Leadership Styles: Learn When to Use Them

By E. Brown

In the previous article I discussed the 4 leadership types: Dictatorial, Authoritative, Consultative, and Participative. I discussed the unique traits of each one and some of the pros/cons. Finally, I covered the fact that there was no “One Style” that fit all — no silver bullets — and that a good leader recognized when to use one style over another.A question that is often asked is, “When? When do I use one style over another?” In this article I’ll provide some tools for you to better understand when to use the dictatorial style over the consultative style, or the participative style over the authoritative style.

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How Leadership Styles Affect Productivity

By E. Brown

There are 4 primary leadership styles, many of which you can find within most businesses or organizations around the world. These styles are: Dictatorial, Authoritative, Consultative, and Participative.

Each of the leadership styles have impact on reforming and/or creating company culture. There are short-term and long-term effects for each style. For instance, the authoritative style may produce great results in a short amount of time. However, excessive use of authority will decrease productivity in the long-term. People either get fed up and leave or fall into a malaise of hum-drum repetitive tasks without creativity and innovation.

All the while, a participative style will be unproductive in the short-term. But, the longer this style of leading, the more productive a company can become.

Many leaders never make it to a point of high productivity.

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Community & Team Work

By E. Brown

I like these pieces from Rory Noland’s book, The Heart of the Artist. They speak to the things I am interested in: creativity, teams and team work, community, and learning. These particular points are from the chapter, The Artist in Community.

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You Might Be An Insecure Leader…

By E. Brown

I talked with a friend yesterday who recently left a job. I was shocked and concerned to hear how the company and its culture had changed within a very short period of time. Over the course of 5 months communication went from full-disclosure to hidden agendas, from mission-minded to money-centered, from exciting to discouraging, and from encouraging to fearful and intimidating. What could bring on this hideous transformation in such a short time? This is the result of leadership insecurity.

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The Number One Question At NRB?

By D. Black

At some point during the week, every convention begins to look and feel the same. Another breakfast meeting, breakout sessions, long walks between meetings and booth after booth of smiling faces, each with a one gallon fish bowl filled with various types of candy. Somewhere in the history of conventioneering someone figured out that candy was necessary to keep weary attendees blood sugar up.

This year’s NRB in Nashville, Tennessee had many the same elements but woven through the familiar, I found an unusual twist. My schedule was filled from early morning to late evening with meetings, presentations, reviews and events. That’s the plan – to take full advantage of the opportunity. You can rest when you get back home. Both on the floor and in private sessions the same basic question arose; As faith based communicators how are we going to change our methods to match the shift that is occurring in our culture?

Indeed, this is our ground zero. It is good that we are asking the question. To be completely transparent, no one has really figured it out.

Our age demands instant, relevant information that is pertinent to daily life. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach. We must get to know our constituents needs, help them in a real way and then enlist them as partners in a common cause.

If we authentically commit to this process, we will bring light into an ever darkening world.

The 7 Best Words A Leader Can Use

By E. Brown

You’ve worked your way up into management. You started at the bottom and you learned every aspect of the business to this point. Now you’re leading a team, a department, or an organization and it feels great. You are the “go to” person with all the answers. Yet, over the last few months you have noticed this nagging in the back of your mind…Read More

On The Road To The NRB

By D. Black

Last week I packed my bags and traveled up I-75 from Atlanta to Nashville. I almost always choose to drive the 225 miles, because believe it or not, it is faster than flying. It is really quite a nice drive, winding through the North Georgia mountains, the Tennessee River and the city of Chattanooga, past Lookout Mountain the site of a famous Civil War battle and on up into South Nashville. My work has a presence in the “Music City” so I make the sojourn on a pretty regular basis.

This time I was driving up to attend the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) convention held at Opryland, USA. This is an annual gathering of mostly ministry broadcasters and the stations that they air along with a potpourri of vendors who sell them hardware and software. And who knows, maybe even one or two strategic consultants may show up. This convention is a good opportunity to find tactical solutions, meet new people and network with old friends and colleagues.

I’ve been attending the show since the winter of 1984. It used to be always held in Washington, DC at the Sheraton Hotel, near Capitol Hill. Those were the days of Jim and Tammy, Jimmy Swaggart and other high profile television personalities walking the floor with their entourages. There was an air of celebrity and personal power as the “superstars” traveled from book signing to media interview. It was quite interesting to watch the parade. I was a young man attending graduate school at Regent University and working as a production manager for Victor King Marketing, CBN’s inside advertising group.

Now 24 conventions later, the atmosphere has changed dramatically. Gone is most of the glitz and glamour, replaced by a more businesslike, professional atmosphere. During my walk on the convention floor, I only saw three television broadcasters -James Robison, Charles Stanley, and Jeff Shreve, none of them are pretentious.

On my way home back down I-75 to Atlanta, I thought of the difference between my first and last NRB. It is a big change, but come to think of it, our world has also changed dramatically. But the fundamental reason that thousands of faith-based communicators come together once a year remains the same – to learn to more effectively proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The need for this truth hasn’t diminished, but the methods of communicating it certainly have.

Next time: The number one question asked this year at NRB!

The Motivator: Lessons for Leaders

By E. Brown

Listed here are a series of statements that we have found resourceful when thinking about leadership. These statements apply to managers and leaders in churches and other nonprofit organizations.

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The Reciprocity Principle

By E. Brown

Did you know you cannot out-give? If you give to someone, they will almost always want to give more back. This is the Principle of Reciprocity.

When you look out for your friends and co-workers, they will want to return the favor. Giving is infectious.

The only drawback is the motivation for giving. If you give out of selfish ambition, then guess what? You may get something back, but it will never be what you hoped or as much as you hoped for. And, when you do not get anything back, you only done harm to yourself because you are the one left feeling hacked-off.

Don’t give to get.

When you give, not expecting a return, the reciprocal giving is that much sweeter. And, when you give, not expecting a return, your feelings will not have been hurt if you receive nothing in return.

Take a look around your “world”, your social network, your clients, your friends and family — who can you give to?

Have fun!

Online Training: Why Do Non-Profits Sit On The Fence?

By E. Brown

I have talked with numerous Not-For-Profit (NFP) organizations about online learning and knowledge management. Almost all are interested in the subjects and would like to distribute their content online for learning and training. Yet, they are all sitting on the fence when it comes to execution.I was reminded of this again while at breakfast the other day. I ran into an acquaintance who knew of a VC that wanted to invest in online learning to reach an international audience. His issues were the same. All the NFP’s he had met with were waffling when it came to “doing the deal” and taking the eLearning plunge.

Why?

Getting In The Game
I witnessed this same attitude when the Web bubble started to grow in the early 90’s. Many NFP’s watched from the sidelines. I made three observations as to why this attitude prevailed:

1. They didn’t understand the technology and were intimidated by change
2. Many were simply waiting for “critical mass” before jumping onboard
3. Most had not planned on the cost of the technology infrastructure or outsourcing

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