“In Praise of the Incomplete Leader” by Deborah Ancona, Thomas W. Malone, Wanda J. Orlikowski, and Peter M. Senge is an interesting chapter in the book, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, about the need for leaders to be content with being incomplete in their leadership performance. This is not about incompetence but imperfection in the sense that incomplete leaders are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and acknowledge their dependence on other talented people to get the job done excellently well. The authors propose the following four vital leadership capabilities to help organizations in this regard: sensemaking (assessing the context and developments in one’s field), relating (building strong relationships that last long), visioning (casting a captivating picture of what it could be in the future), and inventing (finding innovative ways to work). Each of these capabilities relies on the other.
While reading this chapter, I was thinking about those leaders who struggle to project a perfect image of themselves. This, sadly, includes some ministry leaders who know they are incomplete without others yet behave as if they do not need them. They misinterpret interdependence as people-pleasing and miss the privilege of united efforts and rewards. Through this chapter, I am challenged to be content with being an incomplete leader and be more interdependent in running an effective ministry. This, in turn, releases me to focus on what I am good at and excel in it.
Insights from this chapter go well with the teachings of the Bible. Colossians 2:10 tells us that we are complete in Christ. Nevertheless, we live out that completeness through the “ecclesia,” a community of believers. That is where the five-fold ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers comes into play (Ephesians 4:11-13). They are interconnected and interdependent. Even Jesus did not do everything by himself but depended on his disciples to do the work they were asked to do (Matthew 10:5-14). Paul undertook missionary journeys with a team (Example. Acts 13:2-4).
“In Praise of the Incomplete Leader” provides valuable insights to achieve excellent organizational results by acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses as leaders and choosing to work with other capable people to get the work done excellently well.
How does this post help you? Please share your feedback here.
One response to “As a Leader, Are You Struggling with Imperfections?”
Excellent insights. As a leader the understanding is that we are on our own and rarely acknowledge our dependence on others. However as pointed out a wise leader will choose to be interdependent than independent.