Tag: Change

Godly Leaders…

William Arthur Ward said, “The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give.”

Learning, growing, changing, overcoming, caring, serving, daring, befriending and giving are key elements found in the activity of great leaders.

Additional words are also significant: adventure, purpose, nature, challenge, essence, opportunity, secret, spice and beauty.

Each word is intricately positioned and lends to the development of godly leaders.

Change and Leadership…

We have become a bit more familiar with change. Resistance, opposition, denial, and rejection characterize the approach of many when it comes to change, while others accept it.

We often hear that change is bad, but it can also be good. It is safe to say, change is part of our daily existence.

As leaders, our task is to determine the best way to navigate these times of change. Leaders need the following.

1) Growth-mindset: Growth always, and I mean always, involves change.
2) Flexibility: Without knowing when to be flexible, change can be destructive.
3) Discernment: Leaders must distinguish between the negotiable and non-negotiable.

Trust…

Good leadership requires trust. In his book Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger writes, “No one is going to follow you off the map unless they trust you on it.”

Introducing change challenges any leader to their core. The resistance to change discourages leaders, yet it is inevitable.

While not absolute, often times the problem exists because leaders have not gained trust while leading on the map in order to have people follow them off the map.

Trust is built over time and leaders do not gain trust simply because they have a title or position. When they demonstrate credibility and competence, trust grows.

Contingent Leadership…

The one consistency facing leadership today is change. Apart from technology, science, medicine, etc., people change!

When leaders cast the vision, point others to the goal, and establish plans, change occurs. Several questions should be considered.

What contingency is in place when changes occur?
Are the consequences of a contingency minimal?
Will the contingency create a loss of morale?
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?

Answering a few questions can help negotiate challenges that occur when change is inevitable.

Leadership Instant Replay…

Instant replay slows down the action to examine every angle of a tackle or pass, a pitch or batter’s swing, a three point shot or gliding slam dunk, and the same is true with other events.

Think about a leadership instant replay.

How would it change our leadership if we could review our words and actions? 

What would the future look like if we could carefully examine each play?

While we cannot change the past, we can evaluate and make changes. Learn from mistakes of the past. Recognize warning signs. Think before speaking and acting, especially if angry.

In some ways, it is a leadership instant replay.

Consistent Leadership…

We’ve all heard, “If you don’t like the weather, stick around. It will change in five minutes.” 

Inconsistency appears to be consistent when considering the weather. What about our leadership?

Do people see us one minute in perfect form and the next cold and stormy, leaving everyone wondering what they should do or say?

Often times, uncertainty exists among followers because inconsistency reigns among their leaders.

Leadership involves a process by which we learn to demonstrate the consistent qualities of godliness so followers know exactly what to expect.

When we do, the strength of our leadership will shape the lives of others with the same standard.

Learning from Yesterday…

I am aware we cannot live in the past, nor can we return and change it. If we all had a chance to live yesterday over I am sure there are areas we would change.

Yesterday provides a benefit to our leadership in several ways.

1) We learn from the successes and failures.
2) We plan a better future based on history.
3) We establish measures to prevent duplicating mistakes.
4) We lead others on a straighter course.

I know we all strive to survive the present with an anticipation of the future. However, we also need to stop occasionally and benefit from the past.

Do We Need To Change?

We often hear, “Change is not always good, but it is not always bad either.”

While reading quotes from Jack Welch, one struck a cord, “If the rate of change inside an organization is less than the rate of change outside the organization…their end is in sight.”

Let’s clarify, this is not about changing the message. The message never changes. However, methodology must change. If not, what we’ve experienced in recent years will continue.

Leaders must communicate the need for change and how to implement it timely. They must also ensure that the change inside keeps up appropriately with the change outside.

Doing so prevents the end and provides success.

Apathy and Indifference…

Has apathy and indifference robbed us of our faith?

Today’s news is old by tomorrow and forgotten the day after. We are bombarded with change, and these changes occur so quickly there is no accurate measurement of time to gauge it. 

We are so easily and quickly bored with the events that come and go that it doesn’t matter any more, nor do we care. 

Spiritually, we are not keeping up with these changes. Therefore, have apathy and indifference robbed us of our fire?

Leaders must guard against both. 

When we care about the people and events around us, we work to protect them from spiritual tragedy. Let us rise up!

Improving our Leadership…

Drastic changes have occurred in the weather recently. While meteorologists may not always get the forecast right, as technology improves so does the accuracy of their predictions.

The same is true in leadership. There are tools available that improve our ability to lead.

Are we learning to use these tools correctly? 
How are we using them to improve our leadership?
Do we make excuses because we lack the desire to use them?

One day we will give an account for all that God has entrusted to us. We cannot excuse ourselves by thinking we did not want to learn how to use the tools He provided.