Tag: Leadership

Wise Counselors

One of the key lessons in leadership involves surrounding ourselves with wise counselors.

Why is this so beneficial?

  1. Personal wisdom is usually developed on limited education and experience.
  2. Many counselors provide a wise approach to well-informed decisions.
  3. The strengths possessed by others compliments our weaknesses.
  4. The idea is sanctioned by the wisdom of our God.

Personal experience should remind us that when we further our own agenda, or seek a position of authority, we are in danger of traveling a destructive path.

Listen to the wisdom of those who have the knowledge and experience to guide us to greater achievement.

Careful Words

Too often, we speak without giving thought to our words and their impact in the lives of others.

Two lessons stand out that should be considered.

One, once we speak, we cannot take our words back. Think first.

Two, words seasoned properly bring encouragement and give grace to those who hear. Think first.

Solomon said the power of life and death is in the tongue. James identifies the tongue as an unruly evil that no one can tame. Such thoughts require us to be careful about what we say and how we say it because the results have eternal implications.

Innovative Leaders

Creative development sets leaders apart from the “way we’ve always done it” approach.

Inventive leaders strive to use original thinking to establish plans that achieve goals.

Pioneering leaders live to go “where no one has gone before.”

Combined, these ideas comprise the innovative spirit needed in leadership.

Spend time with innovative people.
Evaluate the principles that drive innovation.
Work in a team. Creativity thrives in a group.
Do not be afraid to take a few risks with something new.

Leaders need to bring an innovative spirit to the table and use a creative, inventive, and pioneering mindset to assist development.

Using Time Wisely

Time is the most valuable commodity available, and our greatest challenge is learning how to use it effectively.

Time management is an area often talked about, but rarely do we find those who have a handle on good time management tools.

A few years ago, Paul Myers shared these timely tips.

Get a real calendar and use it. Establish deadlines and work to meet them.
Finish something everyday.
Do not allow electronics to control the time.
Start early. An extra hour in the morning adds up.

Attitude is the difference maker when managing our time. Paul, thank you for the reminder.

Optimistic Leaders

Pessimists look at the negative in everything. They see the worst and suck the air of hope out of anything better.

In contrast, the optimist sees hope and confidence in the future, because good will ultimately prevail over evil.

With an understanding of these two philosophies, consider something Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A stumbling block to the pessimist is a stepping-stone to the optimist.”

If a pessimist looks at the worst, then everything is viewed as a stumbling block, but an optimist will use every situation as a stepping-stone for something greater.

Leaders must be dealers in hope, optimists of the future ahead.

Risky Leadership

Leadership involves risks. The risks will often be great and challenging, but we cannot avoid them.

Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions made by leaders, regardless of the risk. Trying to please everyone is impossible.

Not making a decision may lead to greater risk.

The risk factor is primarily limited by the size of our faith.

The risks become minimal when we believe that our God is great and that He is involved every step of the way.
With God, the risks are worth taking.

Pursuing Success

Everyone wants success. Finding anything that suggests only one step to success is next to impossible. Most material emphasizes a range of three steps to twenty-five steps.

Ten of the most common ideas include, but are not limited to the following.

Preparation must come first.
Do the homework.
Keep a learner’s mind.
Create strategies for achieving the goals.
Establish good time management.
Use failures as a guide.
Abide by the rules.
Make a list of one’s values.
List out dreams and goals.
Find a mentor.

Success does not have a magic formula, but with a little hard work and time, the results can be exciting.

Integrity

How would you define integrity?

I’ve asked this question for several years and the responses vary to some degree. However, one primary definition remains constant, “Integrity is what you do when no one else is watching.”

The type of television shows and movies we watch, along with other activities we participate in when no one else is around speaks to our integrity.

No one can have stellar character publicly and trashy integrity privately without eventually suffering the consequences.

We develop character when we focus on our integrity, and this development begins with a self-examination of our moral compass.

An Expanding Leader

Expansion is the action of becoming larger or more extensive. Unless we are able to think bigger, plan larger, trust more, and implement options to achieve expansion, we will not grow beyond the shadow of our own leadership.

The challenge for leaders today is to eliminate the “status quo” and move forward to greater heights.

Expansion, whether we like it or not, is a part of God’s plan and we are privileged to participate in that plan.

Let us set our eyes on a greater horizon, a more global mindset, and implement plans to expand the borders of the Lord’s kingdom.

The Pioneer

The pioneering spirit is a rare quality today. Think about going where no one has gone before.

While we build on the successes and failures of others to improve who we are and where we are, we still need an edge to our leadership.

God can take us places and open doors that have never been reached if we are a willing tool in His hands.

Since God can do far more abundantly beyond all we ask or think, we need to start thinking bigger and stop limiting Him.

Adventuresome, pioneering, or any other word we choose, leaders need to walk this path.