Food for thought

Adapted from Tim Hughes' blog at worshipcentral.org

Qualities of a leader

Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably one of footballs greatest managers, winning more trophies than any other manager in the history of the English game with Manchester United. On a plane out to the States, I was reading an interview with Ferguson where he was asked about the 3 most important qualities of a leader. He responded saying the 3 keys were...
1. Control
2. Managing change
3. Observation
I was really interested in these. There's lots to learn here.

1. Control - how are we leading, inspiring and developing our teams? Are we clear in the way we lead, in the authority entrusted to us? Team dynamics can go horribly wrong when there is no clear leadership.

2. Managing change - how do we keep growing teams, raising up leaders, pushing on in to new things? Any leader that settles is in real trouble. To keep at the top of your game you need to manage change and allow new ideas to flourish.

3. Observation - attention to detail is so vital. Keeping a close watch on what's going on all around, listening closely to what others are saying and acting wisely on it is always essential to great leadership. There are no short cuts here - leadership involves hard work and a constant watch on all that's going on.