If something doesn’t move for a while it usually gets stiff or stagnate.  There are times in every leaders life where we get stuck in patterns of immobility and before we know it we’re asking ourselves, “What’s wrong with me?”, “Why have I lost my passion?” OR “Is it time for me to move on to a new job?”  If you’re feeling a little stagnant, before you make any big moves, take some time to think through the following questions:

• If I could add one thing to my job description what would it be?  Why?
• If I could eliminate one thing from my job description what would it be?  Why?
• What’s the most stimulating thing I’m doing in my job right now?  What about that responsibility gives me so much energy?
• Who is actively challenging me to grow and stretch as a leader?  If the answer is no one, who can you invite to play that role in your life?
• What strengths have I been neglecting and allowing to atrophy?  What do I need to do to re-stimulate those strengths?
• What about my current routine is draining me and preventing me from dreaming and innovating new ideas?
• Have I read anything in the past 30 days that has stirred my thinking?  If the answer is nothing, who can I ask for reading suggestions?
• Do I have any goals that are inspiring me to give my all and trust God for outcomes bigger than what I’m able to do on my own?
• Are the obstacles I’m facing demotivating me or motivating me toward greater determination?

As you reflect on these questions write out your thoughts and create a growth plan that will get your blood pumping again!  The choice is yours…get moving or grow stagnant.

New Year

New attitude, new outlook

New commitments, new habits, new disciplines

New dreams, new goals, new pursuits, new opportunities

New challenges, new levels of faith, courage, trust and risk

“No, dear brothers and sisters I am still not all that I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.”   Philippians 3:13-14

Leaders are typically hard on themselves.  We tend to look at our performance and immediately begin to ask ourselves what we did wrong.  We’re rarely satisfied and have high self-expectations.  This can be positive because it drives us toward constant improvement.  But it can also be negative because it can decrease our confidence or cause us to focus on improving things we’ll never be good at (which is a waste of our developmental energies).

So this week instead of focusing on what you’re doing wrong, give yourself a break and focus on what you’re doing right.  Effective self-development comes from assessing and improving your leadership strengths. We don’t think about practicing this because the things we do right come natural to us.  But when we take the time to understand our leadership strengths we can work to improve them and use them more often, which will result in increased impact.

So give this a try.

• Reflect on a recent leadership moment in your life and ask yourself or someone else what you did right.
• Write down a general description of that strength.  For example- I coached someone to better performance OR taught in a way that produced life-change OR cast a vision that moved people to action OR counseled in a way that brought spiritual comfort to someone in need.
• Get as specific as possible and write down 4-5 distinct behaviors that make you good at that particular competency.  For example – I listened sincerely, I asked insightful questions, I easily identify options to someone’s problem, I gave clear and concise direction, I spoke words that motivated others, I organized thoughts in a clear and practical format.
• Now, how can you repeat those behaviors in other leadership opportunities this week?  Look for specific meetings or responsibilities on your schedule this week and plan on finding ways to use those strengths over and over again.  As you do this you will notice patterns in your own behavior, you will gain insights that will help you get even better at those competencies and you will go to another level of proficiency that you never would have achieved without intentional self-assessment and processing.

My guess is if you try this you will not only improve your strengths but you will find more fulfillment and energy in your job as well

Love is an action. It’s proactive behavior toward others that honors them and benefits their lives. But I as I read Paul’s definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, I believe love is more than an action. Look at how he describes love, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it’s not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

When you look at the verbs Paul gives in this passage you quickly see that love is more than an action, it’s also a reaction. For example when Paul says…

• “Love does not envy” – that’s loves reaction when someone has something you want.
• “Love does not boast” – that’s loves reaction when you just accomplished something you feel good about.
• “Love does not dishonor others” – that’s loves reaction when you’re in relationship with someone you do not respect.
• “Love is not easily angered” – that’s loves reaction when “someone presses your buttons”.
• “Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs” – that’s loves reaction when someone has treated you unfairly.
• “Love perseveres” – is loves reaction when someone continually lets you down.

These aren’t proactive actions we take, they’re reactions to someone else’s behavior. Acting in love is easier than reacting in love. Reacting in love requires discipline, self-sacrifice, humility and selflessness.

As you go through your day keep in mind that love is a reaction…then observe how you react to your wife, kids, co-workers in various situations throughout the day. Are you reacting in love?

All of us want to give our best and be recognized for a job well done.  However some people spend their time, energy and efforts seeking a promotion or higher position in their organization.  When this becomes our focus we make decisions based on what’s best for “me” rather than what’s best for the organization. Instead of building relationships with the whole team, emphasis is put on relationships that will benefit my career ambitions.  Rather than giving everything for THE MISSION, everything is given to SELF-PROMOTION.  Living for a position can be a very frustrating and unfulfilling pursuit.

Contrast this with living your passion.  When we live out of passion our time, energy and efforts are focused on producing results that move the mission forward. It’s passion that leads us to gladly sacrifice for the cause.  It’s passion that makes us give our best without thought of who is noticing.  It’s passion that breeds unrelenting perseverance.  It’s passion that produces a rich sense of joy and satisfaction in our lives. Nothing great was ever accomplished without a passionate person behind it.

How will your passion find expression in your work today?

If we want to maximize the God given opportunities of our lives then it’s essential that we operate in our strengths.  Marcus Buckingham defines a strength as “consistent near perfect performance in an activity.” This is a simple but profound description of a strength.  When we operate in our strengths results come easy, our work is almost effortless and we experience a deep sense of satisfaction and joy.

