In a skeptical and negative world, a ray of optimism often fails to shine on many situations.

However, optimism serves leaders in much greater ways than the skepticism and negativity so rampant in the influences of our daily life.

Helen Keller said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

Three words stand out as part of this statement: faith, hope, and confidence. Each word feeds on the other and they are interdependent in the relationship between them.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, according to Hebrews 11:1. Hope represents an earnest expectation. The confidence that exists in the arena of hope is fueled by the faith that drives the optimism needed to achieve incredible results.

Leaders need to stop and focus on the influences in their life and how, as a leader, they influence others. The result must direct attention towards the positivity needed to alter the paths of those who follow.

What can we do to further develop this optimistic attitude? Read more tomorrow…

More material has been written about leadership than one can possible keep up with and remember. There are formulas, logistics, diagrams, suggestions, qualities, and laws that continue to remind us of the ever changing field of leadership.

When we narrow it down, one of the most powerful thoughts about leadership is the responsibility to bring out the best in others. Isn’t that what we all desire?

Although the author is unknown, this quote is amazing. “In life, you will realize there is a role for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you, some will love you, and some will teach you. But the ones who are truly important are the ones who bring out the best in you. They are the rare and amazing people who remind you why it’s worth it.”

For all who desire to learn more about leadership, may we always remember that our task in this life is to bring out the best in other people. We all want to be our best, live up to our best, and surround ourselves with people who help us perform at our best. If we can provide this for others, we will discover that people are drawn to follow.

There is no doubt that the world is filled with negativity. We cannot escape the abundance of negative and toxic people, activities, or news.

However, the choice is ours to allow or not allow this negative and toxic element to take up residence in our mind.

Robert Tew makes a powerful suggestion: “Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.”

A few ideas might help when considering what to do when negativity exists.

Avoid as much as possible. Caution should be given to what we listen to or read.

Learn to walk away or turn it off. Subjecting ourselves to negativity when it begins will not achieve positive results.

Find positive people to spend time with daily. A few minutes with a positive influence lifts the spirit like nothing else.

Be the most enthusiastic person you know. Positive reinforcement is biblical; “for as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Prov. 23:7).

The choice is ours to make, but leadership cannot thrive when the mind dwells on negative and toxic influence (cf. Phil. 4:8).

A good friend, Diane Burton, wrote a book entitled The Master’s Masterpiece, which can be purchased at Amazon. The idea of a masterpiece relates a number of thoughts. The most common idea involves a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.

These terms relate to several areas from art to mechanics. However, one of the most fascinating is humanity.

The Greek term is poiema, the workmanship of God. The description given by Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus paints a beautiful picture of what God creates in Christ Jesus.

The term is extremely interesting because the root form of this word means “to make happen.” The indication is that God is instrumental in making a new creation happen through Christ Jesus (cf. 2 Co. 5:17).

The idea further indicates the purpose for which we have been made this masterpiece: to make good works happen that were previously prepared by God.

An application to leadership seems obvious. God has given leaders an opportunity to lead in the greatest work on earth, the poiema of God to make His will happen.

Every individual has talent in one way or another. Some have more and some less, but everyone has talent. We need to remember a statement made by Jose Marti, “Talent is a gift that brings with it an obligation to serve the world, and not ourselves, for it is not of our making.”

Two major ideas stand out.

First, talent is a gift. There is not enough space to dig into all the details of this statement. We all have opportunities to develop our talent. Through education or experience we can develop natural gifts and improve the use of our talent to serve others.

Second, there is an obligation to use our talents to serve the greater good. To think that the abilities we have are only for ourselves is an incredible act of narcissism. As stated above, the talent we have is not of our making. The obligation we must fulfill is to serve the good of others.

The application of this thought could be one of the most world changing steps in leadership. This example, as demonstrated by godly leaders, illustrates one of the most significant forms of biblical love.

A few years ago, one of the students at the Bible Institute wrote about Kenneson’s approach to self-control. Instead of putting it in my words, it seemed best for all of us to learn from his words.

