The Waves of Leadership

(Here is my third of 3 posts on Denny. One was I Got the Blues. Two was Saying Goodbye.)

Motorboats… especially ski-boats are known for their power by the wake they create… that is by the waves they leave behind. A slow boat makes few waves.

And I think that leadership in one sense can be measured the same way…. by the waves a leader leaves behind. In that sense… you won’t know really feel the impact of the leader until they aren’t there. Whether it is the mood they leave after the big staff meeting or the hole they leave behind when they move on to pursue their next challenge.

So I’ve been reflecting on the waves that Denny has left behind as God has released him to pursue his next challenge. These lessons… are the lasting Denny-isms… the waves that will keep me afloat as I strive to be a better leader.

So here are five leadership lessons that I’ve learned from Denny:

1. Make time for people: He didn’t preach it… he just did it. He always made time for people. If you needed 2 minutes… he gave you 5. He was always interruptible… and that communicated that he cared and you mattered. Good leaders make time for people.

2. It is OK to laugh: He loved to laugh… and often confessed that when stressed he went out of his way to laugh. That is why he spent time learning bad jokes and dropping obscure puns into tense conversations… to lighten the mood. We laughed in staff meetings… we laughed in the office… and we laughed in church. Not that church is a laughing matter… but that it is OK to laugh in church.

3. Together is better: Doing church is more fun together. Working on projects is more fun together. Living life is healthier… more enjoyable… more sustainable… together. Denny didn’t just tell others that they need others… he needed others. It was quite strange (at first) when he would tell me that he needed my friendship. But you know… he was just putting into words what I (also) felt in my heart. Even leaders realize together is better.

4. Break some rules: Especially in church. The rules that don’t really mean much… like the order of things… who says what… and when… and how they say it. This keeps you from getting in a rut… and from being too predictable… or boring. Catch people off guard… not because you don’t take what you do seriously… just the opposite… because what you are doing is SO IMPORTANT…that you are willing to try fresh things to drive the point home.

5. You are not there yet: That is you haven’t arrived. You don’t have all the answers. Keep asking questions… because you don’t have the answers. Be a learner. Be a reader. Be an experimenter. Denny always asked questions and he was always reading a new book. Even after 31 years in the ministry… he didn’t have all the answers.

Thanks for the lessons... Denny.