Recently, I've been rereading Andy Stanley's book
The Next Generation Leader. The book is a terrific leadership "booster shot" as it encourages, challenges and requires that I focus on what is most important. Right out of the gate, Stanley challenges readers in chapter 1 that "You Are Doing Too Much." Can't argue with that. Below are the key points that I pulled from the chapter.
The Two Best Kept Secrets of Leadership
1) The less you do, the more you accomplish. (Busyness does not necessarily equate to accomplishment. Do you have any tasks that can be deleted or delegated that will allow you to lean into your strengths and focus on what is most important? I have plenty of them.)
2) The less you do, the more you enable others to accomplish. (Believe it or not, there are people on your staff that are ready and waiting for you to delegate them work that they can probably do much better than you. In my opinion, they want to do it for a couple of reasons: 1) They know they can do it better than you, 2) They want to be empowered by you which happens when you delegate, 3) They want to do meaningful work. The benefit to you is that it clears your plate to focus more on what you do well and free up personal time. Everyone wins... particularly the students you serve.)
To follow these to principles or "secrets," Stanley offers the following thoughts:
- Become "mission driven" rather than "need driven."
- Only do what you can do.
- Be a person of focus.
- Don't strive to be well-rounded. (a.k.a. lean into your strengths and manage/delegate your weaknesses)
- Admit weaknesses. (my wife has a written list... kidding of course about the written part:)
- Leadership is about doing things through other people.
If you are looking for a great summer read, be sure to check out The Next Generation Leader. As always, do not hesitate to share your thoughts.