While I’m a big proponent of knowing and developing strengths, yesterday I sat down and did an inventory of my weaknesses.  It was a very insightful and helpful exercise to begin my week.  As leaders there are times we need to focus on our weaknesses…not to develop them but to design systems and structures to minimize their influence in our leadership.

As you begin your week give this a try…

• Write down your top three weaknesses
• Look at your top performance priorities for the upcoming week
• Review your schedule for the upcoming week
• Decide how can you minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths to produce the intended results for the week.

Today’s Leadership Challenge: Write out a Strong Week Plan where you are functioning 80% of your time in the areas of your strengths.

There is no shortage of opportunities for each of us to do good things.  And not just good things but significant things that will have eternal impact.  While this can be exciting for a leader it can also be debilitating.  The leader who naively says “yes” to every opportunity will soon find himself frustrated and ineffective. Choosing to narrow the focus of our lives is a difficult discipline, but essential to maximizing the impact of our giftedness.

If you feel your a little scattered lately here are a few questions that might help you narrow your focus:

• What’s the ONE problem in this world that God wants to use me to do something about?
• What’s the ONE thing I’m doing today that will make an impact in that area of need?
• What’s the ONE gift or strength God has given me to make a difference in that area of need?
• What’s ONE thing I need to stop doing to make me more effective in my mission?
• Who is ONE person that can regularly check on my progress and hold me accountable for staying focused?

Take ONE hour today to process these questions.

When leaders allow themselves to be overwhelmed by uncertainty fear will grip their spirit and stall progress toward their calling and mission. Ultimately fear is rooted in a belief that God is not in control. So when a leader is struggling with anxiety it’s a matter of changing their mindset more than changing their circumstances.

One morning i was meeting with an individual who talked to me about the problems he was facing and expressed a sense of defeat in the overwhelming odds against him.   Later that day I had another meeting with an individual who held a similar position and was facing similar circumstances.  But instead of talking about the problems he was facing he told me about the opportunities in front of him.  He acknowledge the challenges yet spoke with hope and optimism as he anticipated the hand of God to move in his situation. Both men were facing financial difficulty, relational challenges and lack of resources.  The only difference between the two was their perspective.

Paul told the Philippians “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6) Paul expresses a strong confidence that the work God has begun in us will be brought to completion, perfection.  He’s certain of it.  That Greek word for “confident” (peitho) means persuaded, already convinced. I’m reminded of that every time I begin to feel fear and uncertainty.  My circumstances may not be what I would like but I can be confident that God is in control.  And when the conviction that God is in control grips my heart it changes the way I lead.

When you invest in the development of your own leadership everybody wins.  Bill Hybels (Global Leadership Summit 2010)

Personal development isn’t just about improving our leadership, it ultimately raises the level of leadership in the whole organization.  When you grow others grow.  While there may be many obstacles that prevent us from being perfect leaders, there is no excuse for not being a growing leader.  Leaders who are not practicing self development make repeated mistakes, maintain poor leadership habits and lack the leadership wisdom that will enable them to adapt to a changing culture. But leaders who develop the discipline of personal growth are making constant adjustments, learning from their mistakes and developing leadership wisdom that will sustain their leadership over the long haul. But our self-development not only impacts the way we lead but it impacts the leadership of those around us.  I’ve always believed that growing leaders grow leaders.  Here are three keys to making sure that “everybody wins” through your personal leadership development.

• Commit yourself to a daily leadership growth plan. If it’s reading one chapter of a book a day, researching a leadership topic on particular blogs or asking veteran leaders key questions, try to learn something new everyday.
• Carry a notebook and write down one new thought or insight every day.
• Put what you learn into practice.  The best way to learn something new is not to think about it but to do it.  Find ways to apply your new insights right away.
• Teach others what you’re learning.  Each time you share what  you’re learning you reinforce those principles in your own mind and you help others on their leadership journey as well.

Today’s Leadership Challenge: Discover one new leadership insight today and find a way to put it into practice this week.

Fear is not a quality many leaders long to develop in their lives.  But I do believe there is a healthy dose of fear that every leader needs. Today I was reading Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” The Hebrew word for knowledge means wisdom, discernment, understanding, skill or perception. These are all things that I long for as a leader. One of my constant prayers is that God would give me “Leadership Instinct”. I define leadership instinct as the wisdom to act in the right way at the right time for the right reason. Solomon says that type of instinct starts with fearing God. Why? Because God is all wise and all knowing. And He shares His mind and heart with those who love and revere Him. So I must move forward throughout my day with a healthy fear of the Lord.  And as I do it’s more likely that I will hear His voice, know His heart, do His will and be the Leader He has created me to be.

What does the fear of the Lord produce in my life? According to Proverbs fear of the Lord…

• Gives me Knowledge 1:7
• Gives me Knowledge of God 2:5
• Gives me a distaste for evil 8:13
• Gives me Wisdom 9:10, 15:33
• Adds length to my life 10:27
• Aids in living a righteous lifestyle 14:2
• Helps me Avoid evil 14:16, 16:6
• It is a fountain of life 14:27; 19:23
• Produces an atmosphere of security in my home 14:26
• Brings wealth and honor 22:4
• Keeps me from being envioius 23:17
• Brings blessing 28:14

Not a bad list of benefits!  Move forward with fear.