“I’m not a leader!”
I have heard that statement from terrified individuals. They were terrified that they would be put in charge of something, or that they would be asked to speak in public, or that they would let everyone down, or that they were simply unqualified.
I have an answer for each of those:
- Being a leader doesn’t mean that you are the organizer or the boss. It may mean that your role is to encourage the organizers and bosses.
- Being a leader doesn’t require you to be a public speaker. It may mean that your most effective speaking will be private, meaningful conversations.
- Being a leader doesn’t mean that everyone else is on your shoulders. If you are not holding them up, then it is really not possible to let them down.
- Being a leader doesn’t mean that you are the most qualified. In fact, that sense of feeling unqualified may be a top characteristic of a GOOD leader because you recognize that you can’t do it all yourself, you need to be part of a great team, and someone is “following” you by observing how you respond to life’s challenges.
You may not have an official POSITION of leadership, but you are a LEADER because someone somewhere is watching you.
So, how do you maximize your leadership? I have 4 suggestions:
- Submerse yourself in wisdom. For me that begins with the Bible, which I believe to be God’s divinely inspired, completely true, reliable, and trustworthy written revelation of Himself and His purposes. Will you find the specific answer to your every specific question in the Bible? Maybe not. Can you find an eternal and authoritative principle that will help you deal with your question? Absolutely!
- Surround yourself with people who elevate you. Business leader Jim Rohn says, “You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” That doesn’t mean you should not be involved in a helping profession or you should avoid your high maintenance family members. That means you should be intentional about carving out time to be with people (either in their presence, or reading their writings) that can help you become the leader you want to be.
- Take a follower with you. Just as you need people who can speak powerfully into your life, your “watchers” need you to speak powerfully into theirs. Become the kind of person that is in someone else’s top 5.
- Guard your heart. How many leaders have lost their influence and credibility due to a “fall?” I am convinced that most of those fallen leaders did not intentionally set out to do the things that led to their demise. Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation) says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Our lives matter so much to God that He wants to be our heart-guard and our heart-guide as we direct our “watchers’” attention toward Him.
Somebody’s watching … I promise.
Question: Of the 4 suggestions above, which one is most challenging for you?
Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your perspective.
