Tag: Influence

Values

Leadership is built upon values. Write them down. Review them daily. Keep them timeless.

The benefit comes through evaluating our actions with our values. We ensure a consistency of life when we align the conduct of our life with our values.

When one becomes a Christian, worldly values change to godly ones. Thoughts, words, and actions become more consistent with these new values.

Is it easy? No! However, the effort makes all the difference in our influence.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most urgent question is what are you doing for others?” It is worth the time to contemplate this thought when establishing our values.

Cultural Leadership

Certainly, culture has an influence on leadership and leadership has an influence on culture.

From a spiritual point of view, leaders cannot allow the culture to dictate the direction of God’s people, but leaders must shape the culture.

How can leaders shape the culture today?

Leaders must understand culture.
Leaders must recognize needs within culture.
Leaders must provide an example for cultural context.
Leaders must lead into a different culture.

Just a step in the right direction will help shape the changes needed in culture to direct a greater focus toward Jesus.

Be the One

“One tree can start a forest. One smile can begin a friendship. One hand can lift a soul. One word can frame the goal. One candle can wipe out darkness. One laugh can conquer gloom. One touch can show you care. One life can make the difference, be that one today.” Unknown

At its core, leadership involves the type of influence that makes a difference in the lives of others. As we go through our day, can we be that one? Can we be the one who influences others with a smile, a hand, word, or touch?

The answer is yes! Lead this way!

Born or Made?

Whether leaders are born or made continues to occupy discussions on several levels. On one hand, some circles claim leaders are born with natural abilities, a giftedness of talent from God. Romans 12:8 seems to support this idea.

On the other hand, several claim that leaders are made. A number of authors indicate that leadership can be learned. The thought is based on the development of certain leadership skills over time.

Regardless of which direction we support, we all influence others and lead at some level. It serves us well to develop our abilities, great or small, in ways that provide the best leadership possible.

Time

From the day we are born to the day we die, we only know time: The time we sleep, the time to get ready for work, the time we spend at work, and the list goes on.

Once time passes, we cannot get it back. It cannot be regained or relived.

When we look at leadership, the value of time takes a sharper focus. From the time we prepare ourselves to lead and influence others to the time we actually spend in building those relationships, every second contains great value.

Let us use our time wisely and make the most of the opportunity to lead with care.

Empathy

We often fail to recognize that most of what we see in life is biased by who we are: how we were raised, the environment, culture, and hundreds of other areas, rather than reality.

Interestingly enough, how we see things becomes reality to us. Because this is true, we become entrenched in our beliefs to the point of dogma.

No one is exempt, but we need to understand the importance of patience and love when attempting to help others grow.

Leadership requires us to have empathy, the ability to understand and enter another person’s feelings. The more we do so, the greater our influence.

Salt and Light

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth….you are the light of the world.”

Salt and light make a difference when present. The analogy for Christians indicates that our influence should make a difference for good.

Outside of the Gospels, the word salt is used only twice and both times (Col. 4:6; Jas. 3:12) it directly speaks to the influence of our words.

The use of light addresses our conduct (Mt. 5:16). Peter spoke about the type of conduct that contributes to the salvation of others (1 Pe. 2:12).

Let us use our influence (words and conduct) to lead others to Him.

Influence

“Leadership is influence. No more, no less,” John Maxwell.

Think about the good and bad influences in history: Napoleon, Hitler, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Martin Luther King Jr. etc.

A search throughout the Bible points to numerous examples of powerful influence, but none greater than Jesus.

On a personal level, we know the influence of others in our life: parents, siblings, a preacher, elders, deacons, teachers, friends, a mentor, and the list goes on.

Influence represents the power to change others. A study of influence points us in the need for and the direction of positive change.

Walk

Take a moment in a crowded place and watch people walk. Some walk slower or faster than others and most carry something.

Where are they walking? What do they think about as they walk?

Figuratively, walking is a way of life that characterizes the whole of leadership. Leadership is not about a one time event or activity. It must be a way of life demonstrated in our conduct, lived in a way that influences the direction of others.

When someone tells us to go for a walk, perhaps we need to consider changing our conduct of life to lead as God wants us to lead.

Making a Difference

Jesus taught about the powerful nature of influence, identifying His disciples as the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

Jesus indicates we are to make a difference.

He uses an interesting term, “If the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything…”

This word involves health, specifically good health.

When used in the context of the analogy and leadership influence, we find a powerful idea.

As leaders in the kingdom of God, our influence should be that which contributes to the spiritual health and well-being of others.