The answers to a question of this nature are subjective. Challenges, however, are going to be an active part of leading. Therefore, it serves leaders well to understand how to approach these challenges.

Monday’s posts for the next few weeks will look at a few of these challenges and how to address them.

Communication stands as one of the most challenging areas of leadership. Who is responsible for quality communication and how should leaders address this challenge?

Google articles on communication in leadership abound. Forbes has an online article that shares ten secrets about communication in leadership. Two of the secrets are significant:

1) Speak not with a forked tongue: When leaders have a reputation lacking character or based on poor character, people will not trust them. Communication and character go hand in hand in building trust.

2) Speak to groups as individuals: Leaders who establish a personal atmosphere where people feel they are spoken to directly as an individual builds a rapport where a leader is heard.

Please read the article and learn more ways to face the challenge of communicating in leadership.

“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” Franklin P. Jones

As we near the end of the first week in the new year, several thoughts could be shared to help us approach every situation, relationship and decision, but one word encompasses the whole of our leadership for the year ahead: love.

While we often hear that love makes the world go round, this is little more than a nice saying. The thought by Jones only adds to the expression with another nice saying, but the commonality of both statements is the whole of perfection.

Love is the perfect bond of unity.

Love is the greatest among faith, hope and love.

Loving neighbor as self is the fulfillment of the royal law.

Perfect love casts out fear.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is to be demonstrated above all to God, toward friend, spouse, brother and enemy.

There is much more that could be said about love, but suffice it to say; when love is the foundation, formation, and finishing of our words and actions, godly leadership is exemplified.

How well are we keeping our resolutions? Yes, it is only the second day, but surprisingly, many do not make it past the first day. How are we doing?

The focus of this question is more concerned with spiritual matters than physical.

The idea of a resolute heart involves five thoughts for keeping our resolutions throughout the year.

Spiritual leaders must be determined, unwavering in the course that has been decided.

A second thought shows leaders to be purposeful. Nothing is done by accident. This thought indicates exactness to every word and action.

Leaders are adamant. They cannot be persuaded by error or distracted by trivial matters that keep them from focusing on the goal ahead.

Courage is not a quality of a resolute heart, but the decision made by leaders when needed in the moment they must be courageous.

The final thought identifies leaders as unshakable. Leaders can be pulled in many directions. However, the heart of a resolute leader is one that cannot be shaken from its foundation.

Let God’s leaders possess and apply these five thoughts as we move into 2014.

Happy New Year is appropriate for today’s post. The start of a new year is exciting as a freshness of new beginnings exists.

An evaluation of the past year results in resolutions to improve. These areas may include physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual needs.

The first step is recognizing the need to improve. Unless we are able to see the need to improve, the steps that follow have no value. The urgency of the need changes the approach to the next step.

The second step is a resolution to make the improvements. The stronger the resolve, the higher the chance of achieving the improvement. Without the desire to make changes, recognizing the need is only a wish in disguise.

The third step is implementation of the resolution. Many people make resolutions each year and often times throughout the year. However, the difference between those who fail and succeed with their resolutions is a plan to implement the resolution. How will we accomplish the goal?

If leaders in the Lord’s church will approach 2014 with these thoughts in mind, God will make great things happen through us.

Five words are associated with the word of the week: organization, arrangement, design, forethought and groundwork. These components occupy a key role as leaders look at the year ahead.

Forethought: When planning for the future, forethought includes vision, goals, mission, core values, people, and obstacles.

Groundwork: What foundation must be prepared and laid before successive steps? The groundwork needed will be based on the forethought given to the specific nature of planning.

Organization: How is the organization structured for the new year? Are changes needed to achieve the plans for organizational success? An organization cannot outgrow the strength of its leadership.

Arrangement: The arrangement of each component is critical for development. Have the pieces been arranged to logically move from one stage to the next?

Design: The design stage in planning is where the dreams unfold into direction. Does the design provide the proper layout of steps that insure success?

When leaders in the Lord’s kingdom stop to give thought to planning based on these five components, the reality of success occurs at the right time and the right place.

An interesting place exists between one point and the next, a position of assessing what has been and determining what is yet to come.

This place is a deciding junction. Between yesterday and today is where leaders dream about the future, envision the possibilities and plan for ways to achieve greatness in the Lord’s kingdom.

One day remains in 2013.  Another year will be history and a new one begins. We cannot return to change the words or actions of yesterday. We can only look to the year ahead and make the appropriate changes to insure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

As we consider the best approach to directing the steps of a new year, may we all remember three simple principles.

1) No matter where the road leads, God is with us. This is the beauty of Immanuel.

2) Our influence is worth the price paid to provide an example to emulate.

3) The strength to achieve any task is measured by the desire to succeed.

Time is a valuable commodity, and that moment between yesterday and today is an opportunity to direct the future to make a difference.

“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” Jim Rohn

Improving others is one of the greatest keys to successful leadership. A recent reminder demonstrated the need to remember that leaders lose the right to think about self.

The task before leaders today involves working to develop others into something greater.

For those who do poorly, leaders should involve themselves in helping others do well. For the ones who do well, leaders can help them do even better.

The quality is simple. We are talking about the idea of genuine love.

When leaders care for and demonstrate love for others, they will always work to serve, placing the needs and desires of others above their own.

This attitude was beautifully exemplified in the life of Jesus and, as Christians, we have a responsibility to help the world around us see what Christianity truly looks like.

Hopefully, along the way, we will encourage the fainthearted and strengthen the mature, allowing both to fulfill what God intended in their leadership.

For Canadians, today is Boxing Day. The background to this day is worth the Google. However, for most, the idea of what happens the morning after Christmas requires a moment of thought.

Those who enjoy the holiday season continue to go on spreading the joy of family and fellowship celebrating with a little extra vacation time.

Many will return to work. When a holiday falls in the middle of the week, regardless of when it is set, the morning after is a matter of returning to the routine.

For some, a level of frustration is lifted, as the whole “commercialization” of Christmas that has swept the nation is past and they are just glad it is over.

Still, there are those who never have opportunity to celebrate with family or friends. The season is filled with sadness, and they are ready to move ahead.

Regardless of where we fit in the list above, this is a time to focus on a brighter future. Help others recognize that today is the first step to a better tomorrow.

Today’s post is a simple greeting to you and your family.

I pray God will bless your day, like many others, with the opportunity
to share time with family and enjoy the abundance of God’s blessings
(physically and spiritually).

I am thankful for each of you and hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

The Turner Family

Essence is the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character. It is further described by words such as: substance, principle, fundamental quality, sum and substance.

The idea behind this description raises several questions and ideas for consideration.

What is the essence of our leadership?

When others consider that indispensable quality of our leaders that determines our character, how would they describe it?

Is there any substance to the fundamental qualities of our leadership?

The essence of our leadership needs to be built upon the ideas expressed by David when asking questions connected to dwelling with God in Psalm 15: the one “who walks with integrity, works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.”

We often focus on the ideas of “integrity, righteousness, and truth.” These are good and worthy to be at the core of our leading.

However, the idea behind “walks, works and speaks” is significant to describe the whole of the individual, what they think, do and say. Godly leaders know that when the whole of life’s activities is defined by integrity, righteousness and truth, others will follow.