Category Archives: Weekly Devotions

Serving Others

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Some in leadership positions believe in the RHP principle; rank has privilege. They believe that since they are in charge that certain privileges and rights are solely theirs; that others serve in support of them and at their will. This of course, could not be farther from the truth. Our job as leaders is to provide our people with the tools necessary to do their job; these tools include physical property and the knowledge and understanding to get the job done. We cannot support them if we aren’t working for them and they can’t support you if they aren’t equipped for the job at hand. Over the years, a lot has been written about the concept of servant leadership; when you lead others by serving them and helping them to be successful. A manager has the freedom to do what they want to and they can choose how it’s done; it’s the privilege of being a manager (having rank). If however, you are a leader, you will not use your freedom to indulge in RHP (sinful nature) but will serve others as you lead them.

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

We all enjoy freedom and God has given us the ability to make free will choices. Free will means that we are not bound to anyone or anything, but we need to remember the first commandment – “You shall have no other God”. Do not be bound by your love for material things, possessions, positions, money, etc. You are free to choose to give your love to God and serve Him. Do not indulge in the sinful nature and avoid the traps of living today. We should serve one another in love. Jesus gave us a great example of serving others in love. He knew what people were thinking, he performed miracles, he was presented gifts and he was free to roam the countryside. He served in love, He taught along the way and showed us the way through His life. Most importantly, he gave himself for us as the ultimate demonstration of being a servant leader.

Communicate Understanding

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Good communication skills are critical to the success of any leader. Leaders must not only hear but be heard and when this doesn’t happen, the trouble starts. There are several communication techniques that work fairly well and all that focus on the needs of the receiver, not the sender. As the sender of information, your goal is to have the receiver understand the message and be able to do something with it; learn from it, use/apply it, store it for reference or reply to it. As a leader you have the responsibility to ensure that your messages are being understood. Sometimes we can see in the receiver’s eyes or on their face that they didn’t clearly understand what we wanted them to. We have to send it in a manner that they understand.

If the message is of great importance, a good tool to use is one in which you have them repeat it back to you in their words to confirm understanding. This form of mirroring occurs naturally in our mind and should not be construed as an insult if you deliver it with care. The best way to reach your people is to find out how they need to be communicated with. Some people like plenty of detail, while others just want the big picture and will take care of it from there. Do you know how you need to be communicated with? Some leaders are so busy that they request things via e-mail or report and others want short, yet detailed verbal encounters. Every person is different and you are no exception, make sure your people know what you need while you are finding out what they need.

Proverbs 16:22 – “Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it…”

The bible teaches in Romans 10:9-10 us that the gift of eternal life comes from believing in Jesus Christ and professing that faith to others. What is your understanding? How well do you know the promises of God in the bible? The bible urges us to seek greater understanding of God’s word and use the examples given to us by Jesus as a guide for our lives. How do we improve our understanding of the Word? Daily devotions, bible study and regular worship are great places to start. Find the tools that work for you. It may take a lot of searching for you to find the right devotional or bible study but when you do, seize it and work to seek understanding. Study bibles offer a great glimpse into the meaning behind the Word and the connections that are made between bible verses. You’ll spend a lifetime seeking understanding, remembering that it is the “fountain of life” and you’ll have all of eternity to enjoy it.

Inspiration

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Whether you say counselor, teacher, mentor or instructor they all mean the same for a supervisor/leader. You have a responsibility to develop the skills and knowledge your personnel. People want to progress in their positions and are generally interested in learning; regardless of their position. As a leader, people look to you for help with problems or seek your input as they try new things. Your responsibility is to help them problem solve; not solve their problems but help them work out a solution. It might be easier to simply do it but you will not allow them to learn; you must be the teacher or counselor. Teaching requires great patience and a commitment to helping others achieve success. Think back to your favorite teacher/mentor, what made them great? Chances are good that they were: caring, interested in you, passionate about the subject, inspiring or willing to share their knowledge. Do you do that for your people? They will appreciate it and you’ll see benefits from improved morale, higher productivity, improved creativity and generally a problem free work place.

John 14:26 – “But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The great counselor, called teacher by many was of course, Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was telling everyone of “one greater than I” whom the Father would send to continue teaching and ultimately pay for our sins with His life. Despite the teachings of Jesus, people still remained doubtful. Even after his crucifixion and resurrection people remain doubtful.  Since the beginning of time, God has been teaching by using man as an instrument of delivery; a living power point presentation. God has inspired men to do great things; Noah, Moses, John and Paul all did God’s work through His inspiration. God has put great teachers in our lives – some show us what to do while others show us what not to do. God has put you in a place to do great things so He can help others. Honor God by following Jesus’ example in your life, be the “teacher” for others to understand the hope that you have in Him.

