A good reputation or a good name is hard to come by but can be very easy to loose. A good name is critical to your success in your work. Spend a moment to think: who is a leader you know that you’d like to emulate? Who is someone you enjoy speaking with? Who is someone that has helped you in your career or trained you in something new? Now ask yourself, have I done any of these things for others? It is difficult for us to know what our own reputation is, at least what people really think. Taking time to reflect on your own reputation and to answer these questions may help you measure how good your name really is.  People have placed a lot of emphasis on being successful (riches) and success by today’s standards usually equals wealth. I have a friend who is asking leaders the questions “are you being significant or successful?” He suggests that being significant to someone or others is far more important than any material success you may achieve.

Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

As a Christian, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your faith everyday and be an example of Christian life. To create a good name you can show others your compassion, caring, understanding and patience. Being aggressive in business has been rewarded with bonuses and perks but might be at the cost of your good name. We learn from the message in Proverbs that it is better to be esteemed rather than rich. God will provide you great riches if you live a good life. He will give you the most important good name – Saved One. Leadership is not about getting something; it is about giving yourself to others, to share what you know so that others can become significant. Jesus did it by giving himself for our salvation, how hard can it be for us?

Middle managers have the hardest job. They are pulled in all directions – from the top, from below, from their peers and from within themselves. If you really think about it, we are all middle managers; we have someone or a group to report to. Who do the middle managers actually serve? If they keep the “company line” from the top, those who report to them will suffer. As employees, we are like plants: what isn’t cared for will dry up and die. We usually spend time taking care of those above us since they are usually the one’s who determine whether we keep working or not. When we focus solely on being a good follower, we neglect those around us: our peers who help us, those who count on us to lead and most importantly, we tend to neglect ourselves. Too many people in “leadership” positions exploit the phrase “a man’s life is not his own.” The truth is: they’re right! But our daily work life is the wrong focus of that phrase.

Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own, it is not for a man to direct his steps.”

The truth however, is that as middle managers we need to remember that we do not serve at the will of our bosses but at the will of God. “It is not for man to direct his steps” is the verse that God uses to remind us that He is ordering the events of our lives and not us. When we start thinking that we are in control, is when we start to get lost. Our lives are not our own because we are here to serve each other and give all of the glory to God for His work in and through us. This puts us right in the middle, right where God wants us to be. Focus on serving the Lord and do His will by letting Him direct your steps. Lead others by providing a good example of how to care for each other. As a “middle man” you can care for everyone around you; it’s a test of your faith. Remember, even if they didn’t help you get to where you are, they are helping you stay where you are; all because God is directing the steps.

Some people call it micro-managing, some call it accountability while others will call it babysitting; but looking after our flock is an essential function of leadership. The real issue is how you do it; as a herder you can walk behind them as they walk along the path and keep the strays in line or you can walk in front leading the way knowing that you’ll still have them when you turn around as a Shepherd does. How do you lead? The Shepherd concept of leadership is also important to how your people respond to you. Sheep herders use dogs to chase around the edges to keep the herd moving forward; if you find yourself chasing around the edges after your people, check your leadership style. You should be looking after your people but you shouldn’t have to chase them down. Maintaining accountability of assignments without chasing them down can be a real challenge. Using a good coaching model combined with a strong vision will help you lead from the front. The concept of rescuing them means that you will put yourself at some risk to help them. The best strategy for performing a “rescue” is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Spend time in the beginning to give them the training and tools needed to execute their jobs.

Ezekiel 34:12 “As a Shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all places where they were scattered…”

We are God’s sheep and it is great to have a Shepherd that cares about us as much as He does. He gave up His son for our salvation and ever lasting life. God is always with us, looking after us and will come to our rescue; even when we’ve put distance between us. We need to do our best and prevent the need for a rescue. We should be spending time with God, praying, reading the word and spreading the good news. On Easter, we were given the grace of God in the resurrection of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While you are focusing on being a good Shepherd in your vocation, focus also on being a good sheep (follower). Rejoice that your Father cares so deeply that He will risk a lot to rescue you from all of the places that you can scatter to.

Sometimes we are not lucky enough to work for supervisors who might care about their people like we do. There are times when we’ll need to create a little window of opportunity; to tell our boss what we want to accomplish, how they can help or what we think need to be successful. The higher up the “ladder” a supervisor goes, the less they pay attention to the things that their people need and we need to remind them that we’re here. Author John Maxwell describes 360º Leadership in his book with the same title; we can use this as a tool to help us achieve goals that we have set for ourselves. Being forward with our own supervisor is perhaps not something that feels natural but when we are dealing with our own future and our needs, sometimes we need to push a little. As leaders we often forget to take care of our own needs, just as the cobbler’s kids have no shoes. God has put you in this place and in this time for a reason, ask questions and seek opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Luke 11:9 – “So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke teaches us to ask the lord for what we need. We need to learn to put our trust in God so that He can deliver us what we need. The real truth of the matter is that what God delivers is not always what we want or plan for but what we need. Another thing that frustrates us is that God will not do it on our timeline but on His. Today, with the microwave we cook faster, with the DVR we get television on our schedule and the Internet gives us information in an instant. Luke reminds us to ask, seek and knock on the doors that God can open for you. God has promised not to leave you. He gave us His only Son in order to keep us close. Pray and have patience, He will open the door for you.