Principles of Leadership Part I

This is the first installment of a series of three posts of principles of leadership that I have gleaned from forty years in administration in Christian higher education. Although they come from that setting, many, if not most are applicable to any management situation.This post concerns one’s own personal traits and characteristics.  Post Two concerns how one deals with people. Post three will deal handling processes within the organization.

Personal Traits and Characteristics

1.  Trust God Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6 (New Living Translation) 
2.  Be dependable If you say you are going to do something, do it. Be a person of your word.
3.  Tell the truth Scripture exhorts us to “Tell the truth in love.” In addition to being the right thing to do, there are pragmatic reasons to do so. I recall one dean who said, “Always tell the truth. It’s easier to remember what you have said.”
4.  Love learning People need to feel a passion to know…to know oneself, to know the world around us. Knowing brings understanding and a sense of fulfillment.
5. Work hard; play hard; rest well Be diligent in your work ethic; be conscientious in your recreation; take time for yourself.
6.  Persuade, rather than coerce If a case can’t be won by logical, rational arguments, is it worth winning?
7.  Know your own limitations Every one has limitations. It saves you and others a great deal of time and energy if you know what your own limitations are and you operate within them.
8.  Listen well The most overlooked communications skill is listening. People expect you to “hear” what they are saying. If they believe that you have really listened to them, they will respect your decisions more, even if they don’t agree with them.
9.  Read Develop the habit of reading. Determine the best journals related to disciple and job. Read those religiously. Keep at least three books on hand that can be read in those spare moments…one related to spiritual development; one related to job; one just for fun.
10.  Keep a record of your decisions Always keep a paper trail, especially of all decisions, promises and warnings
11. Respond to people Respond to people in a reasonable time frame in an appropriate manner, letter, email, phone or personal visit.
12. Know your enemies. First, you need to know who your enemies are. Second, you need to know why they are opposing you. Third, you need to know their battle plans and modus operandi.
13.  Understand the power and limitations of technology If you know want technology can do and what it can’t do, and you know where it can help you achieve your ends, use technology appropriately.
14.  Be a scholar Scholarship is the art and science of creating, organizing and disseminating knowledge. As an academic, the academic administrator must be committed to scholarship.
15. Be engaged The essence of engagement is to know and be known. Within the academic realm, individuals need to be engaged with their disciplines, with their colleagues, with students, with their community and with their churches
16.  Pray Pray without ceasing. Pray with thanksgiving. Pray fervently