Spiritual Leadership - Emerging to Support

Teams of camp workers come with directors (what I call “top dog” leaders), support staff, emerging leaders and college type leaders. Top Dogs are those who either have their position because someone put them in charge, or they may actually know what they are doing.

The emerging leaders (or what I also call –Following Leaders) have realized that they can learn to do the job of the Top Dog, they are interested, they have great new ideas, but they also don’t know enough to know that many of their ideas are simply “reinventing the wheel” and don’t need to be tried again. They lack the battlefield experience to be trusted on their own and to trust themselves. They lack the scars and wounds of the Support Staff. They need to test their skills under the guidance of the experienced and to listen more than they lead. They need to watch problem negotiation, resolution and see how experienced warriors don’t fall into the melodrama, overreaction, emotion versus logic, failure to think, quick to judge and “I know all the answers” errors.

Support Staff are awesome leaders that have either retired from Top Dog positions or or have determined that they are not to be Top Dog leaders . They play hardest and most critical role in the leadership orchestra – second fiddle. These leaders are so qualified that they could do the Top Dog’s job alone, but instead they help the Top Dog do his job.

David failed to transition from Emerging/Following Leader to Support Staff. Today he is a “top dog” leader of a para church organization. Unfortunately, he is an unprepared top dog because he skipped the role of Support Staff. David does not know how to lead support staff nor does he know how to be support staff. Little does he know but he will hopelessly flounder one day because all Top Dogs retire to either find fulfillment in a Support Staff role or to find emptiness in stories of who they used to be. It is almost impossible to return to a role that you never filled or filled well. What happened? David grew from College Leader to Emerging leader. As an Emerging Leader, he realized that he could be a Top Dog leader (not a bad thing for desiring leadership is commendable) and he began to lust after it. David could not wait. He had mastered the level of Emerging Leader. He had asked all his questions, he had finished “basic trainig”, he had graduated college and he was ready for the management job. David did not understand that, even in the secular marketplace, the best graduates with the most experience still go through management training, practical levels of leadership, many years of service and so forth before anyone trusts them as a Top Dog leader. Even the best of candidates is groomed through positive experience and battlefield training. Today, David remains a solo top dog of an organization that really has no accountable leadership structure even though they accomplish a great mission. He works solo, freelance and faces little questions as long as his task is done. He is not really a Top Dog leader for he really leads no one – he is just a “top dog” leader of an effort.

Scott was David’s peer in early ministry and made the transition from Emerging Leader to Support Staff well. He was a bit shy and quiet but he was more than capable. In his following leader role he performed well and humbly desired more responsibility so that he could help others – not for himself. He saw a growing need for the Top Dog to have a solid support staff. He did not think that he was perfect, did not want to be a Top Dog and did not need the limelight. He wanted the effort to succeed. He had listened and required little instruction. It was his time to be Support Staff. Over time, he simply became Support Staff. He is today one of the most reliable leaders that anyone will ever meet. His character has developed beyond what most will expect in a lifetime. He is wise and still quiet. He is scarred, experienced in battle, knows success, and learned to avoid all of the failures common to leaders. Success and learning through experience characterize his transition. He was not afraid to follow someone else who was leading and he gained his battlefield experience. He was not too proud to learn from his peers and his other leaders. He became a tremendous support staff leader who filled a gap because it was needed, so that an effort could succeed. Since that time, he has filled gap after gap in Support Staff roles. He works well with others and is comfortable with himself. He is not afraid to lead or to grow.

David got consumed with being in charge so much that he never learned how to be in charge. Scott did not seek to be a leader but a servant. David can follow well but only as a College type leader – once he learns the basics he jumps ahead. Scott has battlefield experience. David is great alone. Scott is great alone and in an organization. David leads 1 or 2 in a loosely accountable organization. Scott leads hundreds to success every week. David was more concerned about David. Scott was more concerned about the effort and organization.

David did not make the transition and probably never will.

Is it any surprise that Scott is a Top Dog Leader today.

Which one are you?