The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development

Abstract In his book, The Making of a Leader, Dr. Robert Clinton does his best to compile comprehensively the process in which a leader goes through during his or her life. Clinton is basing his conclusions on biblical principles, interviewing other leaders, and his personal experience as a leader. This book was written for Christian leaders to have a better perspective on how God is shaping them and how God wants to use these leaders in the future. In the first chapter of his book, Clinton shares a letter that he wrote to a seminary student that felt called to be a missionary in China. Within this letter, Clinton maps out the six developmental phases of a leader and gives a brief description of each phase. In writing the letter to the student, Clinton was hoping to encourage the student to persevere in ministry. However, the reason the letter was included in the book was to give a framework for the rest of the book and personal example of why the subject matter covered in the book is important. The second chapter of the book begins by mapping out the developmental phases of life. The first phase is Sovereign Foundations, within this phase “God is developing the leader by laying foundations in his life.” The first phase includes your family, environment, and historical events. The second phase is called the Inner-Life Growth. It is during this phase that the leader meets God in a personal way and learns the importance of prayer and hearing the voice of God. It is during this phase that the leader begins to participate is some ministry and his obedience to God is tested. The third phase is the Ministry Maturing phase. In this stage, the leader begins to learn and understand doctrine and learns how to become more effective in ministry. This phase also involves the leader reaching out to other people within the church. The fourth phase is Life Maturing. In this phase, the leader “gains a sense of priorities concerning the best use of his gifts and understands that learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do.” Convergence is the fifth phase in ministry. It is during this phase that the leader moves into a ministry that best match his gift-mix. The sixth, and final phase is afterglow or celebration. This final stage is the culmination of a successful life in ministry The third chapter goes into more depth describing the second phase of ministry, inner-life growth. It is during this phase that God uses three process items to help develop the leader. The first process item is an integrity check, which “is a test that God uses to evaluate intentions to shape character.” The obedience check is the second test, which is “a process item through which a leader learns to recognize, understand, and obey God’s voice.” The word check is the third test, and it is the hearing a word from God and then applies that word to the leaders life. The fourth and fifth chapters go into details explaining the third leadership phase of maturing in ministry. It is during this phase that God takes the leader through four stages, entry, training, relational learning, and discernment. These chapters also explore more difficult issues in maturing in ministry, relational learning, and discernment. The seventh chapter is about maturing in ministry as a leader. It is during this time that “God deepens, sometimes painfully, the character of a leader in order to produce riper fruit.” This deepening typically comes from isolation, conflict, and crises. The eighth chapter talks about the importance of developing a ministry philosophy or values for leadership. Clinton shares ten values: “(1) I must at all times maintain a learning posture, (2) I must take genuine interest in people and other cultures, (3) In pioneering new ministry expressions – take risks, (4) I should use one-on-one mentoring to change people’s lives, (5) Everything I do must flow out of an attitude of surrender, (6) I should use my networking skills to connect people with each other and thereby empower them for a more effective ministry, (7) I should use small groups to train developing leaders, (8) I ought to be an active listener, (9) I ought to lead from relational and not positional leadership, (10) I must remember that my family life will be the key component of my ministry.” The final chapter brings the book to a close by sharing three final challenges. The first challenge is about the importance of continued development as a leader. The second challenge is the importance of investing in new rising leaders. The final challenge for the leader is the importance of developing a ministry philosophy and leadership values.Concrete Response As a younger leader, I believe that I am currently in phase three, Ministry Maturing. In reading through the details of this phase, there were some things of which I could identify, mainly the problems that leaders deal with during this stage of life. Clinton talks about how many leaders in the stage deal with