Transformational Leadership: The Give Step

A True mark of great leadership is to not be served but to serve others.

A true mark of outstanding leadership is not to be served but to serve others. Build up your family, team, friends, and enemies; in turn, you will be built up. The leaders who are loved and are remembered with honor inspire others to do great things.

Steve Jobs said, “My job is to not be easy on others but to make them better.”

Great leadership doesn’t promote yourself. Great leadership promotes others. It’s not enough for the butterfly to change from the caterpillar to the butterfly. No, that’s just the step to prepare it to start changing the world. It starts pollinating plants, bringing life, beauty, and oxygen to the world. People, employees, and even coworkers will strive harder to work for servant leaders. They will have a joy in their work. They will have passion. They will naturally give their all. Others may search for what and how much they can take. They may search for how they can force others to do their work.

A genuine leader searches for what he can give; he can contribute. They inspire and encourage others.

Relationships, not bossing others, are the keys to breakthrough. I remember working in a retail job once, and I had a manager who demonstrated many of the characteristics I’m sharing with you. He was thoughtful and relatable and treated his employees like people. The store manager, however, treated us like subjects and talked to us like he was reading off of a business script. Guess what? Of the two managers, the assistant manager and the store manager, we were happy and worked harder for the first manager rather than the store manager.

How can you empower your people?

I have a few closing characteristics that a servant leader must exhibit. These seem paradoxical to the normal view of a strong leader. But they couldn’t be more accurate.

1. Be moldable and teachable. When you are open to learning something, even after you “know everything,” you can begin to grow and change the world.

   Be willing to admit when you are wrong. Then, change from your wrongdoing. People aren’t stupid; the last thing they want is a leader who is acting in the wrong and won’t admit it or change course. The problem with idolizing people is that people will always let you down.

   Be gentle. Firm gentleness will yield greater fruit than being a bully and harsh on others. There may be a time for firmness and showing who the boss is, but that can still be done through gentleness.  How you walk with the broken speaks more of you than how you sit with the great.

   Be hungry for worth, not finances. People seeking finances may find them, but will it bring them happiness when their character is destroyed, their family is destroyed, and their friends leave them?

   Be merciful. If you sow the seeds of mercy into others, you will be shown mercy when you make a mistake. Don’t take revenge on your enemy. Show them mercy, and you will gain another friend. Someone asked me why I should be nice. Must you have a reason?

   Be pure in heart. Be real with people, and don’t put on a mask. Don’t put on a false face. Don’t be fake. Be trustworthy. Be honest. Be real with people.

   Be a peacemaker. Peacemakers don’t lord. They are not selfish. They extend a hand of generosity, the hand of compassion. They are willing to sit down and talk about our differences.

   -One of the biggest problems today is dividing ourselves into groups. I won’t take to him because he________. She’s in this group, so I can’t associate with her. Communicate. Be a person who brings unity and peace. Genuine and longer-lasting transformation is only possible through servant leadership.

Transformational Leadership: The Push Step

It would help if you discovered your priorities. What is important to you? What do you want people to remember you for or as? If you want to know your priorities, look at what you spent your money on, not what you budgeted for, but what you spent money on. If you want to know your priorities, look at what you spend your time on. Not what the calendar says but what you actually spend time on. If you dislike those things, it's time to change them.

Then, translate those to manageable and consistent behaviors.

Discover and then practice the priorities you want to be in your life. Cast your vision and then break it down into goals and steps. Make sure your goals are SMART. These goals should be "specific," "measurable," "attainable," "realistic," and "time-bound". When you can make SMART goals and form consistent behavior that demonstrates your priorities, you will grow, and your team or business will, too. Let's look at the leadership giant John Maxwell and what he has to share.

Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don't change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.”

– John C. Maxwell

Here’s a key. Marry your vision, not the process. Process changes but your vision should not. Be committed to your vision but be willing to alter your goals and process. No matter the goals or the process, consistency or perseverance is the master key. It all hinges on your ability and your iron will to persevere through the hard times, to keep going even after being knocked down 10 times. Real leaders rise an 11th time. Churchill also said, “If you're going through hell keep going.” In other words when times are tough and you feel like giving up don’t stop keep fighting. Leaders work harder than anyone around them.

Perseverance is the bedrock of leadership.

The fruit of perseverance? Your handwork will bring you before kings. The Wisdom of Solomon tells us that a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. Perseverance and hard work will create more opportunities for you than anything else. Opportunities come to those who press toward the 'high calling.'

