Tag Archives: Christian leader

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Christian Leadership Is Intentional

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John Maxwell said that leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts, but is instead about one life influencing another. So if leadership is about influence, how are we supposed to behave as Christian leaders in the business world? What does this look like?

Christian leader

Christian Leadership Standards

In my last post, I took Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 3:1-15 when he was describing the qualities of Christian leadership to Timothy. As you read verses 14-15, it becomes clear that Paul is not only referring to church pastors and deacons, but to everyone in the family of God! This means we are all leaders in the role He has given us.

If this is true, then we need to know how to be the Christian leaders God calls us to be right where we are. While the list of qualities Paul gives are good to go by, I think we can sum up our responsibilities in three points.

3 Christian Leadership Points

We covered the first one in my last post – Leadership is Influence. That essentially means that we are leaders to the extent we influence others. As Christians, we must be aware of this and live accordingly. I will cover the second point today and the last one next time.

The second point is this:

[texthighlight color=”black” ]Christian Leadership is Intentional.[/texthighlight]

Intentional?

What does this really mean? The problem with leadership being about influence is that you can influence people without meaning to. You can influence people, and lead them, even when you are doing the wrong things or doing things wrong. You may not even know you are leading or influencing them.

For you to be an effective Christian leader, you must be intentional about who you are and what you do. You must seek to live by the standards given in Scripture. You should make sure that anyone being led (or influenced) by you is being influenced in the right direction!

What does this mean to you at work?

Christian Leadership At Work?

An effective Christian leader cannot act one way on Sunday and a different way Monday through Friday or Saturday. Instead, Christian leaders must intentionally be the same person all week long – someone who is being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ!

This means you should be making decisions based on what you believe Jesus would have you do in the workplace just as you would in the home or at church. There really is not a difference, except in location.

Examples

When given the opportunity to cheat the company, a customer, or a competitor, you must remember that this is not behavior that fits with being a Christian leader. When tempted to try to “fit in” with your peers at work or even on the road at a conference, you have to remember that you are always on display. Your influence does not stop just because you are at work.

Before we digress into a long, legalistic list of things you cannot do, I really want to take a minute to focus on what you should be doing. To me, being an intentional Christian leader is more about the things you do, rather than just the things you should not do.

Scripture & Application

There are two verses I can think of to describe what I am talking about. The first one is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:16.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorifyyour Father in heaven.

If you will follow the advice in this verse as you operate in the workplace, you will stand out. Over time, you will be an obvious influence on those around you. I promise you this is true.

If you do this, do you know what will happen? Some people may mock you or avoid you at first. Maybe they will even try to undermine you or oppose you directly. Others will respect you – silently or otherwise. Some will hope you can maintain it because they want to believe it can be done.

They Will Ask Why?

Whatever the initial reaction, over time people will begin to ask you, “Why?” They will want to understand what it is that makes you different. They will come to you for advice when you least expect it.

The second verse that applies here is 1 Peter 3:15.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

The point here is that your “good deeds” will draw attention to you – just like a city on a hill. As that happens, you will be asked why you are different. This verse in 1 Peter explains that you should not be caught off guard by this. Instead, you should be prepared to answer the questions.

Intentional Preparation

You will have to intentionally prepare for this. You cannot be clueless about Scripture and be prepared to answer these questions. You cannot fail to think through your answers and still be ready to respond.

Obviously, there is more to being an effective Christian leader than just applying these two verses. At the same time, this is a great start! Just applying these two verses can multiply your impact and influence on others exponentially! Try it and see what you think.

What other verses do you think fit here?

What would you add to this plan for being intentional?

What challenges have you faced in trying to live this out?

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Do You Recognize This Christian Leader?

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Yesterday, we had a lesson in Sunday School that is near and dear to my heart. The topic was Christian Leadership and I had the opportunity to teach it! Because the material is so relevant to Christian business, I thought I would share the material and apply it to our situations as Christian leaders in the business world. Before I reveal the identity of the mystery Christian leader below, let’s take a look at the material.

