Greenelines
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Love Leaves a Trail
One of the most difficult yet necessary responsibilities of a leader is providing proper correction to his team. Confronting poor performance is not pleasant. Unfortunately, our training in healthy confrontation methods probably came at the hands of a leader who was also not trained to properly confront. We aren’t born with a genetic code to …
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Follow the Leader
As we lead in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we love as we breathe. If love is not present in our daily interactions, surely we aren’t walking in the presence of God. God is love. How can we lead without acting in love? You are equipped to do this because when you accepted …
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There Are No Power Outages in the Kingdom
The apostle Paul employed the voice of a leader when he said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). Transformational leaders are first change agents. This type of leader is an enemy to any status quo scenario. Business as usual is scrutinized. The fishbowl …
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When Temptation Beeps
Staying true to a mission is more difficult than planning the undertaking. Mission creep—that gradual shift in objectives—seems to set in early in the project. Shiny objects flirt with even the most resolved leader. The shift that takes us away from the narrow path of a mission is a subtle one. Leaders can become unfaithful …
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Jesus Was Underwhelmed
It isn’t difficult to become overwhelmed in the midst of chaos and crisis. Imagine the crowd of five thousand men who gathered to hear Jesus speak. The disciple Andrew told Jesus, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (See John …
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Words Matter
If we listen closely to a leader, we should hear words that deliver focus points. There should be little doubt about what matters most. I hope leaders would speak from one page and then do everything possible to gather the team around the same page. It’s important to convene at regular “focus meetings.” I cannot …
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Panic Buttons Don’t Work
Leaders are not allowed to panic. The broken spirit of a leader is demonstrated by his powerful response in moments of crises. Love-driven leaders need and want to be at their best when the team is at its worst. Fires are never a surprise to experienced leaders. We expect the unexpected because we have seen …
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Leaders Do More Than the Minimum
A leader who is led by love understands authority structures. In God’s Word, we see that the centurion in Matthew 8 had such a clear understanding of authority it caused Jesus to marvel. When Jesus agreed to journey to the official’s home to heal the man’s servant, the centurion said: Lord, I am not worthy …
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How to Keep From Stumbling
Jesus called the pure in heart blessed. Purity of heart has to do with our motives. Love-driven leaders are as motivated to build people as they are to build a business. You may have heard the legendary Zig Ziglar’s quote: “You don’t build a business—you build people— and then people build the business.” That …
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Small Actions—Big Changes
The “butterfly effect” teaches us that small causes can have large effects. This is the essence of leverage. One small touch to a project can change the outcome for any organization. Talent (giftings), touch and timing are all evident in the kingdom of God. The term “butterfly effect” was coined by meteorologist Edward Lorenz, who discovered in …
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Do Your Friends Call You Up Higher?
I was minding my own business at lunch yesterday when all of a sudden my food plate was taken from me and a sombrero was shoved onto my head. Yes, a sombrero. People pointed and laughed. Yes, people at my table pointed and laughed. Yes, I wrote down names. It was a case of mistaken …
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Make a Quick First Step
Change begins with a single act. Our lives changed the moment we took one step toward Jesus. But nothing happened until the step was taken. For many of us, we seek change in an area of our lives but remain committed to doing things within our comfort zone. We want change, but we struggle to make …
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Do You Make Hasty Decisions?
It may sound contrary—and it is contrary—to the world’s ways, but rich leadership is birthed in poverty of spirit. When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” He wasn’t speaking of being poor from a financial perspective but being needy from a spiritual perspective. The Greek word for poverty in Matthew 5:3 is ptōchos. …
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Avoid Slipping on the Climb
I remember a leader told me once not to believe my press clippings. He was telling me not to get too full of myself based on what others tell me. Many great preachers, such as healing evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman, would not read letters of praise or criticism because they sought to be concerned only with …
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How Jesus Handled Dropped Balls
One of the most difficult yet important opportunities to demonstrate leader love as Jesus did is when a team member doesn’t do what is expected. A leader’s character is tested in the fire of poor execution from a work team. How do we love those who don’t, can’t or simply won’t do things right? How …
