Spirit Led Leadership: Adaptable Leadership

The most excellent leaders are those who can adapt to situations, understand the needs of the organization and followers, and create value by serving those who follow.

Daft (2018) has laid out several leadership models and theories. He compares leaders to managerial styles, characteristics of an individual, and how they fit together. A significant difference Daft (2018) mentions between leaders and managers is that leaders inspire and empower while managers dictate and direct. Leaders can be managers, and managers can adapt to various leadership styles. One particular leadership style that stands out is called servant leadership. Servant leadership allows others to grow, create, and expand their influence while those in authority serve and provide opportunities for them to flourish. Instead of leaders being too authoritative, they form a partnership with their followers, working with them to make decisions, rewarding those who contribute over those in position, and leading teams to build the organization (Daft, 2018, p. 178). Our ultimate example of servant leadership is Jesus; however, Robert Wood Johnson, Fred Keller, and Robert Greenleaf are a few examples of modern-day servant leaders.

The best managers I have worked under are the ones who push up their sleeves and dive into the trenches with their employees. I have witnessed this in my career as a trauma nurse, a teacher, and a pastor. When I see my leaders take on tasks beneath them to help the team, it builds higher respect for them and creates more value in the lower positions. A company can only grow as strong as the weakest link, and for me, when I have seen leaders serving the team, it has improved morale and increased value within the group. Now, as pastor, it is my turn to create value and serve the congregation's people.

What type of leader inspires you to be better? 

References:

Daft, R. L. (2018). The Leadership Experience (Seventh). Cengage Learning.

Spirit Led Leadership: How Are You Dressed?

How are you dressed? What does this have to do with Spirit Led Leadership? Certainly in the natural dressing for success or dressing like the job or person you want to be are important truths. Perhaps they even work in the Christian world. Today I’m not talking about choosing the right color of a tie, the right suit, or the type of skirt, but rather the clothing that Paul speaks to put on.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As spirit-led leaders, we are to put on a different type of clothing.

1. Compassion

2. Kindness

3. Humility

4. Meekness

5. Patience ( There’s that word again. )

6. Forgiveness

7. Love

As you institute your leadership with your business, team, non-profit, church, etc make sure you are dressed for success as you cloth yourself with the characteristics of Jesus Christ. Today we need some better-dressed people.

How can you apply these characteristics today?

More on this topic please see the devotion: Jesus Only: Part 2 by Daybreak Church

Spirit Led Leadership

Leadership, at its core, is a divine partnership with God, guided by the Holy Spirit. God, in His wisdom, assesses a person's character before bestowing them with the tools, authority, and influence to lead others.

Spirit-led leaders are not chosen based on worldly criteria such as position, status, education, or resources, but rather on the purity and sincerity of their hearts.

When Christians actively pursue their relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit in them produces Christ-like fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control make up the characteristics of Christ and are one fruit. Each aspect makes the character traits of spirit-empowered leaders. One that stands out is long-suffering or patience. Leaders must face challenges that require the Holy Spirit to cover them in grace. The Apostle Paul cried out for help, and the answer he received was that God's grace is sufficient (Voight, 1988, p. 44). Another example is Caesar Nero's palace servants, who were Christians serving the very man who persecuted Christians (Voight, 1988, p. 45). Voight reasons that even when trials arise, the Holy Spirit allows us to be joyful and victorious.

An example of the Holy Spirit's leading happened just before 2020. In December, the Chinese police were raiding underground churches. Our group had taken extreme measures to ensure we stayed under the radar. However, fear tried to set in when we heard the police were checking every business in the building where we held services. There was no escape, so we all sat quietly and prayed. The police never came to our conference room, and we had one of the best meetings of the year. The Holy Spirit covered us in grace, and we victoriously triumphed over the spirit of fear.

What is an example you can think of where the fruit of the spirit empowered you to rise above your fears?

Reference

 Voight, R. G. (1988). The Complete Perfect Salvation in Christ Jesus. Oral Roberts University.

Two Secrets to Thomas Jefferson's Leadership

Happy Independence Day ( or week ) everyone. During this week of American Independence, we cherish our freedom and, we are thankful for the host of heroes who fought and died for that freedom. Will that age of American heroes come again? One of those men Thomas Jefferson the writer of The Decoration of Independence holds some leadership keys that we can learn and grow from here in America and around the world.

Historian and Biographer Jon Meacham writes of Thomas Jefferson in his book “Thomas Jefferson; The Art of Power, he shares several stories about how Thomas Jefferson was a master of 1) listening and 2) connecting with others so that they would walk away feeling that he was their friend. Jefferson was a master at these two powerful leadership skills that transcended his highborn, privileged, influential status. To illustrate this I have included a quote from the book.

• Quote: “He immersed himself in the subtle skills of engaging others, chiefly by offering people that which they value most: an attentive audience to listen to their own visions and views. Politicians often talk too much and listen too little, which can be self-defeating, for in many instances the surer route to winning a friend is not to convince them that you are right but that you care what they think. A grandson described Jefferson's tactical approach to personal ex-changes. "His powers of conversation were great, yet he always turned it to subjects most familiar to those with whom he conversed, whether laborer, mechanic, or other.”-Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power.

Application Step: How can you learn from Jefferson? What application steps can you take today to grow in your listening and connecting?