Tag: Strengths

The 80/20 Rule

Leaders identify the need to spend 80% of time on strengths and 20% on weaknesses.

Should this not be the opposite? We need to understand that when we spend the majority of our time on weaknesses, they may get stronger, but strengths get weaker because we have not kept them sharp.

Great leaders spend the majority of their time continually working on strengths, keeping them strong and growing. Then, they find others who are strong in the areas they are weak and use them to fill the gaps.

Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know yourself. Work on the appropriate areas and build a team to help the rest.

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.

Leadership Awareness…

Leadership awareness involves a knowledge or perception of the situation or fact.

Self-awareness, i.e. personal strengths and weaknesses, who we are, where we are going, and how we plan to reach the destination.

Others-centered awareness, i.e. the strengths and weaknesses of those who follow, how to help others reach their greatest potential and achieve the goals of the organization.

Environmental awareness, i.e. available resources, obstacles, the reality of progress, and open doors of opportunity.

Spiritual leaders must lead from a dual-world mindset: physical and spiritual.

A Leadership Challenge…

Challenges are defined as tasks or situations that test someone’s abilities.

There are two primary thoughts for leaders.

1) Leaders must challenge themselves to find ways that test their abilities and strengthen their character.

2) Leaders must challenge others by presenting tasks or situations that produce growth in the abilities of followers. 

People arise to what is expected of them. Experience has proven that when leaders provide encouragement and a level of expectation, followers come through. 

We must learn how to develop the discipline to strengthen our own leadership and that of followers to achieve growth in the church.