I posted this is a comment on the Church Planting Institute blog, but they deleted my comment without notice. Which is very nice of them. Way to build community, guys! (OK, I've been guilty of doing that in the past too - my house, my rules - but I'm not really trying to build community here too much. Just providing an outlet for other ranters and ravers... :)
Their article quotes a book on leadership:
Leadership competency may be the tools of effective leadership; but biblically informed character has always been the power of effective leadership. When a leader does not continually address character formation and transformation in their personal lives and operate solely from a competency base, then competency will ultimately fail to produce the kind of results God intended through the life of that leader. And remember, lasting transformational change begins with the heart. Our central beliefs establish our cores values, our values inform our worldview, our worldview conditions our primary motives, and our motives energize our behavior. Our behavior merely reflects the condition of our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). The lesson: pay attention to the heart from God’s point of view (1 Samuel 16:7), and God-honoring behavior will follow.
I can't remember my comment verbatim, but it was something like the following:
It's a shame that people feel forced to use management-speak to talk about leadership, particularly when one of the important qualities of a leader is clear communication. See if this is easier to read:
Leadership isn't just about what you can do, it's also about who you are. If you're just focused on what you can do and don't develop who you are, you're not going to succeed. Who you are starts with what you believe, and that determines why you do what you do. If you want to improve your leadership, start by improving yourself.
Full version - 4 Comments