Christian leader

Paul Describes Christian Leaders

The text of the lesson came from 1 Timothy 3:1-15, where Paul is instructing Timothy about the leadership of the church body. As Paul progresses, describing the qualities of the overseer and then the deacons, he gives some very high standards.

Paul mentions critical characteristics like the following:

    • Good reputation with outsiders
    • Good manager of the household
    • Not greedy for money
    • Self-controlled
    • Respectable

Who Comes To Mind?

When you are thinking about Christian leadership and these standards, what comes to mind? Does someone you respect as a Christian leader pop into your head? Or do you think about a leader you know (or work with) that needs to take on some of these qualities?

Either way, most people think about someone else. Maybe it is because they read this text to be directed at Pastors and Deacons in their church. Maybe they just do not feel like a leader themselves.

Someone Else?

Whatever the reason, the vast majority of believers in Jesus do not immediately think of themselves as Christian leaders. If this is true of you, you are not alone.

Unfortunately, being part of the majority (at least in this case), does not make you right. In fact, I will simply say this – if you are a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ and do not see yourself as a Christian leader, then you are mistaken.

Before you get offended, please read on and see if this makes sense to you at the end.

Leadership Defined

To find the definition of leadership, there are many places you can go. I have done this and I think I can save you the time of doing it yourself. By far, the best definition of leadership I have found comes from John Maxwell.

If anyone has read John Maxwell, you know that he understands leadership. He has written more books than anyone else on the subject…in fact, later this week, I will be giving away a copy of one of his books The 5 Levels of Leadership on this site! Make sure to check back with my Friday post and enter to win!

Here is John Maxwell’s definition of leadership:

Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts.
It is about one life influencing another.

If you don’t mind, I am going to boil this definition down a little:

Leadership is Influence.

Let that sink in.

What Does This Mean?

If leadership is influence, then that means that anyone in a position or role to influence someone else is a leader. Is that right?

Let’s say that again so we make sure we are in agreement. You are a leader if you are in a position or role to influence someone else.

YOU Are The Christian Leader!

Do you get that? Do you realize that this means YOU are a Christian leader? You are the mystery Christian leader in the picture above! If you influence your children, co-workers, friends, or anyone else, then you are a Christian leader. You do not have to be elected or appointed to a particular office – you just have to be an influence on someone else!

That is a big point and you need to make sure you absorb that. At the same time, I have another point to go along with it.

You Cannot Avoid It

This position or role of influence you have – it does not have to be one that you volunteered to take on. You did not have to choose this position or role to qualify you for Christian leadership! The fact that you are a Christian and you influence others (willingly or not) makes you a Christian leader. There is no avoiding it!

Let’s take a look at someone that I would argue has been in a position of leadership, but appears to feel otherwise. Depending on your age (and maybe gender), you probably know Charles Barkley. He played professional basketball for many years and was a superstar in his day.

The following video is a Nike ad that ran at the time Barkley was playing. Watch the video and then let’s discuss his words.

Is He A Role Model?

I will not argue with some of what Barkley says in this video. I agree that parents should raise their kids and not rely on professional athletes to be the sole influence.

At the same time, Barkley is simply wrong when he says he is not a role model. Like it or not, his celebrity is enough to qualify him as a leader. Maybe he is not a good one – not my point. Maybe he is not an intentional one – don’t have enough information.

But – whether he likes it or not – he is a leader. His influence puts him in that role and there is nothing he can do to avoid it.

Also True For Us

Folks, the same is true for us. When we made the decision to follow Jesus Christ, we put ourselves in a position of influence and therefore became Christian leaders. Whether we like it or not, that is who we are and we much accept it.

This Christian leadership is our role whether we are in an entry-level position or a C-level position. We are Christian leaders whether we are still working or retired. Our title, office, or position have nothing to do with this. It is up to us to accept this and embrace it.

Now that we understand our role as Christian leaders, what do we do about it? What does this look like? In my next several posts, I am going to discuss this very idea and try to give you a clear picture of what it needs to look like.

