Leadership - Will You Lead? 3 Continued

Subject: Being A Leader Wherever You Are

by Rick Welborne

Luke 6:39-42 (NKJV)

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?
42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.
–Last week we looked at John Maxwell’s Law of Influence...as a reminder:
Maxwell - "The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less."
2. Eight Ingredients To Building Leadership Credibility or Influence

A. Character (Session 2)
B. Competence (Session 2)
C. Clarity of Direction (Session 2)
D. An Ingredient To building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Communication.
E. An Ingredient To building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Conviction.
Favorite Quote of Pastor Rick: We don’t smoke and we don’t chew...we don’t go with girls that do...we ain’t got no girlfriends!
F. An Ingredient To building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Courage.
Josh 1:6-9 (NLT)
6 "Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors.
7 Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do.
8 Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.
9 I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
G. An Ingredient To building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Care.
–Everybody wants to know that someone cares about them and have their best interest in mind. When people sense that someone cares, they tend to trust that person.
–In the same way, congregations and employees trust leaders who demonstrate their care.

Theodore Roosevelt: People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
–Care is the leader’s demonstration of concern for the well-being of his or her followers that flows from love for them.
–God cares for His people and He wants us to care for them too.
Ex 4:31 (NLT)
31 The leaders were soon convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. And when they realized that the LORD had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.
John 21:16 (NLT)
16 Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.
–In 1Peter 5:2 Peter points out that our followers are under our care. Care involves respecting them and having their best interest at heart.
–We need to try to be aware of people’s needs, hurts, and fears and be willing to help them deal Scripturally with these matters.
–When we do, we shouldn’t be surprised that these people trust our leadership and grant us the credibility (influence) that we need to lead them on behalf of our Savior.
H. An Ingredient To building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Composure.
–Unfortunately most Christian leaders (except for some Christian counselors) have largely ignored the emotional dimension of leadership in ministry.
–Because of our John Wayne culture - ‘don’t let-em see ya cry’ - mentality we have cultivated men that are not in touch with their emotions.
–Satan has convinced the average male in America that masculinity is all about being emotionally tough...men are not supposed to show much emotion except for anger.
–So what’s the big deal? This mentality can have a devastating effect on a congregation or a family.
–Because the way leaders handle their emotions creates a culture that sets the mood or climate for a ministry, business, or the home.

Malphur: A healthy composure creates a climate where information is shared, leaders are trusted, learning flourishes, and risks are taken. An unhealthy emotional composure creates a setting swarming with fear and anxiety.
–Composure is the leader’s consistent display of appropriate emotional health or maturity that sets a positive ministry mood, especially in difficult or crisis situations.
–In light of our discussion, strong, healthy composure builds leadership credibility, while poor composure, or the expression of inappropriate emotions, is the silent killer of credibility...Be angry and sin not!
–To have a composure that leads to ministry credibility and influence, a leader must develop emotional well-being that fosters a positive, healthy ministry culture.
–One of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible:
John 11:35 (NKJV)
35 Jesus wept.
Leading Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
A. The most persistent barrier to leading like Jesus is a heart motivated by self interest.
Phil 2:1-4 (NIV)
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Quote: Blanchard and Hodges: "A heart motivated by self-interest looks at the world as a ‘give a little, take a lot’ proposition. People with hearts motivated by self-interest put their own agenda, safety, status, and gratification ahead of those affected by their thoughts and actions."
1. As you consider the heart issues of leadership you should be willing to ask yourself, "Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader?"
2. Many of us have no problem considering others, but considering others better than ourselves, now that is another story.
3. Paul surely must have been kidding when he said to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit...doesn’t he know that is how we are wired?
4. The fact is that we all fall short of perfection and give in to the temptation to behave as self-serving leaders in certain situations.
5. This is not only true of churches or businesses, it also applies to our homes...if we are not careful, our family members are just supporting cast members helping us to be where we want to be.
B. Another factor that needs to be considered is whether we are driven people or called people...These are identified by Gordon McDonald in his bookOrdering Your Private World.
McDonald says of driven people:
1. Driven people think they own everything. They own their relationships, they own their possessions, and they own their positions.
2. In fact, they perceive their identity as the sum of their relationships, possessions, and positions.
3. As a result, driven people spend most of their time protecting what they own.
4. We see this in the family when a parent makes sure everyone knows that he is the father (or she is the mother) and demands that everyone else cater to his or her authority without questioning. The spouse is simply another child in their mind.
5. Driven people think and act as if "he who dies with the most toys wins." And if you mess with any of their toys, you’re in trouble.
6. The possessions of driven people become an important expression of who they are and end up possessing them.
McDonald says of Called people:
1. Called people, on the other hand, believe everything is on loan.
2. They believe their relationships are on loan; they know that we have no guarantee we will see those we love tomorrow.
3. Called people also believe their possessions are on loan and are to be held lightly, to be enjoyed and shared with an open hand.
4. Finally, called people believe their positions are on loan from God and the people they are attempting to influence.
5. Rather than protecting what they own, called leaders act as good stewards of what has been loaned to them.
Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)
14 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.
15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
16 "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.
17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.
18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 "After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.
20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 "The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
22 "The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 
23 "The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
24 "Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.
25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 "But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 "Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.
29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’