Add Value

How Do You Recognize Future Leaders?

Everywhere I’ve served, I’ve prayed for God to send me leaders to build his church. For fourteen years, at least once every month or so, I’d meet someone visiting our church for the first time. We’d introduce ourselves. Then God would speak to me and say, “John, there’s one.” That was the most humbling thing in life because I didn’t do one thing to bring that person in.

After I resigned, I was with about seventy-five church leaders one night for a farewell dinner. I got up and said, “All my life I’ve prayed for leaders. Let me tell how God answered those prayers with you.” Then I went around the room, telling each one about the time I met them, when God revealed, “There’s one.” By the time I was done, we were all bawling. Someone said, “How could you remember meeting everyone in a church this size?”

I replied, “I don’t remember meeting every person. I remember meeting you because you were one of those people I prayed God would lead into my life.”

If you pray for leaders; if you have a heart to develop, lead, and empower people; if you’ve got a God-given vision, God will give according to your heart’s desires.

How Do You Approach A Potential Leader?

I’ve always asked them to become my prayer partner for at least a year. That gives us time to get to know each other’s hearts. In addition, our church board members were asked to mentor a potential leader, their replacement, during the last of their three years in office.

On the front end of these relationships, we asked, “Are you willing to reproduce other leaders if I invest in developing you?” This perpetuates the culture of leadership development and weeds out people who probably wouldn’t have developed anyway.

How Do You Develop A Person Who Has A Heart For God But No Leadership Skills?

Provide on-the-job training. If people have the character qualifications, they just need to learn how to maximize their efforts. We worry too much about position and titles. I teach: “Wherever you’re working, whatever organization you serve, start adding value to people and begin to gain their respect. They will champion you.”

When you understand that leadership is influence instead of position, that changes everything. You don’t strive to be a leader; you strive to add value to people, and they’ll let you be the leader.

Is That How You Encourage Loyalty Among Leaders?

I prefer to talk about respect instead of loyalty, because you won’t be loyal to a person if you don’t respect her or him. In my dad’s day, the pastor got loyalty because he was the pastor. These days, people will not be loyal to anyone unless they respect the person and know the leader respects them.

People give loyalty when they can say, “I’m a better person because of that leader.” As a leader, I’m always asking, “How can I add value to the person I lead?” I advise pastors not to go to a new church and ask, “Who’s going to help me?” Instead, look around, find out who the leaders are, and ask, “How can I add value to them?”

How, Specifically, Do You Add Value To Someone’s Life?

Adding value comes from listening to people. If I know their heart, then I know exactly where to add value. I develop the part of themselves they want to see developed, not what I happen to need at the time. This prevents me from using people.

We all believe that people are our greatest asset when we first meet them; it’s a little tougher to believe after we have worked with them a while and have seen their weaknesses. I ask, “What is their unique contribution?” Then I equip people according to their gifts and desires.

And part of it comes from asking people to be part of a great vision. Having a cause worth dying for is the greatest reason to live.

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