Equip & Empower

Love and truth form a good leader;
sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.
PROVERBS 20:28 (MSG)

A leader’s history of successes and failures makes a big difference in their credibility. It’s a little like earning and spending pocket change. Each time you make a good leadership decision, it puts change into your pocket.

Each time you make a poor one, you have to give some of your change to the people.

All leaders have a certain amount of change in their pockets when they start in new positions. From then on, they either build up their change or pay it out. Bad decisions cost them until they run out of change. It doesn’t matter whether the blunders were big or small, when you’re out of change, you’re out as a leader.

Leaders who keep making good decisions and recording wins build up change. If they make huge blunders, they still have plenty of change left over, because they still have the trust of their people.
>>The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

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CREATE AN INNER CIRCLE
Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him the king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. - 1 CHRONICLES 11:10

There are no Lone Ranger leaders. If you’re alone, you’re not leading anybody. Examine the way David pulled together the core people who made him great:

1. He started building a strong inner circle before he needed it: David began building his team long before he was crowned king.

2. He attracted people with varied gifts: David attracted men of diverse abilities. We read of experienced warriors with a variety of skills, many men of valor, and hundreds of captains. With the help of these men, David felt ready for anything.

3. He engendered loyalty: David’s followers displayed incredible loyalty to him throughout his life. Those closest to him seemed willing to put their lives on the line for him.

4. He delegated responsibility based on ability: David continually gave authority to others. He designated Joab as commander of the army, and he felt equally secure in giving others civil authority.
>>The Maxwell Leadership Bible

How can these four points help you create or improve your own inner circle?

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PETTY DIFFERENCES PREVENT VICTORY

I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. >PHILIPPIANS 4:2–5

Paul knew the importance of teamwork, so he encouraged two women who had been quarreling to make peace. Euodia and Syntyche, members of the Philippian church, had by their disharmony created some division. Paul uses them as examples to launch into an entire chapter on peace. He doesn’t ask these women to act uniformly, but rather to be of the same mind.

The term he uses connotes harmony. Singing in harmony doesn’t mean singing in unison. Players should play different positions on a team. Harmony means their efforts complement the efforts of others, rather than conflict with them.
>>The Maxwell Leadership

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THE GREATEST EDGE
I heard the voice of the LORD, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
ISAIAH 6:8

Teams are always looking for an edge. I’m sure you’ve seen it:
Businesses invest in the latest technology hoping to improve their
productivity. Companies fire their ad agencies and hire others to launch new campaigns. Corporations cycle through the latest management fads like channel surfers through television reruns.

Everyone is seeking the magic formula that will lead to success. The more competitive the field, the more relentless the search.

What is the key to success? To be successful, a team needs all of those things, but it still needs something more. It needs leadership. I believe . . .
• Personnel determine the potential of the team.
• Vision determines the direction of the team.
• Work ethic determines the preparation of the team.
• Leadership determines the success of the team.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. If a team has great leadership, then it can gain everything else it needs to go to the highest level.

>> The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork

LET GOD WORRY ABOUT YOUR PROMOTION
>>Don’t work yourself into the spotlight; don’t push your way into the place of prominence. It’s better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted. -PROVERBS 25:6–7 (MSG)

>> In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul tells us that aspiring to a position of leadership is a good thing (3:1). However, there’s a difference between stepping forward to accept the responsibility of leadership and stepping forward to put yourself into the spotlight for the benefit of self promotion.

>>The road to biblical leadership comes through service. Leaders may find themselves in the spotlight, but they also take the heat that often comes with that place of prominence. They speak up for the sake of the mission, but they are also willing to remain silent when it serves the organization. And at any moment, they must be willing to make all kinds of sacrifices for the sake of their people.

>>When you have the opportunity to lead, serve well. You cannot force yourself into a position God does not want you to have, nor will you miss the opportunity to serve where God desires you to be.

>> Do you concentrate more on self-promotion or service?
-John Maxwell


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CHARISMA: ARE PEOPLE DRAWN TO YOU?
>>And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude. - MARK 3:7–8

>>Most people think of charisma as something mystical, almost
undefinable. They think it’s a quality that comes at birth or not at all. But charisma is the ability to draw people to you. And like other character traits, it can be developed.

