Principles of Leadership, Day 30 Work hard while you are able. Read Ecclesiastes 9:10. The idea of the importance of working hard is a biblical idea. We find stated through multiple places in the Bible that whatever we are to do, we do it as if we’re doing it for the Lord. Here, in this verse, it’s no different. As we are going through our day, we must realize that leading is not a substitute for working hard. Now, the way in which we work may change and be different depending on our leadership and what is needed in the moment, but the effort and focus of our work should…

Principles of Leadership, Day 29 What is the role of the leader? Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14. Who are we call to lead? The answer is the distracted, the disheartened, the delicate, and the demanding. As we look at this verse here, we see the instruction to lead all of these people. How are we going to help those who are distracted to maintain focus on their purpose in Christ? How can we encourage those people who are discouraged and don’t feel like they can go on with their purpose and Christ? How do we raise up and empower those people who feel they are too weak or delicate to do…

Principles of Leadership, Day 28 Do people walk on eggshells around you? Read Proverbs 29:11. No one wants to have to walk on eggshells around their boss. No one wants to constantly wonder what’s going to set their boss off or if the boss is going to yell or get angry. If we know that we don’t like working for someone like that, why would we ever allow ourselves to become someone who leads like that? However, lots of people want to feel justified in their frustration and anger at situations that come up at work. However, 99% of the time, that anger doesn’t help resolve the situation. As a…

Principles of Leadership, Day 27 Be willing to lead, honest in service, and a humble example. Read 1 Peter 5:2-4. We see here in Peter, this list of criteria for someone who is to lead. When we think about what it takes to be a successful leader, a godly leader, this list encapsulates all of the major discussions on the topic. We must be willing to lead. If we are not open or willing to lead, we will be upset and angry in the role that we’ve been placed in. We also must be honest in service. We cannot allow our leadership become a thirst for power that ends up…

Principles of Leadership, Day 26 Are you a “Yes-man”? Read Proverbs 16:13. True leadership values the opinions, questions, and insights of others. As leaders, we cannot surround ourselves only with people who think and act like we do. We need diversity at every level. Diversity of thought, diversity of opinion, diversity of insight, even diversity of perception are all essential to be able to lead effectively. Having only people who tell us what we want to hear, instead of what is actually happening is a recipe for disaster. Then, we must allow those people to have those thoughts and share them and act on them. As a leader, do we…

Principles of Leadership, Day 25 Do you mean what you say? Read Matthew 5:37. Words matter. When we think about the words that we say every single day, sometimes we can get carried away with what we say. We often think that a quantity of words means the same thing as having quality of words. However, when it comes to the commitments that we make and the promises that we give, we are to be so consistent with our follow through that simply telling someone yes we will do that is the strongest commitment we could make. People need to believe our words. They need to trust that when we…

Principles of Leadership, Day 24 Delegation. Read Exodus 18:21. This entire story is fascinating. Moses has been leading the people, but he was feeling overworked and not able to focus on all of the goals that he need to. So he learned the valuable lesson of the importance of delegation. When you’re looking at delegating to individuals, this verse also speaks about the importance of diversity, capability, and fit. Moses was to choose people that came from all of the people. It wasn’t supposed to be just from one area or one type of individual. Moses needed diversity amongst those he chose. Additionally, there were criteria set for what made…

Principles of Leadership, Day 23 Who do you spend your time and energy on? Read Proverbs 23:9. Part of our responsibility as leaders is to grow and develop the team that we have. We are to focus on helping them to become the very best that they can be. So who do we spend the majority of our time with? Are we spending our time with those who are under performing, trying to help bring them up to an acceptable level of performance? Or are we focusing our time on those who are our top performers first so that they can grow even farther? Often, we find that we are…

Princliples of Leadership, Day 22 Unity and Leadership. Read Psalm 133:1. When we think of leadership, we seem to always imply unity. However many teams that I’ve been on are not unified. The leader is the one who ultimately is responsible for creating that sense of unity and purpose. What does that look like from a Christian standpoint? Our unity should be around the purposes of Jesus Christ. We are unified and seeking half God’s will and God’s glory made known throughout the world. When we are leading others, it’s important to stay unified around that purpose, not our own individual purpose. How are we unifying our teams today? How…

Principles of Leadership, Day 21 You cannot be a servant leader if you do know know the master. Read John 13:16. The idea and principles of servant leadership are a mainstream through all leadership material. You see studies done on the importance of servant leadership and many talks and lectures and training material have been launched detailing the importance of being a servant leader. However, I would argue that it is impossible to be a servant leader if you do not truly know the Master. You cannot emulate or copy the Master if you are not familiar with the Master. Many people have tried to live live out the principles…