Is this urgent or essential? What should you stop doing? These two questions laid the foundation for the questions that great leaders ask.

The third question Mike Maddock contributes in this Forbes article is another step in leadership development; “What makes you feel strongest?”

There is no doubt when it comes to great leaders they understand their strengths and weaknesses. They know the areas where they are weak and how to find the individuals who have strengths in those areas.

By doing so, great leaders continue to focus on their strengths. Numerous sources claim that leaders should focus 80% of their time in areas of their strengths and only 20% in areas of weakness.

While this may sound opposite to what we might consider the right approach, great leaders tend to prove the theory.

Focusing on the areas of passion and strength makes a good leader great, and a great leader outstanding.

The challenge for us is taking the time to ask the right questions and make sure we are providing the answers to deliver what is needed to reach our greatest potential.

The idea of a contingency indicates a provision for future possibilities. When circumstances change the course of action, a contingency should be in place.

The one consistency facing leadership today is change. Apart from the changes in fields such as technology, science, medicine, etc., people and circumstances change!

When leaders cast the vision, pointing others to the goal, and establishing the plans to reach the goal, there will be change. Several questions need to be considered when thinking about the word for the week.

What contingency is in place for the time when changes occur?

Are the consequences of a contingency minimal?

Will the contingency create a loss of morale for followers?

Who will implement the contingency during the transition?

How will the contingency affect the overall vision and goals?

When is the appropriate time to initiate the contingency?

The questions may not always be the easiest to answer, but having a contingency can help negotiate the challenges that occur when change is inevitable.

The old adage “to be forewarned is to be forearmed” does have merit when leading others.

“The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.” John W. Holt, Jr.

Several thoughts came to mind when first reading this quote. The idea of the test of one’s character is powerful and needed. The thought of character itself is also a great subject when considering leadership.

However, the main thought here has to do with behavior; specifically, how leaders behave when they don’t know what to do.

There will always be times when leaders struggle with knowing what should be done. During these times their character is truly tested to its limits.

The qualities of patience, understanding, thoughtful reflection, and being cautious are important. Decisions can be made too rashly and without the proper foundation. The result can bring serious consequences which could be avoided.

Learning to seek the counsel of others who have walked the same paths can open leaders up to greater wisdom, possible alternatives, and new angles of consideration.

When leaders find themselves not knowing what to do, the first option is to begin with prayer!

Solomon relates the value of a word spoken in the right circumstances “like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

The analogy emphasizes the value of speaking the right words at the right time.

Very few principles carry more weight in leadership than this one. When leaders speak the right words at the right time it strengthens their leadership immeasurably.

The challenge is how to develop this ability. What will assist leaders in developing this quality?

1) Learn to actively listen. One of the best attributes to learning what to say at the right time is to listen intensely at what is and is not being said by others. There are times the silence speaks more to the need than the actual words.

2) Think long and hard before speaking. The most common tendency is to speak as soon as the thought crosses our mind. More than one relationship has been damaged because someone spoke something off color, harshly, or in anger without thinking of how the words might affect someone else.

These two principles lay a powerful foundation to a word spoken in the right circumstance.

Last week began a series of four questions great leaders ask. The article written by Mike Maddock for Forbes has powerful insight into questions leaders should ask. The first question involved answering the difference between what is essential and urgent.

The second question is one that also demands thought: “What should you stop doing?”

This question follows on the heels of the first. Once a leader has an understanding of what is essential, there are certain other elements to be eliminated.

These elements are distracting and become time stealers, robbing leaders of the time to focus on matters of an essential nature.

Through the process of eliminating areas of lesser importance (what we should stop doing), leaders can focus their time and energy on the essential side of a “to-do” list.

The implication for spiritual leadership is significant. Spiritual leaders realize the need to prioritize life and work by recognizing the proper balance between what is urgent versus essential.

As we make our way through each question, please take time to consider the answers in application to the leadership needed in the church today.

