leadership traits

One of the traits of the leaders that I know is their willingness to grow.
They never get to the place where they think they know it all. I have been to lunch with some leaders of churches (many much larger than Foothills) that are just as interested in asking me questions as I am to ask them questions.

Let me give you an example of this. Once I was having lunch with my friend, Perry Noble (this was when Newspring was still meeting at Anderson University)and I had just been to one of their services a couple of weeks prior to our lunch. Perry asked me what I thought of their services, so I shared a few thoughts. Then he asked me if there was anything that needed fixing, so I mentioned that I had trouble finding my way around because there were not enough signs. He took out his notepad and jotted it down right then. It was obvious that he was concerned about it, and to my knowledge, they added some signage. This isn't unusual for Perry. Every time we get together he is in the learning mode. Perry is one of the sharpest leaders in the country,who pastors one of the largest Churches in SC but he always is seeking ways to grow and learn.

I had lunch recently with another friend that asked me to watch a DVD of his Church's services and give some feedback. Why would anyone subject themselves to critique? because this Pastor is interested in becoming the best Leader/Pastor that he can be. That's a sign of a great leader--- a willingness to grow. (Whenever another Pastor asks me to listen to one of their messages and give feedback, I respond by saying, "I would be happy to do it IF I can be totally honest with you")

Whenever I encounter a person in leadership who is not teachable, I think to myself that their days as a leader are probably numbered.

What are you doing to grow yourself as a leader?