Leadership is about relationships. The ability to work well with others is vital to the growth and development of leaders.

The challenge is learning how to approach our relationships with others. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

1) Think before speaking or writing. Relationships are destroyed when we speak out of anger or frustration without considering how it affects the other person. We can apologize, but once spoken, we cannot take it back and the wounds do not heal quickly. Think before opening our mouth or hitting send.

2) Consider the other person’s needs and feelings before our own. Too often, we are only concerned with how a situation reflects on us than on others. Relationships are strengthened when people know they are important to the one who leads them.

3) Invest a little time. The most precious commodity of our day is time. If not careful, we fill our time with trivial matters and we fail to invest in the kind of relationships needed for the future.

Building strong leaders means building strong relationships and these are a starting point for developing leaders for the future.

“Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behavior decides who stays in your life.” Ziad K. Abdelnour

Today’s thought carries a depth of meaning that should motivate us to think more seriously about our personal influence as it connects to relationships and developing as leaders.

Regardless of one’s domestic or international travel, our paths cross with a variety of people from all walks of life. Throughout the course of life, we may experience relationships with hundreds, if not, thousands of people.

During these encounters we make decisions about those individuals we want to spend more time with in order to develop a deeper relationship. These relationships make us vulnerable as we begin sharing our personal lives: failures, weaknesses, and even our inadequacies.

How we conduct ourselves in developing those relationships determines the few that become lifelong friends affected neither by time or space. Leaders rarely enjoy the kind of intimacy that creates a bond exceeding superficial cordialities.

The effort we put forth to develop these kinds of relationships extends beyond this physical life into eternal realms.

The world’s population is beyond my comprehension. When I consider the fact we are approaching seven billion people, it simply becomes a number.

Traveling to places around the world, the reality of this number becomes even more incredible.

Think about the plethora of languages in the numerous countries globally.

Think about the inability to communicate adequately.

Think about the brief time we can spend in each location and may never see again.

Think about how all these people can come to know Christ.

Think about their soul!

Think about what can and needs to be done.

There are more questions than answers. However, the best way to make the greatest difference in the world, spiritually, is to train men who know the culture and language to teach their own people.

We need to give thanks for the dedication and willingness of mission minded brethren who have and continue to labor on foreign soil. We must pray for the opportunity t0 build upon their efforts and work with them to step up our work in ways to reach so many people.

The Leadership Fund was started with the goal of investing in future of leadership. The primary purpose is to invest in spiritual leadership.

As a result, we should think about the daily approach to leadership on a number of levels. Several areas stand out as necessary for leaders to consider as a daily investment.

Pray…

Look at the goal…

Share the plan…

Help someone…

Read, grow, learn personally…

Take a few minutes for yourself…

Listen closely…

Rest…

We may insert a variety of activities on a daily basis, as well as, emphasizing the necessity of practicing these activities numerous times throughout the day. We may even practice a few of these on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Never let a day go by without making each of these a part of your life in spiritual leadership.

It is an investment with imperishable returns.

All inclusive, complete, thorough, and extensive are a few terms that identify the word of the week. A comprehensive leadership is one that carries the full capacity.

Inclusive stands in contrast to exclusive. While certain areas of leadership are exclusive, separating the specific from the general and never compromising truth, there needs to be an inclusive approach to personal development and influential outreach.

A complete focus in leadership means assembling all the necessary parts to achieve the greatest extent or degree, what we often refer to as a goal.

Leaders need to understand the importance of every detail. Comprehensive research involves thoroughly studying the material and people involved in order to determine appropriate conclusions.

Perhaps the most significant thought associated with this week’s word is extensive. The idea involves covering or affecting a large area. Leadership must think big, covering a large scope or scale, beyond our own thinking.

A comprehensive leadership is one that must involve God, thus including an inclusive, complete, thorough, and extensive influence. When we make God a part of the equation, even the smallest plans become great.

Vision! Among all the qualities needed to build strong leaders for the future, vision is one of the most important. Vision, however, is not about what one can physically see with the naked eye.

