A leader must be a student. Obviously, there are many areas to study. From the perspective of spiritual leadership, we must be aware of our life in two worlds.

We must know the world we live in physically. The role of spiritual leadership involves leading others to Christ and to heaven. We need to know the challenges people face living in this world. We need to know the struggles and trials encountered. We need to know about national and international events.

We must also know the world we are living for spiritually. Because we have never been there, being a student in this realm is difficult. We must rely on the information God has provided for us in His word. Therefore, we must be a student of His word.

When we study the physical and spiritual realm, we begin to see why scripture emphasizes the need for us to prepare ourselves now for then.

All we say and do now is building a foundation for a world to come. As spiritual leaders, our task involves helping others reach the same destination. Think Souls!

This week’s word carries several implications that impact the nature of our leadership, both from a noun and verb application.

As a noun, the idea behind flourish is defined as an instance of suddenly performing or developing in an impressively successful way.

As a verb, to flourish is to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

Leaders must provide the kind of favorable environment that allows others to grow in a healthy and vigorous way, to flourish. Accomplishing this task follows the path of two key ideas:

1) Encourage creativity. Enforcing a mould of one size fits all or the cookie-cutter approach to development stifles the minds of those who have much to offer if allowed.

2) Allow others to spread their wings and try. Mistakes may be made and there will be accountability, but we might be surprised at what flourishes when an opportunity is given.

More could be said, but we get the idea. Leaders need to flourish and promote the same in others.

At one time or another, all of us experience frustration. There are times when the frustration level will be greater than other times. It would safe to assume that all of us desire to limit the level of frustration to a minimum.

The challenge in leadership, however, is learning how to limit our frustrations and capitalize on those moments for greater success. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Praying for help is not just a cliché. We would benefit from talking to God specifically about those areas that frustrate us.

2) Learn to accept frustration as part of life. Multiple levels of frustration exist in every area of life.

3) Realize that no one else thinks and acts as we do. Most people encounter frustration because others do not act or think as we expect they should.

4) Talking with those who are close to us allows an avenue to vent and seek counsel in our frustrations.

5) Learn from our frustrations. Good can come from these times if we view them and use them appropriately.

These are five beginning points, but we must start somewhere to address the frustrations of life.

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold Glasow

All leaders face problems. How we deal with problems makes the difference.

People commonly speak of moving from one fire (problem) to another. When one fire is out, they are racing to the next. At some point, there are too many fires to put out and leaders find themselves overloaded and unable to resolve any  problem well.

What will help us with these problems before they become emergencies?

Address problems when they arise. Waiting for problems to resolve themselves, or ignoring problems is a denial of our role in leadership.

Rely on wise counsel. Resolving problems based on our own wisdom and experience can be effective, but Solomon teaches the value of wise counsel.

Learn to delegate. Get others involved in problem resolution. Assigning tasks to others will help create confidence in their ability to reach a solution.

Our task as spiritual leaders is to provide a resolution based in God’s word. Here, and only here, can real solutions be found.

Looking into the review mirror serves a number of purposes when traveling across the country. Just a glance reflects objects or traffic behind us. We can see if an emergency vehicle is coming and we need to move over. We can see if someone is coming up behind us quickly and we need to adjust our course. There is also the possibility of recognizing law enforcement helping correct our negligence in observing the speed laws.

From a more symbolic standpoint, the rearview mirror allows us to look into the past and reflect on the events of the day, week, month, or year. We can determine if goals were met and make necessary adjustments. We can examine what has worked and what has not in order to make course corrections.

Several thoughts come to mind, but these identify the benefits of reflection on what is behind us to help ensure we are moving in the right direction ahead of us.

When spiritual leaders consider a personal and congregational perspective, we have opportunity to lead from a view of Calvary in the past and toward the future reward of heaven.

Opportunity involves circumstances leading to possibility. Unless we can see the possibility, then we will never take advantage of the opportunity.

How many opportunities were missed because we could not see the possibilities?

Do we fail to see the possibilities because we are wearing spiritual blinders?

God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. God was going to give him and his descendants all the land.

Jesus told the apostles to lift up their eyes and look. The apostles needed to see through the eyes of God at the precious souls of the Samaritans.

What do we see when we look at our coworkers?

What do we see when we look at our families?

What do we see when we look at the people walking the aisles at the grocery store?

What do we see when we look at our brothers and sisters sitting on the pew next to us during worship?

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?

A platform can mean something different to each person. There are both literal and figurative uses to this week’s word. For example, a platform can be a raised level surface upon which people can stand, a floor or stage for public speaking.

A platform, however, can also be the declared policy of a political party or group, followed by the idea that involves an opportunity to voice one’s views or opinions and initiate action.

The second idea presented here is one that connects to our leadership. What is the platform for our leadership agenda? Are we standing on our own personal platform, or the one established by God?

As we examine the direction of our leadership, the platform has already been constructed and delivered by God. His word outlines the platform we are to stand on and lift up before the world. This is why Paul describes the church as the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).

If we can wrap our minds around the significance of this statement and build on this foundation, then our leadership will fulfill a divinely given task.

The idea behind the title of today’s post is biblical. Solomon wrote “two are better than one…and a cord of three is not quickly torn apart” (Ec. 4:9-12).

While the benefits of having two or three are listed by Solomon, the significant underlying thought is the strength that comes when we are not alone.

When we go at life alone, we are vulnerable. As Christians, Satan wants us to try and make it on our own because we are vulnerable to his attacks. Learning to avoid the “Elijah Syndrome” is critical to the strength of our success in honoring and glorifying our God.

Consider the strength in leadership when there is counsel from several. The attempts to make decisions and implement plans on our own will most certainly meet with challenges at best and failure at worst.

Solomon’s words hold true in the twenty-first century, just as they did when they were penned. There is strength in numbers. It is true in every facet of life and in the leadership arena, the benefits far outweigh the consequences of going at it alone.

“Surround yourself with people who know your worth. You don’t need too many people to be happy, just a few REAL ones who can appreciate you for who you are.” Author Unknown

One of the areas most needed in leadership is based on maintaining the kind of relationships that strengthen our confidence. These areas focus in on the value and worth of each person.

At the same time, one of the greatest responsibilities of leaders is to show this appreciation for those who need to grow in their confidence.

The challenge is often understanding our own value and worth, to assess our self-esteem. Confidence and esteem appear to be lacking in general.

Our humility is often cloaked in under-valuing our worth. Think about what it would do for our leadership to know the value and worth of our contribution to the organization or program.

We can all relate to the difficulties of a negative influence. Negativity can be discouraging at best and destructive at worst. We must find a way to avoid the negative influences and surround ourselves with positive ones that build worth.

One of the key elements, and most challenging, in communication is the ability to listen.

We love to talk. What we have to say is important. We want others to listen. When someone else is talking we are just waiting to express what we are formulating in our mind.

As a result, we are not really listening.

Add to this the fact we are easily distracted by our cell phone, computer, local environment, and a hundred other factors.

We often think of leaders as those who are out front, giving instruction, direction, and orders.

However, there are several reasons it is necessary for leaders to learn the art of listening.

Learning to listen helps us connect with people.

Learning to listen helps us gain a better understanding of their needs.

Learning to listen helps us develop stronger concentration.

We must listen with our ears, eyes, and heart. The message is not always conveyed through the actual words spoken. Tone of voice and body language also play a significant role in the message.

As challenging as it can be, learning to listen will change the nature of our leadership.