Key Word: Honor.  

Leadership is a word that gets thrown around a lot. Our greatest reference of what leadership looks like is Jesus. He led as a servant, shepherd and a friend. He knelt down and washed the feet of his followers, stewarded the hearts of his flock and treated his disciples as friends (Jn 13:1-17, Mtt. 20:28, Jn 10:4, Ps. 26:3,Jn 15:15).  Leading without honor and a foundation of love can turn us into "bossy dictators" as if people owe us something. 

In this past decade, I have learned some key lessons on leadership from my own mistakes and experience of working with other leaders as well.

TEN POINTS IN LEADING WITH HONOR: 

 

1. BE HONEST
Honesty is important in every aspect of life. It allows growth, trust and relationships to grow among a team. Eventually, the lies will will be exposed, dismantling any trust that belonged there and creating fear. Be truthful, even when it is difficult, or easy to exaggerate to gain praise. Exaggerations are considered lies as well. Where there is inconsistency, there eventually will be a downfall. People tend to feel cheated and dishonored when they are lied to. 

2. BE KIND
One of the greatest characteristics of God is His kindness. As a leader, we are given our team as a gift from God. We are called to steward them well, care for their hearts with diligence, while training and pouring into them. It is a privilege for us to have people walk with us and serve the mission of the organization God has given us. It is not a right, having a team is aGIFT!
In other words, it is NOT about you. Keeping them is earned and not a right either. We must remove all forms of entitlement.

3. BE DIRECT 
When speaking and giving instruction, we must say what we mean and mean what we say. Do not give hints, do not use humor to give direction, nor use passive aggressive comments to get a desired result. That's called manipulation, which is heart behind witchcraft. No Bueno! It is better to over communicate than to cause confusion with general statements.

4. BE GENEROUS
Fear cannot be a foundation to motivate people to do their job. People must feel embraced, appreciated and celebrated for their work. Positive reinforcement will allow them to actually WANT to do their job because they will know they are not just needed but wanted as well. We all want to know we are valued. Give rewards and affirm your team when things are done well and the progress that you want will continue. Anything fear or punishment driven does not last and falls apart. People lose motivation for their job and are no longer able to trust the authority over them. Sooner or later, they will leave.

5. BE RESOLUTION DRIVEN
It's been said for every correction, you should affirm three things about the person. All correction must come out of a place of love and to seek a resolution to the conflict. Addressing conflict must be very direct, without accusing or assuming the motivations of the other. We can speak on their behavior and the facts gathered, but we cannot assume their motivation. We must honor the one sitting before us, even if there is guilt. The most honorable thing to do in this situation is to hear them out, and create a plan to improve the situation, not just for the benefit of the organization, but the team and the person as well.  (Obviously this is a greater issue that needs a whole blog all on its own. Depending on the problem, different approaches may be necessary). 

6. BE HONORING
Give honor where honor is due. When there is a success, the team as a whole must be honored not one person. One person cannot take credit for what others do. We are a body, that MUST function together or else it will fall apart. When there is a mistake, we as leaders, with the heart of a shepherd, correct them privately with steps following to succeed from that moment on. Mistakes tend to come from a lack of training or miscommunication.

7. BE INVESTED
If we are not reproducing ourself, we're doing it wrong. There is a difference between a "boss" and a leader. The term "bossy" comes from somewhere. We cannot command people to do things without leading the way. Leaders show by example what should be done and how it should be done. We cannot expect anything from our team if we are not willing to take the time to invest in them, build them up and set them up for success. When we invest in our team, we ultimately invest in the success of our ministry or business as well. 


8. BE PACED 
Don't let the cart go before the horse. One of the major issues I have seen within organizations, especially ministries, is that they (and me, totally guilty of this in the past) go so fast without the correct staff, funding and network that they end up running down this hill of work and their organization ends up going ahead of the people. The staff ends up neglected, stressed and overworked. Miscommunication takes place and everyone gets stuck in survival mode. STOP GOING SO FAST! PACE YOURSELF AND PACE YOUR WORK! 

If we cannot get the work done while maintaining peace and time to invest in our team, then we're going too fast! Success is not how much we can push out, or how fast we can run…it's really how long we can last. If the organization has a high staff turnover rate, something is wrong. Pay attention to the warning flags. 

9. BE MINDFUL 
Pay attention to the voice of your team. If multiple people are complaining about the same things over and over and over and over…well you get the idea. The problem is probably not them. Be careful to not give a deaf ear. Listen to them. What are they saying, why are they saying it? Not taking it seriously is degrading, dishonorable and it shows we don't trust them and don't care.  Our mission is people. Jesus' mission is ALWAYS people because the Father's heart is for PEOPLE. If we are not putting others first, for the sake of Jesus' reward….well then what are we doing? We might as well shut our operation down, go home, and never leave the house. If we as leaders do not steward the people God gives us well, he will remove them to protect them! He's a good Dad! It's His mercy!
 

10. BE ACCOUNTABLE
One person cannot have too much power. Be repentant. We set ourselves up for failure if we do not have accountability and if we do not have anyone to answer to. Someone should be able to pull even the highest leader to the side and say "HEY! You are doing this wrong! Be careful!". The Bible speaks about how where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. We as leaders, are not the end all and be all. It is not about us. Set a safety net around you by having accountability, that is the purpose of a board. If you are not operating an official organization, find a few friends that you trust that can see blind spots on your behalf.