The life of Jesus is clearly an example of greatness, provided that we might follow in His steps. We have considered His compassion and His ability to discuss matters of importance.

This week, another area of greatness is found in the life of Jesus: His suffering. Jesus suffered on numerous occasions. He suffered verbally and physically.

The religious leaders were seeking to eliminate this threat to their position and power.

The ultimate suffering, however, did not come at the hands of the religious leaders, even though they instigated the procedure.

At the hands of Rome, Jesus would encounter suffering beyond imagination, as He was beaten, ridiculed, mocked with a crown of thorns, spit upon, scourged, and nailed to a cross.

Suffering is not often seen as greatness, rather a stumbling block and foolishness, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.

The purpose of His suffering makes this act of leadership a mark of greatness.

As leaders today, the higher we go in leadership the greater the sacrifice we must make. Suffering will be a mark of greatness for leaders.

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” John Wooden

Mr. Wooden is famous for many reasons, one of which is his leadership thoughts that have been used frequently by leaders, especially coaches.

The thought he expresses here speaks to one of the most significant areas of leadership.

We have all seen people with great ability, college and professional athletes, musicians, and others in the Hollywood / Broadway entertainment field. We have also known those with great ability but little character.

Without character, regardless of the ability, it is impossible to have lasting leadership. Nothing could be more true in connection to spiritual leaders.

Perhaps the major difference is the idea of being at the top, because spiritual leadership is about the humility to be at the bottom and to remain humble enough to stay there.

This is where leadership character is built.

When spiritual influence is guided by a humble spirit, character seems to naturally follow. The combination of the two provides the staying power of a Christlike leadership needed today.

Familiarity can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, the more familiar we are with the person or circumstance, the easier it is to take advantage of the situation, have an unhealthy level of contentment, or develop a lesser sense of urgency.

On the other hand, having familiarity instills confidence in the consistency of character or desired outcomes, especially when we talk about leadership.

Developing a familiarity between leaders and followers takes time and a process that involves several key factors.

A mutual respect for the life experiences of each other builds a stronger relationship of trust in the common goals and expectations of the group.

Another critical component to familiarity is to share life experiences with each other. The biblical teaching of “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice” must be applied.

Create an open door policy that contributes to the approachability of everyone involved. Achieving this task is not easy, but the results bring lasting leadership.

More could be said, but how we address familiarity can hinder or strengthen our leadership.

The title of the post today begs the question of possibility. Is it possible in our culture to avoid negativity? The answer is, no!

We cannot completely avoid negativity. Sadly, we are surrounded by it. We often face so much negativity it is difficult to see much positive.

Since we cannot avoid negativity, what can we do to limit its influence?

First, prayer is where it all starts. God promises to answer, so why not begin at His throne and seek guidance in overcoming the issue.

Second, focus on spending time with people who are positive. If we struggle to deal with negativity, a good dose of optimism from friends is a another place to help.

Third, the material we read and the messages we hear need to ring with optimism. Turning off the television is a positive beginning point. Read a good book…hey, the Bible is a good thought.

Fourth, commit to saying at least five positive things every day. Once we are comfortable doing five, increase the number by five more.

Much more could be done, but this will get us going in a positive direction.

Perhaps you are familiar with the idea of insanity: “doing the same things in the same way and expecting different results.”

As amazing as it may sound, we often practice a level of insanity when approaching our leadership, we want to do the same things the way we have always done them, yet we expect different results.

Our culture has changed. Demographics have changed. We have changed, whether we want to admit it or not.

What we need is a little sanity. By definition, the idea of sanity speaks of reasonable and rational behavior. Now there are two powerful words for leaders to learn.

The thought expressed does not mean we never take risks, nor does it mean we are unwilling to make changes.

The thought behind sanity involves making sure we are investigating the right facts, considering the pros and cons, and implementing change with a reasonable approach for what is best for the whole.

We are not talking about something that is unscriptural, but rather not being tied to the traditions of men as binding for eternity.

