Marc Estes

One of my greatest downfalls is food. I love to eat and appreciate the time and energy put into a quality meal. My mother would be a great cook and has mastered the art of food preparation to the point that whenever I am near her house I gain five pounds just thinking about the meal in which I am about to devour. One of her all time classics is her Lasagna. Now, I don’t get the opportunity to eat if very often, nor does she cook it that much, simply because the “Seven Layer Million Calorie Health Free Delicacy” requires CPR instructions upon the completion of even the smallest of portions. Yet this handcrafted, eloquently assembled masterpiece has created quite a reputation as the best Lasagna this side of Italy.

Just as a quality dish of Lasagna requires quality layers of certain ingredients to get the right end product, so does the life of the leader. There are a variety of layers that are necessary in order to produce the proper balance to a quality leader. I came across the following seven statements in my files the other day, which were penned by none other than John Maxwell. Take a look at these seven components and take a moment to reflect on your own life:

1. CHARACTER – WHO YOU ARE: True leadership always begins with the inner you. People will always see the depth of your character more than your gifting.
2. RELATIONSHIP – WHO YOU KNOW: Leaders should know that association plays a key role in personal development. Be careful who you hang around you just might become like them.
3. KNOWLEDGE – WHAT YOU KNOW: You will never make intelligent decisions without having intelligent knowledge and information.  Knowledge won’t make someone a leader, but it is very difficult to lead without having knowledge.
4. INTUITION – WHAT YOU FEEL: Leadership is more than a set of hard fact rules and principles. It demands the ability to implement these principles in the right timing, manner and process. Intuition is the leaders compass that looks beyond what they can see.
5. EXPERIENCE – WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN: Experience is what forges education into real life realities giving you context and wisdom for future similar situations. Experience also develops credibility for you amongst those you are leading.
6. PAST SUCCESS – WHAT YOU HAVE DONE: There is nothing that speaks louder to those around you than a lengthy track record of solid, right decisions. People will listen to what you have to say in the future based upon the way that your lead today.
7. ABILITY – WHAT YOU CAN DO: When it all comes down to it, people will follow you as far as your capable to lead them. They may have the ability to go further, but if you aren’t out in front, they will find someone else to follow.

Each one of these areas are within your hands to develop. It does take time and discipline, but it is worth the effort! Just like Momma Jo’s Lasagna, what you put into the dish, will determine the response of those who are partaking of it.

Many today have the special ability to lead. It is clear that this is an attribute, given by God, to fulfill specific purposes. Yet having a gift or natural talent isn’t enough to become a great leader. You may get by for a season on natural talent or charisma, but sooner or later you will hit the lid and be incapable of moving forward… unless you add the component of daily disciplines to your life.

I heard a quote many years ago and is used widely in leadership circles, “A champion is built in a day, but built daily.”  This one simple statement has profound ramifications to it, if you read it, digest it, meditate on, and then apply it to your life.  It is the thousand little things that you do in a day that defines and develops you, not the one big thing. I do understand that there are defining moments that sear a person’s reputation or fate, but in most every case, it was a multitude of little decisions that got them to the one pinnacle decision; good or bad.

I am a big fan of contact sports. I know many would debate whether a Christian should support a bunch of guys being aggressive and hitting each other, but I am a guy. That is what guys do. Over the years the sport of boxing and MMA have greatly increased in competition. The guys who are champions are ones of impeccable discipline. Their daily routines are rigid, lengthy and well planned.  It is how they live out their daily disciplines that will determine the results of their reputation and legacy under the lights.

President Theodore Roosevelt was a man of discipline. He was also quite tenacious.  History records him as the, “Ablest man to sit in the White House since Lincoln; the most vigorous since Jackson; the most bookish since John Quincy Adams.” He also loved to watch and participate in the sport of boxing.  He made this famous statement that is still used today:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strive valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worth cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

When you look at your life and your leadership responsibilities, do you find yourself doing what needs to be done in order to get by?  Are you satisfied with the way thing are, not dreaming about the ways things could, or should be? Maintaining is a dangerous place to be. Although it may feel good for a season, it is always the first stage of stagnation and decline. May I encourage you today to take some time and assess your current responsibilities? Make a list of the areas that you oversee and answer some tough questions honestly:

1. What areas of responsibilities have been entrusted to my care?
2. What is the desired goals of each of these responsibilities?
3. Where do I fall short in obtaining these goals, both personally and with the team in which I lead?
4. Why have these short comings become a reality?
5. What do I need to do to change in order to be best positioned to succeed?
6. How do I implement the changes?
7. When will I start?