POSTED 7/2/12

What came first – following or leading?

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Do people follow you because they have to or because they are inspired by you? What kind of an example of a follower are you to the people you are leading? These can be very challenging questions for us as leaders because sometimes we really don’t know if we are inspiring or not. Your people will send you small signals about your leadership. A positive signal might be if people come to see you when you unexpectedly walk into a room. Even more importantly, do you go to them on “their turf” or must they always come and see you? As the leader, when you go to see them in their territory, it puts you on level ground with them, which should put them at ease. Do you give people room to do their work or explore alternative ways to get the job done? Fostering an atmosphere of innovation by allowing people time to explore and be creative will pay dividends in morale and may produce efficiencies or new products.

What kind of follower are you? Do you demand from those you lead something you won’t give as a follower yourself? What message does that send? We should always try to lead by setting a good example. Being a leader isn’t easy because it requires that we not only lead but that we follow too!

Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow me,“ Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus provided us with great examples of leadership. He was a great follower – he fulfilled the prophets, followed the commandments and His Father’s will with perfection. We will never be perfect but we can use Jesus’ examples in our lives. When Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men” we know it is his way of saying: I will give you the tools, the strength, the time, the understanding, the guidance and an example to follow so that you, my disciples, will lead people to me. Despite His followers set backs, Jesus was always there to pick them up, help them understand and lead another day. How are you doing with this? Are you a fisher of men? The Lord has blessed you by putting you in a leadership position, remember what Jesus did, how he lead, and put that to good work.

Higher ways

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Many times people in leadership roles can take the idea that their thoughts are better than anyone else’s simply because they are “the boss”. Just because someone has achieved a position of leadership, they are not automatically blessed with superior knowledge. Good leaders will solicit ideas and opinions from each member of their staff, taking advantage of the diversity that they offer. Not racial diversity but the diversity of education, experience, up bringing and how they all play a role in decisions and creativity. A true leader will become a funnel for ideas and sort through them to provide the best outcome. Keep in mind, there are times when a quick decision is needed and the leader is unable to solicit from the workforce. In these situations, the leader must use the knowledge and skills that put them in their position. After a quick decision, leaders should take time to explain what the conditions were and what decisions were made. It will be important to use the inclusion of others again to continue growing their faith in you.

Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

This verse is not about us but how great God is and that we should always rely on His word and ways. We try to make our own choices and decisions without turning to the bible for help. God’s wisdom is found throughout the bible and the best way for us to learn and understand His way is through regular bible study. Commit time each day to reading the bible and studying the greatest of all leaders – Jesus Christ. The study of Jesus and His ways show us what God intended for us. Jesus demonstrated love and caring for us, even those that did not appreciate what or whom they had before them. Jesus took time to explain his actions through the use of parables. He wanted to make sure that he gave his followers an explanation of the word, one that they could repeat for others over and over. His ways are higher than ours and we should be thankful every day for that.

At what cost?

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We all gained a leadership position but what was the cost? How did you get to your position? Perhaps it was achieving higher sales than anyone else or maybe you beat out your competition for promotion by getting that one extra bit of information that no one else could get. Maybe you had “extra” help from a member of the senior staff. We all know that sales can be a cut-throat business and that promotional processes can be competitive; but a new position can be achieved honestly and with integrity. How aggressive do you play to win? Do nice guys really finish last? If we all look into our pasts, chances are good that we will see times when it appears that or perhaps we actually did; forfeit our souls to get ahead. What is worth trading your soul for? The riches of the world are very appealing: new cars, bigger houses, a boat, jewelry and the like. These are the material things of this world that we are reminded about throughout the bible, not to pay attention to but to keep our focus on God.

Matthew 16:26 “What good will it be for a man if he gains the world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

We need to be leading and living according to God’s word, today. What can a man give in exchange for his soul? We may gain much in this life but if we do little with it, we will be very disappointed with our results. We are assured by John in the second part of verse 3:16 “for whoever believes in him will have eternal life”. We can rest assured that God will keep his promises to us. What obligation do you have to God? We should be willing to be faithful servants to our Lord and we can do that by putting our beliefs into action. Are you leading like a good Christian; with truth, ethics, nobility and God as your guiding force? It is always just one more for us, one more time and I’ll have the next promotion or one more time and I’ll get the best assignment, then I’ll repent. Today, if you’re still focused on the gains of this world, turn away from what you’re doing, turn away from what you did to get your position and lead as if your soul depends on it, it just might!

