Tag: Culture

Positive Leadership…

Is it possible in our culture to avoid negativity? No! We cannot completely avoid negativity. Sadly, we are surrounded by it. We often face so much negativity it becomes difficult to see anything positive.

What can we do to limit negativity’s influence?

Why not begin at God’s throne and seek guidance in overcoming the issue.
A good dose of optimism from friends is another place to help.
Limiting social media is a positive direction.
Commit to saying at least five positive things every day.

These few steps will move us in a positive direction.

Reasonable and Rational…

Insanity – “doing the same things in the same way and expecting different results.”

We often practice a level of insanity when approaching leadership, we do the same things the way we have always done them, yet we expect different results.

Culture has changed. Demographics have changed. We have changed.

We need a little sanity. By definition, sanity speaks to reasonable and rational behavior.

The thought involves making sure we investigate all the facts, consider the pros and cons, and implement change with a reasonable and rational approach for what is best.

Sanity or insanity? That is the question.

The Sign of Our Times…

Are leaders able to know the signs of our times? Are they aware of the cultural changes developing daily?

The direction of our world can be frightening and exciting at the same time. The opportunities have never been greater. The needs have never been more pressing.

The message never changes, but the methods we use to approach our current time needs attention. If the methods we use are outdated, the effectiveness is limited.

Can we see the signs of the times, or are we doing the same things in the same ways expecting different results? It deserves thinking about.

Cultural Power…

Culture is a relative term. We do know that culture is a word connected to cultivating, gardening. Culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society, group of people, time and place. Culture is also characterized by a way of thinking, belief, or behavior.

Our world is a multi-cultural place, and there are numerous cultures within cultures.

Leaders work to understand the culture, but changing the culture is far from easy, if not impossible.

Jesus seems to follow a good approach with the 1st century culture. How will we lead in the 21st century culture?

Faithfulness…

Faithfulness is rooted in the very character of God. Reliability, steadfastness, constancy, fidelity, dependability, trustworthiness are all words that describe the qualities of God’s faithfulness.

Amidst the increasing instability of our culture we discover several obstacles to faithfulness.

Nurturing the temporal and disposable elements of life challenge lasting faithfulness. Shunning commitments and focusing our loyalty on improper objects become obstacles to our faithfulness as leaders.

However, we cultivate faithfulness when we celebrate God’s abiding presence, lift Him up in worship, keep our promises, and tell the truth.

Kenneson raises several powerful questions and provides suggestions to the other-directed nature of faithfulness on pages 194-195.

Goodness…

Goodness is a fruit to be cultivated in the midst of a self-help culture. Three thoughts introduce the idea of goodness.

One, the consistent testimony in scripture that God alone is unequivocally good.

Two, if sin makes us incapable of goodness apart from God, as those created in His image, we possess the potential for goodness.

Three, knowing what counts for good can only be determined under the guidance of God’s Spirit.

We cultivate goodness by naming our sin, attending to God’s word, and imitation.

When leaders are characterized by goodness, self-awareness, upward attention, and outward activity cultivate this fruit.

The Walk of a Leader…

Scripture figuratively uses the word “walk” to describe the behavior or conduct of one’s life. 

One of the most powerful descriptions that characterizes the Christian way of life is given by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” 

Leaders must set the example. There is no greater example than a life characterized by continually walking in step with the qualities described in God’s word.

Consider the influence of a leader who lives each day by faith. They walk with God. They put others above themselves. They seek things above, not of this earth.

Leaders, we need to keep on walking.

Lifelong Development…

Southwest Airlines offers a program called “Rapid Rewards.” The incentive is to fly Southwest Airlines and accumulate points that convert into rewards, i.e. free flights or merchandise.

The marketing terminology appeals to the desire and drive of our culture for the immediate. 

With the use of microwaves, computers, cell phones, and high speed internet, we expect everything in an instant.

Often times, leaders want to take a class, read a book, or search the internet to find everything about leadership. Lifelong development does not appeal.

While immediacy may bring benefits or consequences, we are better served to learn that God shapes us over a lifetime.

Leaders Who Learn…

The truly successful managers and leaders of the next century will be determined not by what they know but by how fast they can learn! ~ Strategy & Business

The nature and speed of change in our world should not deter us from pursuing effective leadership.

We should not become discouraged when making decisions.

Also, we must avoid dwelling in the past, frustrated by technology, and give up.

We should be motivated to learn and learn quickly.

Our purpose must be driven by this desire, because learning helps us discover greater ways to influence others for Christ.

Event-Oriented Culture…

We mentioned time-oriented challenges yesterday. However, the majority of people live in a more event-oriented culture.

An event-oriented culture does not focus on the convenience of time, or how much time is needed to accomplish the task. The event takes precedence. Therefore, whatever amount of time is needed to finish the event will be given to it. 

There are pros and cons to both cultures and when leaders use the beauty of each, the time to accomplish each specific task becomes the key to success.

When leaders examine the current culture and lead in ways that use the orientation of the individual or group, they succeed in leading them where they need to go.