Remember, you define your future and legacy by the actions of today. Tomorrow will be too late to make yesterday changes. Why not start today?

One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell. He has a unique way of packaging complex truths into simplistic formulas. One of his classic books, Developing the Leader Around You (see below), mention this idea of training people and the process that should be followed to maximize your time and energy.  Here are some principles to consider:

The best type of training takes advantage of the way people learn. Researchers tell us that we remember 10 percent of what we hear, 50 percent of what we see, 70 percent of what we say, and 90 percent of what we hear, see, say and do. Knowing that to be the case, we have to develop an approach to how we will train. Here is a five step process to follow:

1. Model It – The process begins with doing the tasks you desire to reproduce while the people you are training can watch. Allow them to observe the entire process, if possible.  As you walk through the process, take the time to explain not just what you are doing, but also why you are doing it and how you are doing it.

2. Mentor Them – As they watch you ‘do’, you need to then move them next to you and ask them to assist in the process.  This will give you a chance to observe them in the elementary steps of the process while still maintaining control.

3. Monitor Them – You then need to move to a place where they begin to take charge of the process and you stand along side of them.  It is important to allow them room to grow, learn and fail. Be an encouragement and use their failures as training opportunities and not a time to rebuke them in any way. Work with them until they develop consistency.  You might even ask them to verbally explain the what, why and how to you to insure that they thoroughly understand the entire process.

4. Motivate Them – The next step is to allow them to fly solo.  Once they take the responsibility as their own, your role now becomes the role of a motivator. The trainee must move from sustaining the process to excelling in the process. Allow them to make changes to the process giving them some ownership as long as the changes produce a better end result.

5. Multiply Them – You will never be truly successful in raising leaders until you have taught them to do likewise. Mastering a skill is not enough. Teaching others to master the skill is truly the end goal.  They will find that the best way to learn a skill as well as to reap fulfillment is to teach others to fulfill the tasks at hand.

Try applying these principles practically to what you are currently doing. Find a potential leader for each of your tasks and begin the process of reproducing yourself today.

Leadership is a special privilege given to one for the sake of advancing a cause.  It is imperative that we use this platform for the sake of others and not ourselves. However, due to our narcissistic culture in which we live, many today are in pursuit of leadership positions for power, fame and greed. Each of these pursuits are self serving and in the end, produce empty leaders and frustrated people.

The type of power you exert, will determine the outcome of your actions and ultimately define your legacy. There are three main types of power that leaders use today to motivate people to follow them or their cause:

1. Coercive Power - This type of power is created by a leader who uses manipulation to present a scenario that puts their followers in worrisome state. It puts fear in the follower that either some bad might happen to them or something good might be taken from them if they don’t submit themselves to the leader and his ways. This can take place in a marriage, from a parent, a teacher, a boss, and yes… even a pastor!

2. Utility Power - This type of power is created by a leader who uses his power to draw people to him with a legitimate ‘carrot’ or reward attach. People become motivated by the benefit therefore the reasoning for pursuing the leader and his objective is now self-serving in the life of he follower. This type of relationship has an exchanges of ‘good and services’ between different parties.  This is a large part of the leadership world today, and in some aspects in not all together bad. But as in the first type of power, it is driven by self motivating factors and not necessarily the overall good of the organization or cause.

3. Authentic Power - This type of power is rare, yet the most fruitful. This power is used to motivate all involved to believe in the cause and its purpose with the willingness to forsake all selfish motives for service.  A leader that is able to push aside his own desires and agendas and truly inspire his followers to give their time, talent and treasures to fulfill a greater cause larger than themselves is a leader worth following.

Take a moment and reflect on your leadership style and motivations. Why do you do what you do? What tactics have you been using to inspire people to follow you? Is it working? Is it bearing fruit? Do you need to make some changes? The leader that strives for authentic power will enjoy a life of great satisfaction and fulfillment.