Breakthrough Leadership

"I find that keeping optimistic and energised in mid life has become a major challenge"

I now find myself firmly in my fifties, pioneering a multi site church and in the early stages of a dream to build an arts academy in one of the poorest parts of Manchester. This academy is where we aim to give some of the most disadvantaged in our city access to high quality and socially motivated artists.

I find that keeping optimistic and energised in mid life, especially after spending the last 25 years starting new churches and projects has become a major challenge. Stamina is lower, cynicism is an ever-invading threat and living with the reality of success and disappointments is very frustrating. I find bible characters and business leaders a major source of encouragement and stimulus, as I look to stay motivated and on the cutting edge. In these next few blogs I want to look at different ways that enable leaders to achieve a measure of breakthrough and success while at the same time avoiding the energy and soul sapping experience of being on a long-term plateau, where nothing seems to change or move on.

To start with lets look at six rules for every CEO that Jack Welsh, former CEO General Electric, laid out in Fortune (1989) –
1.  Control your destiny, or someone else will
2.  Face reality
3.  Be candid with every one
4.  Don’t manage, lead
5.  Change before you have to
6.  If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete

Next blog: Face reality

Breakthrough Leadership

I now find myself firmly in my fifties, pioneering a multi site church and in the early stages of a dream to build an arts academy in one of the poorest parts of Manchester. This academy is where we aim to give some of the most disadvantaged in our city access to high quality and socially motivated artists.