Last week began a series of four questions great leaders ask. The article written by Mike Maddock for Forbes has powerful insight into questions leaders should ask. The first question involved answering the difference between what is essential and urgent.

The second question is one that also demands thought: “What should you stop doing?”

This question follows on the heels of the first. Once a leader has an understanding of what is essential, there are certain other elements to be eliminated.

These elements are distracting and become time stealers, robbing leaders of the time to focus on matters of an essential nature.

Through the process of eliminating areas of lesser importance (what we should stop doing), leaders can focus their time and energy on the essential side of a “to-do” list.

The implication for spiritual leadership is significant. Spiritual leaders realize the need to prioritize life and work by recognizing the proper balance between what is urgent versus essential.

As we make our way through each question, please take time to consider the answers in application to the leadership needed in the church today.

Substance is a particular kind of matter with uniform properties. However, having a technical definition does not adequately describe the definition and application of this word in leadership.

Substance also involves a quality of being important, valid, or significant. Simply stated, substance is the stuff that makes up leadership.

What is the substance that makes up the character of our leadership? Integrity? Work ethic? Core values?

Is there something significant that stands out giving credibility to leadership substance?

Can others see the substance of our leadership?

Only you and I can answer these questions for ourselves. The substance of spiritual leadership must not be self-centered, but others-centered. The quality that validates the importance of leadership is not built upon “I,” but “you.” The substance of good leadership is about “we.”

When our leadership is evaluated, we need to take advantage of the opportunity to ask ourselves hard questions to determine the substance of our leadership. This is where the true character of leadership is found.

As important and needed as leadership is today, it is worth our time to focus on the substance.

Advances in technology have just about changed every area of life; and it has affected avenues of leadership.

Technology is not backing off in the direction of the future. The development of technology influences every individual.

Therefore, leaders need to learn how best to use technology to assist in their leadership.

First, do not deny, reject, or excuse the technology that exists. The use of technology is not going away, nor is it slowing down. Hoping it will go away is an exercise in futility.

Second, be open to and take time to learn. I am not referring to being an expert, but it would serve leaders well to learn how to use the basics. Seek help.

Third, use areas of technology where followers are engaged. If they are using Facebook, then get on Facebook. It is amazing what is learned through the status posted by followers.

Fourth, always approach and use technology as a tool for building up others.

These four suggestions are a starting point. If we will use technology appropriately, it can be a tool of great influence for the kingdom. Think Souls!

“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’. They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.” Peter F. Drucker

Peter Drucker’s thought challenges the core of leadership influence.

When a leader spends time talking about or writing about themselves, using ‘I’ in reference to their own abilities, achievements, or plans, influence is lost.

One of the most outstanding points of Drucker’s quote is thinking “we” and “team.”

The greatest thrill of leadership is recognizing what “we” are able to do, what “we” have achieved, and what “our” plans are for the future. Lao Tzu claims the aim of leadership is fulfilled when followers say, “We did it ourselves.”

Nothing could be more powerful for spiritual leaders than learning to live by the thought of the day.

Various phrases within the Psalms provide depth in their meaning at different points in the life of leaders.

Knowing the background to these phrases also adds to the strength gained from the message contained within them.

As David seeks God’s forgiveness for his sin and transgression, he also pleads with God to create within him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit.

Leaders meet with numerous challenges ranging from personal sin to the opposition of others. As well, there will be periods of isolation and transition where leaders begin questioning their leadership, even their ability to lead.

During these times, where and how do leaders receive this renewal?

1) Going to the source of renewal is a good place to start. Plead with God for a renewed spirit.

2) Spend time listening to what God says. The more time spent in God’s word the stronger the renewal.

3) Reflect on past leadership. Remember what has been done by God through our leadership.

4) Seek counsel with others who have experienced the same trials.

May God always be present to renew a steadfast spirit in the times when it is needed most.

Voltaire is noted as having said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

The Forbes website provides information about several areas concerning leadership.

