Category: Daily Leadership

The Right Foundation

Jesus spoke of a wise and a foolish man. The difference between the two was the foundation upon which they were building.

When the bedrock of our leadership is based on spiritual qualities and characteristics, then people have a solid foundation to follow.

We must know who we are following. When we follow the leadership of Christ, we move in the right direction.

We must develop consistency between our words and actions. More than one leader has lost credibility because their actions contradicted their words.

The eternal success of our leadership is determined by the foundation upon which we build and help others stand upon.

A Wing and a Prayer

This phrase originated with the WWII patriotic song Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer, by Harold Adamson and Jimmie McHugh (1942). The song tells of a damaged warplane barely able to limp back to base.

Prayer is a vital part of our spiritual leadership, but our approach to leadership cannot succeed by barely limping along.

Our leadership is about the hope Christ provided at the cross. We have prepared ourselves through trust and obedience to a gracious God who provided a plan to save us from sin.

When we understand our leadership is focused on this kind of hope, we are not leading by a wing and a prayer. We are leading by faith!

Failure (part 2)

Dealing with failure has never been easy. How we deal with it makes a powerful statement to the development of our leadership.

Building on the suggestions from yesterday, consider the following.

Do not hesitate to act. Hesitation comes with a high price. Waiting to act creates a perception of apathy.

Learn from failure. Study the strengths and weaknesses of the present circumstances. Determine and implement the changes needed to overcome and prevent the same mistakes.

Make necessary adjustments to move beyond the failure to build confidence in others toward leadership. Work to build a series of successful events or programs to reassure the strength of the leadership.

Failure (part 1)

Who or what determines failure? Why is failure seen as negative? How can leaders deal with failure in ways to improve and benefit their leadership?

Consider a couple of steps:

First, recognize failure is inevitable. No matter who you are or where you are, failure takes place.

Second, acknowledge it and take responsibility. Do not ignore, deny, or cast blame when failure occurs.

Third, failure is not fatal. Winston Churchill is credited with saying, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

The Power of Attitude

Our attitude and approach to leadership influences the type of work we accomplish.

Charles Schwab once said, “I have yet to find a man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.”

If leadership is dictatorial, negative, and critical there are consistent challenges to reaching goals.

Our leadership excels with a spirit of positive approval and affirmation. The world has plenty of critics. It seems natural to offer criticism, even when praise is necessary.

God intended the church to be a refuge. If we want success in our leadership, the thought here is worth considering.

Relationships

Powerful relationships exist in both life and leadership.

The mindset of trying to do things on our own ultimately fails. We need one another. Division is killing the church and her influence.

There are at least 24 different “one another” passages throughout scripture. These passages teach us about the spiritual relationship and responsibility we have to each other.

When leadership uses these areas to strengthen relationships, the result will bring a powerful boost to leadership.

When we fulfill the responsibilities outlined by the New Testament writers, the church will be strengthened.

Isn’t it time we build the kind of relationships to accomplish both?

Overcoming Fear

Fear is common. The apostles demonstrated fear. The parents of a blind man were afraid. Paul addressed fear when writing Timothy.

How do we overcome fear?

A few suggestions:

Know God. He gives us a spirit of love and power and discipline.

Believe in Jesus. If He endured for us, we can overcome for Him.

Study the book. The more we know of God’s word, the greater our confidence in fearful situations.

Fight the good fight. Paul knew the challenges of the work. He also knew he had to fight.

Let us commit ourselves to overcome and lead with passion.

Destination

Leaders cast vision and map the direction to a specific destination. Unless they know where they are going, how can anyone finish the journey?

Consider:

1) You must never take your eyes off the destination.
2) Remember the map is found in the greatest atlas.
3) When necessary, stop and ask for help if you lose your sense of direction.
4) Make the proper preparation before starting the journey.

Remember, there is purpose in leading others. You need to know where you are going and what you need to take to get there. The results are worth it!

Attention to Action

What does it take to get our attention and move us into action for the Lord?

Will eight billion plus people in the world, the majority of which are lost?

Perhaps it is the decline in morality that surrounds us.

Maybe the spread of error on unknowing hearts.

Could it be the grace of God given in the Savior who came to die for all?

Whatever it is, our attention is needed and we must move into action to lead others to the only hope given to the human race.

Others-Centered

We cannot emphasize enough the necessity of an others-centered, servant-style leadership. In an effort to establish the point, Victor Cousin said, “Men are governed only by serving them; the rule is without exception.”

While there are many leadership styles, spiritual leadership succeeds by service.

Jesus said, “By this all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” In the context, Jesus taught the necessity of being a servant.

If we understand the true definition of Biblical love, we cannot fulfill the new command given by Christ without being a servant that is others-centered.