Day 101 - Leadership 101

"Today I had an unusual day in the sense that I had nothing on my calendar and yet worked late because of all the meetings I ended up having."

Leaders have to know themselves. They also have to get their finger on the pulse of what is going on under their care. In order to know both of these things there has to be communication with people. 

On the one hand to know yourself involves more than yourself. In your prayer time and study of God's Word you must listen to who God says you are. If you know who you are in Him then you will be more confident to lead. Also you must listen to what others say about you. I am not just talking about the nice stuff either. It is good to know when people recognize strengths in you and just as good to hear encouragement. We all need to be encouraged or we would give up! But we also need to hear constructive criticism from people we trust whose interest is in our growth. One of the meeting I had on this day last year was with my mentor. He spoke wisdom and encouragement and helped me in my decision making process. 

On the other hand you must know the pulse of what you are over. This takes gathering information, hearing people's hearts and looking ahead at what is coming. The Bible says we should know the state of our flock. We should see where we are strong and where we are weak. We should have a handle on numbers and the resources we are stewarding. It takes diligence but it also takes communication with people. When people know you care enough to listen to them and see you involved the morale rises. I don't just ask people about their jobs I also ask about their families. I want to make sure my employees aren't struggling or hurting at home. And not just so that they will be a better worker but also because I want them to be blessed and prosperous in life. 

If leaders will know themselves and the pulse it will allow for better decisions, better placement, better use of time and resources, and better productivity. 

How can we know ourselves better? What ways do you use to know the pulse of your organization? 

Day 85 - Leaders Lead

"Leaders have to lead and often that means thinking for others, giving clear direction and then following up to make sure that they do it. Then along the way you have to deal with personalities. It is not easy."

I smile when I read this thought from last year. As a leader this is what I live every day. First, I have to lead myself. I have to know a clear direction and keep after it. I have to be accountable as a leader and also have to know my personality. I have to know when to say when and when to not make a decision because of my own personality conflicts. Leaders aren't perfect. We have to have people in our lives who will tell us the truth and who can tell us things that are hard to hear. My wife is great in this area. 

Once you have yourself in line then you can start getting others to follow. You have to give them clear direction and follow up with them. Don't expect people to read your mind or understand your vision after one conversation. Especially if your vision came from long hours of thought, prayer, study and dreaming. If it took you a long time to get the vision it may take more time for others to get it. 

Then comes the personalities. If you can be tactful and diplomatic when it comes to other people's personalities you can thrive as a leader. Many times conflicts don't come from problems in operation or finance. Most of the time I find that the conflict comes from personalities. Managing personalities takes care and sincere love. People want to know that you are sincere and really care about their problem. 

I finished my thought from last year by saying it is not easy. It really isn't...but it is rewarding. If you can lead yourself and lead others effectively then when the vision is accomplished everyone wins together. The reward is unity and productivity. 

How do you lead yourself? How do you handle others personalities with love?