their egos crave it. But, it’s bad for business.
In addition to limiting innovation, it creates
smaller chiefs who want to maintain power
they assume they have. So, the employee
who craves your approval cares little about
advancing your vision, and more about
advancing his or her own career. This leads to
jealousy, insecurity and grandstanding.
After experiencing this among my own team,
I made some changes. I abandoned the
hierarchical, top down flow chart and shifted
to a relational model. I drew a circle and put
myself in the middle. All of my managers were
placed around the circle. Now, when I share a
vision, I share it with all of them and ask for
input. In turn, I respect input from anyone
in that circle. In fact, I even welcome input
from team members outside of the circle. The
possibility of a groundbreaking idea is more
valuable to me than maintaining this idea of
seniority.
Working with others rather than above them
does not mean you are minimizing what
you have accomplished or demeaning your
capabilities. Rather, you are expanding your
potential. We have incredible limitations on
our time; if all ideas stop with us, very little will
ever get done. And, as intelligent as we may
be, it takes the ideas of many to spark true
brilliance. Collaboration fosters innovation.
You cannot be cutting edge if your circle always
depends on you to do the thinking.Proverbs
27:17 declares, “As iron sharpens iron, so a
man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
When we let go of the focus on titles, positions
and accolades, we set the tone for successful
ideation and instill this characteristic in others,
cultivating the next wave of leadership. This is
humility at its best – productive and positive.
It helps everyone in your orbit feel empowered
to contribute to a collective vision, driving it
forward rather than simply being passengers
along for the ride. This is the how to dispense
with Chiefs, big and small, and focus instead
on building a better team.
Bishop Joseph Warren Walker, III, is the senior leader of the historic Mt.
Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in Shreveport,
Louisiana to Deacon Joseph and Mrs. Rosa Walker.
A prolific writer, Dr. Walker is a best-selling author of twelve books.
Restored at the Root, his latest literary piece, shows you how to deal with
life issues not just from a spiritual perspective but a practical landscape.
This book goes a step further by discussing the intersection between
spiritual authority and clinical spiritual counseling. That way, you can
identify the underlying issues at work, which can help save your life,
marriage, and family. He and his wife, Dr. Stephaine, co- authored a book
together entitled, Becoming A Couple of Destiny.
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