The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.
There may be no single thing more important in our efforts to achieve meaningful work and fulfilling relationships than to learn to practice the art of communication.
A friend of mine characterizes leaders simply like this: Leaders don’t inflict pain. They bear pain.
Everyone in a successful organization must be willing and ready to risk. Risk is like change; it’s not a choice.
From a leader’s perspective, the most serious betrayal has to do with thwarting human potential, with quenching the spirit, with failing to deal equitably with each other as human beings.
We see a decline of civility, and, sadly, it’s often modeled by the very people from whom we have the least right to expect it.
Innovation is the lifeblood of an organization. Knowing how to lead and work with creative people requires knowledge and action that often goes against the typical organizational structure. Protect unusual people from bureaucracy and legalism typical of organizations.
Above all, leadership is a position of servanthood.
Intimacy is at the heart of competence. It has to do with understanding, with believing, and with practice. It has to do with the relationship to one’s work.
Earning trust is not easy, nor is it cheap, nor does it happen quickly. Earning trust is hard and demanding work. Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.
A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.
Leaders don’t inflict pain – they share pain.
Without forgiveness, there can be no real freedom to act within a group.
Leaders should leave behind them assets and a legacy.
Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do.
When we think about the people with whom we work, people on whom we depend, we can see that without each individual, we are not going to go very far as a group. By ourselves, we suffer serious limitations. Together we can be something wonderful.
When things go awry, trust powers the generators until the problem is fixed.
Leaders who keep promises and followers who respond in kind create an opportunity generate enormous energy around their commitment to serve others.
When trust permeates a ministry, great things are possible, not the least of which is an opportunity to reach the ministry’s potential.
A whale is as unique as a cactus. But don’t ask a whale to survive Death Valley. We all have special gifts. Where we use them and how determines whether we actually complete something.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.