Tag: Challenge

A Leadership Challenge

While a challenge often involves a form of competition, the most relevant definition describes a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities.

Two primary thoughts should be considered in relationship to leaders.

1) Leaders must challenge themselves. We must find ways to test our abilities to strengthen the character of our leadership.

2) Leaders must challenge others. The idea is to present tasks or situations where the abilities of followers are tested to produce personal growth.

People arise to what is expected. If little or nothing is expected, then little or nothing is given. However, experience has proven that when leaders provide encouragement and expectation, followers come through.

Leading with Prayer

I recently heard a question asked, “Do we believe in prayer?”

Most people can attest to God answering prayers in powerful ways.

Perhaps the struggle we have deals with the temptation to doubt when various trials arise and challenge our faith in God’s power to answer.

There is no magic formula, special words, proper position, or time of day that makes a difference in prayer.

For Christians, prayer is about the simplicity of a humble heart that trusts God to answer in His time, in His ways, and in our best interest.

We may not always understand, but prayer is foundational to powerful leadership.

Success and Vision

Before we can experience success, we must understand what we mean by success.

The definition of success on a personal and corporate level takes on different dimensions accordingly. We also find that the definition of success often changes with the stage and development of one’s life.

If we do not know how to define success, creating a vision for the future will be met with great challenge.

When we do not know the destination, how will we ever know if we reach it? Beyond this, why would anyone be passionate about pursuing the vision?

Unless we define success, any thought of vision crumbles with mediocrity.

Unscriptural or Uncomfortable?

There is a difference in something being uncomfortable versus unscriptural.

The challenge is recognizing the difference, but how?

Know the book. When knowledge of God’s word is weak, leaders will struggle to know if something is biblical or not.

Seek wisdom through prayer. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools and often neglected. God says ask for wisdom and it will be given.

Ask the right questions.
What does the Bible say about this matter? Is this practice tradition? Should it continue? How will it affect the church?

Be patient. No decision should be made in one meeting. Give it time, but be careful not to procrastinate.

Informing Others

The challenge to leadership exists when there is a lack of communication.

When leaders do not keep others informed, people grow suspicious, begin to distrust leaders, doubt a leaders ability, and become anxious.

However, when leaders keep others informed, great things can happen.

What kind of information needs to be provided?

Inform others why changes are being made.
Inform others of the plans for the change.
Inform others of who will be needed to accomplish the change.
Inform others of challenges / or hindrances facing the plans.
Inform others of the needs.

When leaders communicate / inform others, trustworthy and loyal relationships develop. It is time for God’s leaders to lead.

Improving Your Leadership

Leaders understand the necessity of growing, improving who they are and all they do. They understand that leading others assumes a responsibility that demands growth.

While certain choices are made one time for all time, other choices require a daily commitment to achieve. For leaders to become better in who they are and what they do, deciding daily to improve goes far in achieving results.

Be decisive. It is about a decision to move beyond the present circumstances.

To remain neutral only supports stagnation and ultimately failure. Leaders know the dangers and seek to avoid such an outcome. Challenge yourself to get better.

Courageous Leadership

Leaders need courage, but what does that mean?

We often think of courage as a quality or characteristic that people possess or develop. Some people have it and some do not.

However, courage is a decision to act bravely when you are scared to death. It is easy to say we have courage when everything operates smoothly, but what about in times of challenge, controversy, or conflict?

It takes courage to stand against the influences of false teaching, to address disciplinary matters, to stand for right decisions (even if unpopular or unaccepted by some), and do so with a gentleness and love that demonstrates concern for every individual.

A Tenacious Leader

A tenacious leader possesses a certain ability to hold on to something tightly with an incredible determination.

Look around. It does not take much to see how tenacity affects all areas of life, from recreation to religion. When we examine our priorities we generally find our tenacity.

How can we become more tenacious?

1) Be passionate and remove the impossibility factor.
2) Know what is worth dying for.
3) Have a clear vision of God.
4) Challenge yourself and others to do something great!

These ideas can create a whole new approach to our leadership and move others to greater heights of fulfillment in the Lord’s kingdom.

Enduring Leadership

Have you ever found yourself wanting to give up when facing adversity, challenge, or controversy?

Harriet Beecher Stowe once said, “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

Consider two important ideas: 1) Perseverance is vital if we are to experience the turning tide, and 2) The reward has greater sweetness when we endure.

The commonality for both is the need to hang on a minute longer and never let go.

A Critical Step

At times, it is extremely difficult to make a decision that involves taking steps in a direction that may go against the grain, challenge tradition, or ruffle someone’s feathers.

When this happens, it is critical to have the confidence of knowing the proper due diligence has been done to ensure the decision is right to direct the future development of the work.

To be critical involves an evaluative and analytical approach to various situations. Leaders who evaluate with a critical eye will analyze the situation in ways that provide possible solutions for overcoming challenges.

The next step should be a critical one.