Substance is a particular kind of matter with uniform properties. However, having a technical definition does not adequately describe the definition and application of this word in leadership.

Substance also involves a quality of being important, valid, or significant. Simply stated, substance is the stuff that makes up leadership.

What is the substance that makes up the character of our leadership? Integrity? Work ethic? Core values?

Is there something significant that stands out giving credibility to leadership substance?

Can others see the substance of our leadership?

Only you and I can answer these questions for ourselves. The substance of spiritual leadership must not be self-centered, but others-centered. The quality that validates the importance of leadership is not built upon “I,” but “you.” The substance of good leadership is about “we.”

When our leadership is evaluated, we need to take advantage of the opportunity to ask ourselves hard questions to determine the substance of our leadership. This is where the true character of leadership is found.

As important and needed as leadership is today, it is worth our time to focus on the substance.

Advances in technology have just about changed every area of life; and it has affected avenues of leadership.

Technology is not backing off in the direction of the future. The development of technology influences every individual.

Therefore, leaders need to learn how best to use technology to assist in their leadership.

First, do not deny, reject, or excuse the technology that exists. The use of technology is not going away, nor is it slowing down. Hoping it will go away is an exercise in futility.

Second, be open to and take time to learn. I am not referring to being an expert, but it would serve leaders well to learn how to use the basics. Seek help.

Third, use areas of technology where followers are engaged. If they are using Facebook, then get on Facebook. It is amazing what is learned through the status posted by followers.

Fourth, always approach and use technology as a tool for building up others.

These four suggestions are a starting point. If we will use technology appropriately, it can be a tool of great influence for the kingdom. Think Souls!

“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’. They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.” Peter F. Drucker

Peter Drucker’s thought challenges the core of leadership influence.

When a leader spends time talking about or writing about themselves, using ‘I’ in reference to their own abilities, achievements, or plans, influence is lost.

One of the most outstanding points of Drucker’s quote is thinking “we” and “team.”

The greatest thrill of leadership is recognizing what “we” are able to do, what “we” have achieved, and what “our” plans are for the future. Lao Tzu claims the aim of leadership is fulfilled when followers say, “We did it ourselves.”

Nothing could be more powerful for spiritual leaders than learning to live by the thought of the day.

Various phrases within the Psalms provide depth in their meaning at different points in the life of leaders.

Knowing the background to these phrases also adds to the strength gained from the message contained within them.

As David seeks God’s forgiveness for his sin and transgression, he also pleads with God to create within him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit.

Leaders meet with numerous challenges ranging from personal sin to the opposition of others. As well, there will be periods of isolation and transition where leaders begin questioning their leadership, even their ability to lead.

During these times, where and how do leaders receive this renewal?

1) Going to the source of renewal is a good place to start. Plead with God for a renewed spirit.

2) Spend time listening to what God says. The more time spent in God’s word the stronger the renewal.

3) Reflect on past leadership. Remember what has been done by God through our leadership.

4) Seek counsel with others who have experienced the same trials.

May God always be present to renew a steadfast spirit in the times when it is needed most.

Voltaire is noted as having said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

The Forbes website provides information about several areas concerning leadership.

An article in June focused on “Four Questions Great Leaders Ask,” beginning with the quote from Voltaire. Over the next few weeks we want to look at each of these questions and how they apply to spiritual leaders.

The first question: “Is this urgent or essential?”

Every leader wrestles with determining the difference between urgent and essential matters. Often times the urgent matters distract leaders from what is essential.

While leaders in every field deal with how to address the balance between these two areas, the stakes increase when considering spiritual / eternal matters.

Jesus was the Master in asking questions. One of the great studies of the Gospel accounts involves the questions asked by or of Jesus. A study of these questions demonstrates the powerful leadership of our Lord.

Spiritual leaders are needed who recognize what is essential and lead with an urgency to help others discover the way to what is essential for their lives.