We are familiar with the statement, “Know yourself,” but how does this connect to leadership?

Mainly, we need to know our strengths and weaknesses and spend an appropriate amount of time on each.

The basic idea is to spend the majority of our time working on our strengths, keeping them strong and growing. Then, find others who are strong in areas where we are weak and use their strengths to fill the gaps.

When we focus on our strengths and find others who maximize our weaknesses, we build a team for success.

Accountability introduces a number of thoughts.

There is the implication of what is required. We are required to be trustworthy, faithful, examples, and people of integrity.

There are certain expectations. If we expect little/more, we get little/more. When leaders make decisions, we expect to be held accountable.

There is an understanding of responsibility. If we are accountable, then certain responsibilities are connected to our decisions and actions.

We will all give an account for our deeds in this life, good and bad. How much more so for leaders who answer to God for leading His people?

We all love pictures. In times past, we kept pictures in hardcopy photo albums. Now, everything is done electronically. Either way, at times we look at a picture and think, “It’s perfect.”

We seem to know something is just right when we see it.

Does our spiritual leadership look picture perfect?

Perhaps the question we need to ask is how can we know if our leadership is picture perfect?

When we look at our leadership through the lens of God’s word, we discover the standard wherein our leadership must be measured.

To be picture perfect, we need to look deeply and make application.

A channel is defined as the conduit or path through which something flows. A channel of blessings, associated with our leadership, indicates the path or conduit through which others are blessed by our leadership.

We provide hope, not despair.
We offer possibility, not defeat.
We build up through promise, not degradation.

Scripture teaches us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. If we are to bless our enemies, we might do well to learn that our friends and followers deserve even better.

To summarize is to use fewer words to encompass the whole of the previous message.

If we were to summarize our leadership in a few words, what would we say? Could we express it in a word or two, or a sentence or two? Would our leadership be summarized by…

An “others-interested” or “self-interested” perspective?
A spiritual or physical focus?
Our past, present, or future?

In reality, the fewer words we use the more challenging it can be to summarize our leadership.

It is worth our time to think about summarizing our leadership.

Leading is a gift best given, not received. Calvin Coolidge said it best, “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.”

The Western mindset generally leans more toward what we receive. After all, “What’s in it for me?”

True leadership and honor are connected to giving.

When we give ourselves to the task of leading others, then the spiritual outcome saves souls.

We need leaders. We need spiritual leaders. Will we give ourselves to leading others today?

This is where honor is rewarded. Think Souls!

Working in different countries can be challenging, especially when communicating. Without a good translator we struggle to know if everyone understands the message.

How is our leadership translated into the lives of others. Even when we speak the same language, there can be confusion translating leadership.

Does our message sound foreign to those we communicate with at work?
Is the intent of the message misunderstood because of how our leadership is translated?
Do we translate proper goals through the proper channels to the proper people?

Let us make sure our leadership is translated in ways that helps others reach the goal.

We live in such a self-centered world. Our efforts and concerns are primarily structured around a what’s-in-it-for-me mentality.

This mindset is subtly developed and so difficult to overcome. Albert Pike said, “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

Think about the significance of this thought in relationship to spiritual leadership. We fail miserably and our legacy is meaningless unless we learn from this thought.

All we do should be done for others. This is what truly lasts. Think Souls!

A few years ago, a good friend presented material on conflict resolution. He introduced the subject by comparing the similarities of police officers and preachers. Unusual, but the truth could not be denied.

Among several points, one stood out connected to leadership, “We desire to help others.”

Obviously, this post is not about someone who holds any position with the wrong motives. It is simply to say, the majority of those involved in either field do so because they want to help others.

We need to ask ourselves, Are we leading to help others?

Expansion is the action of becoming larger or more extensive. We talk about expanding a program of work, a building project, and even investments.

What about the expansion of our leadership?

We can easily fall into the “comfort zone.” We enjoy the status quo and before long nothing happens. Our leadership needs to be expanded. How?

Read material dealing with the growth of our leadership skills.
Spend time with successful leaders.
Ask God to open doors and grant us wisdom.

If we will get out of the rut and ask for a little help, our leadership will expand to greater levels.