Problem resolution is one of the most challenging areas of leadership. Leaders will face problems.

A few years ago I heard the story of an Olympian luge driver discussing the danger of the curves. He said; ‘you cannot negotiate the curve while you are in it. You must negotiate the curve before you get there.”

This has great application especially in problem resolution. Is it possible to see problems before we reach them? Can we negotiate a resolution before we face the problem?

Yes, and here are a few suggestions to consider.

Anticipate problems. We strive to avoid problems at all cost, even if we have to deny it exists. This will not work.

Talk to problem solvers. There are great leaders who have dealt with problems on many levels. Spend time with them and learn from their insight.

Practice what is called the 101% principle. Find the one percent we agree on and give 100% to it. If we build on where we agree, problems are resolved more quickly.

This does not exhaust the possibilities, but it provides a foundation to negotiate the curve before we reach it.

We need short and long term goals. Plans should be developed with a vision of 50 years into the future.

However, problems can arise when we look 50 years ahead.

Initiating enthusiasm when looking at the big picture can be easy. Visualizing the overall accomplishment the first few weeks and months is exciting.

The problem is maintaining enthusiasm and motivation along the way.

We get discouraged when facing the day to day routine of the work. We struggle with a slower pace and not accomplishing enough quickly. We tend to lose sight of the overall goal.

The first time I heard about the “rule of elephants” I began to understand about reaching long term goals. The way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Accomplishing long term goals involves finding a way to break it down in short term goals where we can see progress more quickly.

With each step in accomplishing the short term goals, we are making strides at the long haul.

When we achieve success in smaller tasks, it easier to stay excited about being involved in reaching the long term goals.

Several thoughts come to mind concerning a legacy. The most prominent involves how we want to be remembered when we are gone.

I once read ‘legacy is not what you leave to, but what you leave behind.’

Will our legacy have physical or spiritual connections? Are we simply leaving behind an accumulation of wealth and possessions, or are we leaving an eternal foundation?

Perhaps we need to ask, do we even know the legacy we want to leave? Have we given thought to our legacy? Once we know the legacy we want to leave, then we must live that legacy now.

From a spiritual perspective, when we depart from this physical realm we should leave others in a position to do great things for the Lord without us. This is the heart of true legacy.

Choose who you want to carry on your legacy.
Pass on to them what you want to carry on.
Remember to model your legacy.

Leadership is not about the here and now, but the hereafter. If we build our leadership around this idea, the legacy we leave will have lasting rewards.

A leader must be a student. Leaders must study several areas. Spiritually, we must be students of two worlds.

We must know the world we live in physically. We need to know the challenges people face in this world. We need to know the struggles and trials. We need to know about national and international events.

Spiritual leadership involves leading others to Christ and ultimately to heaven. If we do not know the physical challenges of this world, it is hard to lead them to the next.

Therefore, we must also know the world we are living for spiritually. Because we have never been there, being a student in this realm is difficult. We must rely on the information God provides in His word. We must be a student of His word.

When we study the physical and spiritual realm, we will begin to see why scripture emphasizes the need for us to prepare ourselves now for then.

All we say and do now is building a foundation for the world to come. As spiritual leaders, our task involves helping others reach the same destination. Think Souls!

Leadership is action, not position.  ~Donald H. McGannon

Seemingly short, but powerful in thought. It is only five simple words, yet the truth flows from this thought.

Leadership is commonly thought to involve being elevated to a position. However, the position did not make them a leader. They may have worn the title, but their leadership went no further.

My observation of others gained momentum when I began teaching a course on leadership. What is it about some people exemplifying leadership, while others do not seem to have it?

The answer is based in the quote above. It is about action!

The greatest leadership (God) is found in the greatest act (gave His only begotten Son) built in the greatest motive (so loved the world).

When the best interest of others is met by the action of spiritual leaders, leadership will not be about position.

Let the spiritual focus of our thoughts become words intended to edify others. Let the intent of our words be built on the foundation of our actions. Then true leadership will be seen.

Opportunity involves circumstances leading to possibility. Unless we can see the possibility, we will never take advantage of the opportunity.

How many opportunities were missed because we could not see the possibilities?

Do we fail to see the possibilities because we are wearing spiritual blinders?

God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. God was going to give him and his descendants all the land.

Jesus told the apostles to lift up their eyes and look. The apostles needed to see through the eyes of God at the precious souls of the Samaritans.

What do we see when we look at our coworkers?
What do we see when we look at our families?
What do we see when we look at the people walking the aisles at the grocery store?
What do we see when we look at our brothers and sisters sitting on the pew next to us during worship?

It is time for us to lift up our eyes and look. The door is open. What will we see when we look through it? What will we do?

Over the last 30 years of my adult life I have been involved in more meetings than I care to remember. Some of those meetings were productive. Others were a waste of time. I am sure you can relate.

However, looking back over the past 30 years brings a flood of memories of time well spent. When I think of those moments I am thankful I was given the opportunity.

The apostle Paul looked back on his life with spiritual thoughtfulness. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…”

The terminology is past tense. He knew his time was well spent.

When we examine our lives as leaders, can we look back on our lives and influence in the Lord’s kingdom as time well spent?

There will always be areas we wish we could change. We must learn from those areas and make sure we do not repeat them.

The time we have been given is ours to use. I pray we will live so as to look back and think it was time well spent.

One of the key words in the Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is ‘power.’ The primary idea is built on the ‘power of God.’ In fact, the letter begins with making this statement three times.

What is it about the word ‘power’ that appeals to the role of spiritual leadership?

Does it involve the realm of authority?
Is it having control?
Could it possibly be the role of making decisions?

Spiritually, the answer to these questions is simply NO!

The idea involves the ability to do something or act in a specific way, to direct and influence the behavior and course of others.

By ourselves, you and I do not possess this kind of power, at least not spiritually. Power is about God’s ability to direct and influence the behavior of others. It is about God’s power to change the lives of those who accept the abundance of God’s love, mercy and grace in humility and obedience.

The word of the cross is God’s power to save. It will save you and me. Can we share it with others? Think Souls.

Like most people, I grew up hearing something like; “son, when I was your age I used to…” The idea speaks of the past.

At times we view the past with great fondness. Do you remember the good ole’ days?

At other times we look to the past with regret over words or actions we cannot change.

Still, there are times when we look at the past with hope of greater opportunities for the future.

We cannot live in the past. As well, we cannot change it.

Our leadership is not about the past. It is about the future. Spiritual leadership is not about leading people where they have been, but where they need to go.

Paul knew the regret of words and actions of the past. He also knew he could not allow the past to dictate the direction of the future. Instead, he chose to focus on what lies ahead.

We, too, must remember the work of spiritual leadership. We must not allow the past to dictate our direction.

Acknowledge it. Learn from it. Leave it where it is.

We must be focused on the future. Think Souls.

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold Glasow

All leaders will face problems. How we deal with problems makes the difference.

I commonly hear people speak of moving from one fire (problem) to another. When one fire is out, they are racing to the next. At some point, there are too many fires to put out and leaders find themselves overloaded and unable to resolve any of the problems well.

What will help us with these problems before they become emergencies?

Address problems when they arise. Waiting for problems to resolve themselves, or ignoring problems is a denial of our role in leadership.

Rely on wise counsel. Resolving problems based on our own wisdom and experience can be effective, but Solomon teaches the value of wise counsel.

Learn to delegate. Get others involved in problem resolution. Assigning tasks to others will help create confidence in their ability to reach a solution.

Our task as spiritual leaders is to provide a solution based in God’s word. Here, and only here, can real solutions be found.