The Life-Giving Leader: Learning to Lead from Your Truest Self - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Tyler Reagin is the president of Catalyst, a leadership development organization that exists to unify and equip leaders who love the Church through resources and experiential events. Through live events, weekly podcast, digital resources and a community-building app, the Catalyst team connects with over 100,000 leaders from around the world. Prior to Catalyst, Reagin served for seven years under the leadership of Andy Stanley as the Service Programming Director with North Point Ministries. He received his Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and serves as a leadership coach for teams and organizations. He's been married to Carrie for over 16 years and has two boys Nate and Charlie. When he's not working, Tyler is hanging out with his friends and family on the golf course.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter 1: It’s Just Your Personality

“If you are not successful, it’s probably just your personality.”

I’ve actually been told this twice in my life. Once by a leader and another time by a friend—people I trusted. Even though the words pierced my heart, they later turned out to be a gift. But in those moments I was really hurt.

The second time was definitely painful, but it was also profound. I now know that the most important leadership moment for me was also my most difficult. It felt like failure, but God used it to change my leadership and me forever. And I hope, because of that pivotal moment, He has changed many other leaders through my leadership.

I wonder if the people who said these words even remember the situation. I still believe they were trying to be helpful, and the message they delivered was helpful. Just not in the way they intended.

I had two thoughts when I heard the words.

First, I thought about a couple of people who were wired as I was and who had been very successful.

Second, and this was the game changer—if what was said about me was true, then the Lord of the universe, who created me and my unique personality, must have made a mistake. He must have misunderstood what I needed to be a great leader. He failed to hand me the tools I needed to be successful. A personality that wouldn’t allow me to have a full life. The lesson I received from these two individuals was that my personality was going to set me up for floundering and not flourishing, for failure and not success.

But Psalm 139 makes me believe differently:

You formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are you works;

my soul knows it very well. (verses 13–14)

If we believe Scripture to be true, then how could we conclude that God, who made us, does not have a plan for the uniqueness He knitted into every one of us? The simple truth is that God gave each of us a distinct personality and wired every person for a specific purpose. (As we delve more deeply into life-giving leadership, we will explore this passage as the basis on which to build our leadership.)

The light came on for me in the midst of a dark time, and I have spent the past decade trying to call out this truth in the lives of leaders. When the light clicks for people and they begin to become life-giving leaders by leading from their truest selves, their leadership explodes.

Unfortunately, we have all seen leaders take too long to grasp this principle. Because of their poor leadership, they lose valuable team members. Striving to understand your uniqueness and building confidence in your calling will last a lifetime. But the time to begin is now.

How Leadership and Faith Collide

I don’t know anyone who walked away from his or her faith because of Jesus, but I know many who walked away because of the poor leadership of those who represent Jesus.

All of us are familiar with stories of Christian leaders who, because of self-centered decisions, have had moral failures involving finances, sex, or a multitude of other issues. And how about leaders who burn through staff members at a staggering rate, all in the pursuit of the mission? These leaders see their staff members as recruits—people who will do everything necessary to ensure their leaders achieve their desired level of recognition and honor.

What about leaders who choose to accept all the accolades for their team’s hard work? When Christian leaders operate in a posture that benefits only them and not the people around them, it can inhibit and damage the faith of other people. We know the drill: our faith should be strong enough to survive the damage caused by another person’s failures. That’s easy to say, but it doesn’t prevent bad leadership from driving people away from Jesus.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pastor or a librarian. If you are a follower of Jesus, I want you to feel the weight of this. We have probably all known someone who has walked away from faith because of another Christian’s poor leadership. We must fight for our leadership to avoid this consequence.

I have dedicated myself to bringing hope to churches, organizations, nonprofits, and businesses. Christian leaders should be the best leaders in the world because we have the best Leader in history teaching us. We have the Creator infusing creativity into us. We have the Holy Spirit guiding us and giving us wisdom.

Great leadership demands that we stay in step with the Spirit. We need to learn the ways of life-giving leadership because it brings out the best in those around us as we lead from our truest selves. Look around. It’s not hard to see the need for bringing life to others. You can do this only when you lead from your truest self, from your design. God created you for a purpose, which is to lead and to lead well.

Life-giving leaders carry the name of Jesus throughout communities and to the person standing next to them. They live out their calling with fulfillment and joy. They live to the fullest, just as Jesus implores us in John 10:10.

How we lead affects people’s lives and their faith. That’s a short sentence with an eternal impact. The weight of our leadership rests on our shoulders, and we need to carry it well. This is why I refer to the leadership that God calls us to as “life-giving.” Here’s what I mean.

Grace should flow from leaders to those around them. The most common type of leadership, however, is just the opposite. How many people have you worked for who required grace from their team members? Perhaps the leader was constantly late. Or maybe the leader lacked integrity, held unrealistic expectations, was an ineffective communicator, or was morally corrupt. We’ve all been there and never want to go back. Constantly having to give life and grace to those who lead you is exhausting. In contrast, wouldn’t it be amazing to work for a leader who gives you life?

The best leader is one who continually extends grace rather than requiring it from others. The flow of grace is critical to the leader’s ability to grow in influence. When leaders require grace to flow to them, the system is corrupt. It’s backward. (Granted, as believers we are called to show grace and mercy to everyone, including bosses.)

Life-giving leadership flips the common scenario on its end. Life-giving leaders spread life, grace, hope, joy, and positivity like wildfire. The flow is consistent and contagious.

Rivers don’t change direction because of a bad day. Unless something blocks the river, it will always flow in the same direction. Leaders who consistently change the flow of grace will lose influence.

When Life Flows, Influence Grows

The Colorado River, which created the Grand Canyon, is one of the most magnificent and powerful bodies of water in the United States. The Colorado, however, starts as a stream that you can straddle. La Poudre Pass is the simple beginning of this river whose beauty is known worldwide. If the Colorado River were to remain the size of where it begins its course, it would hardly make an impact. However, rivers grow as other streams join the flow. What starts small, barely attracting notice, can turn into one of the most powerful forces humanity has experienced.

Life-giving leadership can do the same. When leaders steward the small amount of influence they have in a God-honoring, life-giving way, it is no surprise when they are handed more influence and more opportunities to bring hope to others. Everyone has influence over someone. Great...