What the Cowardly Lion Taught Me About Leadership

          Have you ever watched a movie or read a book and just resonated with one of the characters.  Over the years there have been several characters that have connected with my heart and drawn me into the story they represent, however there is one that simply stands heads and shoulders above the rest.  As a child I remember watching The Wizard of Oz and connecting with one of the characters in this beloved story which was the cowardly lion.  I could never figure out why I was drawn to this particular character until several years later when I realized that I needed more courage.

            This may come as a surprise to some as I am willing to ride any roller coaster, try new food whenever I get the chance, and do things that could make others cringe.  However, my need for courage is rooted in a deep internal struggle that I have which is the “fear of failure.”  I have always wondered, “What if I try something and it doesn’t work?” or “What if this new idea flops and leaves people feeling disappointed?”  The fear of failure is something that I believe is not exclusive or unique to me but is a point of tension with every leader.

            Author and speaker Brad Lomenick believes so as well as he highlights the theme of courage in his book The Catalyst Leader.  Over the past four weeks I have journeyed through this book writing my thoughts about the themes that he presents in this work.  He outlines the need for leaders to know their calling, practice authenticity, live with passion towards God, and strive to be capable in their leadership.  Despite the validity of each of these themes, the concept of courage is one that makes my stomach churn the most.

            Courage pushes us to try new things, be innovative, and stretch outside of our comfort zone.  In my current ministry I am trying to be courageous in the handling of an event that we are coordinating for our youth ministry volunteers later this month.  We will be hosting an event that encourages and allows our volunteers to be creative, answer hard questions about the youth ministry, and find new creative ways to impact our students with the love of Jesus Christ during the coming year.  While this will be an amazing event where several wonderful things are achieved, there is a feeling in the pit of my stomach saying “What if this fails?”  But as I have been dealing with this feeling I reread a quote from Brad which states, “The road to success is many times put together through multiple failures.  Allow for and even encourage your team to fail as they attempt to succeed” (p. 115).  Upon reading this quote I was reminded that many of the life lessons that I have learned, many of which were the most challenging, came because of failure.  What would our culture look like if instead of thinking about failing we began to take leaps of faith, knowing we may fail, but with the understanding that we can learn from our failures and move forward?

            So if you are reading this are you willing to be a courageous leader who is alright with handling the fear of failure?  Pastor Andy Stanley said, “A single act of courage is often the tipping point for extraordinary change.”  So how do we learn to be a courageous leader? 

Brad outlines five principles for us to help us become courageous leaders:

 

·         Set scary standards - Give your people a goal that scares them, and you’ll produce leaders who know what it means to overcome fear.

·         Allow for failure

·         Reward innovation – Innovation requires taking risks.  And bold risks create bold team members.  Rewarding innovation will challenge your team to grow in their roles.

·         Pursue the right opportunities – Aggressively pursue a few things that make sense.  Say no often.

·         Learn to delegate – Entrust others with important tasks by letting go and relinquishing control.  If you want your team to be courageous, give them the chance to lead.

As you work through implementing these ideas into your leadership style remember this quote from former South African president Nelson Mandela, “Courage is not the absence of fear-it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.”  So as you move through your day toady what would you pursue if you weren’t afraid to fail?