Philippians 3:14 KJV 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Going to the gym once a month will not make you look like Dwayne Johson. Notice I said press. It's like the weight lifter in the gym. Going to the gym and watching people work out won't do me good. I might say, good, I made the effort, I came to the gym, I bought the workout clothing, I paid the dues. But I'm not gaining muscle? I'm not losing weight. It's because I'm not pressing. I'm not putting in the effort. I'm not sweating. I'm not pressing on. If you always just lift the bar without any weights on it, you won't gain any muscle. Put the weight on and press to see the transformation. Consistency and perseverance are the keys to growing yourself and leading others. Author CS Lewis said hardships often prepare an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.

Will you persevere?

“The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore... Unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible... It is with an iron will that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors... to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.”

― Ferdinand Magellan

Transformational Leadership. Part 3: The Buck Stops Here

There is a saying in America. “The Buck Stops Here” In other words the responsibility begins and ends with me. U.S. president Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk with 'The buck stops here' inscribed on it. This was meant to indicate that he didn't 'pass the buck', he didn’t pass the responsibility to anyone else; but accepted personal responsibility for the way the country was governed.

The buck doesn’t stop with your spouse, your partners work it out.The buck doesn’t stop with your children. You're the parent you mange the family. The buck doesn’t stop with your team. The team is only as strong as their leader empowers them to be. Don’t pass the buck onto others. The Buck stops with you.

Many people across the globe have a victim mentality. “I act this way because I didn’t have a good upbringing. I think this way because my parents failed me. I do this thing because this tragedy happened to me.” Fill in the blank. Guess what? Everyone has something that they can make as an excuse. They don’t have enough education. They don’t have enough experience. They have the wrong color of skin. They were born in the wrong neighborhood, or country. Their people were mistreated. There are plenty of excuses, what are you going to do about it?

People say, “We’ll it’s not my job. It’s not my fault. It’s not my problem.” Who is going to come and fix it for you? The Truth is that there are no excuses, and the truth always sets you free. Leaders don’t focus on excuses and problems. Leaders focus on and think through solutions. Everyone has had bad things happen to them. But everyone is given a few opportunities too. Which one will you let rule your life, your family, your company; your excuses or your opportunities?

Great leaders forge an attitude of perseverance.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.

-Psalm 37:23 NLT

Great leaders are always growing and moving forward. They don’t stop being the better part of themselves. Be committed to the Lord to direct your path. He will guide and direct you if you will let Him. Let Him develop you and grow you. Be committed to development and knowledge, growing skills, and cultivate good attitudes. This leads us into the Push Step.

Transformational Leadership. Part 2: Brave Step

The first key to leadership whether it’s 100 people or 1 is that you must change the way you think. I call this the Brave step. Take a look inside to decide what needs to change from where you are to where you want or need to be to grow and develop your leadership.

The Price of Greatness is Responsibility

To transform your life you must first renew your mind. 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.-Romans 12:2 NKJV

Your life, your behaviors, and your management of time, money, and resources will flow from how you think. If you think poorly you will behave poorly. If you think positively with the right attitude you can move a mountain. Leadership is not only for a select few. Leadership is for all of us. As Christians, we need and are called to be leaders. The church needs Godly leadership and the world desperately needs leadership that points the way to Jesus. All of us have the potential to change the world if we learn to look deeply in the mirror and are willing to change ourselves first. You are all leaders and are pressing toward the mark of transformational leadership. You must first be brave.

That’s the goal, when you think correctly, talk correctly, then you you’ll act correctly, then you’ll relate to people correctly and little by little you’ll change your life and the world around you. Leadership is not bossing people around, it’s investing your time, talent, knowledge, and gifts into others. In turn, they will go to and do incredible things and you’ll have brought them there.

You could have ordinary happy lives and it would be good. You decided to sacrifice the good to go for something great. Let me share with you 3 facts about great leadership that I’ve discovered over the years, and that are shared from God’s Word.

Great leaders take up the yoke of responsibility.

Winston Churchill said, “The Price of Greatness is responsibility.”

Do you want to transform yourself and the world around you? Take the responsibility to do something about it. Leaders don’t spread blame they spread praise. They don’t spread criticism, they spread instruction. They don’t condemn they show the example. Examine your life. What’s good? What’s bad? What’s ugly? What can you do today to make the good great? What can you do today to make the bad good? What can you do to make the ugly beautiful?

Continued next week.