1. The Leader as an Agent of Change
Principles of Leadership
Greg Waddell, DSL
Credit Note:
This slideshow is based largely on the 1995 edition of
Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge (San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass).

2. The Leadership Challenge
• Based on research that began in 1983.
• Interviews with more than 1300 leaders.
• Thousands more interviewed since publication
in 1997.
• A model of leadership behavior developed.
• An instrument developed called the
“Leadership Practices Inventory.”
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3. New Realities
• Cynicism toward all Leaders
• The Center of Power has Shifted
• Information the new global commodity
• Everyone is now connected
• Yet, the world is more fragmented than ever
• A new openness to spirituality
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4. Thesis of Kouzes & Posner
“ The results of our research have been striking
both in their refutation of the leader stereotype
and in their consistency. Leaders do exhibit
certain distinct practices when they’re doing their
best. And this behavior varies little from industry
to industry, profession to profession, community
to community, country to country. Good
leadership is an understandable and a universal
process” (p. xxiii).
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5. Myth Reality
Healthy organizations
run smoothly and
orderly.
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6. Myth Reality
Healthy organizations Healthy organizations
run smoothly and are like living
orderly. organisms, constantly
adapting and changing.
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7. Myth Reality
Great leaders are rebels who
courageously overthrow the
established systems.
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8. Myth Reality
Great leaders are rebels who Great leaders are those
courageously overthrow the who know how to invoke
established systems. people’s natural desire to
adapt, grow and learn.
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9. Myth Reality
Great leaders live and plan
for today.
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10. Myth Reality
Great leaders live and plan Effective leaders have a
for today. long-range perspective.
They set their focus
beyond the present
situation.
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11. Myth Reality
Great leaders always forge a
new vision.
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12. Myth Reality
Great leaders always forge a Often, the most productive
new vision. leaders are those who
have taken an existing
vision and turned into
success.
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13. Myth Reality
To retain their objectivity,
leaders need to be distant
detached; separating their
emotions from their work.
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14. Myth Reality
To retain their objectivity, Highly productive leaders
leaders need to be distant often talk about their deep
detached; separating their feelings of inspiration,
emotions from their work. passion, joy, affection and
even love.
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15. Myth Reality
Leaders must be
charismatic; they possess a
special—almost
miraculous—gift.
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16. Myth Reality
Leaders must be Effective leadership has
charismatic; they possess a little to do with the
special—almost charismatic personality.
miraculous—gift. Instead, it is the product of
a commitment to the
values and expected
outcomes of the
organization.
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17. Myth Reality
The leader’s primary
responsibility is to control
resources, including time,
money, materials, and
persons.
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18. Myth Reality
The leader’s primary The main responsibility of
responsibility is to control the leader is to foster a
resources, including time, performance-based culture
money, materials, and through service and
persons. example.
(Matthew 20:25-28)
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19. Myth Reality
Leadership is a lonely place
to be.
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20. Myth Reality
Leadership is a lonely place Effective leaders are in
to be. constant communication
with the people they lead.
They are profoundly
concerned for others and
frequently use family-like
terminology when they
refer to their work team.
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21. Myth Reality
Leaders need to detach
themselves from the
mundane work and
concentrate on designing
strategies and other
“thinking” type of activities.
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22. Myth Reality
Leaders need to detach Exceptional leaders
themselves from the combine working and
mundane work and thinking into one
concentrate on designing continuous process. They
strategies and other do not separate thinking
“thinking” type of activities. from working.
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23. Myth Reality
Leadership has to do with
occupying a position of
power.
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24. Myth Reality
Leadership has to do with Leadership is not a
occupying a position of position but a process. It
power. involves attitudes and
capabilities that carry the
organization into
productive change,
regardless of one’s title or
position.
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25. Myth Reality
Leadership is only for a very
select few.
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26. Myth Reality
Leadership is only for a very Leadership is not
select few. transmitted in our genes,
nor is it a secret code that
cannot be understood by
the common people. It is a
set of practices that can be
observed and learned.
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27. The 5 Core Leadership Practices
Challenge the Process
Inspire a shared vision
Enable others to act
Model the way
Encourage the heart

28. The Remainder of this Presentation
Deals with the First Leadership Behavior
Challenging the Process

29. Constantly Seeking Ways to Improve
“ Leadership has about it a kinesthetic feel, a
sense of movement. Leaders ‘go first.’ They’re
pioneers. They begin the quest for a new order.
They venture into unexplored territory and guide
us to new and unfamiliar destinations.”
‒ Kouzes & Posner, p. 36
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30. The Sigmoid Curve
This is where the new
vision should take form.
Not here.
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31. Stimulating Intrinsic Motivation
“ Intrinsic motivation is the impulse to accomplish
a task that emanates from the satisfaction that is
inherent in the task itself--as opposed to
motivation through external rewards and
punishments.”
‒ Thomas & Velthouse, 1990
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32. Stimulating Intrinsic Motivation
• By raising the bar
• By loosening the controls
• By giving people true ownership
• By forging a shared mission, vision and values
• By linking organizational and individual purpose
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33. The Paradox of Routines
“ Routine work drives out nonroutine work and
smothers to death all creative planning, all
fundamental change.”
‒ Warren Bennis
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34. The Paradox of Routines
“ Leaders must . . . destroy routines because
routines get us into ruts, dull our senses, stifle
our creativity, constrict our thinking, remove us
from stimulation, and destroy our ability to
compete. Once-useful routines sap the vitality
out of an organization and cause it to atrophy.
Yet some routines are essential to a definable,
consistent, measurable, and efficient operation.”
‒ Kouzes & Posner, p. 44
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35. Maintaining an Outward Focus
“ When we take our eyes off the external realities,
turning inward to admire the beauty of our own
organization, we may be swept away by the
swirling waters of change.”
‒ Kouzes & Posner, p. 47
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36. Relevance for the Church
By definition, effective Christian leaders are
transformational.
They constantly seek ways to help the church improve and
adapt to a changing external environment.

37. Relevance for the Church
Successful pastors and other church leaders must
develop skills to help people navigate the paths of
change.

38. Action Steps
• Treat everything like an adventure.
• Take everything as a departure point.
• Question everything.
• Evaluate all current processes.
• Eliminate all unnecessary routines.
• Teach people to think creatively.
• Give people challenging tasks.
• Go find something to fix.
• Renew your leadership team.
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