Most people relate to a time in life when they were misunderstood.

Children are misunderstood by their parents.
Employees are misunderstood by their employers.
Students are misunderstood by their teachers.
Citizens are misunderstood by governing authorities.

We get the point.

Developing the ability to communicate so others understand is a necessity in leadership. Jesus asked on several occasions, “Do you understand?”

Being understood is directly connected to understanding others.

Instead of wondering why we are misunderstood, we must work hard at understanding others while leading them to heaven. Think Souls!

An incredible leadership quote comes from Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, “You manage things; you lead people.”

Managing requires little in the way of feelings, dreams, plans, or anything else. The only concern is getting the job done.

However, leading requires feelings, dreams, and the plans of others. Leadership is helping others realize all of these through their role in accomplishing the ultimate goal.

This kind of leadership is not an easy task, but a rewarding one. It will not happen quickly, but when it does the world can be changed.

Manage the things, but lead people. Lead them to heaven.

Can we negotiate a resolution to problems before we face them?

Consider these suggestions.

Anticipate problems. We often try to avoid problems at all cost, at times to the point of denial. It will not work. 

Talk to problem solvers. Great leaders have dealt with problems on many levels. Take time to learn from their insight.

Practice what is called the 101% principle. Find the one percent we agree on and give 100% to it. If we start here, problems are resolved more quickly.

This does not exhaust the possibilities, but it provides a foundation to negotiate problems before we experience them.

We need short- and long-term goals.

Initiating enthusiasm with the big picture in view can be easy. Visualizing the overall accomplishment the first few weeks and months is exciting.

The problem is maintaining enthusiasm and motivation along the way.

We get discouraged. We struggle. We tend to lose sight.

When we achieve success in smaller tasks, it is easier to stay excited about our involvement in reaching the long-term goals.

Do we know the legacy we want to leave? Have we given thought to our legacy?

From a spiritual perspective, when we depart this physical world we should leave others in a position to do great things for the Lord without us. This is the heart of true legacy.

Choose who we want to carry on our legacy.

Pass on what we want carried on.

Don’t forget to model that legacy.

Leadership is not about the here and now, but the hereafter. If we build our leadership around this idea, the legacy we leave will have lasting rewards.

A leader must be a student of two worlds.

We must know the world we live in physically and spiritually. We need to know the challenges, struggles, and trials people face in this world. Thus, we must be a student of local, national, and international events.

We must also know the world we live for spiritually. Therefore, we must be a student of God’s word.

All we say and do now is building a foundation for what is to come. Our task involves helping others in this world reach the right destination in the next. Think Souls!

Sometimes, it only takes a few words to describe leadership. Donald McGannon said, “Leadership is action, not position.”

In the past, people were elevated to a position of leadership. Position did not make them a leader. They wore the title, but their leadership went no further.

What is it that indicates leadership? Simply stated, it is about action!

When the best interest of others is met by the action of spiritual leaders, leadership will not be about position.

Let the intent of our words be built on the foundation of our actions.

What do we see when we look at our families, friends, coworkers, people we meet in the community, or our brothers and sisters sitting on the pew next to us each week?

Consider the golden opportunities everywhere we look.

God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. Jesus told the apostles to lift up their eyes and look at the fields white for harvest.

It is time for us to lift up our eyes and look. The door is open. What will we see when we look through it? What will we do?

Paul looked back on his life with spiritual thoughtfulness and wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…”

The terminology is past tense, but he knew his time was well spent.

When we examine our lives as leaders, can we look back on our influence in the Lord’s kingdom as time well spent?

There will always be areas we wish we could change. We must learn from them and make sure we do not repeat them.

Time is ours to use. I pray we live in a way that we can look back and think it was time well spent.

Why does power appeal to the role of leadership?

Does it involve authority?

Is it control?

Could it be decision-making?

Spiritually, the answer is NO!

Power involves the ability to do something or act in a specific way that directs and influences the behavior and course of others.

Power is about God’s ability to direct and influence the behavior of others.

The word of the cross is God’s power to save. It will save you and me. Our only power comes by sharing it with others? Think Souls.