Tag: Passion

Enthusiastic Leadership

How we approach life comes down to a choice. No one knows how long they have left on this earth.

Doesn’t it make sense that we choose to live each moment to the fullest God intended.

Roald Dahl said, “I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.”

Leaders must demonstrate the choice to live enthusiastically. It is contagious and it changes all who follow.

The Passion Pyramid

Yesterday, I wrote about passionate leaders where I discussed Steve Moore’s emphasis on interest-based and issue-based passion. Steve’s book, Who is My Neighbor, digs more deeply into the idea of what he calls the passion pyramid.

He refers to four levels of passion.

The first level involves the inner desire to learn.
The second level is where we engage in activities we are passion about.
The third level is when we influence others to participate.
The fourth level requires sacrifice of time, energy, and resources.

Passion cannot be hidden. When we become passionate about Christ, we will change the world.

Passionate Leaders

According to Dr. Tim Elmore, what you want (desires), why you have want it (motives), and how badly you want it (passion) all speak to fundamentals of leadership.

Little is accomplished without passion. Our challenge involves how to determine that passion.

President of Growing Leaders, Steve Moore, emphasizes the necessity of recognizing the difference between “interest-based passions and issue-based passions.”

Interest-based passions are areas we have an interest in combined with a natural ability, often times sports or recreational activities.

Issue-based passions are connected to causes which provide fulfillment, and “give us a sense of purpose,” such as rectifying social injustices.

What are you passionate about?

Igniting Passion to Lead

People around the world follow someone. Generally, they follow the one that influences them most.

If we reject the responsibility to shine the light of Jesus, who will people follow?

It would seem that the only possibility is the ruler of this world, the one who leads them into darkness.

Are we ready to accept the consequences of such a decision?

Leadership is not an easy task. We are often left vulnerable when we open ourselves up in order to reach out to the world. However, the result of leading others to Christ ignites a passion that drives the future of our leadership, and that of others.

Passion to Think Bigger

What could happen if leaders knew how to think big.

Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Settling for less than what we are capable of limits what God is capable of doing through us…if we only let Him.

We often believe God will not do something because we are convinced we cannot do it.

There must be a passion that is driven by and for greatness, a greatness that is only measured by the power of God to work in amazing and powerful ways.

Primal Leaders

Primal comes from a Latin word meaning “first.” The idea relates to the beginnings, first things, primary, essential, and foundational elements of all that is connected to life: intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

When thinking about leadership, the need is evident to understand the primary / first elements that must be in place for success.

A few elements that are building blocks for all leaders include integrity, honesty, strong work ethic, passion, confidence in God, discipline, and balance.

These are the “primal” of leadership.

Using these as a foundation, leaders can build strength and character providing hope for everyone who follows.

Paul

I love Paul’s leadership, and here is why. He was…

Passionate: As a persecutor of the church, he pursued it with passion. He even raised his level of passion when he became a defender of the faith.

Bold: Paul asked the church to pray for his boldness and it was demonstrated throughout every step of his ministry.

Selfless: Paul became all things to all men so that he might save some. He endured great hardship for others to learn about Jesus.

If we could approach our leadership with the passion, boldness, and selflessness of Paul, we could change the world.

Expectations

Most people tend to live up to the expectations of others. Regardless of what others think, however, we need to aim high. When we understand Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:20, maybe, just maybe, we can develop a greater vision of what we can accomplish.

When leaders develop vision, one that sees our God correctly and sees ourselves correctly, we take steps to fulfill something beyond our capabilities.

Instead of allowing fear to control or dictate the decisions that ultimately limit our abilities, we need to rethink what we want to accomplish.

Passionate leadership fuels the future of growth and achievement and when it does, impossibilities vanish.

Deliberate and Intentional

How many times have you procrastinated when making decisions? Your intentions were good because you were waiting for the “right time.”

This can happen when beginning a family, i.e. getting married or having children. We also see it in areas of career choices. I’ve heard, “If you don’t love what you do, then do something else. Life is too short to not enjoy what you do each day.”

Our lives should be deliberate and intentional. Once we choose the area we are most passionate about, then jump in. When we do what we love the most, joy finds a way into our lives.

Essential Leadership

What is essential and what is not? Spiritually speaking, there are many answers: Here are four.

1) Character: General Schwarzkopf said, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.”

2) Passion: It’s about sacrifice. Knowing what we are willing to give up is essential to our leadership.

3) Vision: Vision is about seeing into the future. Faith is essential to the vision of spiritual leadership.

4) Goals: David Schwartz said, “Goals are as essential to success as air is to life.” Goals are the essential fuel for leading.

These are only four areas that are essential to our leadership.