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Keep it Real (Part 5-8)
Keep it real
A fifth action that will help you on keep going on when you’re ready to quit is keeping it real. I have a great friend with one big shoe. No, I really do. My buddy Dave had to have a hip replacement a few years back. This hip replacement left him with one leg shorter than the other. As a result, Dave not only has a limp, but he also has to have the shoe on that foot fitted with an extra thick sole a “big shoe”. The good thing about my buddy is that he’s one of the most confident of persons I’ve ever known. I accidently tested this a few weeks back. Despite the fact that we live a few hundred miles apart, we speak on the phone nearly every week. We talk about topics like ministry, our struggles, and our new favorite books. A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of a great book that I wanted to be sure Dave would read. I called him in the usual way and without think it through, I just asked. “Have you ever read Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender?” It was silent on the other line for a second and then he responded with, “of coarse I have. You know me, always keeping it real!”
This is one of the very hardest things for most leaders to balance. Should I really make myself that vulnerable? Shouldn’t I be the consistent one? What would happen if my team thought I was incompetent?
The answers: yes, yes, and trust me, if you are in fact incompetent, they already know it! Leaders need to understand that there really is great power in honest leadership. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be you. Be the best you that you can be. Let me show you the top four traits that every real leader possesses:
1) R – Ready to make some changes. Real leaders understand that change is inevitable in any organization. Change can be hard at times. Sometimes, the person that needs to change the most is the leader. Good leaders know this and are willing to make the needed changes on themselves. It is true that most people are looking for a leader with a degree of competency. The leaders competency is the leader’s currency with the team. When the leader is not confidant, it creates confusion in the organization and confusion will always create frustration. John Maxwell puts it like this: “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” A leader who is ready to change will continually ask themselves three questions:
1. Who are we?
2. What’s our business?
3. How’s Business?
Leaders need to show that they are wiling to learn and adapt. They need to be pliable and teachable. This will not only help them gain the needed competencies, it will also show allow them to show their team that they are a real person with limitations. More times than not, there will be someone on your team more competent then you in one particular area. Why not ask them for help. A good leader would.
2) E – Empathetic to the needs of others. Real leaders are empathetic to the needs of those around them. They possess a compassionate spirit about them. We’ve all heard the cliché “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Guess what? It’s true. Even Jesus understood this:
Matthew 9:36 (NLT) “ (Jesus) felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.”
It is easier to walk away then it is to get your hands dirty. Get them dirty anyway!
People want to feel valued by the people that lead them. In order to truly value your team, you need to:
1. Make people your priority
2. Take time to know your people
3. Give people your undivided attention
4. Really listen
Ask yourself the question: “Am I building people or am I building a dream by using people?”
3) A – Always mindful. Real leaders possess a thoughtful mind.
Proverbs 16:23 (NLT) “from a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.”
Charisma may be the open door for some, but it won’t build a house! Every leader needs to value giftedness but don’t build ministries on personalities. Be sure that whatever you’re communicating, however you’re leading, whether it’s through change or casting a new vision, it’s thought out and valuable. People won’t listen to merely hear what you have to say, they listen to determine whether you have anything of value to say. Two things are always needed to solve problems and cast visions:
1. The right attitude – personality
2. The right action plan – thoughtfulness
4) L – Leading with the gut. I believe that all great leaders possess a sort of sixth sense. Leaders have an innate ability to see what others are yet to see. Sometimes its vision and other times it’s pitfalls. Either way, a leader’s intuition is a source of decision making that most others don’t have. How many times has your gut told you something that you knew was right? Evaluate some of your resent leadership decisions. How often did it turn out you were right? What components did you use in making your decision?
Real leaders lead with their gut… but their gut goes through a few filters. Here are a few of my own personal filters:
1. Is it Biblical?
2. Is it Kingdom Minded?
3. Is it the right thing to do?
4. Does it move us in our vision? (is it purposeful)
5. What is the risk those I lead?
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Tags: Keep it Real, Year Too, Year Won
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