Tag: Goals

A Normal Leader?

The thought sounds crazy, right? Can a leader be normal?

Maybe we should define normal first. Regardless of how we define it, there is nothing normal about spiritual leadership. Why? 

Because spiritual leaders…

are concerned about their influence inside and outside the church.
consistently live what they believe.
know God’s mission involves helping people get to heaven.
work for a cause greater than themselves.
share in planning and developing goals for spiritual maturity.
produce results that glorify God and fulfill His will.

Therefore, spiritual leaders are those who live consistently, knowing the work they share in produces God’s desired will. Does that sound normal?

Leading a Team

Understanding teamwork and how to lead a team is significant to the overall success of any organization. However, there are some “do’s and don’ts” to the process.

Working as a team does not place everyone in an equal position. There are specific roles each member must fulfill for the unit to function properly.

Working as a team does place everyone on the same page. When goals are communicated and understood, everyone understands their specific tasks to reach the goals.

Training as a team has great advantages in our overall health and growth. When we work together, the team wins. This is the role of great leadership.

Participatory Leadership

While some leadership styles involve force and manipulation, spiritual leadership thrives on participation. Spiritual leaders rely on the group overall and working together to achieve the goal(s).

Decisions and policies are made by and for the group.

Motivation is based on shared purpose and adequate communication.

Shared representation is built on “we” not “I.”

Participation in the role of leadership involves patience, allowance of independence, assumption of responsibility, and the need for cooperation.

We strive to reach a common goal and need each other if we are to make a difference.

Knowing Others

Is it possible to lead others without knowing them? Leaders must know the dreams, aspirations, hopes, desires, and personal goals of others in order to lead them well.

Then, leaders can look out for their well-being. It has been said, “If you take care of those under you, they will take care of you.”

Nothing is more important than knowing the needs of others and leading in ways to provide for those needs.

Good leaders know this necessity, and spiritual leaders know the greatest need is spiritual.

Stretching

The value of stretching cannot be overstated. Stretching aids the overall recovery of muscles used in exercise or work.

By definition, stretching is the ability to make longer and wider without tearing or breaking.

The best approach is to stretch a little at a time, hold for a few seconds, and relax. Repetition allows for the development of flexibility and relief.

When leaders stretch with regards to vision, goals, and the development of a team, the results bring recovery, growth, strength, and flexibility. Repeating the process increases the benefit.

Stretching is one way to develop quality leaders.

Successful Leaders

Leaders do not succeed alone. Although the author is unknown, perhaps one of the most significant thoughts on successful leaders claims, “Successful leadership is your ability to direct and challenge the very best that is in those whom you lead.”

Since leadership depends on followers, it only makes sense to understand the need to draw out the best in others.

Adjustments may be required for leaders to achieve this goal. However, the ability to do so makes the difference between success and failure.

The Right Plan

Planning is vital to achieving goals. The challenge before leaders is developing the right plan.

A few questions that must be answered include:

What goal are we trying to reach?
Why is this goal important to the overall program, or is it?
Who will carry out the plan?
Are adequate resources available for each step? If not, can they be obtained?
When will we evaluate the progress?
How can we achieve maximum involvement?
Once the goal is reached, where do we go from that point?

Answering these questions provides the proper foundation for the right plans.

Try Again

We’ve all heard, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

The idea is to persevere, never give up.

Regardless of the goal, or task to reach the goal, facing difficulty or defeat can dishearten anyone from running the race with endurance.

If the goal is worth the effort, then we need to persevere.

If we have the needed resources to succeed, then try again.

If there is an opportunity, then keep working at it.

When we think we have reached the end of the line, perhaps giving it one more try will change it all.

Who Motivates You?

Consider three questions:

What motivates us to lead? Leaders experience discouragement and discontentment. When this happens, a fire-lighter is needed, someone or something to motivate us.

How can we motivate followers? Leaders need a vision built on possibility thinking. Morale builds when impossibilities fade.

What is needed to keep followers motivated? Establish short-term goals that motivate followers to focus on achieving long-term goals.

Leaders need to develop plans that keep the fires lit. We must know how to keep ourselves and others motivated, both now and for the future.

Leading Into The Future

Moving beyond the “here and now” presents its challenges. Visionary leadership is a rare commodity. Hanz Finzel said, “The higher one is in leadership, the more their work is about the future.”

Our work is about preparing others to move into the future and reach the goal(s) before them.

This requires us to consider a few questions.

Do we know where we are going?
What are our plans to reach the destination?
Are resources available to help us?
Have we assessed the abilities of everyone involved?

Leaders need an awareness of the present, but point towards a greater future.