the patience problem, this is when “leaders tend to move ahead in major decisions before receiving a certainty word of guidance.” This is something that I struggle with so often in my ministry, waiting on the Lord. About a year ago our church was experiencing tremendous growth moving into the fall when church attendance tends to pick up. To reach more people I made the decision to add another Sunday morning service to free up some more space for guest and visitors. However, this was purely a decision that I made without consulting the Lord. In addition to not consulting the Lord, I also did not do a good job casting vision with the leaders in our church. When we first moved to two services I was excited but the excitement quickly waned. Our services became very unbalanced; we hit about 20% capacity in the first service and the second service was at about 50%. Because I moved ahead of God’s timing, the services lacked energy as the sanctuary seemed empty. Eventually, people in the early service stopped coming all together, and our attendance numbers consistently decreased. We eventually went back to one service, and we started to see growth once again. I still believe that moving to two services is a good idea but I know for sure that I was operating in my timing rather than God’s timing. I should have spent more time praying and fasting about this decision rather than trusting my opinion.Reflection In reading through Clinton’s book, I found that he did a great job bringing scripture into his argument. I also enjoyed the personal stories and letters that he added to his writing; I felt these personal touches gave the book more life and helped me better apply the teachings to my life. I also appreciated that at the end of each chapter there were summary and application questions. I felt that these questions helped me to evaluate better my leadership ability and helped me to become a better leader. The appendixes and the glossary also were nice touches in the book. Although I enjoyed reading Clinton’s book, I did feel the book could have been better organized. I felt that the argument the book was trying to convey was hindered by the consistent addition of definitions of new terms. While I appreciate the attention to detail by adding these definitions, there were so many new terms it was difficult to keep it all together. I felt the book also contained many lists. I felt like every chapter consisted of lists and then sub-lists and then additional sub-lists. As far as the contents of this book, there is not much with which I disagree. However, I don’t think that I completely agree with Clinton’s idea of double confirmation on guiding decisions making. While I think it is good to have double, or more, confirmation when making decisions that is not always possible. I believe that sometimes God calls the leader to make a certain decision or move in a certain way that does not make sense to the people around him. In this situation, I believe that the leader needs to be obedient to God rather than man’s opinion. I will admit that these situations and events are rare, but I think we limit God and our faith in him by saying that all decisions must have double confirmation.Action In the eighth chapter of the book Clinton lays out a challenge that he used to give his students, to create a list of the top ten values. I was challenged tremendously by reading the list that Clinton provided as an example, but I was also convicted and challenged to create a list of my own. The first action step that I believe I need to take is in creating a list of values that will govern the way that I live my life. I believe that by creating a list I will live with more purpose and be able to have a lasting impact on with the people that I come in contact. While the ministry, I am a part of has a list of values I have never thought through values for my life and leadership. Over the next six weeks of so I would like to create a list of six to eight values that direct my life. To create this list, I will need to retreat from the rest of the world and have a dedicated time of prayer and fasting. The second action step that I need to put into my life comes from the final challenge that Clinton gives in chapter nine. In this chapter, Clinton goes into detail talking about the importance of investing in new and upcoming leaders. Over the past few months, I have felt that God might be moving me in the future into a different ministry context. I don’t know what that looks like or when that would be, but I feel that in the next couple of years God might be moving our family in a different direction. If I were to leave the church plant, I currently pastor the ministry would cease to exist. I need to intentionally look for people to develop that can take over leadership if I do move on shortly. Even if I don’t leave my ministry position, this is still an important part of the discipleship process. Over the next six months, I would like to have one to two people that I am intentionally discipling.

