LEADERSHIP:
Are You A Leader? What Kind of Leader Are You?
Home Work:
1) What is your strongest Leadership Quality?
b) What is it in your life that effects and molds who you are?
3> Your "HIT LIST"
1 Corinthians 13: 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.(Y) But the greatest of these is love.
As for leadership goes, 1 Cor: 13;13 says it all. This is an everlasting word and principal.
To lead in church you need a different Focus and Attitude.
The qualities of a visionary/prime leader have been well defined by many great writers,
the more so over the last two decades. The science of leadership now occupies a premier
position in notable business colleges throughout the world, the writings of leaders now
dominate bookshelves and the want to be a leader is never far from anyone of us, or at
least the thought that we are ‘meant’ to want to be leaders.
However I’m not sure that the whole story has been told. I’m not sure that all the traits
have been spoken of with, how do I say it - candour. We all know that something has
been missing from the picture and so I humbly submit this article to complete the picture.
If you have 6 or more of the following traits you are most likely a prime/visionary leader;
4 or less and you are most likely in need of immediate psychological assistance and
medication.
1. You are an impatient and edgy driver. This most likely means that you speed and
find other cars on the road a complete nuisance, an impediment. You’re going
places and it is obvious most others aren’t. What is particularly annoying to lawabiding
citizens is that you are rarely given speeding tickets whereas they, as soon
as they go over the limit, are. And you hate red lights - green is the only
acceptable colour. Red is the devil, orange not much better. In fact orange is an
invitation to display your impatience with all things hesitant.
2. You are distracted a lot of the time. This leads to others assuming you are
unfriendly at times – a very unfriendly judgement you’d say. Distraction is
normal and necessary but it doesn’t always go down well in a social setting – like,
with your wife and children.
3. You tend to twitch and some of you have a permanent sheen of sweat on your
brow. Tics are normal as are headaches, painkillers, melancholic moments and
concerns/worries. These are indisputable marks of prime leadership.
4. You get accused of not being a good listener sometimes, and rightly so. Because
you are thinking, mulling, cogitating, dreaming and envisioning you seldom have
time to listen and if you do it isn’t ever for long. Tell the others to get over it –
listening never changed the world. Too much empathy creates dependence, not
maturity.
5. You have more energy than a herd of bull elephants on heat. Your pace of life
makes others tired just watching. You could burn out but you do little to avoid it.
6. You promote a balanced life but seldom ever get around to living it. The
balanced person is someone you admire for 10 minutes. But the balanced life is a
bore and difficult as all the energy required keeping it debilitates a person, so why
bother? The only people that are successful balancers are tightrope walkers.
7. You have more ideas than a patent office could process in a lifetime. Some of
your ideas will last as long as the life span of a fruit fly and others may change the
world. Ideas are to you as water to a fish.
8. You are a terrible shopper.
9. But, you are a great spender. This is another of those incontestable hallmarks of a
visionary leader. Prime leaders think more about money than most people
because money is required to get things done, little happens without it.
10. You always believe tomorrow will be better than today. Today only exists to get
to tomorrow and yesterday is nothing if not a nuisance.
So, are you a prime/visionary leader or do you need medication? (You’ll probably need
some either way.)
But you might ask, what about the traits of a non-visionary, non-prime leader? How do I
know if I’m not that kind of person? Below are listed 5 characteristics of the non-prime
leader. If you exhibit these in an abundance you are probably going to be very unhappy
running your own deal and much happier and fulfilled if on a team with others – provided
you can admit it.
1. You find it hard to say no to the requests of people. People matter to you so you
do all in your power to care for them. Sometimes they need to hear ‘no’ but you
don’t go there easily. You spend hours with people hearing their problems and
feel nothing but love and compassion for them. Time seems to be best spent
around others. You aren’t confrontational because you want people to be happy.
2. You drive considerately, as though the roads were made for all to use. Green
light, orange light, red light – doesn’t much matter to you, as the journey is as
important as the destination.
3. You are hesitant when it comes to the raising of money and you secretly think
those people who do talk about and raise big amounts are a little fixated and
maybe they have a money issue. Of course they do but you’ll need the same if
you are to do what they attempt, so you don’t. Vision is the same – overrated and
frankly very thin on the ground for you, elusive.
4. You need more than 6 hours of sleep and 8 are preferable. You go to sleep with
few thoughts in your head and actually sleep through the night. This is
something the visionary leader sees as a waste of time and resource as time is
money. All the prerequisite fears and pressures of a visionary leader seem to
have quite nicely evaded you, lucky you.
5. You are a genuinely nice person, loved by all. You have time and energy for
others, nothing is a problem, and you live a balanced life most of the time. When
you are with people they have your undivided attention, and you actually listen to
them with an expression of interest. Sounds very much like you are a Christian.
It is these traits that mark out the team player and if you identify with most of them then
it is likely you are currently frustrated as having a vision still eludes you no matter how
many conferences, tapes and positive confessions you have immersed yourself in.
So there you have it. At last a way we can all tell who is who without needing to resort to
fancy diagnostic tools and interminable ‘gift’ analysis formulas. What are you?
One last thing. Never write long e-mails to a visionary leader; their life isn’t given to
answering your lengthy thoughts, suggestions and concerns. Grammar and sentence
structure is for those with time on their hands – excepting for the author, that is.
CHALLENGES FOR THE VISIONARY/PRIME LEADER-TO-BE.
NO PATIENCE
BIG EGO
LACK OF RESPECT
NO FOCUS
THIS FALLS INTO AN AREA CALLED FOLLOWSHIP.
This is the make it or break it piece in the Discipleship connection.
A Leader must ID people that will become Disciples
He must ask them to make a commitment.
**Jesus called his Disciples
Matt 4:
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,(W) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter(X) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”(Y) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.(Z)
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.(AA) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.(AB)
When the Disciples were called they dropped what they were doing and follow Jesus.
When the Rich Young Ruler is called by Jesus he has a different response.
Mark 10:17-27
17 (A)As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and (B)knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to (C)inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘(D)Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept (E)all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have (F)treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
BONUS MATERIAL**
What does it take to become a leader in C3 Church.
Be sold out for Jesus Christ
a Prayer
a Worshipper
Teachable
a Lover of The Word
Filled with the Holy Spirit
a Tither / Generous Person
You must love people
Ready for the greatest adventure of your life!
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