Monday, January 21, 2008

9 Things Every Leader Must Do

This is some thought i was e-mailed today by Shawn Smith. Thought i would share.

9 Things Every Leader Must Do

1. Excavate Your Soul
A Leader explores his deepest heart and invests in his deepest desires and drives:
“There is no shortage of things in this life that can cause you to bury your soul.”
“Am I investing in my deepest desires and drives?”
“Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

2. Yank the Diseased Tooth
A Leader does not allow negative things to take up space in his life:
“New things that actually have hope for the future cannot appear until you get rid of what was taking up the space that the new thing needs.”
“Everything is permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

3. Play the Whole Movie
A Leader evaluates his decisions in the present based on how they will affect the future:
“Leaders see every behavior and decision as links in a larger chain, steps in a direction that has a destination. And they see these links in both directions, the good AND the bad.”

4. Put superman out of a Job
A Leader continually asks himself, “What can I do to make this situation better:
“Compare the people who actively do things to those who sit and complain, stuck in their misery and wishing that someone in particular or life in general were treating them differently. I have seen lives transformed when people begin to adopt the leader strategy of asking: “What can I do to make this better?’”
“Do something. Make a move.”

5. Embrace Your Inner Insect
A Leader achieves big goals by taking small steps over time:
“John Grisham completed his first novel by getting up a little earlier each day and writing one page. A Time to Kill became a best-seller and now he is a successful author.”
“Wanting it all keeps you from having any.”
“Consider the ant…” Proverbs 6:6-8

6. Earn a Black Belt in Hate
A Leader develops the ability to hate the right things well:
“In reality…, hate is one of the most important aspects of being human. It is one of the most crucial ingredients in a good person’s character. WHAT we hate says a lot about who we are, what we value, and what we care about. And HOW we hate says much about how we will succeed in business and in life.”
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9

7. Forget about playing Fair
A Leader gives back better than he is given
The Law of love changes things for the better by:
Get rid of anger
Ask yourself what is helpful
Get past your own need
Ask how you have contributed
Give the opposite

“Don’t play fair, play right.”
Luke 6:32-36


8. Quit Self Exaggerating
A Leader does not strive to be or appear more than he really is:
“Humility is not having a need to be or appear to be more than you are.”
Two of these are huge factors in achieving success in leadership:
Successful people show kindness, understanding, and help others who fall.
Successful people are not derailed by their own failures; they accept them as a normal part of the process.
“Admit it quickly when you are wrong. Receive correction and confrontation from others well.”

9. Ignore the Popularity Polls
A Leader does not make decisions based on the fear of other people’s actions:
“Learn to upset the right people.”
“When all people speak well of you it means that you are a duplicitous and a people-pleaser.
“Do not count your critics, instead weigh them.”
“Woe to you when all men speak well of you” Luke 6:26

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