Leadership Tips From the Wisest Human of All Time
Most things tend to rise or fall on the basis of leadership. If we have great leaders we are able to enjoy blessings but if we follow incompetent leaders we suffer in numerous ways. Is it little wonder that people have their strongest opinions about the people in positions of power.
Survey on what people want most in leaders from www.Barna.org
What People Want (1997)
At least 3 out of 4 people want leaders who…
Motivate people to get involved (87%)
Negotiate a compromise when there is conflict (78%)
Identify the course of action to take (77%)
Make decisions which are in the best interests of the people, even if those decisions might not be popular (76%)
Train and develop other leaders to help (75%)
Over half of people want leaders who…
Describe a vision for the future (63%)
Create the plans necessary to implement the vision (61%)
Supervise the work of staff people (61%)
Manage the day-to-day details and operations of the group they lead (56%)
A little over 1 out of 4 people want leaders who…
Give up his/her personal convictions to satisfy the desires of the majority (29%)
Fight for things to stay the way they are (26%)
Advice
Caution to newly promoted executives—remember what the mamma whale told the baby whale: “When you get to the top and start letting off steam, that’s the time you’re most apt to be harpooned.”
A football coach gave this advice on how to deal with failures. “When you’re about to be run out of town, get out in front and make it look like you’re heading a parade.”
Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992
Illustration: A Good Leader
Leadership is the ability to put the plans into practice, and to accomplish the specified objectives through the skillful management of people, time, and tangible resources. A good leader is one who is able to motivate people; one who is capable of making good decisions, even under pressure or in conditions of uncertainty; one who can guide people through actions as well as words.
How to Find Your Church, George Barna, pp. 104-105
Solomon, the wisest human whoever lived, because of the wisdom given to him by God, gives us many key principles about leadership worth considering.
1. TIMING - Prov. 24:27 - "Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house."
Solomon taught that we should carry out our work in its proper order.
Illustration: I remember farmers in Iowa, where I grew up, who became so enamored with extraneous projects in April and May that they were unable to get their crops in on time. When an early freeze came in October, they lost most of their crops. This not only caused them a great financial loss but also a terrible disgrace in the entire community where their credibility was shattered.
Illustration: People who put a lot of their money in bubble stocks during the dot.com boom are not happy to get pennies on the dollar for their investments. It is possible to be sincere but to experience severe loss merely on account of poor timing. We need to be sure that we lead with proper preparation, development of our resources and people as well as the sequencing that is determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
2. PLANNING - "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty." (Prov. 21:5) Solomon teaches us the importance of wise forethought before we engage in activities. Too many people make hasty shortcuts and end up with crumbling structures, families and relationships. It is easy to rush ahead impulsively but history is riddled with millions of case studies of people who failed to plan. "Failure to plan is a recipe for planning to fail."
Illustration: Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor had definite convictions about how God’s work should be done. We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength. Or we can make careful plans and ask God to bless them. “Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.”
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 243
3. KEEP CURRENT - "Know well the condition of your flocks and put your heart intot caring for your herds." (Prov. 27:23) Too many Moms and Dads are not keeping current with the concerns, fads and problems of their children and suffer needlessly. Contextualized leaders ask God to help them stay up with the day to day concerns of their people. We all need cultural relevance if we are going to remain effective.
4. BE COURAGEOUS - "The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are a bold as lions." (Prov. 28:1) God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (ability), love and self-discipline." (2 Tim. 1:7) Solomon simply echoed the command given to Joshua when he embarked on taking possession of the promised land, "Be strong and courageous and act. Do not fear or be dismayed. For the Lord God goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work of the house of God is accomplished." We can be courageous because the Lord God infuses us with His courage, strength and authorization.
5. STAND UP UNDER PRESSURE - "If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great." (Prov. 24:10) We need to remember to appropriate the promise given in Phil. 4:13, "I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power." Paul wrote, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth." (Eph. 6:10,11) Let us be strong to stand firm while many others are waxing, waning and wilting under the pressures of the world, the flesh and the devil. The Lord will fight the battles for us, if we simply stand and watch Him contend on our behalf.
