“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Henry Ford

No one gets excited about failure. One of the areas listed as most feared by people is a fear of failure. Our society is one that honors and thrives on success. The difficulty with success is the subjective nature by which it is defined and by whom it is defined.

Just like the adage, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” success for one person may not be for another. Interestingly enough, failure is much the same.

Recently, a friend expressed how their employer worked to rush employees into failure. They actually wanted people to fail, but the reason is because of the benefit for each person.

Through failure people learn what does not work, thus eliminating the need to try the same path.

Failure becomes what Ford describes as an opportunity to start over with greater knowledge.

Several have modified the idea that “success is not final, failure is not fatal.” As much as failure is unpleasant, if we learn from it, greater success will be part of the future.

The use of community raises both a positive and negative response. The word “community” relates to several words we use on a daily basis: fellowship, common, public, communion, and more. Regardless of where we might stand on the idea of community, we should consider the biblical use of this concept.

Biblically, we read about the early church having all things in common; no needs existed among them.

We refer to the Lord’s Supper instituted by Christ as “communion” because we come together for the common purpose of communing with our Lord, remembering His life, death, and resurrection.

Paul referred to the church at Philippi in community with him concerning the gospel. They shared, participated, and enjoyed fellowship in the same task.

The idea of community comes from the Latin word communitas, referring to a sense of sharing and intimacy developed among people who experience a transition period that brings them together into a group characterized by prescribed forms of conduct.

When this commonality exists, leading in community takes on a new perspective and deserves research to provide strength for the community of God’s people – the church.

A common phrase to encourage perseverance is “hold on.” We learn that holding on for a few more minutes can make the difference in securing hope, gaining a measure of strength, finding the answer, or reaching the goal.

When we consider giving up, the question becomes, “hold on to what?” Success seems elusive and passion dwindles to little more than an ember. What can we hold on to?

Reflect on the past. The past holds many keys, one of which is how God has helped us overcome obstacles in the past. Reflecting on how God walked with us during those times strengthens us to look for His presence in the current circumstance.

Remember we are not alone. The Elijah syndrome is easy to develop, but looking around reminds us that others walk alongside us. Their involvement in our lives is a gift that God provides to guide our steps and strengthen our heart.

Realize faith in the vision. Great vision requires a great God and He is the One we serve. We need to realize challenges may be God’s way of helping shape our character for something greater than we can imagine.

This week’s word involves bringing different elements into a relationship that will insure efficiency or harmony. We further find that it involves negotiating with others in order to work together effectively.

Coordinating is one of the top significant areas needed for successful leadership.

From a spiritual perspective, few areas carry greater weight than the ability to work with different people in different situations and pull everything together into a relationship of harmony and effective work.

An obvious challenge to this way of thinking is the stubborn, obstinate, self-driven, self-serving, or arrogant attitudes that are often displayed by those within any organization, including the church, who find their place in trying to destroy good ideas or plans.

Regardless, working with people is going to surface the good and bad in others. Therefore, a leader’s responsibility involves finding ways to work with these individuals and situations in ways that reach the ultimate good of the whole.

Nothing is easy. If it were, everyone would do it. Thus, we must take the time to invest in the areas needed to help us tackle the challenges with godliness and grace.

Making a list of potential leadership habits that strengthen our influence could result in a lengthy document. Considering the potential, however, we ask: Are we willing to spend 21 days to develop habits that grow our influence?

The first habit is difficult: spending 21 minutes every day in silence for 21 days. This idea is challenging for at least two reasons.

1) Silence makes us uncomfortable. Try spending 30 seconds in silence before responding to someone asking a question, or waiting until they finish an expression of thought. Observe how uncomfortable they become waiting.

2) Our lives are filled with noise. We often cannot sleep without the television, music, ocean waves or something of like nature playing in the background. The same is true with getting into our vehicles; we turn the radio on, plug in a cd, or bluetooth our music from the phone.

Our minds never rest. The idea of sitting in silence without praying, thinking about work, or a hundred other thoughts is not normal.

