“When was the last time we described a leader as great? We have so many leaders but so little leadership” are the striking words of Henry & Richard Blackaby. As a leader, are you leading or taking a walk? Take a look at these leadership bullets to know where you fall.
Real Change Begins When Leaders Roll up Their Sleeves to Serve the People
- Leadership position does not provide immunity from sacrifice; rather it could even demand greater sacrifice;
- Leadership cannot truly serve if it does not truly love. Absence of love results in neglect, nonchalant attitudes towards the people’s welfare and needs. Abusive use of the people is therefore inevitable;
- A leader should not surround himself or herself with his or her clones. Pity the leader who is caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers;
- Defensive leaders learn nothing while a listening leader constantly learns and grows. Leaders who never try anything do not make mistakes but that in itself, is a mistake;
- A leader who cannot admit his or her errors is not qualified to be a leader. You do not have to be perfect but be honest. Mistakes do not make you a failure. Why? Failure is an event, not your character trait.
Leadership does not Imply You Have made it and you should be exempted from Hardwork
- There is no value in making progress in the wrong decisions. It is the opportunities, not difficulties that vanish over time;
- Spending much time on less significant issues leads to neglect of significant ones. You could be busy doing the wrong things;
- Every leader has his or her “ouch” experience and there’s no telling how long or deep it may be. In fact the greater your leadership, the deeper the “ouch”. Do not cut the pain short, rather, submit to the goal of your development;
- A leader of integrity places Organisational well-being before his or her prestige, desires and personal gratification;
- Leaders should have a quiet and reflective time. Not being constantly in motion doesn’t make one unproductive. There are times one needs to take alone, retreat or even waiting time;
Does Holding Leadership Positions Authenticate Your Leadership?
- When an Organisation is built around the personality of a leader, the Organisation faces inevitable crises when the leader leaves or is not on ground; An Organisation should be set up on healthy processes and procedures for doing things, not on personality;
- An Organisation is as great as its leader. Just like fish, the rot begins from the head. When the leader grows, the Organisation grows;
Spiritual Leadership
- God is not restrained by such boundaries as secular and/or spiritual. If He is not involved in your leadership or business, it is because you did not invite Him;
- Rather than resources serving the Church, the Church becomes enslaved to the resources. A wise leader should not allow the availability of resources to determine the direction of the Organisation. A church program never changes a life – only the God in the program or God of the program does;
- When you neglect the role of the Holy Spirit in your life, you never reach your potential as a spiritual leader;
- Having the people you lead seek a relationship with Jesus is a higher priority than meeting their (people’s) physical needs;
- Leaders from time to time need to examine each of their responsibilities to determine if they have assumed ownership of things God has not intended them to carry. Why? Leaders are susceptible to the “Messiah Complex” – the belief that only their involvement can guarantee the success of an activity;
- You can accomplish all your goals but still not be successful in God’s kingdom. You cannot use human reasoning to build God’s kingdom;
Still wondering at the essentiality of leadership? I leave you with the words of Rick Warren, “If you want to know the temperature of your Organisation, put a thermometer in the leader’s mouth”.
