Leadership Is Having the Right Phone Book

I have a friend who owns a 40-foot ladder. I’m really glad that I have a friend who owns a 40-foot ladder because there have been a few times in my life that I needed a 40-foot ladder. I’m also glad that I don’t own a 40-foot ladder because there have been only a few times in my life when I needed a 40-foot ladder, and I don’t want to have to find somewhere to store a 40-foot ladder.

I don’t need to own a 40-foot ladder. I just need to know the guy who does, and have the kind of relationship with him that gives me access to his ladder when I need to borrow it.

Of all of the leadership principles I have learned through the years, few have been as important as knowing who to call and having access to that person when life threw a curveball. Like a 40-foot ladder, there are certain leadership skills that I may not need to learn, but I need to know who to call when the need arises.

One of the most important leadership tools to have in your toolbox is a list of people you can call who can help you through sticky situations.

About a decade ago, a seasoned pastor looked at me and asked me, “Craig, what are you going to do when you get sued?” I laughed. He told me, “I’ve been sued six times over property disputes since I’ve been a pastor. You need to have a plan for when you get sued, not if.”

Two weeks later, a man walked into my office and threatened a lawsuit. I didn’t have a plan, but I did have a phone number and I had a relationship. It turns out, I didn’t need a plan for what to do when I got sued, I just needed to know who to call to help navigate me through murky waters.

I had the phone number, I had the relationship, and I had enough humility to ask for help.

Believe it or not, you can lead beyond your experience, skills, or knowledge, if you have access to people who can help you and if you have enough humility to ask for help.

Here are a few steps to building your leadership phone book:

1. Focus on relationships, not skill sets. Those people you can call on need to be people that matter to you, not just people with a specific skill set. If you are only going to “use” someone for what they can do for you, then hire a contractor, but don’t abuse a relationship.
2. Look for leaders everywhere. My leadership phonebook has been built at daddy-daughter dances, denominational meetings, construction sites, hospital lobbies, and seminary lectures.
3. Keep good notes. I understand that almost no one keeps a literal phone book anymore, but keep records. When I record a new contact in my phone, I use the title feature in my iPhone contacts app to pack it full of keywords. The guy I meet today may be a relationship I need in two years. Don’t trust your memory, use your tools.
4. When you ask for advice, use it. One of my mentors doesn’t mentor many people. I’ve urged him to pour into more pastors. Why doesn’t he? “Craig,” he says, “You actually use the advice I give you. I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time. I don’t invest in people who don’t make use of my advice.” If you are going to ask someone for help, then honor their time by taking their advice.
5. Respect the time of others. I have a friend I call for financial advice. We aren’t best friends, but we speak occasionally. I don’t call him for advice on when to buy a TV at Best Buy. He is a financial guy, he can help me with advice on financing a house or raising money for a building project. I respect his time by not calling him for trivial matters.
6. If you can google it, then google it. Don’t waste someone’s time with information that is easily found on the internet.
7. Be a sponge. Never stop learning. Leaders are willing to invest in people who are excited and anxious to learn.

Leadership is better caught than taught. But, until you catch all of the leadership skills that you need, pack your contact list with people who know things you don’t know.

You don’t have to own a 40-foot ladder to have access to one. And, you don’t have to be the world’s greatest leader if you have access to people who can help you do what you can’t do yet.

Photo by Katya Austin on Unsplash