My Personal Philosophy in Organizational Administration
Patrick Tan
Organizational Administration and Financial Management
October 2, 2008
I started leading a group back when I was 16, when our church suffered a split. And young as I was, I was tasked to take over the youth group that wasn’t much of a group at all, just a handful of kids that graduated from the juniors. I believe it was God’s way of initiating me to my calling to be a leader. My growth experience as a leader was fairly challenging and because of that I have learned principles that have shaped who I am as a leader today. In this paper I will share the values that are important to me as a young leader: Clear vision, healthy relationships, empowering leadership, effective systems and lasting legacy.
Clear Vision
One of my favorite definitions of vision is simply “a clear picture of a preferred future.” I believe that every leader needs to have a clear picture of what he wants to accomplish in the organization. And by having a clear vision, he works his way backwards by building effective strategies (effective systems) in order to achieve that goal; as Stephen Covey coins, “Plan with the end in mind.”
Having a clear vision keeps you on track toward your goal, and spurs you to faithfulness when you experience setbacks in life. A clear vision or calling that I have received a few years ago is the reason why I am in this path as a pastor and youth advocate and not a professional architect despite regular oppositions. It’s amazing how vision can propel me to be stubbornly loyal to this calling, even at times you experience personal doubt, never did it outweigh God’s calling in my life.
I believe I need to improve in developing this core value because it’s very significant to the effectiveness of a leader. My personal observation was proven when I took the LPI survey for this class and vision is my lowest. Perhaps this is because I have not yet led an organization where the buck stops on my lot, but I still need to improve on it for the near future. As I have told a colleague once to let him work on the vision while I work on the systems which I believe I am good at.
Healthy Relationships
I am now convinced that having healthy relationships are vital to my effectiveness as a leader. Having a choleric-melancholy personality naturally drives me to be goal-oriented, and I remember as a younger leader I would try to achieve my goals in the expense of good relationships with people I work with. But then I realized knowing that sometimes or oftentimes “leadership is lonely at the top,” the more I have to forge healthy relationships with other people. Healthy relationships are the oil that smoothens every gear and joint of the organization. Tensions are less, and conflicts are easily discussed with calm and peaceful disposition when there are healthy relationships.
The more I grow in ministry, the more I develop genuine interest in knowing people, unlike when I was young that I would do it out of duty, because that’s “what the book says.” I have realized that my insecurity got the best out of me by not sincerely engaging with other people. And they know when you are not genuinely interested in them. John Maxwell was right on the ball when he said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Often times when among leaders some would initially talk about ministry and organizational career, but I practice now to get to know the person on a relational level that sets you both as equals. I think this is much better.
Having healthy relationships lets you see people in a positive light. I realize when I experience tension with people I barely know; I would easily judge them and be swayed by my own assumptions about the person. But when I experience misunderstandings with a person I really know and care about, you think twice your judgments and your words, because your desire to preserve the relationship eventually strengthens your character and his loyalty to you. And this is vital to the success of the organization, because with healthy relationships, you begin to see their potential and challenge them to be active to your common cause.
Empowering Leadership
I believe in the potential of people and empowering them to fulfill their God-given role in an organization. Growing up as a leader I was guided by kuyas and ates that served as mentors to me. And so the desire to train and influence the next generation of leaders is instilled in me.
I try my best to work my way out of a position by empowering leaders to take my place at the right season and time. Pastor Chuck Quinley once taught that an attitude of promotion and demotion in leadership is unhealthy, but an attitude of stepping in and stepping out of leadership is much healthier because you do not lose your identity and self-respect.
By empowering the people in your organization to step up to the plate before them, what you are really doing is expanding your “leadership base” thus expanding your organizational domain. I empower my leaders when I encourage them, excite them by what I see what they could become, inspire them through my commitment to the cause and model to them the way. Modeling is one of my key strategies in effective leading. I will not expect my subordinates to do something that I have not done and am not willing to do. And just as Jesus expected his disciples to do greater ministry than his earthly ministry, so is my expectation for my leaders that they will do greater things then me.
Effective Systems
I believe every successful organization not only relies on a clear vision, but effective systems that drives the organization to the fulfillment of the vision. Without hands and feet that will propel you towards the future of the organization, your dream will only remain as it is, a fantasy. And I believe my five years in architecture was not wasted because one of the important skills it has taught me is to analyze problems and plan solutions effectively. I have learned to develop strategies from an organization’s objective.
Too often we fail to critique the things we do in the organization. We fail to answer the question why we do what we do. I have learned once from Pastor Chuck that if a ministry does not contribute to the growth of the church, it should be discontinued already. John Maxwell says that it’s insanity when you keep on doing the same routine and expect a different result. Developing effective systems and streamlining your strategies help you arrive from point A to point B at the shortest possible time.
Lasting Legacy
“Set up for yourself roadmarks, place for yourself guideposts” (Jeremiah 31:21) … The prophet Jeremiah teaches us to keep on building milestones on every lesson you learn and celebrate every victory you achieve. This is not only so that you will have something to fall back on in times of setbacks but more importantly you leave a trail towards success for those who walk after you.
I believe that every dream and vision that we pursue should always outlast and outgrow you, otherwise such a vision is not much of a value if it dies too when you die. One of my unspoken pursuits in life is to leave a positive legacy, a positive contribution to my cause. I believe that when you are passionate enough for the cause, people begin to catch up with you, that way its not only you who rallies to the cause, but others are enflamed to the vision as well and thus history is written and your legacy has begun.
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