Tag: Hope

Optimistic Leaders

Optimism includes hope and confidence about the future or outcome.

The contrast between leaders who are optimistic and those who are not can be associated with age and experience. Encountering negative experiences in life often hinders optimistic leadership.

How do leaders keep hope and confidence alive?

1) Remember, “everyone” is not against you.
2) Stop trying to live in or change the past.
3) Surround yourself with optimistic people.
4) Be realistic about personal expectations.
5) Learn to accept who you are as a person.
6) Express gratitude for what you have.
7) Reflect often on the positive areas of life.

Try it and see how contagious it becomes.

Gratitude

Two of the most unused, yet powerful words are “thank you.” Gratitude is vital to our leadership.

Leaders should be thankful because…

1) God has placed them in this position.
2) Influencing others for the Lord is the greatest task on earth.
3) Hope is the message provided through godly leaders.
4) Others trust leaders to show them the way.
5) Leadership make an eternal difference.

Leaders must recognize why they should be thankful as much as understanding what they are thankful for and the need to show gratitude.

Our God is great. Let us thank Him who has given us leaders!

Hope in God

In Psalm 42, David appears to question his own despair and why his soul is disturbed within him. The response is one with great application for leaders. “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.”.

Note that our the hope is only found in God. When we place hope in our own abilities, or the abilities of others, disappointment results and we are often let down.

When our hope is placed in possessions, we are left with discouragement when those possessions deteriorate or are stolen.

Therefore, the only source of hope that will never disappoint or discourage us is God.

Portion

The psalms point out that God is our portion forever. The word translated portion is often translated as reward.

Realizing that God is our strength gives us confidence, but knowing that He is our reward gives us hope.

Spiritual leaders must always portray the confidence of God given strength. However, one of the most powerful components to great leadership is the ability to instill hope in others.

When leadership provides hope, no matter how high the mountain, how low the valley, or the size of the obstacle, people will endure and overcome.

Hope

Life has highs and lows. There are times we are on top of the mountain, and times when we walk through a valley.

As leaders, we are messengers of hope. People can endure almost anything if they know there is something better ahead. This is the power of hope.

We must help others recognize that our hope is not built on the promise of a better physical life, but something beyond this life and beyond compare.

Hope was the driving force for the early church, even in the face of death.

Better days are ahead, maybe not in this life, but God holds eternity.

Vision and Mission

In an effort to develop a vision and mission statement, we often get the ideas reversed, and rightfully so, since they are interrelated.

The mission of an organization, specifically the church, describes “what to do.” The foundation is built on the purpose of our existence and the mission directs every decision for all related activities.

The vision describes what we desire to see as a result of the mission. The vision takes into consideration the image of the future that connects the long-term desires with achievable goals.

We must communicate both the vision and mission if we hope to achieve any level of success.

Leadership Regret

At times, we all regret our participation in something we’ve said or done.

However, the bigger picture is not painted by the few moments we experience regret, but rather the whole of life.

Zig Ziglar once asked, “Will you look back on life and say, ‘I wish I had,’ or ‘I’m glad I did’”?

The bigger picture of leadership influence is shaped by how we answer this question. Looking back, our leadership should never be identified by what we wish we had done or said. Rather, our joy and hope of a better tomorrow rests in the fact we were glad we did it.

Why Leadership…Part 2

Why do we spend so much time talking about leadership?  

Church: The present situation speaks to the need for leadership. Any discussion about leadership regarding the church acknowledges the urgency of this crisis. However, are we moved enough to do something? If we do not establish a plan now, the future of the church offers little hope.

People: The reality is that people will follow someone or something, but who or what? Doesn’t it make sense that we focus on leading people out of darkness into His marvelous light? The church was established to be an instrument of truth and light. Let us lead as such.

Identifying the Unlikely

Identifying the unlikely can be subjective to each individual. However we identify the unlikely, the need is evident when it comes to our leadership. Where should we start?

They live everywhere, but often have nowhere to live.
They have nothing to give, yet often give all they have to help someone else.
They scrape by with little hope, yet hope is often all they have to scrape by.

We must look for ways to give hope of a life that is better now and in the future.

We must provide genuine friendship without ulterior motives, where we develop an intimacy that goes beyond the surface.

Virtuous Leaders

N.T. Wright’s book, subtitled Why Christian Character Matters, focuses on the need for virtue becoming “second nature.” Virtue must be a natural or automatic response for leaders.

The book develops three major thoughts. The first examines the virtuous purpose of Christian character.

The second discusses the need for character transformation. Character transformation must occur within, creating a change of actions demonstrated in our conduct.

The third considers the virtues of faith, hope, and love. These virtues are developed within the context of community.

We must implement these virtues, but we need each other to do so. We cannot develop as spiritual leaders in isolation.