Category: Daily Leadership

Leading with Kindness

How important are others to our own story? There is a need to consider the interdependence of relationships as Christian leaders.

Reflecting on the relationships most cherished and admired, in what ways are they characterized by interdependence?

A leader’s life is intricately woven into the lives of many other people. How different would our approach to kindness be if our livelihood was dependent on others and their livelihood dependent on us?

Listening and interacting with one another is crucial to demonstrating kindness.

If leaders were to demonstrate kindness in a culture that is characterized by self-sufficiency, imagine how different the world might look.

A Patient Leader

Biblical patience has an object, not patience for the purpose of patience, but for the sake of another.

The obstacles to patience include segmenting, regulating, and hoarding time, as well as, exalting productivity and the desire for speed.

Patience can be cultivated by remembering our relationship with God, including God’s patience with us in those times we were stumbling through life trying to determine our place in God’s redemptive story.

We also cultivate patience by thinking of time differently––as a gift instead of a commodity.

Demonstrating patience helps support the strength of leadership as others are led to see the working of God through Christ in their lives.

Leading from Peace

While peace is often associated with the cessation or absence of conflict, there is a positive connotation to peace, a wholeness.

Individualism, and its promotion, strikes at the heart of achieving biblical peace.

Compartmentalizing life, defending our rights, and sanctioning violence are only a few of the ways peace is attacked.

Incorporating baptism, edifying one another, admonishing one another, and forgiving one another are ways to support biblical peace.

When peace becomes a way of life there will be the kind of harmony and wholeness that can only be the result of a relationship with God and one another.

Joy in Leading

The characteristic of joy exceeds simple pleasure.

The outward movement of joy may very well be why it is so closely connected to love. If we relate love to God’s grace, the gift exemplifies a significance between the two Greek words with the same root: charis (grace) and chara (joy).

As amazing as it sounds, scripture connects suffering with joy (James 1:2-4).

The world presents the greatest obstacles concerning joy. English poet Lord Byron said, “There’s not a joy the world can give like that it takes away.”

The cultural dispositions of anxiety and fear are fed by an advertising industry promoting both.

We need leaders with biblical joy!

Leading with Love

The character of love, as defined by God, is a love that is unmerited, steadfast, suffering, and knows no bounds. It should move us to consider that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and nothing we can do to make Him love us less. His very essence is love.

Love is always divinely defined by what is done for others, in this case, you and me.

In a marketing environment that is based on self-interest and one that puts a price on everything (and everyone), cultivating love will require a devotion of our time in building relationships.

This is the essence of leadership.

Dying on the Vine

In his book Life on the Vine, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community, Philip Kenneson talks about the need to demonstrate the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-24).

The idea aligns with his thesis which focuses on an “others-directed,” rather than “self-directed,” approach to living the Christian life.

He opens the book with a discussion about “Dying on the Vine,” a strong examination of where we are spiritually.

Leaders can try to ignore, deny, or neglect the reality of the present situation, or take steps to form a different direction, helping others walk more closely with the Savior.

Possibilities

Opportunity has been defined as circumstances presenting possibility, either to be gained or lost.

Nicholas Sparks once said, “It’s the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee.”

When we look at our neighbors, what possibilities come to mind?

When we look at the city where we live, can we see evangelistic possibilities?

When we look at our state or nation, what possibilities fill our vision?

When we look at the world, what possibility keeps us going?

Leadership will not succeed if we only look for guarantees. The possibilities of what God can and will do through us must keep us going.

Visionary Leadership

A visionary leads with the future in mind. From a spiritual perspective, nothing is more important than what the eternal future holds for Christians.

More pragmatically, leaders must consider what the future of their leadership looks like.

Will the future hold growth and development for the church?

Will the future be a place where vision points to a stronger leadership?

Will the future exist because of our visionary ability?

The future of leadership must be built on prayer, and leaders should prepare for the future with God’s word as a guide.

Tomorrow’s leaders must be encouraged today in order to be ready.

Serving Others

Lewis Carroll claims that “one of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.”

The approach to life in determining what is in the best interest of someone else must drive our leadership.

Biblically, this idea becomes a common thread throughout many of the individual books written to God’s people.

The mind of Christ involves a humble spirit that seeks to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but one that regards others as more important than self (Phil. 2:3-5).

This is the heart of leadership. May we always strive to serve.

Focus

Leaders focus on growth and advancement. They look to grow personally, strive to help others reach their greatest potential, and help advance the cause for which they lead.

Leaders look for new and refined ideas that promote opportunity, innovation, and creativity. The abilities that exist among followers is amazing, and leaders need to seek ways to involve everyone in using their gifts for God’s kingdom.

Leaders recognize the ever changing world surrounding them. The development of God’s kingdom is not about changing the message, but the methods need to allow for ideas that reach out to this ever changing world.