Discipline
Before we can conquer the world, we musts first conquer ourselves. We must learn discipline in order to learn how to follow. As I mentioned in previous weeks, a leader is a servant to God. If a leader displays strong discipline others will recognize it and cooperate with the expectations placed on them. Leaders will recognize the values in others. Without discipline one becomes lazy, careless and unorganized making someone unfit to lead. This results in ministers dropping out of ministry all together. One must humble themselves and follow before they can lead.
Vision
Moses is the most revered as one of the great leaders in history. He was able to see and talk face to face with God, although God was in the form of the burning bush. Vision is the ability to have foresight, insight and see the end result. We studied earlier that with great power comes great responsibility. Every decision and action has an effect on the desired outcome. Making one decision for short term gain may not work so well when looking at the bigger picture. Optimism and hope are the driving forces behind vision that leads to obvious risks. If the situation is analyzed and thought through these could be calculated risks that fall into the bigger plan.
Wisdom
We all know that knowledge drives our ability to reason, but wisdom gives us the ability to judge well. Ecclesiastes 2:26 says, "To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Wisdom brings balance to the force (ha, Star Wars reference. I'm a geek at heart!)
Decision
When all the facts are in a clear decision can be made by the leader. The statement made in this chapter said the visionary can see, but the leader must decide. Weighing all evidence to make their decision on a sound premise. The true leader never places blame on others when the plan goes awry and never looks back once the decision is made. When Paul was converted to Christianity he asked, "What shall I do, Lord?", then he immediately took action on his knowledge of Christ (Acts 22:10). The spiritual leader should never procrastinate or be on the fence when making a decision.
Courage
I always picture the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of OZ when I think of courage. The lion had to overcome his fears by doing the task the wizard had tasked Dorothy with. This is my biggest weakness. I know enough to be dangerous but sometimes it is hard to step out that limb and have the faith that everything is going to work. Wisdom plays a huge roll in courage. I can only image how the disciples felt when Jesus sent them out to cast out demons. Luke 9:1-6 tells Jesus gave them the power to cast out the demons and heal the sick, but also sent them out without anything but the clothes on their back. Courageous leaders can face unpleasant situations head on and create a positive outcomes while remaining calm and composed.
Humility
This is a hard principle for anyone to master. We are urged to lose our attitudes and our egos and be submissive to Gods plan. We must learn to trust God's plan and not try to dictate it. Like Peter, we could lose sight, become distracted, lose focus and fail miserably. When Jesus went down to the Jordan River to be baptised by John the Baptist, John said it was Jesus that needed to baptize him (Matthew 3:13-15). A leaders humility is constantly being honed and develops over time. A quote by Robert Morrison of China stated "The great fault in our missions is that no one likes to be second."
Integrity and Sincerity
These two qualities were requirements of the Israelite's. God wants us to show transparency in our character. In a leadership conference many years ago integrity was described as who you really are when no one is looking. A leader show sincerity, be faithful in his duties, and honest.
Reflection
1. This chapter discusses 8 qualities of leadership. Which one needs the most attention in your life right now? Why?
As I mentioned above courage is my weakness. I am quite knowledgeable but sometimes I am afraid to present my ideas for the fear of being wrong. I learned the more you step out onto that limb it is sink or swim. You learn from the experience and try not to make the same mistakes again. This is all about developing confidence. In the business world I am very confident in my work, but in a spiritual role I am still just a small fish in a great big ocean. This is another reason I started this blog was to proclaim the gospel and develop my own spiritual growth.
2. How would you explain the point that discipline has an affect on development on every leadership quality?
Discipline is the glue, the nail, the anchor that holds all leadership qualities together. It is the moral fiber inside us all that we need to try to master. I learned true discipline back in Jr High (Middle School). I was in the band. Our junior high school band marched for the football games and competed in band festivals. A huge part of band is discipline. There is one leader and in our case 30 musicians. Without understanding the direction we would not have never been able to learn how to play our instruments, play together as a group, march and play at the same time or even put everything together marching and playing while doing formations on the football field.
Chapter 9 - More Essential Qualities of Leadership - Pre-Reading Questions
1. Can serious people learn to be funny? Why is it difficult to maintain a sense of humor when leading?
2. How can anger help a leader? How can it hurt?
3. Why is patience a particularly difficult virtue for leaders to develop?
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