6. KNOW YOU CANNOT PLEASE EVERYBODY ALL THE TIME - "Just as death and destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied." (Prov. 27:20) Many of us like to please people as it gives us a greater sense of acceptance, belonging and approval. However, there are many times when we have to realize that people will not like what we are doing in leadership. That is OK as long as we pray, "God grant me the serenity to accept those times when I cannot change peoples’ hearts. The courage to change those who I can. And the wisdom to discern when to just wait for you to bring about resolution.
7. DO NOT FORGET TO THANK PEOPLE - "Workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded." (Prov. 27:18) Everyone who has been in a position of leadership knows that it is easy to take people for granted. Let us ask the Lord to remind us when we overlook people and fail to show appreciation.
Many people crave attention and acknowledgment. There are many volunteers in our fellowship that are easily overlooked because we just assume they will do their job without the praise of men. Yet, we are all human and need affirmation. Let us not ignore the fact that people need to be thanked. Dick Engberg, the famous sports announcer said, "The most important word in the English language is Thanks." Do not forget the people who are helping you the most or they may soon lose their appreciation for you.
8. WORK HARD - "Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave." (Prov. 12:24) We all have to make choices everyday. Are we going to practice diligence and enjoy the promotions and benefits from God or we will grow slack, complacent and indolent and suffer from want. Wise people know that whatever a person sows that will they also reap. They do not give in to the modern trend of doing the minimum to get by.
Illustration: I recently read about a pastor who gave up a $90,000. a year job because he felt the work was just too hard and he wanted a rest - He was 39 years of age. He preferred to take an easier job. I wonder what will be the next reason he quits and tries to find an even easier position?
9. LISTEN BEFORE ANSWERING - "What a shame, what a folly, to give advice before listening to the facts!" (Prov. 18:13) Before making any decision we need to do three things:
1). Get all the facts you can
2). Be open to new ideas
3). Hear all sides of the story before you make your evaluation.
Ask the Lord to help you get as much information as you can. Our decisions are only as good as the information we base them upon. Otherwise, we will be guilty of prejudice which is deciding before we know the facts.
10. GET WISDOM FROM GREAT ADVISORS - "If a ruler honors liars, all his advisers will be wicked." (Prov. 29:12) Wisdom requires that we gain godly counselors to assist in making the best decisions. People who try to make decisions on their own invariably fail. Every person has plenty of blind spots, deficiencies and inadequacies in their abilities to make the best leadership decisions.
Application: Ask the Lord to give you good relationships with a plurality of godly elders, leaders and advisors are you will be surrounded by "Yes People" who only tell you what you want to hear.
Conclusion:
A Good Leader
Leadership is the ability to put the plans into practice, and to accomplish the specified objectives through the skillful management of people, time, and tangible resources. A good leader is one who is able to motivate people; one who is capable of making good decisions, even under pressure or in conditions of uncertainty; one who can guide people through actions as well as words.
How to Find Your Church, George Barna, pp. 104-105
A Leader Is…
Peter Drucker, perhaps the most noted authority on leadership in the 20th century, says:
A leader is one who has followers. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He is someone whose followers do the right thing. Popularity is not leadership, results are. Leaders are highly visible. They, therefore, set examples. Leadership is not rank or privileges, titles or money. Leadership is responsibility.
Quoted in Focal Point, summer, 1997, p. 19
Advice
Caution to newly promoted executives—remember what the mamma whale told the baby whale: “When you get to the top and start letting off steam, that’s the time you’re most apt to be harpooned.”
A football coach gave this advice on how to deal with failures. “When you’re about to be run out of town, get out in front and make it look like you’re heading a parade.”
Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MANAGEMENT
Here are some reasons why proper management of ministry is important:
PROVIDES PURPOSE AND DIRECTION:
If you are to be successful in ministry, then you must have a purpose and plans in harmony with those of God and be able to communicate them to others. When you know your specific purpose for ministry and make plans to fulfill that purpose, then you can lead others. Leaders must know where they are going in order to guide others. Guidance and unity in ministry involve common purpose and direction.
ELIMINATES CONFUSION:
When there is proper direction, confusion is eliminated:
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (I Corinthians 14:33)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1)
If God’s activities are not characterized by confusion, the ministries of His servants should not be either.
PERMITS PROPER DECISIONS:
Decisions determine your destiny. This is true even of salvation. You make a decision to either accept or reject the Gospel and your eternal destiny is determined by your decision.
Your present life and ministry is determined by previous decisions you have made. You either made decisions by thoughtful planning or on the spur of the moment. Good management permits you to make proper decisions with the guidance of the Lord.
ESTABLISHES PRIORITIES FOR MINISTRY:
Priorities are things which are more important than other things. They are the things which take first place in your time and attention. You will have priorities in life whether you consciously determine them or not. You will establish priorities either by drifting into habits that become a way of life, because of pressure of circumstances or people around you, or by a definite decision based on God’s purposes.
PERMITS ACTION RATHER THAN REACTION:
Many ministries are occupied with reacting to urgent matters in the present instead of planning for the future. This causes leaders to react rather than act with wisdom and purpose.
Without a strategy or plan, you do not know what you are doing in ministry, why you are doing it, or how it is to be done. Because you have no organization and direction, you have nothing to commit to, no way to evaluate your effectiveness for God, and you are easily persuaded to react and quit in crisis times.
Good management transforms desire to demonstration and visions to reality. It helps you determine what you are to do and how to do it in order to fulfill God’s purposes.
ESTABLISHES ACCOUNTABILITY:
In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 the servants were accountable for all that was entrusted to their care. Their master had a plan, communicated it to them, and they were to fulfill it by investing the funds they were given.
You are accountable not only for knowing God’s will for your life and ministry, but also for doing it:
And that servant, which knew His Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Luke 12:47)
If you do not wisely manage the ministry with which you are entrusted, you will be held accountable.
PERMITS EVALUATION:
Management includes evaluation to see if you are fulfilling God’s purpose and plan. Understanding Biblical principles of success and reasons for failure permit such evaluation.
PERMITS WISE USE OF SPIRITUAL RESOURCES:
Good management helps you manage spiritual resources properly and enables you to be a proper steward of funds, material possessions, people, and spiritual gifts for the work of God’s Kingdom.
PREPARES YOU TO ENTER OPEN DOORS:
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. (I Corinthians 16:9)
When God opens doors, you must be ready to walk through them and face new challenges. This is not possible without proper preparation. Read the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. God opens doors, but they do not stay open forever. They open and wait for you to enter. Then they close, sometimes never to open again.
HARMONIZES MINISTRY WITH GOD’S WILL:
The first question of the Apostle Paul after his conversion was, "What will you have me to do?" He was asking God, "What is your plan for my life and ministry?" Wise stewardship brings your life and ministry in harmony with God’s purpose and plans.
GOD SEEKS LEADERS
God told King Saul:
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. (I Samuel 13:14)
God still searches for men whom He can use as leaders:
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land; that I should not destroy it; but I found none. (Ezekiel 22:30)
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him...(II Chronicles 16:9)
Becoming a good manager takes time and effort:
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (I Corinthians 3:13)
Wood, hay, and stubble all grow above the ground. It is easily produced and can readily be seen by man, but it is easily destroyed. Gold and silver are precious medals produced under the ground. They are not readily seen by man, but they are more lasting.
Flashy, popular, secular leadership is like the wood, hay, and stubble. It is seen of man and easily produced through natural talents and abilities. Godly leadership is like gold and silver. It is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit in the inner, hidden man. But it is infinitely precious and durable.
Some of the material from the management section comes from Harvest time ministries.
