“A stumbling block to the pessimist is a stepping-stone to the optimist.” Eleanor Roosevelt

While this week’s posts have already featured the stepping stones of success, the idea presented by Eleanor Roosevelt has powerful implications.

Pessimists continually look at the negative and impossible nature of accomplishing anything. They tend to see the worst in everything and suck the air out of hope for anything better. Worst still is the fact that a pessimist believe the world is bad and that evil will overcome.

Optimists stand in direct contrast to the pessimist. There is hope and confidence in the future, knowing that good will ultimately prevail over evil.

With an understanding of these two philosophies, the thought of the day has more significance. If a pessimist is looking at the worst of every situation, then everything is viewed as a stumbling block, where an optimist will use every situation as a stepping-stone for something greater. There is hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Leaders must be dealers in hope, optimists of the future ahead.

Leadership involves risks. The risks can be great and challenging, but it does not mean we can avoid the risks that accompany leading others.

The test of our leadership is directly related to the level and nature of risk we are willing to take. A couple of factors need to be considered.

Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions made by leadership, regardless of the risk. Trying to please everyone is impossible, so leaders need to consider all the necessary factors involved and decide if the risk is worth the potential results.

The risk may be greater to not make a decision. The idea of remaining neutral or opting out for keeping everything status quo often carries more risk than is evidenced on the surface. Sadly, it is usually when it is too late to make correction that the impact of the risk is felt.

The risk factor is primarily limited by the size of our faith. The risks become minimal when we believe that our God is great and that He is involved every step of the way.

With God, the risks are worth taking.

Everyone wants to enjoy some measure of success. Tons of material has been written, both electronically and in hard copy, addressing ways success can be achieved.

We would be hard pressed to find anything written that suggests only one step to the pinnacle of success. Most material emphasizes steps ranging from three steps to twenty-five steps.

Ten of the most common ideas expressed are as follows:

1. Preparation must come first.
2. Do the homework.
3. Keep a learner’s mind.
4. Create strategies for achieving the goals.
5. Establish good time management.
6. Use failures as a guide.
7. Abide by the rules.
8. Make a list of one’s values.
9. List out dreams and goals.
10. Find a mentor.

More could be listed, but these few steps will help all of us. The list is not written in order of priority. Each one should be considered and evaluated as to its application.

As each becomes a natural component in developing the direction of the organization, it is critical to follow and communicate the steps to others.

Success does not have a magic formula, but with a little hard work and time, the results can be exciting.

On the heels of yesterday’s post, it seemed fitting to consider the need for exploring the idea of expansion in our leadership.

Expansion is the action of becoming larger or more extensive. Unless we are able to think bigger, plan larger, trust more, and implement the options to achieve expansion, we will not grow beyond the shadow of our own leadership.

The challenge for leaders today is to eliminate the “status quo” and move forward to greater heights.

We should not be surprised that God commands us to do so (2 Pe. 3:18). If that was not enough, He also expects us to grow (He. 5:12-14). In the final analysis, God designed the church so that it would grow (Ep. 4:11-12).

Expansion, whether we like it or not, is a part of God’s plan and we are privileged to participate in that plan if we are but willing to do so.

Let us set our eyes on a greater horizon, a more global mindset, and implement plans to expand the borders of the Lord’s kingdom.

The pioneering spirit is a rare quality in the world today. Leaders are often intimidated by the idea of going where no one has gone before.

While we can build upon the successes and failures of others to improve who we are and where we are, we still need an edge to our leadership.

Please do not misunderstand this to mean that we are suggesting we implement change for the sake of change. This is not the point.

We do, however, need to realize that God can take us places and open doors for us in areas that have never been reached if we be a willing tool in His hands.

Since God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all we ask or think, we need to start thinking bigger and stop placing limitations on God.

We need to see it in our minds, pray that God will bless it and open the doors for it, and then we need to set our hearts and bodies in motion to fulfill it.