What are your thoughts right now?

Do you agree that you are a Christian leader?

How long have you realized this?

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Is Competence Really Critical In A Christian Leader?

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Over the past 60 days, I have been going through a lot of resumes for key positions within our company. In doing this, I have realized that our discussion about the key building blocks to Christian leadership is a very timely topic for me! Depending on the position, I am likely looking for these very characteristics in the candidates I interview.

Christian leader

Credible Christian Leadership

This is my fifth and final post in the series on credible Christian leadership. In this series we have been looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. We started with honesty, followed by being forward-looking, or casting vision. Then, in my last post, we looked at being inspiring. Today, we will focus on the fourth and final building block, competence.

Some Incredible Claims!

As I mentioned earlier, I have been going through stacks of resumes to find the right candidates for some very key roles in our business. As I go through these resumes, I marvel at the variety of ways people can express incredible, performance-based claims. Reading some of these, you would think the candidates would be better served writing fiction than they are in managing people!

Don’t get me wrong. Not all of them are like this. Some are very factual and some even back up their claims with various means of proof. Some don’t make the outrageous claims. They simply state facts about their work experience and accomplishments.

What is my point?

Competence Is Critical

Well, my point is this – I am looking for solid leaders, those that others will want to follow. I am looking to fill roles that are critical to the success of our company, and by extension, our ability to impact eternity. If I hire only for honesty, vision, and inspiration – forgetting about competence – then I am doomed to failure!

On the surface, many of the resumes I have reviewed look good. However, I obviously won’t choose them based solely on this. I must find out if they are competent as well. If not, the people in our organization will not follow them. The truth will come out quickly.

Folks, we simply cannot get by with mediocre if we truly want to be Christian leaders that point others to God. We cannot accept just showing up for the job. Even if we have great personalities and extensive knowledge of the industry, we are not going to succeed if we are not competent at what we are called to do!

What Action Do We Take?

So, what does this mean to you and me? Assuming we agree on the absolute need for competence in our roles as Christian leaders, what does that mean we need to do about it?

The bottom line is that we are to be learners. We are to be students of our industry. We should be investing time on a regular basis to grow our skills and our understanding. We can not pass muster if we are not growing constantly.

There are too many resources available today for any excuses. If you work at it, you can even find plenty that will not cost you a penny! All you have to be willing to invest is your time! Don’t let complacency slip up on you…go learn something!

Summary

I pray you have gained something from our discussion of the four building blocks of Christian leadership. I also pray that you are taking something you have learned and are applying it. I have a quote stuck to the bottom of the monitor on my desk. Here is what it says:

Knowing is not enough; I must apply.
Willing is not enough; I must do.

What 3 leadership books have you read this year?

Are you working on your competence in your job?

Do you require the same from your team?

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Christian Leadership Based On A True Story!

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I am a movie buff. I am often known to quote from a wide variety of movies at seemingly random times during the day. Weird? Maybe. I just enjoy movies and often see how they tie into real life in odd ways. Today, I want to show you how they tie into Christian leadership…in what I hope is a clear way!

Christian leader

Credible Christian Leadership

This is my fourth post in the series on Credible Christian Leadership. In this series we are looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. So far, we have talked about honesty and being forward-looking, or casting vision. In this post, I want to discuss what it means to be inspiring, the third building block of Christian leadership.

Favorite Movies

At the risk of being too transparent (I have been accused!), I am going to share with you a few of my favorite movies. While these particular movies alone do not give you a complete picture of my movie tastes, they do fit my purpose for this post.

Christian leader

Just by looking over this group, can you tell me what they have in common?

As you probably guessed, all of these movies are based on true stories!

Why is this important?

Inspiring = Great Speeches?

Well, we are talking about how the need to be inspiring to those you lead is a building block of Christian leadership. When most people first think about being inspiring to those they lead, they think about giving a hair-raising speech that brings the crowd to their feet. Their next thought is usually that they are not gifted in that way.

