- You can only lead to the degree you are willing to serve
* Mt. 23:11...Greatest in the kingdom is servant of all.
- The more you serve the greater you become
* John 13:1-5
In the secular world, men are appointed to lead...in the spiritual world, men are anointed to serve.
A nations president becomes a great leader by serving the citizens needs, not telling the citizens what they need.
- True leadership requires humility
Phil. 2:1-8
There is no limit to the good a man can do, if he doesn't care who gets the credit.
Pride is the strength of sin.
** Joseph is a great example of humility: he served his father, brothers, Potiphar, jailer, and finally Pharaoh. Men rejected him, misunderstood him, imprisoned him, mocked and ridiculed him, yet he triumphed because of his humility.
- A leader knows that he is inadequate in himself
John 5:19,20
Chuck Swindoll: "Inferiority is caused by depndence on self, whereas inadequacy leads to dependence on God."
- Maturity does not come with age but with acceptance of responsibility
The more transparent I become in acknowledgeing my sin and faults, the more those under me will grow with an authentic, real, transparent life.
- Every leader is limited to three things:
(1) The knowledge in his mind
(2) The worth of his character
(3) The principles upon which he is building his life
1. Knowledge of our minds = What we don't understand we are usually agains. A true leader can only give knowledge to others to the degree he has it himself. * Pilots are trained by learning about airplane crashes and errors that cause them. Leaders must learn from the triumphs and mistakes of others, which allows one to navigate a course for themselves and their families and followers.
2. Worth of his own character = Faithfulness is the cornerstone of character. 2 Tim. 2:2...committing to an unfaithful man is like running on a broken foot/chewing with an infected tooth. A leaders word is the measure of his character. People extend trust to the limit of truth. To trust someone who does not tell the truth is to trust a lie.
3. Principles upon which we build our lifes = Building character is a prerequisite to leadership and a necessary to manhood. The more you build you life on principle, and the less on personality, the straighter your life will become. Find God's pattern, base your faith on his principles, and success is guaranteed.
** The ultimate example is to be like Jesus...manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous.
God has called us to pray for and encourage those in authority.
Romans 13:1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
Ephes. 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed...
1 Peter 2:13-17 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
- Position
- Person
- Policy
- Programs
We must respect the position a person holds, even if we do not respect the person. When you respect the position and the person it is much easier to accept and embrace the policy and the programs the person in leadership promotes. If you have proper respect for the position, but do not respect the person, it is very difficult to embrace and support policy and programs the leader promotes. Due to commands the Lord has instructed us to follow, we must pray for and support those that God has in leadership. May we be people who are credible and not just clever. May we earn the right and respect to be heard by those that follow. May the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to God forever. Amen.
Leadership...Principles That Must Be Built Upon
- Uncompromising Integrity - Dedication, Wholeness, Do it right at all cost. * You can't trust person any further than you can throw a soggy mattress up a spiral staircase. Do not forget the person or people that you have committed to help.
- Working Priorities - Creates stability...
Mark Twain - It's a poor uncreated mind that can not come up with but one way to spell a word.
Make a priority list...Always do the #1 thing on your list.
Danny Cox - If you have a frog to swallow...don't look at it too long. If you've more than one to swallow...swallow the biggest one first.
- Courageous - They are not safe plotters...go for it attitude. If you wait to cross town...don't wait until all the lights are green. Am I in motion - or am I in direction.
- Unorthodox Approach - A style that is not a status quo...original, creativity...Guy who had a wild look...maybe he had been hit by lightning while in the outhouse...A crisis must never be experienced a second time. Lewis Grizzard had a unique style...name some of his books.
- Has the Goal Got Determination to Face Tough Decisions - This creates self disipline. You got to see what you want in your mind...you don't see the pain in getting it. You look beyond the trial to the triumph.
- Inspired Enthusiasm That is Contagious - You get enthusiasm by witnessing the accomplishment of your goals. If you don't have inspired enthusiasm...what you do have is contagious.
- Level Headed - Able to grasp the facts...discern the situation. Vision...Ability to select and develop good people. Not afraid to bring people on staff that are better than they are. To get people to do exactly what they are told to do usually will not do any more than they are told to do.
- Invest in People Who Are Trusted and Respected - Not necessarily in the best performers...not the most gifted...the ones who are most credible on the team. Repected, gifted.
Get people to see themselves doing more than they normally do.
You can't teach a pig to sing...waste your time and it irritates the pig.
Some people could not sell paroles to prisoners. You must focus on the strengths of people and not their weaknesses.
We must have a focus change when looking at others.
Be aware of others weaknesses...but communicate to their strengths.
Most people in leadership to the opposite.
Try to eliminate...if I were you statements...say I believe with your strengths.
When you focus in on strengths...it puts a demand on productivity.
Become the catalyst between their strengths and their progress.
People want to live and exercise their strong areas.
The quality of your life is in direct proportion to your commitment to excellence.
- Vince Lombardi
