Month: September 2020

Producing Leaders…

A producer is a person that makes, grows, or supplies goods or commodities for sale. They are builders, constructors, farmers, managers, administrators, promoters, etc. To sum it up in one thought, they “gets things done.”

When considering the nature of leadership, are we producing?

If we are not involved in getting things done, then how can we become the leader God wants?

Biblical leadership is about cultivating the soil, planting, and watering the seed that allows God to give the increase, thus bearing fruit.

We must focus on our God given task. Then, step back and watch the power of God!

Godly Leaders…

William Arthur Ward said, “The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give.”

Learning, growing, changing, overcoming, caring, serving, daring, befriending and giving are key elements found in the activity of great leaders.

Additional words are also significant: adventure, purpose, nature, challenge, essence, opportunity, secret, spice and beauty.

Each word is intricately positioned and lends to the development of godly leaders.

Leadership Awareness…

Leadership awareness involves a knowledge or perception of the situation or fact.

Self-awareness, i.e. personal strengths and weaknesses, who we are, where we are going, and how we plan to reach the destination.

Others-centered awareness, i.e. the strengths and weaknesses of those who follow, how to help others reach their greatest potential and achieve the goals of the organization.

Environmental awareness, i.e. available resources, obstacles, the reality of progress, and open doors of opportunity.

Spiritual leaders must lead from a dual-world mindset: physical and spiritual.

Dealers in Hope…

Leaders deal in hope. This does not mean controversial challenges or issues are eliminated from leadership. Also, it does not mean problems in relationships disappear.

If anything, these will always continue to plague the lives of leaders and followers.

The difference is found in hope.

Do not be quick to rebuke.
Do not be the first to look at the negative.
Do not condemn.

Spiritual leaders have the privilege of providing the greatest answer for the ills so characteristic of humanity!

Hope lifts the spirit out of the pits of despair.
Hope provides a promise of something better.
Hope strengthens the will to survive.
Hope encourages the oppressed.

True Leadership…

“Leaders are not, as we are often led to think, people who go along with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see, whether anyone is following them. “Leadership qualities” are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. They include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, stubbornness, a keen sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head, even when things are going badly. True leaders, in short, do not make people into followers, but into other leaders.” ~ John Holt

I encourage you to read it again. Powerful!

saltCast042 The Leadership Deficit

The need for leadership is as great or greater today than any previous generation. JJ Frazier, an elder with the Chesapeake, Virginia church of Christ, spends time with us to talk about the correlation of military leadership and his journey into leadership within the church. He talks about the need for developing younger men to lead and how the church can accomplish this task. To contact brother Frazier, or learn more about his work, visit his website www.masteringthepositive.com.

Play

Growth Mindset…

I am amazed at people’s lack of desire to grow.

What would happen if physicians were content with medical practices from the 1800s? Are we not thankful for their willingness to grow?

The same is true with the learning environment. One adage says, “We teach the way we were taught.”

Sadly, this has stifled growth. The field of education continues to advance in adult learning. If we continue to use methods from 30, 40, or 50 years ago, people get frustrated and see no purpose. Why? Because they are not learning.

Leaders must avoid the static mindset. Instead, grow by challenging your thinking and practices.

Change and Leadership…

We have become a bit more familiar with change. Resistance, opposition, denial, and rejection characterize the approach of many when it comes to change, while others accept it.

We often hear that change is bad, but it can also be good. It is safe to say, change is part of our daily existence.

As leaders, our task is to determine the best way to navigate these times of change. Leaders need the following.

1) Growth-mindset: Growth always, and I mean always, involves change.
2) Flexibility: Without knowing when to be flexible, change can be destructive.
3) Discernment: Leaders must distinguish between the negotiable and non-negotiable.

Unprecedented Leadership…

Unprecedented seems to be the most common description of 2020, more specifically, the coronavirus pandemic. As uncertainty looms, how do leaders respond?

As we explore the possibilities, one factor is clear: Returning to the way things were before is not a reality, at least not in the foreseeable future.

Perhaps we should ask if returning to the way things were before is best for the church.

Crises present opportunities. How we approach these opportunities impacts the direction of the church and her leaders.

During these times, let’s focus on how to use these opportunities to lead in ways that grow the kingdom.

Glory Through Suffering…

An interesting connection exists between suffering and glory. Look through God’s word and see how they relate and their connection to the life of Jesus.

Certainly, we are all aware of how Jesus suffered while here on earth: His persecution, shame, and sacrifice at the cross.

No one longs for or anticipates suffering. We desire the glory to come, but we must realize the suffering related to that glory and lead with an understanding of such.

Paul identifies that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed to us, but suffering does come first.