Incredible book, I read it twice over the past few years and every time I got a fresh perspective. I work in a large tech company and it helped be understand my purpose, my maturing process and how God is working to build my character to be more Christ-like. It's the type of book that you will have to read multiple times over a period of few years to get the most out of it, I'm sure that I will read it again a 3rd time and get even more out of it.The first time I read it was difficult to understand and remember all the terms that the author was using because I was not mature enough in some areas and could not relate. After 3 years I read it again and it made a lot more sense to me because I could now relate to many of the concepts in the book and it also gave me a preview of what I should expect next. One tip that I have been using to remember the material was to write down some key learning and I get back to them once in a while after I finish the book, like the author said "Learn a little use a lot".Overall excellent book, one of the best Christian books I have read. I highly recommend it!

I have had this book on my kindle for years and have heard about it from a number of leaders, but just recently got around to reading it. I actually took a group of younger leaders through it and as I was reading it, all I could think was, If I had read this sooner, I may have saved myself some leadership pain.In this book, Clinton lays out the stages a leader goes through to become the leader God intends them to be. He has 6 stages:-Sovereign foundations: In Phase I, God providentially works foundational items into the life of the leader-to-be. Personality characteristics, experiences good and bad, and the time context will be used by God. The building blocks are there, though the structure being built may not be clearly in focus. Character traits are embedded.-Inner-life Growth: In Phase II an emerging leader usually receives some kind of training. Often it is informal4 in connection with ministry. The leader-to-be learns by doing in the context of a local church or Christian organization. The basic models by which he or she learns are imitation modeling5 and informal apprenticeships,6 as well as mentoring. Sometimes it is formal training (especially if the person intends to go into full-time leadership) in a Bible school or seminary. 8 Sometimes, during the academic program, the person gets ministry experience.-Ministry Maturing: In Phase III the emerging leader gets into ministry as a prime focus of life. He or she will get further training, informally through self-study growth projects or nonformally through functionally oriented workshops, etc.10 The major activities of Phase III are ministry. The training that goes on is rather incidental and often not intentional.-Life Maturing: Phase IV will have this "you-minister-from-what-you-are" emphasis. During Phase IV the leader identifies and uses his or her gift-mix with power. There is mature fruitfulness. God is working through the leader using imitation modeling (Hebrews 13:7-8). That is, God uses one's life as well as gifts to influence others. This is a period in which giftedness emerges along with priorities. One recognizes that part of God's guidance for ministry comes through establishing ministry priorities by discerning gifts.-Convergence: Phase V convergence occurs. That is, the leader is moved by God into a role that matches gift-mix, experience, temperament, etc. Geographical location is an important part of convergence. The role not only frees the leader from ministry for which there is no gift, but it also enhances and uses the best that the leader has to offer. Not many leaders experience convergence.-Afterglow: Phase VI is the legacy leaders desire to leave, when they are able to bathe in what God has done.According to Clinton, most leaders do not make it past stage 3.The reason is simple. Young leaders when they get started, want to get started. The problem they run into is that stages 1-3 are all about the inner life of the leader. In those stages, God is working on the leader, in their heart developing them for the future. Very few books nail the inner life of a leader and help them work through what God is doing in their life without coming off as cliche, this book nails it.I can't recommend it enough for leaders.Here are a few things that I highlighted:-Leadership is a lifetime of lessons.-The terms patterns, processes, and principles are foundational to understanding the analysis of a person's life. Patterns deal with the overall framework, or the big picture, of a life. Processes deal with the ways and means used by God to move a leader along in the overall pattern. Principles deal with the identification of foundational truths within processes and patterns that have a wider application to leaders.-A proper, godly response allows a leader to learn the fundamental lessons God wants to teach. If the person doesn't learn, he will usually be tested again in the same areas.-We minister out of what we are.-While all of life is used to shape us, some items in life can be tied more directly to leadership development.-The God-given capacity to lead has two parts: giftedness and character. Integrity is the heart of character.-An integrity check is a test that God uses to evaluate intentions in order to shape character.-There are three parts to an integrity check: the challenge to consistency with inner convictions, the response to the challenge, and the resulting expansion of ministry.-Because character development has many facets, there are a variety of integrity checks. This is a sampling of the many that I have identified: values (which determine convictions), temptation (which tests conviction), conflict against ministry vision (which tests faith), an alternative in guidance situations (which tests calling), persecution (which tests steadfastness), loyalty (which tests allegiance), and restitution (which tests honesty).-God won't use a leader who lacks integrity.-God's first priority in developing a leader is to refine his or her character.-A desire to please the Lord in a ministry task is a sign of maturity.-Leaders who have trouble submitting to authority will usually have trouble exercising spiritual authority.-Authority insights and relational insights--rooted in the authority problem--may never be learned apart from conflict.-Leaders in the Ministry Maturing phase must learn to submit to authority in order to learn how to use authority properly.-Leadership backlash tests a leader's perseverance, clarity of vision, and faith.-At the heart of leadership is communication between God and the leader.-Part of the development of spirituality includes what happens when a person faces isolation.-The qualities of love, compassion, empathy, discernment, and others are deepened. Such qualities dif ferentiate between a successful leader and a mature successful leader.-Leaders are often busy people. They are preoccupied with many facets of life and ministry. Often they do not notice that they are not growing, particularly in spiritual formation. God often breaks into the leader's life at this point.-Isolation is one of the most effective means for maturing a leader.-Quality leadership does not come easily. It requires time, experience, and repeated instances of maturity processing.-Mature ministry flows from a mature character, formed in the graduate school of life.-God will vindicate spiritual authority.-Organizational change without ownership is treacherous.-All leaders operate from a ministry philosophy.-When God is trying to teach me a lesson, He will do so through many means. Important lessons are usually repeated.-In a power conflict the leader with higher power will usually win regardless of rightness of issue.-A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.-Leaders with good ministry philosophies usually finish well.

Mega gutes Buch mit extrem viel Weisheit drin. Aber man muss sich auf das wissenschaftliche einlassen können. :-)

I have read many books on leadership and this is one of the best.because of the thorough research.

This is perhaps the greatest book on leadership I have ever read. The making of a Leader is a coaching manual on leadership for people who want to go beyond a two dimensional discussion of the concept and practice of leadership. Using biblical as well as anecdotal evidence from his life work as a distinguished seminary professor, Clinton brings to focus the central position God plays in inspiring and curating the leadership formation of leaders; and helps the reader make sense of all the vast range of nuanced experiences on the journey of life and leadership in your past, present and future.This is not one for kindle. You need a paperback or hardback you can annotate and keep as a life long journal.

Really good book by Bobby Clinton on leadership. Every leader ought to read this.

The book opened my eyes to how God has touched my life as a leader and challenged me as well as giving me guidance on how to get through difficult periods where I feel uninspired and discouraged.