1) Probably the most important thing you can do as a Christian leader is to shape up—if there is anything in your life, moral or ethical, which would not stand up to the test if the entire world found out—you must exterminate it right away. Do not give anyone an reason to think that you are a hypocrite.
I remember the day my son because a young adult and told me he
was not going to church anymore because it was full of hypocrites. When I
started getting into Christian leadership positions my mentor would tell me
that now my life is like living in a glass house. We should always think that
someone will see what we are doing and most of all, God IS!
2) Be sure that every choice you make is honest and ethical. You cannot productively
lead, as a Christian or not, when your choices and actions are not reliable, trustworthy,
and honorable.
Think about if someone told you that they were going to do
something but don’t show up and don’t call to tell you. You sit there for a
half an hour waiting for this person. You can and text them but nothing. The
next time this person tells you they are going to do something, what will you
honestly think? I know we all have things come up and feel guilty that we can’t
do something for someone but the word says to let you yea’s be yea’s and your nea’s
be nea’s for a reason. We don’t mean to do it but we can lose faith from the
people who we should be leading from just a little mix up. Be sure to do the right
action!
3) As a Christian leader, aim to tell the truth no matter what. As a Christian
leader, when you lie or tell “little white lies”, people tend to feel that your
entire faith is a sham. In fact, if you are habitually lying and telling “little
white lies”, your faith may indeed be a sham.
Would you want to follow someone or their beliefs if they
don’t seem to follow what they say they believe?
4) Learn everything you can about the situation at hand, even if it means
working in the trenches for a while. No one likes to be guided by someone who
has never gone through what they are going through. This doesn’t mean you have
to become an expert, just be willing to learn through and don’t avoid learning
through everything that God puts infront of you. Also be willing to do the
humbe jobs long enough to understand the frustrating aspects of the work.
Another benefit to this is, when you have actually done the work, you can more
effectively brainstorm solutions to challenges when they arise.
Our Pastor when we were first starting out in Ministry did
the best thing for us by having us do different jobs around the church because
no one was above the jobs that needed done. So we scrubbed toilets, worked in
nurseries, cooked food, laid concrete for a parking lot, cleaned pews and so
much more. There was nothing that was beneath us and still to this day that was
the closest I felt to God.
5) Lead by example. Do you expect your employees or secretaries to arrive on
time for work, and dressed well? Then you must do the same. Sometimes it is so
easy to think that you have earned the right to come in whenever you feel like
it, or to return from lunch whenever you wish. Sure, you may have earned the
right, but you gain far more by setting the example for performance. Do you
expect others to work overtime when a project is behind projections? Then you
must be willing to do the same.
Or as a parent we can feel that we should expect our kids
not to do certain things but that it is okay for us because we are an ADULT, let
me warn you they then try to become an adult to do all the things they haven’t
been able to do. If you truly don’t want you child to do certain things then
shouldn’t you be willing to not do them either?
6) Although you may feel you have earned the right to delegate away all the
work, continue to be involved in productive tasks. By doing some of the work,
not only do you gain the respect of your employees, but also you keep in touch
with the flow of things. As a leader, it is easy to become disengaged from the
actual productive segment of your business, and resultantly make decisions that
look good on paper and sound good around the boardroom table, but are actually
worthless when the rubber hits the road.
This is true in any situation, as a parent we are to be in
the activity of what is going on through our house. A leader is to actually
LEAD not delegate. There has to be something to follow.
7) Constantly reevaluate your own performance. We call this PDCA – P: plan, D:
do, C: check, A: adjust Often, you may spend so much time correcting the
actions of others and solving crises you didn’t create, that you develop a
sense that others aren’t as capable as you. Consequently, you may not recognize
when you are falling into bad habits that also need to be corrected. Be the
first to recognize and correct your own short-fallings.
If you don’t check and adjust yourself, then who will. We
are to always be an example of humbly growing. The day we know everything is
the day we go to heaven!!!
8) Avoid pride. Once in a position of leadership, especially if you are good at
what you do, it is easy to begin to feel that you are invincible. Once that
occurs, you become vulnerable to pride, and may make decisions you would frown
on if your subordinates made the same decisions. Always maintain full
responsibility for your actions and keep them above-board .
9) Learn to manage your time. When you are in a position of leadership and find
yourself delegating away most of the time-consuming tasks, it is easy to lose
control of your time. Again, when your employees see you wasting your time,
they will tend to do the same.
One of the best things I learned from my mentor to help me with this and I have seen it be true every time is that your followers will do 50% of what you do right and 110% of what you do wrong.
The best thing you can do is remember that Leadership is not dictatorship but the point to leadership is that you are leading people. The key word there is LEAD!
A great book to learn and dig deeper is by our dear friends and our mentors Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady’s book “Launching a Leadership Revolution.” Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward’s smash-hit bestseller will not only clear up many myths about leadership but will convince you that the principles of leadership apply to anyone and everyone. All of us will be called upon to lead at some (or many) points in life. The question isn’t whether or not you are a leader, but rather, will you be ready when called? Launching a Leadership Revolution will teach you about leadership as both a Science and an Art. Historical examples illustrate key concepts, while the wit and charm of Brady and Woodward’s writing style will keep you glued to each page. Get it HERE Or go to look through other Leadership development material HERE.