Sanity or insanity: that is the question.

A study in the life of Jesus reveals numerous marks of greatness as they relate to His leadership. As we considered last week, Jesus demonstrated compassion concerning the needs of others.

Another key area of greatness is the ability of Jesus to address matters of great importance.

The disciples constantly questioned Jesus about matters of the kingdom, especially as it related to the physical realm.

The response of Jesus provided an answer to their immediate inquisition, but He directed their attention to deeper matters of a spiritual nature.

One example involved the concern of the disciples over the destruction of the temple, the sign of His coming, and the end of the age (Matthew 24).

While Jesus addressed their concerns with information related to the signs prior to this event, He took them further into the discussion by considering the event we know as the judgment day.

He wanted them to know that something greater than the destruction of the temple was coming and the reason for teaching them this truth was to prepare themselves and prepare others for that day.

Our leadership is the same, preparation for that day.

“It doesn’t matter what happens to you. What matters is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to complain and shrink or are you going to step into your greatness?” Robert Tew

Life is filled with events. These events can be categorized as good or bad. The perspective of one person toward an event may not be the same perspective as another person facing a similar event. The difference is often affiliated with someone’s worldview.

As the thought expresses, what happens is not the issue, but what we do about it is generally defined by our worldview.

One choice is easy, complain and shrink. However, the results hinder our influence and the development of leadership character.

The option of stepping into greatness is more difficult, but it motivates us to see beyond the present and consider the power of changing lives, ours and those who follow.

When the various events of life enter our daily walk, let us consider how the choices we make impact our own leadership development and the development of others.

The movie industry is interesting. Take it or leave it, there are people who cannot imagine what the world would be like without movies. Personally, it would be interesting to see the world without the movie industry, but that is a post for another time.

A prequel refers to the stories or events preceding an existing work. The idea is fascinating and raises several thoughts connected to leadership.

The sequel involves what shows up as part two of an earlier “box office” sensation. The sequel is about what happens next.

Before we assumed the responsibilities of the work where we are presently, what events were connected to the story in our own lives prior to now? The foundational nature of these events has been instrumental in forming who we are today.

The question we may need to consider further is: what are we expecting to happen next? Have we determined the appropriate sequel to where we are now?

Wisdom is built upon remembering the past to understand the present, but vision is cast to prepare for the sequel in our leadership. What do we see?

The subject is as broad as it sounds and there are more questions to be asked than imaginable. Yet, the formation of an approach to adult leadership development is essential for the future.

One of the great downfalls currently facing the church involves the area of leadership.

Congregations are struggling with poorly equipped (at times unqualified) leaders, or no leadership at all. Sadly, too many congregations of the Lord’s people have no idea who will fill the needed leadership positions in the days ahead.

A plan needs to be developed in each congregation for the training, equipping, and developing of leaders to prepare for the spiritual warfare currently facing the church and what is to come.

God’s people need to recognize these challenges, and the current leadership of today must rise up to prepare leaders for tomorrow.

We should all be aware of the consequences of failing to plan for adult leadership development. What we need is a vision of the benefits that will be experienced for the Lord’s kingdom in the next generation. This impacts our children!

Strategy is a plan of action to achieve a desired aim or goal. General Norman Schwarzkopf claimed that, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

While character is the core and must hold higher value than strategy, at the same time, strategy is needed.

Without strategy, who is going to do what, for whom, when, and why? Without strategy, there are no plans to reach a goal, regardless of the goal(s) set before us.

We use strategy in several areas of everyday life. These strategies may not be written out in detail, but they are strategically oriented nonetheless.

We use strategies in traveling, family development, job description, biblical teaching, and much more.

We would be hard pressed to find an area of life where strategy is not involved at some level, so it behooves us to benefit from using strategy in leadership.

Leaders need to establish goals and establish a strategy in how to reach those goals, leading with the future in mind. Time will not be wasted in strategic development.