I’ve written three books on leadership and blog and write for other blogs constantly on the subject of leadership. Last year, I wrote a long piece or short ebook on leading yourself. I’m going to roll it out, piece by piece, over the next couple of weeks on my blog. This has never been published before. So here we go. Here’s the first piece:
Know Your Identity
Salvation and who you are in Christ. If you don’t recognize that you’re a sinner saved by grace and a child of God, you’ll be seeking the approval of others. Stay grounded in Christ and in His Word.
Stay humble. I know this is easier said than done, but I think it’s a sobering thought to keep our pride (which we all struggle with), ego and attitudes in check.
Some of the best advice someone gave me years ago was to not take myself too seriously. I’ve tried to live by that and laugh a lot. Does my pride sometimes still flare up? Absolutely. Does my ego pop up from time to time. Sure. But I eventually come to my senses, repent and get back to a Christ- centered, God-sized view of who I am and Who He is.
This concept is especially challenging for gifted and talented individuals. Some pastors can really preach. Some worship leaders are very good musicians. Some video editors have mad skills. Some designers, well all designers have egos, but the point is a lot of Church leaders are talented and it’s easy to see why they wrestle with staying humble.
The problem is when we start relying on our strength, skills and ability and stop praying for Christ through the Holy Spirit to lead through us, preach and teach through us, sing and play through us, edit and design through us.
We must have the perspective of vessels, jars of clay and a Heavenly Potter sculpting us and shaping us and using us for great things according to His plans and His purpose.
A foundational concept and principle for all Church leaders is to lead like Jesus and be a servant leader. If you haven’t already, I’d strongly encourage you to read Ken Blanchard’s book Lead Like Jesus.
In order to understand the heart, mind and leadership skills of Christ, all one has to do is read through the Gospels. I know you’ve read them before, but go back and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John through the lens of leading like Jesus and see if you learn something new and God through the Holy Spirit can open your heart to true servant leadership.
… to be continued…