One of a leader's functions is to coagulate followers around the vision, not around himself.
This is where integrity comes in. If a leader coagulates followers around himself—I call that embezzlement. Using personal magnetism as a means of getting things done is, to me, manipulation.
For example, to say, "Would you do me a favor and teach this Sunday school class?" lacks integrity. We're not in the business of asking people to do personal favors for us; we want them to express their commitment to Christ. (Unless the person has a gift of teaching, he isn't doing anybody a favor by teaching a class. The people are usually doing him a favor by listening.) Genuine leadership gathers people around the purpose of the organization. Toward that end, leaders need to recognize several subtle dynamics.
Decisions are not commitments. The first is short-term, the second is long-term.
People decide short-term to work for a specific emphasis; long-term commitment is aimed at the ultimate purpose. Both are necessary. People committed only to the long-term vision and not to specific tasks will not accomplish much. The short-term commitment produces the activity. But that must be judged by the overall vision. In evangelism, we see a lot of decisions. Billy Graham is right in talking at his crusades about decisions, not commitments. Decisions are often like New Year's resolutions. The leader's job is to move people from decision to commitment.
(I've observed that this is one difference between the spoken word and the written word. Speakers are most effective at bringing people to decisions, but generally it takes reading to bring people to commitment.)
Wise leaders know that when they get a decision, even a group decision, they have not gotten commitment. One of the worst mistakes a leader can make is getting a group to decide something they will not commit to. In the emotional moment of decision, you can assume they're committed, but things will fall apart.
Recognize the "driving wheels." There's a difference between people who provide the momentum in a group and those who go along for the ride. Wise leaders know that if they get the driving wheels committed, they will bring the others along. Without the commitment of the driving wheels, the organization moves unsteadily.
The best way to persuade the driving wheels is not with emotion but with comprehension. I first heard this from my friend Jack Turpin, founder and president of Hallmark Electronics, in a speech on sustained excellence. He has no lasting respect for short-term excellence. "Anybody who can reach excellence should try to sustain it," he said. And he knows how hard that is. He went on to say the only way people will perform excellently over the long term is if they fully comprehend what they're doing. A decision based on emotional fervor won't last. A fully comprehended commitment will.
This means leaders must be honest about the vision, the effort necessary, and reasons for expending it. Lasting motivation is really persuasion by comprehension. If you have to hide the reasons you want a person to do something, you are probably manipulating, and you're not likely to get long-term commitment or sustained excellence. The way to motivate the driving wheels is to say, "Do you agree this is something worth doing? If so, let's commit to it together."
Know when it's time to change the vision. Leaders know the situation does not hold still forever. In the church, one indication the vision needs adjustment is the demographic trend. If a congregation is maintaining its size, but the big percentage of new members are older, and the young people are leaving the church, it's losing the future leadership. It is time to measure the vision and see if it is giving the desired results. Churchill was famous for saying, "Never, never, never, never give up." But it is just as true to know that "when the horse is dead --- dismount!"