An article in June focused on “Four Questions Great Leaders Ask,” beginning with the quote from Voltaire. Over the next few weeks we want to look at each of these questions and how they apply to spiritual leaders.

The first question: “Is this urgent or essential?”

Every leader wrestles with determining the difference between urgent and essential matters. Often times the urgent matters distract leaders from what is essential.

While leaders in every field deal with how to address the balance between these two areas, the stakes increase when considering spiritual / eternal matters.

Jesus was the Master in asking questions. One of the great studies of the Gospel accounts involves the questions asked by or of Jesus. A study of these questions demonstrates the powerful leadership of our Lord.

Spiritual leaders are needed who recognize what is essential and lead with an urgency to help others discover the way to what is essential for their lives.

Defining strategic involves long-term aims and interests and the means of achieving them.

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing the Director of Strategic Leadership at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Kate Atchley.

During the interview Dr. Atchley related the questions each student must answer coming into the program as part of the entrance assessment.

Where are you as a leader?

What kind of leader do you want to be?

What is the gap between these two points?

What kind of plan needs to be developed to bridge the gap?

This type of self evaluation is essential for advancing a strategic plan for leadership development. Each leader must consider where they are and where they want to be, and only when leaders understand the specifics of what separates these two points can a strategy be developed to narrow the gap and become the leader desired.

While the assessment is part of a business leadership model, the spiritual application also has powerful implications.

The relevant question to consider is, “Are we bridging the gap between where we are and where we want (or perhaps need) to be?”

Visiting any retail store reveals the multiple choices available. Very little is as simple as only one choice.

Consider something as simple as soap. There are hundreds of soaps available: laundry, bath, dish, liquid, antibiotic, foam, etc.

Along with these choices, there are innumerable name and generic brands. Plus, the purpose of the cleansing agent needed influences the type of soap to look for and the amount.

The issue of choice is not only found in the area of soap. Go to any store and consider the choices available on any product. At times, it becomes overwhelming to determine exactly what is needed. Sadly, the same ideas affect people’s thoughts about religion.

A study of leadership also reveals the challenge of making choices. The choice made by leaders can make the difference in success or failure, so what choice(s) should be made?

Sadly, many choices must be made by trial and error. Only after the results of the choice are seen can another decision be made concerning the appropriate direction to take.

Nothing is more significant than leading others to make the choice about their eternal destiny. Think Souls!

“It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.” Denis Waitley

The power of the mind in leadership is immeasurable. An old Chinese proverb says, “Limitations are but the boundaries we place in our minds.”

The idea is demonstrated in the Old Testament as ten of the spies sent into the land of Canaan delivered a bad report to the people of Israel. Their claim indicates the limitation in their thinking. They saw themselves as grasshoppers in the eyes of the people of the land, and in their own.

They could not see themselves conquering the land, nor God doing so through them.

The same is true today of leaders who are held back; not because they do not have the ability, but because they do not see themselves as able to accomplish the task.

We must recognize who God is and all He can do through the power that works within us.

Stop considering who we are not. Start thinking about who God is and what He can do if we allow Him to rule in our lives.

A key thought expressed throughout the Psalms is the idea of thirsting for God. Several analogies are used, but the one most common is also a song often sung today. “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.”

The various qualities, principles, axioms, and requirements for good leadership all carry a significant weight in leadership development.

However, in the arena of spiritual leadership, considering everything stated above, the key to true leadership is based on thirsting for God.

The idea of thirsting involves a need, want, craving, an insatiable desire. We understand the idea when applied to a drink of water when dehydration exists.

However, do we also understand the application when considering a spiritual application?

When we examine our attitude toward worship; obtaining the necessary tools to grow in our study of God’s word; visiting those who are no longer faithful; and reaching out to those without Christ, what word would we be the right description?

When a relationship with God is characterized by thirsting, leaders are strengthening every area of their leadership.