Leadership development is a popular topic.  A cursory glance at the literature reveals a number of approaches to developing leaders.

A popular model is the competency approach.  If you can repeat the behaviors that made someone popular in the past then you will be successful in the future.  The drawback of this approach is that we are facing unprecedented change and we must realize that past behavior is not always a reliable predictor of future success.

Another popular approach is psychometric testing as it looks at the personality of a leader.  A study of leadership however, reveals no correlation between personality type and effective leadership.

Other approaches look at “best practices” in effective leaders.  We can certainly learn from others but if you seek to emulate Steve Jobs you will be frustrated because you’re not Steve Jobs.  You must be the person God created you to be.

So how can you develop as a leader?  The Leadership Summit will not present a competency model, give you psychometric tests, or tell you how you must lead.  Leadership development is more complex than a simple formula.  The Leadership Summit examines the principles and underlying values of leadership in a variety of contexts.

It’s essential that your leadership is based on core values and convictions that you believe in, otherwise when you face the challenges of life you’ll be tempted to look for the next novel method to follow.  The Leadership Summit will provide you the opportunity to be inspired, challenged, and equipped with the leadership principles to enable you to face the challenges of life.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that the one who leads should lead with all diligence (Romans 12:8).

The Leadership Summit is coming soon (August 14-15) and you can register at http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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