Actually, it is true that most of us are not gifted with the ability to give highly motivational speeches. Fortunately, being inspiring is more about what we do than it is about what we say!

Simply Live Out The Values

See, while you may not be able to give a rousing speech to your team, you sure can live out the values that you claim as a Christian leader. You may not be able to motivate your team to scale a wall with your pep talk, but you can exhibit the selfless qualities that reinforce what you teach.

People are much more apt to be inspired by watching a true story than they are by one that is scripted for Hollywood. Those that you lead will be more inspired by what you do – day in and day out – than they would be by what you may say.

Rudy’s Example

Think back to the movies I listed. Let’s take just the first one – Rudy. If you have seen this movie, you will remember that on or off the field, Rudy lived for Notre Dame football. He gave his heart and soul to the pursuit of playing football for Notre Dame. He went through punishment, sacrifice, and heartache to achieve this goal.

It took him years to finally see this goal realized. As a result, he made believers out of everyone that watched him. Some scoffed and others were convicted when comparing their own lack of commitment with Rudy’s passion for his goal. In the end, his achievement was truly inspiring!

We Can Be Inspiring!

Folks, this is not about having your life made into a major motion picture! Our goal is not the spotlight.

No, my point is that if we will simply and passionately live out the Christian leadership qualities that Jesus modeled for us in the Bible, then we will be some of the most inspiring people out there! The inspiration that results from our lives may not reach past the city limits of our small town. That is not important.

What IS important is that we follow the example laid out for us in Scripture. It IS important that we do this regardless of the potential consequences we may face in this world. As we do this, the people that are carefully watching us will be inspired. There is no doubt about that!

Do you have an example of Christian leadership that inspired you?

Are you trying to live out Christ’s values in an inspiring way?

How could your example be more inspiring to those watching you?

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How Is Vision Critical to Christian Leadership?

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Probably one of the top five books I have read in the past ten years is called Visioneering by Andy Stanley. In my mind, this book ranks with classics like Good to Great by Jim Collins and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

vision

In Stanley’s book, he goes into great detail about why vision is so important to Christian leadership. He also gives solid advice about how to go about casting that vision to your organization. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it! I would loan mine to you, but someone borrowed it several years ago and has failed to return it. I am hoping they read this post and get the hint!

This is my third post in the series on Credible Christian Leadership. In this series we are looking at the four building blocks of Christian leadership proposed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book, Credibility. We started with honesty in my last post. Today, we are talking about being forward-looking, or casting vision.

Vision From Two Perspectives

Anyway, let’s talk about vision from a couple of perspectives. First, we need to discuss why it is important as a building block for Christian leadership. Second, we need to address what it looks like in a Christian leader.

People Want A Big Vision

If you read much about employee engagement, you will find that compensation is not always the most important issue affecting job satisfaction among employees. In many cases, the desire to work for something that is bigger than themselves turns out to rank higher than compensation for employees.

People want to be a part of something. That is one reason the Olympic Games are so interesting to people in all walks of life. When they watch the events on TV, they feel a part of the team. Americans, regardless of economic status or job position, feel like they are a part of a national team. It is invigorating to most everyone and the vast majority are not participating in any way other than as spectators.

If you want to tap into this passion with those you are leading, then they need to know you are looking into the future. They need to know you are seeing a better picture ahead and showing them how they can be a part of this vision.

What Should Vision Look Like?

Assuming you want this, let’s take a look at what this should actually look like from a Christian perspective.

For a Christian leader, our vision for the future cannot simply include things like more money and a comfortable retirement. If this is all it is, then we are showing them nothing any different than what the world is showing them. This just cannot be.

Temporal And Eternal Vision

Instead, this vision, coming from a Christian leader, needs to extend into the future on two levels – both the temporal (this life) and the eternal (the life to come). If we can cast a vision of a better future on both levels, we will have people eager to follow we and hear what we have to say.

Just like Jesus did with those He ministered to, we do need to provide for their physical needs in our vision. We cannot expect to lead people with no consideration of their physical existence and the needs that go along with it. If we ignore their physical needs when we are casting our vision for the future, then we will end up walking alone.