>>How do you rate when it comes to charisma? Are other people naturally attracted to you? If not, it could be because you possess one of these roadblocks to charisma:
>>Pride—nobody wants to follow a leader who thinks he is better than everyone else.
>>Insecurity—if you are uncomfortable with who you are, others will be too.
>>Moodiness—if people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything.
>>Perfectionism—people respect the desire for excellence, but dread unrealistic expectations.
>>Cynicism—people don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining.

>>If you can stay away from those qualities, you can cultivate charisma.
>>The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

>>What qualities may be preventing your charisma?

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ENTHUSIASM
There is no substitute for enthusiasm. When the members of a team are enthusiastic, the whole team becomes highly energized. And that energy produces power.

Industrialist Charles Schwab observed, “People can succeed at almost anything for which they have enthusiasm.”

You cannot win if you do not begin. That’s one of the reasons why you need to act your way into feeling. You can’t break a cycle of apathy by waiting to feel like doing it. I addressed an issue similar to this in Failing Forward:

People who want to get out of the fear cycle often . . . believe that they have to eliminate [their fear] to break the cycle.
But . . . you can’t wait for motivation to get you going. To conquer fear, you have to feel the fear and take action anyway . . . You’ve got to get yourself moving. The only way to break the cycle is to face your fear and take action— no matter how small or seemingly insignificant that action might seem. To get over fear, you’ve got to get started.

Likewise, if you want to be enthusiastic, you need to start acting that way. If you wait for the feeling before acting, you may never become enthusiastic.
—The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player - John Maxwell

NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL, ACT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT LIFE TODAY.

TRADE YOUR FEARS FOR FAITH IN GOD
>> When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush. -EXODUS 3:4
>> Brokenness involves removing inappropriate pride and self-reliance and building healthy God-reliance. God tamed Moses’ self-reliance and pride in the desert, but to create trust He had to break the man’s fears. Moses dealt with different kinds of fear in his encounter with God:
>> Fears concerning himself. God responded by assuring Moses of his purpose.
>> Fears concerning God. God responded by overwhelming Moses with His presence.
>> Fears concerning others. God responded by demonstrating His power and commitment.
>> Fears concerning his ability. God responded by providing him with a partner, his brother, Aaron.

With his willfulness broken, his fears overcome, and his purpose affirmed, Moses finally placed himself in the hands of God.

Life is filled with tradeoffs. Moses sacrificed his status and material
possessions to prepare for his life purpose. And then to fulfill it, he had to sacrifice again, relinquishing the security and safety of obscurity in the desert.

>> If you desire to lead, then you must be ready to make sacrifices.

- The Maxwell Leadership Bible
What fears do you need to relinquish?

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BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH THE MIDDLE
>> We often think leadership is easier at the top. The reality is that it’s actually easier to lead from the middle—if a really good leader is above you. Good leaders at the top break ground for their people. They create momentum for the entire organization. Haven’t you seen average or even below-average leaders succeed because they were part of an organization that was led well overall?
>> When you have excellent leaders, you don’t need as much skill and energy to make things happen. You benefit from everything they do. So why not enjoy it—and learn from them too? I’ve long admired the following poem by Helen Laurie:
How often I’ve been put to the test
To make the best of second-best,
Only to wake one day and see
That second-best is best for me.
>> Being in the middle can be a great place—as long as you have bought into the vision and believe in the leader.
>> So how do you get comfortable with the middle? Comfort is really a function of expectations. The wider the gap between what you imagine to be and reality, the more disappointed you are likely to be. Talk things out with your boss. The more you know about
what’s expected of you, what’s normal in the organization, and how much authority you have, the more comfortable you will be.
—The 360° Leader
BE CONTENT WITH WHERE YOU ARE,
AND GIVE YOUR WORK YOUR BEST.
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LEAD EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY
>> One of the mistakes rookie leaders often make is that they try to lead everyone the same way. But let’s face it. Everyone doesn’t respond to the same kind of leadership. You should try to be consistent with everyone. You should treat everyone with kindness and respect.
>> But don’t expect to use the same strategies and methods with everyone. You have to figure out what leadership buttons to push with each individual person on your team. One person will respond well to being challenged; another will want to be nurtured. One will need the game plan drawn up for him; another will be more passionate if she can create the game plan herself. One will require consistent, frequent follow-up; another will want breathing room. If you desire to be an effective leader, you need to take responsibility for conforming your leadership style to what your people need, not expecting them to adapt to you.
—The 360° Leader -John Maxwell
>> HOW HAVE YOU BEEN LEADING POORLY, AND HOW CAN
YOU CHANGE TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR TEAM?