By Liam Glover
[4 min read]
My son and I are on a diet adventure. 15 is the number of kilos my son wanted to increase in weight (mainly muscle) in pursuit of a professional sporting career. My diet is seeking to achieve a different result. I was (and still am, to be honest) trying to arrest the mid-life spread that seems to be growing across my torso. Unsurprisingly, my son’s diet and exercise regime is very different from mine.
However, the measures to see whether the plans are working are exactly the same. Jump on the scales and a whole bunch of skin folder calliper tests later there’s that moment of truth to see whether what we’ve done has actually achieved the desired result.
You see this same moment of truth on TV shows like The Block, Master Chef, MKR, etc. That culminating moment, usually immediately preceded by a long ad break, when the score is revealed – a number seeking to reflect the effort applied.
We all have those moments…Did we achieve the fundraising goal? Are the staff engagement survey results as healthy as we hoped? Are participation numbers at goal?
Q: What are your culminating moments? How do you measure success of the thing you lead?
Recently at Arrow we had a culminating moment. We regularly hear extremely positive anecdotal feedback like, “Arrow changed my life!” and “I wouldn’t be in ministry or married now if it wasn’t for Arrow.” That’s great, but the data is a key part of the picture.
Arrow utilises a leadership profiling system called Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). In order to capture some key data we measured leader’s LPI scores prior to commencing Arrow and then again within 18 months of completing Arrow. The following is what the results tell us and may cause you to consider how you are developing those you lead.
Leaders’ Influence is Sharper
All four groups of respondents to the survey (including the leader) observed an increase across all key practices of exemplary leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, Encourage the Heart.
Arrow Leaders aren’t merely leading their teams, departments or organisations better. Their leadership influence is omnidirectional – positively affecting those whom they work alongside and those to whom they report.
Q: How is your leadership being experienced by those around you? Do you need to do something differently in this regard?
Leaders Perceive Themselves as Sharper
Across both the Emerging and Executive Leaders Programs we observed an increase of more than 10 points (on average) across the five key leadership practices. Leaders are sensing they are more confident and more capable as leaders of their teams. Our LPI consultant shared that a lift of a few points is great, between 5 and 10 is amazing, and over 10 is incredible. Confidence within leaders means they approach challenging tasks with a new sense of verve and capability, allowing them to respond dynamically and proactively to see missional outcomes achieved.
Q: How sharp do you sense you are as you discharge your present leadership assignment? What strategies are you using to sharpen yourself as a leader? What development strategies are you deploying to sharpen your leaders?
Team Members Experience Sharper Leaders
One of the key practices, “Enables Others to Act” experienced a significant increase. This means those who report to Arrow Leaders are now significantly more empowered in their work,. They are enabled by Arrow Leaders to flourish in their unique contribution to the team. And if the team members are flourishing, the team is flourishing. And if the team is flourishing, organisational outcomes are achieved.
Q: In what practices are you engaging in order to enable others to act in your team or work environment?
The statistical reality is that leaders who engage with Arrow – whether through our programs (Rise, Emerging Leaders, Senior Leaders, Executive Leaders), coaching, supervision or in house training – are sharper leaders.
And that’s precisely the point of Arrow.
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us financially to help us continue to sharpen leaders?
A generous Christian philanthropist has partnered with us to match $ for $ (up to $90,000) contributions you are able to make before the 30th of September. Funds raised enable leaders to participate in our Executive Leaders Program and our new Rise Program for young leaders, aged 18-24.
You can make your safe and secure donation here.
Recent Comments