Stretch Their Picture

The difference for the Christian leader is that we are not painting a picture for them that only includes their own needs. We are instead showing them a larger picture that includes the needs of those around them. We want to show them that they can be a part of improving the community in which they live. This community includes their coworkers, neighbors, etc.

Eternal Vision

At the same time we are casting the vision for a better life here and now, we should also be casting the vision for a better life to come. As Christian leaders, we should be leading them to consider their life beyond this life.

In July’s C12 segment, the author describes it this way:

We need to believe, in our own hearts, that this earthly life is one of struggle and that the good life awaits us in Heaven. We lead based on the eternal perspective.

If we can cast this dual vision in a compelling way, we will draw people to God. Again, we are not looking for the spotlight. Instead, we are looking to cast that spotlight on Him and give Him the glory for it all.

Do you have a vision for a better future?

If not, are you praying for God to reveal it to you?

If so, are you casting this vision on both levels?

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Building Blocks of Christian Leadership

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Are you the Christian leader you were created to be? Do you really even have a good feel for what that looks like? What are you doing on a daily basis to improve as a Christian leader?

Christian leader

Christian Leadership Defined

As I described in my last post, I am not defining Christian leadership by the size of your social media platform. I am not defining it based on the number of people you lead or by the number of books you have read or written. It has nothing to do with the spotlight.

Instead, I am calling a Christian leader someone who follows the example of Christ and does so in a way that influences others to do the same. You could also call someone like this a disciple-maker or a Great Commission Christian or any other label you want to use.

The only difference here is that I am describing this person in the context of the business world.

Called To Influence Through Business

My point is that, as Christian business owners and leaders, I believe we are all called to influence others toward an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to do this through the operation of our businesses and the execution of our jobs.

Assuming you are in agreement with me at this point, let’s dig into the building blocks of effective and credible Christian leadership. I am taking much of this information from the July segment of the C12 Group material.

How Effective Leadership Works

Recently, educators James Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote a book, Credibility, in which they explored how effective leadership works. In preparation for this book, they did extensive research with thousands of interviews to come up with the basic building blocks.

Out of a list of 20 components, they selected four as the most critical components of effective leadership. While this was not a Christian endeavor, I believe you will quickly see that these same four components of effective leadership can be supported with Scripture. In fact, during His brief time on earth, Jesus modeled each of these for us.

First Building Block: Honesty

The first of these building blocks of effective Christian leadership is honesty. Almost 90% of those surveyed cited honesty as the single most important component of effective leadership. Does that surprise you?

There are very few things that people hate more than being lied to. I could give several recent examples of being lied to in my business. When that happens, I usually decide very quickly that I cannot “follow” those individuals in any endeavor. Their influence with me is destroyed. I am sure you likely have had similar experiences and may feel the same.

The problem here is that our human nature makes it so easy for us to lie. Whether it is a little white lie or one that is more significant in our minds, we all face opportunities every day to tell something other than the truth. If we choose to something other than the truth, regardless of whether we see the significance at the time, we are destroying our influence.

Other Ways To Breach Trust

Before you start to relax and think that you don’t struggle that much with lying, let’s look at some other ways that Christian leaders can breach trust with those they are attempting to influence.

    1. We believe, but our business practices do not show it.

    2. We don’t mention Christ as the basis for how we conduct business.

    3. We talk about the Lord only when things are really difficult.

    4. We act as if problems never happen in the Christian life.

At first glance, these are likely not the first examples you thought of when I mentioned honesty. But, if you will think about each of them, you can quickly come to the conclusion that they fit. And they are common.

What Do We Need To Do?

So, if we are striving to improve the effectiveness of our Christian leadership, how do we strengthen this first building block – honesty?

I think there are several recommendations I can make. None of these are likely new to you, but that does not change their necessity.

Recommendations

First, I would strongly urge you to pray that God would search your heart and make known to you the areas where you are less than honest. He is faithful to do this.