Imitation, the greatest form of flattery

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We usually do not associate love and the workplace without thinking of something bad. We should bring Christ’s example of love into our work. Among other things, we know Jesus as compassionate, caring, understanding, patient and overflowing with love. As leaders, we need to be all of these as well. We need to show compassion for our co-workers and staff and we should care for them by looking out for their best interests. Sometimes that means having to deliver constructive criticism. It takes a lot of courage for someone to offer that type of criticism. It should also be delivered with compassion and care and if it is done correctly, it should be received as a gift because it is being delivered as a present – genuinely given with thoughtful consideration of the person receiving it. We need to show understanding and patience to our staff. Making mistakes is okay, remember they cause learning to take place but making the same mistake twice is the sign of a problem. Be patient as your staff is learning new systems, products or programs. Be slow to anger and disappointment, it shows that you care. All of these things combined show your love towards others, just as Christ loves us.

Ephesians 5:1,2 – “Be imitators of God… as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…”

We are so blessed that God loves us. When God handed down the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were afraid because they had seen God’s wrath first hand. As they continued to live according to their own ways, God spoke to them through the prophets giving the promise of a Savior. God wanted to be close to His children but sin was preventing that. God sent His only Son to us, to take upon the cross all of our sins. Jesus suffered for us because of our sin, but He knew that the ultimate prize was reconciliation with God. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” The ultimate sign of love just for us – even if we didn’t deserve it. God knows what we need. We cannot live without sin as Christ did but we can live a life of love as Christ showed us to. Be an imitator and show others your love and when they ask you why or how you can do it, don’t hesitate to tell them where your strength comes from.

Good Name

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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?

Coaching

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As a leader, one of our responsibilities is to challenge our people to grow. We need to get them to grow personally and professionally which will help improve creativity and morale. It is possible to push them too far; perhaps into a direction that they are not interested in. Another pit fall in pushing people to grow is that you may push them into a position that they are not prepared for or are not prepared to perform. A good leader will find their limits and desires and we can do this through employee coaching. Coaching takes time, especially initially, but once you’re both (the employee and leader) efficient in the process, the results far outweigh the time investment. Good coaches will listen to the employee more than they talk, paraphrasing their desires to ensure that they understand what the employee wants and will set goals with (not for) the employee. This ensures that they are part of their own destiny. Once you know what they want, you can help them reach and achieve more by challenging them to set higher goals.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…”

God will also challenge us and as a good coach, He will also be faithful to us; God keeps His promises to be faithful. The struggle between God and Satan remains strong and the old Adam in us can be tempted quite easily. We know God loves us and that despite our free will to choose, He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Our sin and our inability to follow the Ten Commandments is why God had to send His only Son to be our savior; with Jesus Christ we are free from the bondage of our sin. Our faith in Jesus and God’s grace is what allows us to be tempted and fail at times but still have forgiveness of our sins. God is faithful! He kept His promise of salvation for all by sending His son to die for our sins. We all sin and may at times feel unworthy; God’s grace and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross makes us all worthy regardless of our own actions.

Have Faith

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Have faith, which to some can mean “trust me” and to others it may mean “believe me”. In today’s world we follow the mantra of “I’ll believe it when I see it”. As leaders, how do we build people’s faith in us? One answer is with a vision. As leaders we need to describe a vision of what we’ll do, how we’ll do it, why we need to do it and how it will look at the end; paint a global picture of that vision. Once it’s created (your small mustard seed), don’t stop caring about it (water and feed it). Share your vision with everyone; keep it in the forefront of all of your discussions by tying all issues back to the vision. Once the vision grows and more people start to have faith, you will be able to move mountains. Resistance is natural but with the right care and feeding, your vision (mustard seed) will become reality. You can overcome challenges with good communication and regularly reminding your staff of the final vision. Nothing is impossible.

Matthew 17:20 “… if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

The bible is the playbook for us to use when we look for ways to overcome resistance. It is filled with communication techniques, example of hope to share a vision, and sacrifices that were all made in truth. How is your faith these days? Are you struggling with having regular bible study time or living a Godly life? Remember that it all starts with a mustard seed and nothing will be impossible for you. Nurture that seed and care for it. Spend a little time each day with God in study, prayer or both. Share your day with your Father in heaven, what was great and what wasn’t; the help He can offer might surprise you. God wants to hear from His children. Your faith, even in the worst of times, will get you through and move the mountains of things you thought were impossible. Have Faith!