Leaders my Leaders, welcome back!
The very best leaders I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with, and those I know in a more indirect way, all seem to share one trait in common. They are coming from a spiritual perspective. Notice I didn’t say they all came from the same religion. Or attended any particular church. Or any church at all for that matter. Nor did I say they all read from the same version of scripture. Or worshipped the same ways. But all of them do actively follow a spiritual path. If you want to be counted among the greatest leaders of your generation, then spirituality is your secret key to the kingdom.
If you and God aren’t on speaking terms, you need to work through that. If you are at war with God then it will be impossible for you or your team to have genuine peace. For our purposes in this teaching series, I am not defining peace as the absence of trouble or turmoil. I am defining it as the unshakeable faith in God, yourself, and your team that tells you that no matter what happens, you will be able to figure it out. Together. It all begins with you. God is the only one who can transform you. Any teacher’s role – myself included – is to provide you with new information that makes you think. That leads you to making better choices. God takes care of everything else. You can put on a show for the world, but God still knows what’s inside your heart. When you turn your heart over to God, you will never be the same. Neither will your leadership. You will find yourself not with less struggles, but with a much deeper, richer understanding of those struggles. That perspective will allow you to withstand events that would have crumpled others into oblivion. There is no single decision you can make about your leadership career that is more important than developing a spiritual life that works for you.
God wants you to know that He loves you. He cares for you. More than we can fathom. You haven’t messed up so bad that He can’t save you. His mercy is fresh and new each day. All you have to do is ask for it. I say this with great respect for you: if you exclude God and spirituality from your leadership, then you will be appointed to your position, but you will never know the blessings of being divinely anointed for your position. I’m living proof that mistakes can be remedied, hardships overcome, injustices made right. God called me to do the work I’m doing right now, and it is the sweetest, most exhilarating journey I have ever known. I made the choice, and I’m inviting you to do the same. God’s been waiting a long time for you to Come Home to Him. Today can be that day!
If you’d like to Come Home today, then please join me in this prayer, or any other that you see fitting for the magnitude of this occasion:
Dear God,
I give my heart to you. I know you created me and you love me more than I can possibly understand. I know you are merciful enough to forgive my mistakes, and just enough to make right the harm that has been done to me. I know you allow me to be in a leadership position for a reason. Today I give my leadership career to you. Do with it as you will. Help me grow. Help me do right by myself, my team, and my organization. Help me stay in balance so I do right by my family while building my career. Bless me so that I may pass that blessing on to others, and help them become everything you created them to be. I accept the tremendous responsibility that comes with my position. I ask you to always watch over me, helping me make good choices, and becoming a force for good in our world.
Amen!
Congratulations my friends, I am very proud of you! Let the new phase of your life and your leadership begin. 🙂