Most of us are involved in some form of leadership.  Whether we head up a team within a business, or if we are a parent, coach a sports team, organise rotas, have responsibility within our local church, whatever it is, lots of us 'lead' in some capacity.

Leadership is about influencing people to accomplish tasks.

It's everywhere and it involves both PEOPLE and TASKS.  Yet the way we lead can look very different depending on where we put the emphasis.  Here are the 3 combinations...

1. Focus on People 

These leaders are lovely.  They are concerned about the PEOPLE that they lead, they take their responsibility to look after the people so seriously that sometimes they forget to push hard.  By not pushing hard, often the TASKS end up not being done, or being done poorly.  These leaders, tend not to last long in leadership, for the simple reason that things just don't get done.

2. Focus on Tasks

These leaders get the job done and they use people to get it done.  PEOPLE are resources to be used to accomplish the TASKS.  The people are simply the leader's 'arms and legs' - the leader decides what needs to be done and the people are told how and when to make it happen.  If they could be replaced by machines that would be all the better.

3. Focus on People & Tasks

This is where the leader is invested in BOTH the people and the tasks.  They seek to accomplish the tasks in a way that values and develops those involved.  The leader wants the people have ownership of the tasks they achieve, to develop in themselves as they do it.  The task to be achieved is not simply the leader's dream, but the dream of the whole team.  For this leader, 'caring for the people' and 'pushing the people hard' are not in conflict, because they are all striving for the same goal.

Whether we lead in our home, at work, on our sports team, at our church, in our schools, let's focus on People and Tasks.