Vision is about seeing what cannot be seen or, perhaps more appropriately, seeing Him who is unseen. This is the idea expressed about Moses in Hebrews 11:23-27.

Vision develops the type of conviction that knows what is worth dying for, as with Caleb. The same was true of the apostles.

Vision gives us strength to endure the trials of life. While Philippians 4:13 contextually deals with contentment, the point is our strength comes from Christ.

Vision comes before victory. God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. All he could see God would give him, Gen. 13:14-15. To miss looking in any direction was to miss possessing what God promised.

If we desire to improve our vision, we need to ask ourselves: 1) Do we see ourselves correctly? and 2) Do we see our God correctly? When we answer these questions affirmatively, we are developing the kind of vision needed for strong leadership.

“It is easy to follow, but it is uninteresting to do easy things. We find out about ourselves only when we take risks, when we challenge and question.” Magdalena Abakanowicz

Leadership means risks. Change never occurs quickly or easily. Introducing challenges or raising questions about the current development or structure increases the level of risk.

Regardless of the approach to personal or organizational growth, change is required in order to expand. The thought of remaining neutral, being comfortable with the status quo, or being afraid to address potential change leaves an organization stagnate and eventually deteriorating.

Time, knowledge, and experience are three elements that provide the basis for approaching any risk. Do we have the time to invest? Is our knowledge of the situation adequately researched? What level of experience exists to consider the resources needed?

Answering these questions allows us take a step in the direction of addressing “what is” and considering “what can be” in our leadership.

Our leadership should always focus on what we can do to grow and improve ourselves and the organization, no matter what risk is involved.

As leaders, how do we recognize the potential of an individual or the congregation as a whole?

There are basically three ways: actions, abilities, and attitudes.

Is it possible to take these three areas, grow in them, and reach our ultimate potential? Absolutely!!! How?

Do not limit God. Moses learned and Jonathan knew. Never think God “cannot” do something because we “will not.”

Start thinking BIG! God has the power to do far beyond all we ask or think. We need to stop thinking small. Imagine what God could do through us when we think BIG!

Remind others of the possibilities. A reminder of what can be done is often enough to move others into action. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves.

Develop a plan into smaller sections. How does someone eat an elephant? One bite at a time. The overall plan can be overwhelming, but breaking it down into smaller pieces makes it workable.

Begin NOW! Procrastination and hesitation are killers to our potential. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Potential is too important to wait.

At one time or another, we all feel a little less than our best. Perhaps we experience a poor night’s sleep, we may have a virus, or we are just having one of those days.

At times, struggling with some sort of virus depletes our energy levels and leaves us feeling achy and feverish. We do not feel well.

Normally, showing up to any event, especially work, when contagious risks infecting everyone. However, a statement by Jerry West is pertinent: “you can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.”

We need to learn how to work through the times when we do not feel as good as other days.

Remember our purpose. Do not lose sight of why we are leading.

Put one foot in front of the other. At times, just getting started helps.

Focus on the goal. The result promises to be worth the effort.

Remain dedicated to finish. It is not how you start, but how you finish that makes a difference.

Leadership motivates us to show up everyday!

Design, according to Andrew Gibbons (2014, 49) is “a process of making decisions.” Smith and Ragan (Smith 1992, 4) add that design is “a systematic or intensive planning and ideation process prior to the development of something or the execution of some plan in order to solve a problem.”

At times, the appearance of “flying by the seat of the pants” rules the approach to leading. The nature of successful leadership, however, requires a dedicated effort to establish a systematic method for developing and executing a plan.

To design the direction of leading means a consideration of three essential qualities:

Vision: the ability to see what cannot be seen, or perhaps as spiritual leaders, seeing Him who cannot be seen.

Collaboration: the ability to work with others and the willingness to incorporate their ideas provides a strong development process.

Ingenuity: creativity goes a long way when investigating the design process involved in making decisions.

While more could be included in this list, these three qualities go far in understanding how to take leadership to the next level.