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Communicating Strength and Vision to those you influence Breaking bread with great men of God has always provided some wonderful crumbs of wisdom from their vast experience leading the saints of God, for God. Such was the case one night as my wife Debbie and I sat with Promise Keeper's Founder Bill McCartney and his wife Lyndi. One of the many questions I had for my mentor was, "Coach, how would you define leadership. He said, "Scott, Leadership is influence". Leadership, like love, can field many different definitions as it applies itself to different arenas in various seasons. Influencing and guiding people to respond to what God wants to do, for a "time such as this" is the leader's calling. The man I believe God looks for is not the born leader, but the learned leader. He does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. Leadership is a process. I learned this the hard way. My experience leading family, business and ministry have provided some very painful, yet productive leadership lessons. I found that failure is the teacher from which all significant lessons are learned. My consistent failure in leadership was not usually caused by poor leadership technique in as much as the poor communication of my leadership language. How people read into, listen to and interpret your leadership will determine the success of your vision. It will also determine the consistency in which they follow. Oh, they may follow a great Bible teacher or your specific gifted area, but when the rubber meets the road will they receive the sustaining strength and vivid vision God wants to communicate to them through you? To those I sought to influence, I was not answering the questions people ask before following. Leadership is nothing more than clearly communicating answers to five questions. Your team will ask themselves: #1- Where and why is he going? #2- Does he know how? #3- Can I trust him? #4- Does he believe in it? #5- If I fail, will I be judged by him? The answers to these questions provide what is needed to interpret what we at God4me Men's Network call The Five Languages of Leadership™. 1- The Language of Vision: Casting Your Vision John Maxwell says, "Vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensable". People need to be shown the vision, clearly, credibly and continually. This answers the question of where and why God has you going there. Vision strengthens stretches and satisfies your team when up looks down and down looks up. It takes your platoon of believers out of the fog of life and motivates them to see beyond it. 2- The Language of Credibility: Communicating Competence: This tells people that you know how you will accomplish the vision. God will use your gifts here as He works through your weaknesses. Its your chance to show your competence, to increase their faith by doing what God has given you do to while relying on Him for the next step. You may not know every single detail but know the One who does. It's the time to edify your mentor, men's group leader or Pastor who may have cast the vision onto you. Credibility comes when your team sees submission first to God then other men in your life. 3- The Language of Character: Christ Centered Leadership The most talked about subject in men's ministry is also the barometer in which people measure trust. Are you the type of person they can trust? "Your vision will always take you to a place your character cannot hold" . How many good leaders have failed in getting their team to the next level because they couldn't communicate good character to their guys? How do we do this? By learning about the character of God! Gen 1:26 Living in the likeness of God. What does God look like? He looks like Jesus Heb 1:3, Col 1:15. "Leadership is a constant negotiation between the flesh and the spirit, which ever is feed more will determine the quality of that Leadership". Christ like character is your calling and the level by which all great Christian leaders are measured. 4- The Language of Commitment: Courage that Conquers The question of your commitment is asked by followers in two fields of play. One is, how sold out are you, to the dream. The other is how committed are you to the people God has put under your care? Will you give up when valley walking starts? Everybody's faithful from the mountain view of beginning. Commitment requires perseverance through trials, which ushers in endurance, which produces strong character that answers the commitment question. Like Faith, it can only be shown and grown through focus on vision and by courageous "keep on keeping on" in the tough (want to quit) times. Romans 5:4 James 1:2-4 5- The Language of Care: Consistent Servant Leadership In what may be the most difficult language of the five (ask our wives), our ability to love and encourage instead of judging and criticizing, answers the fifth question. People want to know that if they follow and work hard that they will be appreciated and cared for with verbal strokes of love. They need to be free to try and fail, not feel "fear of failure" in a sub-culture that uses guilt to motivate, manipulate and exploit. Scripture says: A Good leader motivates, doesn't mislead, doesn't exploit. Proverbs 16:10 Moving our leadership from our head and hands to our heart is worth it. It has helped me to focus on the goal the apostle Paul penned in Philippians; "To know Him". It has motivated me to think of a time when I stand before my beloved Father waiting to hear His words we all long to hear. Will he say, "Well done thy good and faithful" Leader? Teacher? Businessman? Pastor? Or will it be "Good and faithful Servant"? God is looking for men to lead their families, communities and His Church. He is looking for former losers like me to be transformed into "Servant Leaders". He makes leaders out of losers. Daniel 4:17 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses. Proverbs 21:1 He loves and cares deeply about His kids and needs you and I to communicate "The Five Languages of Leadership™". God4me Men's Network is a National alliance of Churches and Men's groups systematically training and assisting men in their pursuit of significance and purpose. "Discipleship Boot camps" are forums to provide encouragement, instruction and fellowship for the transformed man. Anointed speakers help men replace the lies of the world with Biblical truth. Upbeat and practical topics such as "Brainwashed", "A Man's Wild Heart", "The Purpose-Driven Man", and "As a Man Thinketh" are presented in a user friendly environment where men are free to "hear and respond". Movie clips and skits are used expressing the practicality of the topics. Food is served for time in fellowship, and short interactive workshops create a dynamic effective arena for change in men. Please visit Invasion for up to date information on events. Additional Information: God4Me Articles Please Visit: God4Me.com |
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