Self-Leadership

Hybels – 360¡ Leadership

Everything rises and falls on leadership – something good or bad happening? A leader is responsible.

Leadership functions – vision, building team, problem solving, inspiring, setting goals, values, raising up leaders, leading change.

Leading up – not passive or manipulating. Influence, relationship, prayer, trust.

Lateral leadership – peers: mutual servanthood, win/win negotiation. No power.

Self Leadership – you win or lose right here! 1 Sam.30:6 – personal encouragement. The battle was won here. Spend 50% of your energy here. It is THE difference between average and outstanding leadership.

Most leaders plateau over time and flatten out. Few leaders keep growing their whole life. The difference is ‘self leadership’.

WCA 20 yrs history evaluation – 2 major errors when they did poorly. Bill not doing well. Your greatest gift to your church is a healthy self. The game is won or lost here.

Jesus did a lot of ‘self leadership’ – the Father’s love, mission focus, inner world.

Why don’t we do it? We are too activistic!

Questions:

1. Is my calling sure? Energy! Confidence. ‘The Creator of the universe has a job for me today.’ Followers need to know you’re commited to your call. Prepared to die for it? Live for something you’ll die for. Get your calling clear – it’s your job!

2. Is my vision clear? Vision weekend (2x per year). YOU need it. Keep clarifying it. Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.

Clear, biblical, concise and memorable. It’s your ‘main thing’. Save souls, make disciples, empower saints. Vision leaks! A little bit every day.

3. Is my passion hot? You’re responsible for this! Dragging? Your poor followers. What wattage are your? A dimly lit leader? We need heat and light. What keeps YOU pumped up (books, tapes, conferences, etc)? Do it! It’s your job to keep your batteries changed. Your key leaders need to burn brightly!

Moral payment – self or 3rd party?

4. Is my character clean? Integrity keeps followers over the long haul more than anything else.

a. Marketplace – low level, ‘sort of okay’, tolerable. b. Solid character – middle area, ‘good’. c. Christian leadership – high level, ‘very good’. ‘Beyond reproach.’ You set up appropriate levels of accountability.

There are a lot of ‘grey’ areas between a and b. Where are you most vulnerable – money, sex or power or something else?

5. Is my pride subdued? Humility causes God to pour his grace on you. Pride causes him to oppose you. 1Pet.5:5. Your choice! Ask your team.

6. Are my psychological wounds undermining my leadership? You grew up in an imperfect home. There’s stuff below the line of consciousness. Is it affecting your daily decisions? Evidenced by control, performance, trying to please everyone, drivenness.

Above the line decisions can be tethered to stuff below the line. Looks like a pattern? Confront it. Everything you do flows from within.

7. Are my fears at bay? Fear has a paralysing dynamic. What would you do if you had no fear? There’s a fear side to every challenge. Get past the fear side to the solution. Focus your emotions positively. What are you on the fear side of? Start walking. Power ‘along the way’.

You have to conquer the fear.

8. Are my spiritual gifts developing? It’s your job. Not just identifying them and using them. God expects ‘more’. Accountability. Know your gifts in order and develop them in that order. Using your top gifts energises you. Balance your time around your gifts.

9. Am I listening to the whispers and promptings of the Holy Spirit? God’s way or your way? Live with your ear open to heaven.

10. Is my pace sustainable? Can anything significant and valuable happen at high speed? Relationships, spirituality, etc.

‘The pace at which I’m doing the work of God is destroying his work in me’. Who’s making you do this? You! You need to do something about it.

Learn to say ‘No’! Joy accompanies a sustainable pace.

Leading Yourself

“360 Degree Leadership” involves these aspects of leadership:

1. Leading down (those you’re responsible for) -vision, building team, problem solving, inspiring, setting goals, establishing values, raising up leaders, leading change, etc.

2. Leading up (those you’re accountable to) – not passive or manipulating. Wise use of influence, relationship, prayer and trust.

3. Lateral leadership (your peers) – mutual servanthood or win/win negotiation.

4. Self Leadership – you win or lose right here!

The “experts’ would say that we should spend 50% of our energy here. It is THE difference between average and outstanding leadership. Most leaders plateau over time and flatten out. Few leaders keep growing their whole life. The difference is ‘self leadership’.

Jesus did a lot of “self leadership” – affirming the Father’s love, clarifying his mission focus, strengthening his inner world.

Why don’t we do it? We are too activistic!

Self Leadership Questions:

1. Is my calling sure?

This is the key to energy and confidence. ‘The Creator of the universe has a job for me today.’ Followers need to know you’re committed to your call. Are you prepared to die for it? Live for something you’ll die for. Get your calling clear – it’s your job!

2. Is my vision clear?

Vision weekend (2x per year). YOU need it. Keep clarifying it. Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.

Vision needs to be clear, biblical, concise and memorable. It’s your ‘main thing’. Save souls, make disciples, empower saints. Vision leaks! Impart a little bit every day.

3. Is my passion hot?

You’re responsible for this! Dragging? Think of your poor followers. What wattage are your? A dimly lit leader? What keeps YOU pumped up (books, tapes, conferences, etc)? Do it! It’s your job to keep your batteries changed. Your key leaders need you to burn brightly!

4. Is my character clean?

Integrity keeps followers over the long haul more than anything else.

Different levels of character or integrity: a. Marketplace – low level, ‘sort of okay’, tolerable. b. Solid character – middle area, ‘good’. c. Christian leadership – high level, ‘very good’, ‘Beyond reproach.’ Set up appropriate levels of accountability.

There are a lot of ‘grey’ areas between a and b. Where are you most vulnerable – money, sex or power or something else?

5. Is my pride subdued?

Humility causes God to pour his grace on you. Pride causes him to oppose you. 1Pet.5:5. It’s your choice! Ask your team.

6. Are my psychological wounds undermining my leadership?

You grew up in an imperfect home. There’s stuff below the line of consciousness. Is it affecting your daily decisions? Evidenced by control, performance, trying to please everyone, drivenness, etc.

Above the line decisions can be tethered to stuff below the line. Looks like a pattern? Confront it. Everything you do flows from within.

7. Are my fears at bay?

Fear has a paralysing dynamic. What would you do if you had no fear? There’s a fear side to every challenge. Get past the fear side to the solution. Focus your emotions positively. What are you on the fear side of? Start walking. God gives power ‘along the way’. You have to conquer the fear.

8. Are my spiritual gifts developing?

It’s your job. Not just identifying them and using them. God expects ‘more’. Accountability. Know your gifts in order and develop them in that order. Using your top gifts energises you. Balance your time around your gifts.

9. Am I listening to the whispers and promptings of the Holy Spirit?

God’s way or your way? Live with your ear open to heaven.

10. Is my pace sustainable?

Can anything significant and valuable happen at high speed? Quality relationships, deep spirituality, etc.

‘The pace at which I’m doing the work of God is destroying his work in me’. Who’s making you do this? You! You need to do something about it.

Learn to say ‘No’! Joy accompanies a sustainable pace.

[Thanks to Mark Conner for these notes: from a conference in Melbourne, February 2001].