By Eddie Hammett with Randy Pierce [Contact Eddie at EHammett@TheColumbiaPartnership.org.]
Download: A Coach Approach to Soulful Leadership
What is the difference between a typical leader and a soulful-leader? What is distinctive about the coach approach when it comes to leadership in the church/judicatory? Where does change and transition need to happen first for revolutionary transformation?
How often do you experience leaders who are ineffective in their role? The rapid pace of change we are in, compounded by the increasing diversity of population, values, and personal preferences create a steep challenge for most leaders and most institutions today. Leadership is no longer enough to be effective. Today we need soulful-leaders who are discerning, trustworthy, people of integrity and persons who are not dictators, handing out orders, as much as they are leaders who generate ownership and listens carefully to those they lead and the context in which they find themselves.
The chart below is a quick summary of the Ripple Model that is introduced in Making Shifts Without Making Waves: A Coach Approach to Soulful Leadership, Chalice Press, 2009. Soulful-leaders work from a different set of values and see their work through different lens than many leaders. This chart represents some of those distinctives
DO DON’T
|
Work from the inside out |
Work from the outside in |
|
Know that facing the unfamiliar is uncomfortable but often essential |
Run from the unfamiliar or discomfort – it can be a growth venue |
|
Do be open to change |
Be bullet-proof & resistant |
|
Have a reality check |
Stay stuck by blind spots & personal or organizational comfort |
|
Forward movement brings momentum and clarity |
Stay tangled in the past |
|
Be in community |
Be in isolation |
|
Be in head and heart |
Be in just head or heart only |
Soulful Leadership is more about transformation than just change and transition. Soulful- leaders:
- engage with people not just ideas,
- work intentionally not driven by politics or personal preferences,
- are about hope and healing not just preservation and profits,
- are more about growing people than building buildings and budgets,
- pursue excellence rather than comfort.
Success and effectiveness in the next decade will demand excellence, integrity, servanthood, contextualization and innovation. These are the key elements of what we mean by soulful-leadership. We invite you to visit our website www.soulful-leadership.com where we have some podcasts and information about our new Making Shifts without Making Waves book. We also want to invite our readers who want to know more about these characteristics to join us for a free teleclass October 19, 2009 at 1:00 pm EDT to review and expound upon concepts in this brief article and new book release. [Connection information is to dial 605.715 4900 then access code 301549.]
Coaching is a basic tool for soulful-leaders. Coaching is more about:
- asking powerful questions than telling
- the agenda of person/group being coached rather than the agenda of the coach
- moving from conversation to action
- moving forward than preserving the past or even understanding the present
- creating the sacred space for meaningful dialogue between the coach, the Spirit and the person/group being coached
We are simply providing an overview of the basic concepts of a soulful leader here. They are explained in more detail in our book and will be the point of a deeper dialogue in our teleclass on Oct. 19th and future webinars through TCP. We would love for you to share with us what you would like to know more about so we might build our future webinars around these topics.
From: Making Shifts Without Making Waves: A Coach Approach to Soulful Leadership by Edward Hammett and James R. Pierce, Chalice Press, 2009, Web Site: www.soulful-leadership.com. Eddie and Randy are available to offer teleclasses on the concepts and strategies presented in their forthcoming book. For information contact Client.Care@TheColumbiaPartnership.org.
Copyright 2009 by Eddie Hammett