If we could, however, develop a habit of silence, we might be surprised how our attitude changes toward others, situations, and our spiritual growth.

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” Brian Tracy

We all want control of what happens to us, but we are also aware of the impossibility of such. Plus, even though we have the ability to control our attitude, we tend to cast blame on others in order to justify the circumstances experienced.

The focus of today’s thought is more than a glance at controlling what happens to us, or even developing the right kind of attitude. The thought is a great challenge to the mastery of our lives.

When we do an honest self-evaluation, what facts rise to the surface, especially when it comes to the “things” that control or master our lives?

No one enjoys examining these factors, but if we are to master change, we must discuss every area necessary for developing our Christian character as God would want from us.

The outcomes are worth the journey. Let us lead with such conviction.

The phrase is often used, but rarely does it characterize the path chosen by most. We tend to lean towards a little faster pace. We prefer to take a plan and get the ball rolling right away.

Experience has demonstrated the consequences of making decisions rashly and implementing plans quickly without thinking through the details.

Leaders encounter many dimensions that concern the future of any organization and they must make decisions that often alter direction.

A slow and steady approach to decision-making and implementation is beneficial for at least three reasons: 1) leaders have time to think through angles impacting the development of the project, 2) the consequences of decisions can be considered before enacting the plan (the idea of asking for forgiveness being easier than permission will not work here), and 3) generally speaking, a thorough approach legitimizes the direction, making buy-in from others more forthcoming.

Effort to take a more slow and steady approach on the part of leadership develops stronger credibility as it is connected to the demands of leaders.

What were your first thoughts when you read the title of today’s post? Was there a thought of getting away to relax, something of a calming time away from regular responsibilities? Or, were there thoughts of running away from the battle?

We know how easy it can be to end something before finishing it. Perhaps it is the frustration of the moment, pressures of deadlines, or dealing with people who are either not carrying their weight or they seem to be a weight that must be carried along.

Regardless, the decision to stop or go the other direction seems to be quick and easy.

Leaders must possess a different mindset. We cannot, we must not allow the challenges of reaching our desired goal prevent us from finishing well.

A few suggestions might help when facing these times: 1) remember the greater good of the cause for which we are working, 2) be surrounded with affirmations that result from reaching the goal, and 3) make sure the right people are involved in doing the job needing to be done.

Let us avoid the “retreat” mentality and move forward with confidence.

To be preoccupied is to have one’s mind dominated or engrossed by someone or something to the exclusion of all else.

Leaders can certainly be preoccupied inappropriately and the results affect family, friends, work, and all areas of life.

There are, however, several ideas associated with this preoccupation that provide a benefit to the individual and organization.

When leaders are preoccupied with the word of God, they have chosen a path that leads to godliness. They see through the eyes of mission, they possess a heart of compassion, and minister with the legs and feet of a servant.

When leaders are preoccupied with the Gospel, they understand the urgency of reaching each soul they meet. No stone is left unturned, no obstacle is too great to overcome, no mountain too high to climb, no valley too low to walk through, and no challenge to difficult to meet because the salvation of others takes precedent.

While preoccupation is a two-way street, and can easily lead to a negative side, the point is for leaders to be preoccupied in the right and positive ways to change people’s lives eternally.

Habits are, well, habits. We often do not realize our habits unless someone brings them to our attention, or we know they are “bad” ones.

The consecutive number assigned to develop a habit is 21. At this writing, an accurate number needed to break a habit could not be found.

Obviously, we know some habits are easier and quicker to develop than others. We also recognize the incredible difficulty in breaking bad habits. Interestingly enough, no one ever refers to a need for breaking good habits.

Leaders also display habits, both good and bad. What we want to examine in the weeks ahead are a few tips surrounding the idea of habits that will improve our leadership.

As we look briefly at the subject, our approach is one of caution and awareness. We are cautious to discuss the subject with concern for the betterment of all leaders, and we are aware of how limited our own understanding is of such a broad subject.

With this in mind, next week we will begin our journey into the world of leadership habits that strengthen our influence.