The Undeniable Source of Powerful & Effective Leadership

I have been passionate about leadership, building teams, and developing the potential of individuals since I was a young teenager. Every summer break, I invested my time into devouring books at the library, listening to tapes (remember those?) and CDs, filing great quotes, and endeavoring to apply the acquired knowledge to my own life, even though the scale was much smaller as a 15-year-old. Today, I have binders filled with thousands of pages of articles, quotes, outlines, dreams, prayers, and strategies for living life on-purpose.

The Source of All Increase

As I matured, however, my perspective about leadership and personal goal-setting evolved. What I learned was that while we are responsible to develop our individual potential, we are not the source of increase for our life’s endeavors. Put simply, we cannot do anything of lasting significance or impact unless God truly blesses the work. Psalm 127:1 confirms this: “Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.” Like a farmer who plants seed, tills the ground, and prepares for harvest, do your part, but trust God to do what only He can do: make it rain. Continually learn, grow, get better, expand your skill-set, work hard, and hustle, but trust God to bring the increase in His timing. Allow me to further illustrate.

A couple years ago, I read the following statement in a popular magazine: “Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself.” For the most part, I disagree with that humanistic assertion because on our own, we have limited resources by which we express creativity, innovation, and leadership. Am I discounting our potential for growth or diminishing our capacity for doing great things? Definitely not! But here’s my point: on our own, the well just isn’t that deep. Instead, know that God is the source of all creativity and inspiration. He is the well that never runs dry, and in Him, we can be everything He has designed us to be.

Tap into the Source

That said, I believe life is about discovering and developing your God-given potential by finding yourself in Christ and in His purpose for you no matter your specific vocation. At the core, it’s a very practical sense of significance, trust, and confidence in God’s strength working in and through you. And in Him, you have access to a kingdom with unlimited supply.

Last week, I camped out on Psalm 18 during a time of personal study. In case you’re unfamiliar, King David was a man who had tremendous ability and confidence as a leader. Despite the fact that he got himself into a lot of trouble on multiple occasions, I believe he knew that his giftedness, creativity, and personal capacity ultimately came from God. I believe it is for that reason he wrote, “For by You I can run through a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” His confidence wasn’t in himself, it was in God. As such, in order to maximize his personal potential as a leader, David recognized that he needed:

1.) God’s guidance and sustenance. “For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28 (AMP)

2.) God’s protection. “He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him.” – Psalm 18:30 (AMP)

3.) God’s strength. “The God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.” – Psalm 18:32-33 (AMP)

4.) God’s training and equipping. “He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” – Psalm 18:34 (AMP)

I don’t know about you, but I need a generous dose of guidance, protection, strength, and training, not just as a leader, but as a human being. None of us are smart enough or possess enough resources to champion life alone.

6 Keys to Focused Living

Whatever you do in life, do it with excellence. I encourage you to tap into an unlimited supply from a God Who loves you without limit and has great plans for your life. Here are a six keys to living a focused life:

1.) Keep first things first. Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. Let your work life, personal life, dreams and passions flow from a place of simple, childlike faith and trust in Him and love for Him. “What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” – Matthew 6:30-33 (The Message)

2.) Hustle. You read that right. Don’t stop learning. Don’t stop growing. Don’t stop working hard when you feel like quitting. Uncover every stone. Wake-up earlier. Meet new people. Ask great questions. Read more books. Don’t become narrow-minded (your concrete routine isn’t that sacred). Do your part. Be a contributor.

3.) Stop worrying. Don’t let worry paralyze you in indecision and inactivity. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

4.) Loosen your grip. Unchecked past disappointment often creates cynicism about the future, which creates a fear response to the circumstances of life. And that’s a draining way to live. Instead, “roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified)

5.) Trust. Simple as that. “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

6.) Don’t sweat the small stuff (or the small-minded). Mute the chatter. “A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself.” – Proverbs 18:2 (Amplified). Stay uncomplicated. Listen thoroughly. Love well. Stay away from “Job’s friends” in your life. Your surroundings are critical. Voices of hopelessness and despair must not only be silenced, they must be ignored.

Capeesh?