Some might see other leaders as a threat. Struggle To Develop Other Leadersīecause of a relational leader’s desire to be known and to know others, relational leaders always struggle with developing other leaders. They can’t imagine an organization where they don’t know most people, and the idea that ‘systems’ can care for people chafes at their core. There’s a world of difference between bureaucracy and systems, but a true relational leader struggles with systems. Think Systems Drain Energy Out Of A Great Community Stay Up To Date On The Details In People’s Livesīecause of the desire to know everyone, relational leaders will often want to know all the details at play in people’s lives. They want to find out who’s who, catch up, and make sure they’re ‘known’ by everyone in their organization. Hate Not Knowing Who’s In The RoomĪ relational leader feels an innate sense of panic if they don’t know everyone in the room. Relational leaders don't care who they're meeting with, as long as they're meeting with someone. You don’t care who you’re meeting with as long as you’re meeting with someone. If a day behind the computer screen or in meetings drains you, it might be a sign that you’re a relational leader. Here are some characteristics of relational leaders I’ve observed. So…what are you? A relational leader or an organizational leader? You may dream of leading a big organization, but your wiring keeps pulling you back to a small one. We’re caught up in constant comparison and feel inadequate if we’re not moving toward the ‘next stage’Īdd to that the outward thrust of the mission of the church and many leaders find themselves in a position where they are trying to lead in a way that pushes past their natural number. The conferences we attend and books we read are written by leaders of large movements and organizations The culture we live in raises the tension because:

And to a similar extent, when an organizational leader tries to fill a relational role. Your problem (and mine) happens when an relational leader tries to fill the role of an organizational leader. You could argue Jesus followed a similar instinct when he organized disciples into groups of 70, 12, 3 and ultimately 1 (Peter). And, I suppose he was the leader of hundreds of thousands. Moses embraced this kind of distinction between leaders when he reorganized a nation around leaders of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. And it might never have been God’s plan for us in the first place.īefore you dismiss this as some kind of corporate leadership idea opposed to faith, think through it. We might be able to double our number (from 200 to 400), but to stretch far beyond it might be too much for most of us. You might be able to push your number higher through skill acquisition and hard work, but can a relational leader with a capacity of 100 really lead an organization of 10,000? Probably not. Some of us are organizational leaders, and some are more relational leaders. When an organizational leader tries to lead like a relational leader, frustration erupts. Third, sometimes congregations expect leaders to behave relationally when what’s required to fulfil the mission is a more organizational style of leadership.įinally, many leaders get frustrated when they are asked to lead in a way that’s different than their natural style. When an organizational leader tries to lead like a relational leader (and vice versa), frustration erupts. Second, many church leaders grow frustrated because they want to reach more people but can’t understand why that proves so difficult.

You get on the insider track for that course here.) (I’m offering a new course on scaling the 200 barrier this fall. 85% of all churches never break that barrier. Just check out the impassioned comments on this post, where I argue the church today needs more entrepreneurial leaders, not more shepherds.įirst, if a church is ever going to reach more than 200 people in their weekend services, that church will require leaders who are skilled in organizational leadership, not just relational leadership. It’s an interesting question, and a highly polarizing one in the church today. So are you an organizational leader, or are you more of a relational leader-a shepherd?

The way of the shepherd