Leadership Lessons from Delboy

"to fulfil a great dream, you have to start somewhere and not allow the element of risk to de-power you. "

Dreaming can be relatively easy, especially when it costs nothing, demands little and is fuelled by like minded dreamers. Seeing a dream begin to take shape and develop is another world altogether. For some they get stuck before they have even started. Turning the dream into the first tentative steps can sometimes bring only paralysis as the risks involved loom large.

For the entrepreneurial leader the first steps are often the best because they need little management and organisational infrastructure which means that the “have a go” culture thrives. Starting three church plants in the same year seemed easy because couples, singles and families opened their homes around Manchester. A second site for CCM became an easy reality when a vodka bar became available at virtually no cost, allowing a very small handful of guys to run an evening meeting.

Gorton Arts academy is another dream where we are looking to build an arts centre right in the heart of East Manchester. This will enable some of the more disadvantaged people to have access to quality artists where they will be able learn, join bands, produce shows and begin to feel the satisfaction of achievement. Where do we start? Simply, with a few teenagers being offered guitar, drum and dance lessons for free.

I always laugh at Del Boy when he says “who dares wins” as he embarks on one of his hair brained schemes. Yet the truth is, to fulfil a great dream, you have to start somewhere and not allow the element of risk to de-power you.

The future’s bright

"The future's bright for leaders who are told, “it can’t be done” and use it as petrol, to fuel a greater intensity to succeed"

Overly optimistic nonsense or bold courageous thinking can be two very different ways of viewing a leader’s vision of the future. A leader’s ability to challenge preconceived or failing ideas and break the mould with new approaches can motivate loyalty and hard work in some. However in others it can bring out deathly cynicism, people like this thrive on killing ideas with the often-repeated mantra, “it can’t be done”.

The future is bright for leaders who after being told, “it can’t be done” use it as petrol, fuelling a greater intensity to succeed. The status quo is not a bearable option for these leaders. Their hearts and minds are able to go places most of us have never been. The fine line between changing the world and getting it hopelessly wrong is par for the course. It seems most entrepreneurs have been moulded by at least one failure, born out of risk of being prepared to break the rules as they look for alternative solutions. The successful ones are those who pick themselves up and have another go, letting failure only add to their learning curve and not a reason to give up.

Endemic fatalism that grips some of our urban population through generational unemployment and lack of hope is a great place for entrepreneurial leaders who are hard working determined and persistent. Those people who are able to see challenges as massive opportunities to make a difference. Who have the confidence to take bold initiatives and in the process are able to recruit dynamic and entrepreneurial people, who don’t go for the safe option.

Face reality quickly

"Leadership can be at its most vulnerable as you create the space for an open and honest assessment of where thing are at"

Sir Terry Leahy, the CEO of Tesco said “If you don’t know where you are, your true situation, then you are lost from the outset. You cannot plot a course forward if you don’t know where you are starting from”. (From leadership by Alan Leighton pg 67)

Leadership can be at its most vulnerable at these times as you create the space for an open and honest assessment of where things are at. You might have to cope with the painful reality that under your leadership not everything has gone well. How you handle these discussions - will either promote honest feedback - or your obviously hurting demeanour, will control the free flow of opinions.
I find that I have to prepare myself for these occasions. One way is to remind myself that as I give opportunity for people to express their legitimate concerns, I am also giving them a platform to express their own personal frustration and disappointments. These may have little bearing on the state of the church. Handling this negativity and the many challenges of leading a mainly volunteer work force can easily make leaders bunker down, only listening to those who are close in, or say encouraging things.

Another way to prepare for these difficult conversations is to understand that a test of your leadership is not that you always make the right decisions, but more is on your ability to face the true reality and lead appropriately from that position. Abraham led his family down to Egypt during a famine and then lied about his marital status, allowing his wife to be taken by the ruler. Not a leadership call you would put on your CV. When the reality check was made, he had the leadership confidence to get them back on track.