Leading Character by Dan B. Allender PLLC

Author:Dan B. Allender, PLLC
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan

BE A CHARACTER

Once we are comfortable with what it means to have a character, the next task of a leader is to be a character—to be open to all the various ways God may choose to work through each of our lives.

In his elegant book on leadership, Leading Minds, Howard Gardner looks at how a widely diverse group of leaders—from Gandhi to Eleanor Roosevelt—led by telling stories. Their stories articulated the unnamed fears that kept them from moving forward to what they most desired, and they offered hope, invigorating others to risk creating a new world. Stories are not mere illustrations; they are the fire and blood that create the possibility of transformation. The stories that great leaders tell link the individual leader's story to the lives of those she or he serves.

Most people will not follow a leader whose life is disconnected from their own story. Think how often American politicians offer their story of humble beginnings and their status as Washington outsiders as a means to convey the promise they will bring change to the morass of politics. It is a tiresome spin that gets dismissed quickly, yet it still works well enough to secure the support of voters. Leaders, no matter what the context, must communicate their vision and plans for how they intend to journey to the desired outcome for those they serve. This can only be done well through story.

A close friend who started a financial loan business took thirty of his executives to the poverty- and violence-filled section of Montreal where he grew up in order to introduce them to the section of town that inspired his company's name. My friend, who has suffered the cruelty and mockery of many for the physical disabilities related to albinism, wanted his executives to see why he values and loves his community and what it taught him about life. He invited these men and women to see, smell, and taste both heartache and hope. In addition to telling his story, he enabled his executives to see why he so prizes honesty, integrity, commitment, and risk taking. Stories shape how we see ourselves and how we envision our calling in the place we work and serve.

Every leader, no matter what the context, is a storyteller. And in telling stories we become a character in the stories of others. This friend, who took his executives on a story journey, later invited them to reflect on and write about what had motivated them to make money. He asked them to consider what they fear, what they are meant to overcome, and how their current work might be the context in which they can grow as people and not merely secure their financial futures.

In sharing his story, he helped his executives reflect on their own stories. The loan company is committed to making money, yet the culture established by this leader also provides significant sums to those who work with the homeless. By introducing his executives to the homeless and offering

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