Second, I would begin to spend more time in Scripture. Based on what God shows you in step one, I would look for Scripture that addresses your problem areas.

It could be pride that causes you to exaggerate. Maybe it is insecurity that makes you feel the need to protect yourself with denials. It may even be greed that drives your habit of manipulating others.

Whatever the issue, Scripture can address it. Once you find the particular verses that address your particular struggles, commit them to memory. If Scripture was Jesus’ response to temptation, don’t you think it will work for us?

Finally, I strongly urge you to find an accountability partner that can hold you to your commitments. Share your struggles with them. If you can be honest with them, that is a great first step toward doing so with everyone else.

Increased Influence

Don’t forget, if you can establish this first building block, your influence will soar over time. This influence, in the hands of a committed Christian leader, will have significant impact on eternity.

Stay tuned for the other three building blocks in my next posts.

Do you struggle with a lack of complete honesty?

Have you considered how being less than honest affects your influence?

What are you doing to correct this issue?

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Where Are The Christian Leaders?

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How many of you are disillusioned by the overall lack of Christian leadership in our world today? Where are the Christian leaders? First of all, I recognize there are exceptions. Folks like Dan Cathy (CEO of Chick-Fil-A) are still out there standing up for what is right, but they are clearly the minority.

Even in our government and schools, there are exceptions. These are not the people I am talking about today. They are doing their part.

Christian leader

Where Are The Christian Leaders?

My question is really targeted at the Christian business leaders today. Why are there so few bold Christian leaders in the business world these days? Why is Dan Cathy’s stand so uncommon? What has kept potentially bold Christian leaders from stepping onto the field and making a difference for eternity?

I must confess I am not sure of the answers to these questions. It could be fear on several levels. Maybe it is uncertainty about what to do and how to do it. It could even be simple laziness. I really do not know.

What To Do About It?

The better question for us is this – what are we doing about it?

See, I get a lot of grief from my extended family because I really do not pay much attention to the news. I am frequently the last to know about things going on in the world around me. When I learn about current events, they are not so current!

Right or wrong, I am like this because I feel like it is mostly a waste of my time to watch things happen when I feel I have no opportunity to influence them. I would rather spend my time working on things I can impact. I would rather read or learn something that I can apply tomorrow in a way that impacts someone for eternity.

Get Intentional!

I am not advocating everyone boycott the news (necessarily), but I am saying we all need to spend more time intentionally becoming the people God created us to be. I do not believe God created us to be people who know all that is going on in the European economy, but are doing nothing here to impact people for their eternal life.

So…having said all of that…let’s get back to the question at hand:

What are we going to do about the lack of effective Christian leadership in the business world today?

We Are The Christian Leaders!

It is my humble recommendation that we do everything we can do to add one more Christian leader to our own surroundings – ourselves! We cannot shirk this responsibility and hope someone else sees the need. That has not worked so far!

No, instead we must become the most effective Christian leaders we can be with the talents and strengths God has given us. For some, you are in a position of leadership over hundreds or even thousands of people already. For others, you may be the only person under your leadership right now. For most, you are in between.

A Journey That Takes Time & Effort

We do not become effective Christian leaders by climbing on a desk and announcing to the world that we are finally ready to take on that role. No, the process of becoming effective in your Christian leadership is one that takes time and effort. In fact, there is seldom an announcement. More often it sneaks up on you after years of preparing.

Please remember that our model for this journey has never been on TV, has not written any books, and is without a social media platform. Those people that had waited generations for Him to take the helm as their leader instead rejected Him almost as quick as He opened His mouth to cast the vision. The ones that ended up following Him were mostly rejects themselves.

If you are up to the task, follow along with me for the next several posts. We are going to be looking at material from the C12 Group that will give us some basic building blocks of effective Christian leadership. While there is no silver bullet for becoming the leader God designed you to be, the building blocks I will share with you should get you headed in the right direction.

Are you on the path to becoming a Christian leader in your circles?

What are you doing to intentionally move down that path?

Can you give an example of a Christian leader you are modeling after?