Here's my question of the week!
Are you proactive or passive?
Are you proactive or passive?
proactive (prəʊˈæktɪv)
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| tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events | |
passive (ˈpæsɪv)
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| not active or not participating perceptibly in an activity,organization, etc | |
In thinking about leadership this week, I'm wondering if there is actually any such thing as an effective, passive leader - my gut tells me NO! How can one lead without thinking ahead, moving ahead and being ahead? The essence of a leader is in his/her ability to be out front and blaze the trail; you can't lead from behind.
Today, I am encouraging all leaders to be proactive - anticipate the next need - solve the problem before it's a problem - and, try to get the perspective of God by seeing the beginning from the end!
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Good question Pastor. I will have to agree with that there is no effective passive leader. I have operated as both a proactive leader and a passive leader and I must say a passive leader does not move the people but the people move themselves away from the mission and out of the vision.
ReplyDeleteSo I stand with you Pastor saying proactive is the best and effective way to lead!
I am working on being proactive and not passive. Though, it seems as though it is easier to be passive than proactive. Since I like to be challenged I will continue to push and press until I am a proactive person!!
ReplyDeleteI accept the challenge, Pastor!
ReplyDeleteHistorically, God often used people that didn't look/act like leaders to lead, but that doesn't mean they could be passive when put in the postion of leadership. God gave them what they needed to be effective leaders, so that He could get the glory!
Israel was (at least until Saul) a king-less band of nomads, but God chose to reveal himself to the entire world through them.
One more thought, some might think that doing something in order to get glory would be selfish or egotistical. But I think God's glory is what is true about Him, and is necessary to be revealed. And how cool is it that He uses the meek to do so. Very creative, i like it.
@Darius - I certainly would agree that it's easier up front to be passive, but I think being passive is just a procrastination of the activity that you're still going to have to do at some point anyone. Whether you respond early or respond late, you still will have to respond and usually when you respond late, it ends up being even more work than it would have been to just knock it out in the first place. I am definitely a fan of proactive!!! I'm glad you're up for the challenge!
ReplyDelete@Jake - those are really good insights! You made me think. God certainly used and uses people who don't act/look like leaders to lead for His glory, but through the scriptures, what it appears that He does is qualify the unqualified. He doesn't leave them unqualified. I believe God loves to see the process of people advancing into what He has called them to be - maybe even from passive to proactive - it's all a part of the journey.
I think there is a quality that can sometimes look like passivity that is attractive to God, and that is submission, but I see a lot of differences between being submissive and being passive. You can be submissive and proactive at the same time. This could be another blog post. :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jake. I'd love to hear more.