You train them, and in return
they offer their skills to help make your company profitable.
The bottom-line question for the transactional leader is, “how can
you make our company more profitable?” The bottom-line for a transformation
leader, however, is “how can I make you more successful?” That question is
asked because the leader knows that if he can make you more successful, you
will make the company more successful.
If you value the development of people as much as you value
profit, you are probably a transformational leader.
John Wooden the legendary basketball coach at UCLA was a
transformational leader. It was said of him by one of his players that “he
wanted more for us than he wanted from us.” His focus was on developing the
person to be the best he could be. The player went on to point out how coach
Wooden taught his players life skills that would benefit them beyond the
basketball court. And in demonstrating transformational leadership, coach
Wooden was able to cultivate the kind of environment that resulted in wins, not
only on the court but off the court as well.
In just a few minutes this morning I
will be having breakfast with a transformational leader who recently
broke ground on a Chick-fil-A to be located near Costco in Hazlet. Anyone who
has gone to Chick-fil-A has experienced transformational leadership. From the
person outside taking your orders to improve the time of delivery, to the
person behind the counter who greets you with a smile and make you feel like
they are your best friend, you notice the difference.
Why are Chick-fil-As different from
most fast-food chains and why do people line up to eat at their restaurants? It
is because they offer a quality product served by quality people
who are trained to be that way.
Yes, Chick-fil-A wants to be successful
for unless they are successful, they won’t remain in business. But they also
want their employees to be successful, so they invest in them and train them to
be the best kind of people they can be. They hire good people, and they make
them better. They train them how to successful not only behind the counter but
wherever life might take them.
Jesus was a transformational leader. He invested in people because
he believed in people. He wanted more for them than He wanted from them.
He demonstrated incredible confidence in the potential of people
to be used for a higher purpose, and He led out of his character and heart
for the world. As leaders we are called to do and be the same.
Have a great weekend
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment