All signs are pointing to a shift within leadership culture in the 21st century. And it will take your leadership to levels that leaders of previous generations never dreamed of.
There was a time
There was a time when the world had a certain picture of what a great leader looked like. Powerful people like Martin Luther, Ghandi, Rosa Parks, and many more did amazing things that inspired change in millions the world over. Everyone looked to people like these as powerful monuments of leadership. Testaments to what a person could accomplish if he just put his mind to it. But among effective leaders, it's not that way anymore.
Today's leaders realize that two heads are better than one, and six heads are better than two. That's why great leaders have been gravitating toward new strategies for leading powerful world change. They've been putting away the "sturdy individual" ideals to pursue mentoring groups, think tanks, mastermind teams, and other group based leadership development.
The evidence
The evidence of this shift are everywhere. Social media strategist Amy Porterfield, recently wrote about her experience at the Tropical Think Tank, a retreat where entrepreneurs connected and brainstormed ideas for effectively growing their businesses. Michael Hyatt, whom I follow closely, writes frequently about his mentoring group.
The other day, I even wrote about Roselinde Torres' inspiring TED talk on 21st century leadership trends. In it, she says that the first crucial question that leaders need to answer, in order to move toward greatness, is to what sources are you looking to anticipate change? She follows the question by telling her audience that today's leaders become successful by wisely building a large network of other leaders, from who they can gather inspiration and learn about innovation.
If you're the type of leader who tries to do it all himself (like I am), it's time to embrace the change. Today we're becoming less and less about Superman and more about the Avengers. In order to be a great leader, you have to embrace the notion of leadership in numbers, and look for other bright minds to draw from and contribute to.
If this is the first time you're thinking about group leadership, here are some resources I've been drawing from to help me hash out group leadership.
In his blog post on mentoring groups, Michael Hyatt mentions the book Mentor Like Jesus, which he attributes his own mentoring group to.
LifeHack.org has a great article on how to start and run a mastermind group. It also explains what a mastermind group is, if you're not familiar with the idea.
If you haven't already watched Roselinde Torres' inspiring leadership TED talk, you should check it out. She hits the nail on the head in talking about leadership trends in the 21st century.
There are bunches of other resources out there that will help you begin looking for others to help you grow as a leader. You can easily find them by doing a google search for group leadership, or group mentoring.
Whether you lead a congregation, a church community group, or a team at work, this is a trend that you can't afford to miss. Spend some time growing your leadership network today, it'll be the best thing you do for those you have influence over tomorrow.
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