How do we define a bold leader? Some one who is willing to say things that are controversial, someone who is unafraid of what his contemporaries think, someone who pushes the edge when it comes to traditional thinking?
It does take boldness to do these things, but in the end any or all of these things could still be about the pastor or leader. What if leadership boldness is something altogether? What if the true test of boldness in a leader is his ability to let go?
I’ve never been able to make the idea of skydiving work in my brain. It seems crazy to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Let’s take crazy and bold and make them the same thing for a couple of minutes. It’s not bold to take skydiving classes, to buy the gear or go up in the plane. It’s not even bold to hang on to the little bar outside of the plane’s door right before you jump, you could always go back inside of the plane. It’s bold when you let go. The only way you can be that bold is because of a very important principle I call “Packing the Parachute.” The boldness to let go at 50,000 feet isn’t rash or impromptu, it’s calculated, focused and prepared for. Packing the Parachute is the difference between bold and stupid, which are always pretty close.
In leadership it’s the same thing. We aren’t bold because we are willing to try new ideas to make our entities more successful. That metric could differ according to how you define success – monetarily or attendees or some other goal. Bold isn't making decisions that help you hold on to people and/or success.
Bold is being able to let go when the time is right. There is a difference between a church splitting and a church multiplying. The first is a negative response to a deficiency (usually in relationships) and the second is a planned outcome that serves the Kingdom.
I have more on this that I mapped out as illustrations. I'm having a hard time articulating it, though. I'll post as I am able to make it make sense.