Adventuresome, pioneering, or any other word we choose, leaders need to walk this path.

“What angers us in another person is more often than not an unhealed aspect of ourselves. If we had already resolved that particular issue, we would not be irritated by its reflection back to us.” Simon Fuller 

Self-evaluation is one of the most difficult areas of life. The challenge of taking the time to look in the mirror and examine our own character to see how it measures up can be especially frustrating when we look at others.

Experience has demonstrated that people who are critical of others are most often struggling with the same problems in their own life.

Obviously, this is not absolute, but it does hold true in many cases. What that means is that we need to be compassionate to the criticism of others. 

The manner in which we approach criticism can make the difference in how we evaluate ourselves and the approachability of our leadership.

We can then work on correcting the unresolved issues in our lives enabling us to see more clearly how to help others in there. Please read Matthew 7:1-5.

When the news is exciting, we want someone to tell us and we want to tell others. Good news is often difficult to find and far less appealing in our culture, or so it would seem.

Sadly, the good news of Jesus is becoming less and less exciting. The distractions of commercialism, family, health, finances, and “life” tend to exasperate the joy and excitement of something as intangible as a relationship with Jesus.

The mindset is not unique to the U.S. either. The challenges of sharing the news of Jesus around the world can easily become more about taking care of physical needs with less emphasis on the spiritual.

We need a balanced approach. We must consider a strategy that allows us to keep our focus on the news we are striving to tell others about AND insure that the physical needs are met. The adage is true; “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Remember, when the news is exciting, please tell me. How much more so when the news is overwhelmingly beyond a level of excitement.

Trust is one of those fascinating subjects. At one point or another, we have all said to someone, or heard them say to us, “trust me.”

Biblically, we know the emphasis in scripture on trusting God. When we consider the implications behind this, the intent is for us to understand that God is worthy of our trust. The reasons are fairly simple; He is faithful to keep His promise and guard what we entrust to Him.

This idea raises an interesting question: can God trust us? Do we have and demonstrate the type of character that is worthy of that trust?

The answer should align with the same reasons described with God. We must be faithful to our promise to Him and we need to guard what has been entrusted to us.

While both are critical for our development as Christians, the second needs a little clarification.

God has entrusted us with His word. If we are trustworthy we will be good students of His word and be diligent to make application of His word.

When this happens, it makes it easier to share it with others.

If there was ever a word more needed than this week’s word, it would be interesting to know what that word might be.

Certainly, there are many words that are needed by all of us when it comes to leadership and building relationships.

We need to consider, however, the significance of this word – apply. 

From a biblical perspective we are talking about acting, doing, or making something happen with the information we learn. Jesus claimed that wisdom is based on hearing His words and acting upon them (Mt. 7:24-27). James warns of the self-deluding mindset that exists when we do not prove ourselves doers of the word (Jas. 1:21).

The list goes on, but the idea is the same. What good does it really do us to hear something that will improve our walk with God, help us mature in the faith, or strengthen our relationships with others and then do nothing? The answer lies in the two passages above.

Leadership requires us to provide an example of application if we ever hope to lead others in doing the same.

The general idea of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is almost a foreign concept. We want others to understand what it is like to walk in our shoes, but walking in their shoes is not an appealing thought.

One of the qualities needed in leadership, however, is the ability to sympathize and empathize with others. Thus, we need to see through their eyes.

What will we see when looking through the eyes of others? A number of possibilities exist.

We may see ourselves differently than we expected.

We may see more hurt or pain.

We may see greater joy, love, faith, and peace.

We may also see different levels of need that we overlooked before.

Yes, the idea of this post is figurative, but whatever we see when taking time to see and feel what others see and feel, our leadership will unfold in ways that are “others-directed.”

Nothing is easy when considering the “how-to” of sympathizing and empathizing with others. The effort is worth the time we put into it because of the difference it makes for others and our own leadership.