I heard a great leader, Bill Hybels, once say that he is amazed at how God orchestrates the crossing of paths. I have found that God has sent certain people across my path who have turned out to be mentors in my life. I was recently having a few conversations around leadership with such a mentor and had a few epiphanies that are now forming the content for this article. (Dean Davey, thanks for your inspiration!)
Have you ever noticed how many leadership articles/books/programs/seminars focus their content on leadership attributes? While attributes and principals are good, they are only half of the ingredients required to be an effective leader – and is the easy part. As a result, we so often chase after the next book or seminar and end up as fat, lazy and self indulgent leaders. To be effective leaders, we need to take the attributes we have learned and actually work them out in accordance to our purpose – we need to add intention, focus and a no excuse approach to using the attributes to leading others – making a difference. We need to apply what we know to our own story!
I’ve discovered that there is a great starting point to application of attributes: purpose and passion. The discovery of what you are passionate about and what you feel your purpose is results in us living with passion and purpose. It often causes the attributes we know to shine in what we do. Do you know your purpose? Do you know what you are passionate about? If you don’t have this clarity, you will run from book to seminar to try find it. Get with God, spend time reflecting and make sure you can clarify what it is.
Once we know our purpose and passion in life, we need to spend time constantly refining and assessing it. We must take the attributes we learn and mould them to our unique style, to cause us to be effective in how we lead. Too often we try copy someone else with a totally different purpose or personality. Unless we constantly refine and assess our purpose and passion, and the attributes we learn, we will never effectively act and lead in a way that is authentic.
It is essential that we also reflect and energise around our purpose. Sometimes we get caught up in the business of leadership and all the new theories, that we lose sight of where we actually want and need to be! When you constantly reflect on your purpose and passion, you find your energy tank gets a healthy top up! If we want to be effective, we need to be energised!
I have also learned that I need to ensure that each week my list of daily priorities reflect my purpose and passions. If not, I end up being extremely busy but not very fruitful.
How are you doing with the attributes you have learned? Are you constantly chasing more? Or are you applying and moulding them to maximise on your purpose and passion – Ultimately causing you to make a difference with your life. Let’s make our lives leave a mark!
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Don Muller has spent the last 4 years working into corporate and church leadership development and training both locally and internationally. He has a passion for and works towards seeing individuals live out their strengths and calling daily.