What Leaders Do
Fred Smith Sr.
Captain Russell Grenfell, in The Bismarck Episode, wrote: "Every ship's chief officer followed, roughly, this procedure: Analyse the situation as it is and the way in which it developed; visualize all the possibilities; assess them to determine probabilities; estimate the strength of the forces opposed and of our resources; decide upon a general plan; communicate it to those who should know; move to carry out the plan with economy of effort and material; be sure to calculate the chances of prolongation of action; and, most important, shoot at the proper target."
We've seen that leadership demands a certain self-understanding. A grasp of what leaders are is a necessary foundation. Now come the tasks to be done.
What are the most important responsibilities of a leader?
Maintain the Vision
David Rockefeller was once quoted as saying, "The number one function of the top executive is to establish the purpose of the organization." For pastors, too, perhaps the most important job is to articulate and maintain the church's vision.
Like the hub of a wheel, everything else grows out of this. Until the vision is established, you have all kinds of trouble. Scripture says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." The New American Standard Version focuses on the way they perish—"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." To be restrained, to be concentrated in purpose, is essential to accomplishment, and that is why the leader must define why this organization exists. What's its purpose?
A leader must personify the vision, be dedicated to it personally. For example, someone totally oriented to personal evangelism would have trouble projecting a vision for biblical scholarship. He wouldn't have time to be a scholar. The leader ...
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