This is a guest blog post from Ron Edmondson, read more of his insights on Church Leadership.

Yesterday I wrote about the leadership vacuum many leaders find themselves inside. (You can read that post HERE) I explained that this is not an absence of leaders, although that is a problem also in most organizations, but it’s a failure on behalf of existing leaders to know the true health of their organization and personal leadership.

I realize that I am not immune from this vacuum. In fact, with one of my StrengthsFinders being Command, I’m possibly more susceptible than most leaders. It is something I am conscious of, however, and so I have tried to create a system that opens my leadership to enough feedback to ward against the leadership vacuum. Here’s the steps I take:

Solicit feedback

• I ask tons of questions. I wrote a post about that HERE.
• I seek periodic wisdom through emails and in person with leaders from different ministries within the church.
• This year I started having additional bi-monthly follow up meetings with staff that report directly to me.
• Annually I allow the staff to evaluate me. You can read last year’s post about that process HERE and HERE.

Accept other’s input
I believe it’s important for leaders to give up their right to control the outcome, so once I delegate I try to release control and get out of the way. You can read a post about that HERE.  I also believe in building a relationship beyond work with our team. When people know more of me personally they are more likely to share their true heart.  (That’s a challenge for an Introvert, BTW.)

Evaluate myself
I am consistently reviewing my own plans. I try to ask myself hard questions.

Allow accountability
I try to allow people in my life that feel the freedom to challenge me. Some of those are on my staff, some are friends, and some are in my immediate family.  Also, I think it is important that I be one of the team, not only the leader of a team. At any given time I may need to submit to the leadership of someone that may actually report to me, but has more experience in an area than I have.

Be open to and accept change
I know that if I am rigid on having things my way that eventually I will stall the process of growth that God is doing through other people.  I wrote a post about that concept HERE.

Please understand, I am not perfect here and our staff would completely agree with that statement, but I am aware of the need to intentionally avoid the leadership vacuum.  Your situation will be different from mine, so you will need to create your own system, but the point is you need a system. Don’t fall into the trap of the leadership vacuum.