What is a leadership ladder and do you have the right, most effective leaders sitting on each step of it? This is a question that leaders of teams should ask often and answer honestly.
Because of the overwhelming response and questions, I received to the article ‘Exiting Volunteers‘, I wanted to share some thoughts on this idea of a ‘leadership ladder.’ (If you have not already read this post, you can check it out HERE.
Ladders have one consecutive step after another with each step inching you closer to the ceiling. In leadership the ceiling is often referred to as the top of a person or team’s capacity.
On a leadership ladder, each leader has someone a step ABOVE them on the ladder to help get them up to the next higher level in leadership.
On that same leadership ladder, each leader has someone BELOW them that they can invest in and help develop more as a leader.
In my best seasons of personal growth as a leader, I can recall specific individuals who were sitting above me on the leadership ladder. They helped train, mentor, develop and challenge me. I became better because of their influence and they helped pull me up a step in my leadership development.
Likewise, in some of the most personally challenging seasons for as a leader, I can look back and see that the leadership ladder in place, had some people who were sitting in the wrong places. Training, development and mentorship were nonexistent or minimal at best. At the time, I remember wondering whether or not to jump off the ladder completely.
“WHO you learn from is as important as what you learn. A contagious leader has something to teach and something to be caught. Teaching is sharing what they know. Catching is who they are, sharing their soul.”
– John Maxwell
For a team to be successful and constantly improving, it is critical to evaluate whether each leader/volunteer/individual is sitting on the step of the ladder that is the best fit for their gifts and leadership ability.
The question I learned to ask is: ‘Is the person one step (one leader) above this individual able to teach them something they need to learn to further develop and do they have something in their soul/character that would be a benefit for this individual to catch?’
Simple language: Can they learn from the leader above them and can they teach the leader or individuals below them?
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with a new ministry friend who is in the process of planting a new church. I was asked the best question:
“What lessons have you learned the hard way while developing a team, that we can learn from?”
Here is my answer:
One of the biggest mistakes I made early on in leadership led to one of the biggest lessons I have learned. When working to grow and develop a team; give away titles and authority informed and slowly.
Because high-level leaders often feel pressure to accomplish tasks at an effective and fast rate, it can be easy to become consumed with knocking off the long list of roles that need to be filled. This can lead to a situation where you start giving away titles and leadership authority to anyone who is willing, like it’s candy. (I laugh and picture Oprah as I write this: ‘YOU get a title, YOU get a title, and YOU get a title.’) This is precisely how we get leaders and individuals in the wrong places on the leadership ladder.
When we rush and assign anyone who is willing to a position (or step) on the leadership ladder, we can miss the opportunity later, to get the RIGHT person, that God will bring, in that position (or step) on the ladder.
The RIGHT person is always better than just a WILLING person.
If you have a team currently suffering from: high absentee rate, low retention rate, goals left unmet, low quality production of resources and a general low quality team output, you probably have a leader(s) sitting in the wrong position.
Also, it is also worth it to consider the possibility that perhaps the current team has hit their ceiling. We can’t reach a 30-foot ceiling with a 15-foot ladder. Your overall leadership structure, may need the addition of some higher level leaders to help reach a higher ceiling.
Either way, these conversations are not easy. It is much more difficult to take back a title and authority than it is to take your time initially to make an informed leadership decision.
A friend and mentor of mine uses the phrase; ‘avoiding conflict creates conflict.’
First, please know that delaying a conversation because it is difficult will not help your team as a whole. It also does not show genuine care or concern for the person who is struggling to lead outside of their gifts or beyond their capacity.
Second, the possibility is great that if you have a person in the wrong leadership role, they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, ill-equipped, unfulfilled and insecure. If this is true and they continue to lead from this place, you risk having low moral and negative team culture spread like wild-fire among those they oversee. If someone is in a role over their leadership capacity, or outside of their gifts, you cannot throw extra people or resources at the situation to tip the scale.
And, it will go downhill fast if not addressed.
Here are three questions that can help steer the conversation:
- How is everything going with your team/responsibilities?
- What are your feelings/state of mind as you head into each meeting/day/service?
- When you leave each meeting/day/service, what are your feelings/state of mind?
Often the answers to these questions, will be informative and indicative of underlying problems.
Next, here are three potential steps to take:
- Offer opportunity for personal development and/or leadership development
- Create a shared responsibility/Co-leadership opportunity
- Relocate to a completely new/different role
Above all, approach these conversations with conviction to do what is in the best interest of your team and mission. But also out of genuine care and concern for your team. It should be apparent that your goal is to have everyone in a role where they can be successful, fulfilled and using their gifts to make the greatest, positive impact.
‘Everything rises and falls on leadership.’ -John Maxwell
The effectiveness of a team, or an entire ministry will not exceed the level of the leader at the top of the leadership ladder. When you identify that person’s capacity, you will identify the capacity or the ceiling of the team.
Focus on getting your high level leaders into the right roles on the leadership ladder for maximum effectiveness. Increase the leadership capacity of the leader at the top = increase the capacity of the team!
Check back soon to hear some ideas for developing a leadership pipeline for your ministry team. Creating opportunities to call out potential and have people trained and sitting on the bench ready for when the perfect leadership opportunity arises. Also, make sure you don’t miss Exiting Volunteers!