The paradox of self-control is clearly stated; self-control is about being master over self by making self the servant (224). In both cases, the master, and subject are both self. Self-control should not be focused on self. While this at first seems to be confusing, Kenneson does a great job of explaining what he means in the rest of the chapter. 

Most people read the fruit of the Spirit as things to be done outward, towards other people, then come to self-control and see this as being focused inwardly. This is an incorrect assumption. Self-control, like the rest, is to be focused on others, or as Kenneson puts it “others-directed” (237). 

It should stand to reason that if we are others-directed we would cultivate the self-control we need, not with self as the focus but with the focus on others. Kenneson does an amazing job at answering as to how we are to have self-control and not be self-centered.

Kenneson describes the character of faithfulness as rooted in the very character of God. Reliability, steadfastness, constancy, fidelity, dependability, trustworthiness are all words describing the character of God’s faithfulness and must be the character of leaders demonstrated toward others.

Because of the increasing instability of our culture, we find several obstacles to faithfulness.

Nurturing the temporal and disposable elements of life challenge a lasting faithfulness. Shunning commitments and learning the proper objects of our loyalty are also obstacles to our faithfulness as leaders.

However, we cultivate faithfulness in the following ways:

Celebrating God’s abiding presence. When we lift up our God in worship it serves as a reminder of His faithfulness to us.

Making and keeping promises demonstrates to others the example we follow in the faithfulness of God.

Telling the truth also strengthens the confidence of others in our faithfulness in all areas.

Kenneson raises several powerful questions and provides suggestions to the “others-directed” nature of faithfulness worth the time to read (194-195).

Patience is often claimed to be a desired virtue, but one we fail to demonstrate. How can patience be cultivated in a society that is geared toward productivity.

The clock becomes a slave driver and the loss of control challenges our level of patience.

Kenneson claims that patience, or being a patient, have the common thread of yielding control to another (109).

Biblical patience has an object, not patience for the purpose of patience, but for the sake of another.

The obstacles to patience include several areas: segmenting, regulating, and hoarding time, as well as, exalting productivity, and the desire for speed. In a culture driven by such areas our patience is tested to its full strength.

Patience can be cultivated by remembering our relationship with God, including God’s patience with us in those times we were stumbling through life trying to determine our place in God’s redemptive story.

We also cultivate patience by thinking of time differently––as a gift instead of commodity.

Demonstrating patience helps support the strength of leadership as others are led to see the working of God through Christ for their lives.

Cultivating love in an unbelievable environment of marketing is one of the great challenges to the Christian life and leadership.

Considering the loose way love is used is borderline blasphemous. Kenneson makes a pointed remark; “…some may justifiably doubt whether a word that can be applied with ease to both God and pizza can illuminate the character of the Christian life” (37). This statement challenges our thinking.

The character of love, as defined by God, is a love that is unmerited, steadfast, suffering, and knows no bounds. It should move us to consider there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and nothing we can do to make Him love us less. His very essence is love.

We cannot examine the love of God without recognizing the “other-directedness” nature. Love is always divinely defined by what is done for others, in this case, you and me.

In a marketing environment that is based on self-interest and one that puts a price on everything (and everyone), cultivating love will require a devotion of our time in building relationships.

This builds leadership.

After reading Life on the Vine, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community by Philip Kenneson, a number of thoughts came to mind that seem relevant for 2017.

One of the key ideas expressed in this book involves learning to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:19-21.

Demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit falls in line with his thesis, which focuses on others, an “others-directed,” rather than a “self-directed” approach to living the Christian life.

In the opening chapter Kenneson discusses the idea of “Dying on the Vine.” This chapter is a strong examination of where we are spiritually.

Leaders can try to ignore, deny, or neglect the reality of the present situation, or take steps to form a different direction, one that is directed toward others to help them walk more closely with the Savior.

These steps are what we will examine in the days ahead by examining the fruit of the Spirit and how we can avoid the fleshly desires that distract us from walking after the Spirit in our daily life.