Are you an increasing or decreasing leader? You would think every leader would want to be an increasing leader, yet this is not the case. Speaking of an increasing or decreasing leader I am referring to not your ability, but how you influence others. Do you cause people around you to grow and increase in their capability and production, or not?

There are leaders who believe they have to be the smartest, wisest person on the team. Others believe the way to lead is to ridicule, belittle, blame, and subject team members to negative criticism. Both of these are decreasing or degrading leadership styles. Decreasing leaders make all plans and decisions and expect his/her plans to be carried out exactly as he desires.

An Increasing leader considers himself part of the team, knowing he is not always the smartest person on the team for every situation. They seek input from team members, allowing people to stretch their knowledge base and gain insight. Increasing leaders are looking through positive efforts to build the capability of every team member. Rather than belittling and degrading team members, Increasing leaders are looking to build up, encourage, and increase confidence for increased productivity.

While decreasing leaders chip away at the capability of others, Increasing leaders are always seeking opportunities to foster self-improvement of others assisting in their building of character, capability, and productivity.

There are well-meaning leaders who do not realize they are decreasing leaders, leading the way they have been led, though they were never fond of that leadership style. It is much easier to pull someone down than to build him/her up. A snide comment here, neglecting to acknowledge good performance, blaming instead of shouldering responsibility, these are evidences of a decreasing leader. These leadership characteristics are whittling away at the confidence capability, and productivity of the team.

Increasing leaders on the other hand have a mindset of assisting others to become better, raising individual capability, confidence, stretching people to want to be a growing individual in all areas of life. Instead of passing the blame onto team members, Increasing leaders shoulder the responsibility and pass the credit on to team members. These characteristics will always increase capability, dedication, and productivity.

Examine your own leadership, at church, work, or in the home. Do you recognize traits of a decreasing leader? Even a comment as, “You’ll never get anywhere in life…”  or “I wish somebody would get something right around here” are signs of a, decreasing leader. In your self-evaluation, if you do not find any decreasing leadership traits, you likely have not taken a honest deep enough search. When you identify decreasing leadership traits, what will you do this week to become a better Increasing leader?

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.