By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)
-001.jpg)
Dear
Hannah,
We
grow by caring for people and things.
Reading
J. Oswald Sanders’ book Spiritual
Leadership has helped me grow as a husband, father, and man.
Wisdom Earned Through
Lessons Learned …
1.
Spritual Leadership
Defined.
Spiritual leadership is the process of serving, influencing, teaching, and
learning from others – with God’s principles as the standard.
2.
Success &
Failure.
God uses each success and failure to humble, teach and strengthen us.
3.
Leadership Qualities
(Chapter 8).
I use several mnemonic devices to help remember these principles. Here is the first …
"Leaders 'WISHeDD' (Wisdom, Integrity, Sincerity, Humility, Discipline / Decision Making) for Courage
and Vision."
4. More Leadership Qualities (Chapter 9).
"Leaders do not ‘WHIF’ (Writing, Humor, Inspiration, Friendship)
at the PLATE (Patience, Listening, Anger, Tact, Execution)."
5.
Anger Is A Leadership
Quality?
Anger (an intense emotional response) has been a prevalent (and
counterproductive) part of my life. I now accept it as a leadership quality.
See, prayer (intimate conversations with God)
is an essential leadership quality. Prayer can be hindered by sin.
If we are so angry that we cannot pray, then
we are too angry – and on the
threshold of sin.
God tells us to be angry, but to not sin in
our anger (Eph 4:26).
A wise man knows his limitations. Recognized
anger is a limitation that can help us stay on a healthy leadership path.
6. Time Management (Chapter 12).
“Every moment matters
You had better realize
Then you can quickly respond
To opportunities you recognize.”
·
Power
is work done efficiently - that is, with wise and skillful use of RICE (Resources, Interests, Communication, and Expertise).
·
God
grants power to His efficient problem solvers.
7. Leaders are Readers (Chapter 13).
·
Mature
reading challenges us with new (and old, unanswered) questions (rather than
confirming that we already knew the answer).
·
Reading
biographies provides wisdom and inspiration from someone's life and ministry.
·
Bacon's
rule - read to weigh and consider.
8. Improving Leadership (Chapter 14).
"Improve, Inspire, ‘GRASPP’ (and inspect) what you expect ..."
·
Group Morale (maintaining
teamwork & camaraderie)
·
Relationships (unity
and cohesiveness)
·
Administration
(improving the ministry)
·
Spiritual Tone (spiritual
health and maturity)
·
Problem Solving (corrective
action)
·
Planning (establishing
courses of action).
9. Counting Leadership Costs (Chapter 15).
"SeLF-CROP
(Self-Sacrifice, Loneliness, Fatigue, Criticism, Rejection, cost
to Others, Pressure) leadership costs by counting them."
10. Leadership Responsibilities (Chapter 16).
"A leader DIGS (Applied Discipline,
Initiation, Guidance, Service) their
responsibilities."
11. Leadership Tests (Chapter 17).
"Don't be Jealous - leaders earn their FICA
(Failure, Impossible Situations, Compromise,
Ambition) score through
testing!"
12. The Art of Delegation (Chapter 18).
Getting work done through others is the
highest form of leadership.
13. Replacing Leaders (Chapter 19).
·
All
leaders are replaceable.
·
All
leaders have strengths and weaknesses that begat opportunities and threats
(SWOT).
·
A
leader's departure provides both threats (fear, regression) and opportunities (courage, advancement).
·
Leadership
success requires opportunities to fail!
14. Reproducing Leaders (Chapter 20).
·
All
leaders grow by caring for things and people.
·
Spiritual
Maturity > Age
·
Purposeful
leaders want to serve. Ambitious leaders want to be served.
15. Leadership Perils (Chapter 21).
"Jealous
feelings ‘PPIIPEEDD’ (Pride, Popularity, Infallibility,
Indispensability, Prophet or leader, Egotism, Elation and Depression, and Disqualification) through a leader's heart invite peril."
a. JEALOUSY seeks to
deny or destroy the work of others (page 155).
b. Christ, rather than
the leader, should be the object of a ministry’s POPULARITY (page 156).
c. Nobody is perfect.
The leader must maintain a teachable spirit (INDISPENSABILITY).
d. INFALLIBILITY is a
blinding illusion.
e. It is more important
to be a PROPHET of God than a leader of men (page 159). The prophet replies
upon God’s wisdom and power.
f. EGOTISM is a
self-centered orientation (page 154). Leaders should not become too confident
or "self-made" (page 156).
g. Excess in joy
(ELATION) or sorrow (DEPRESSION) is unhealthy for the spiritual leader (page
157).
h. Self-control is the
key to preventing DISQUALIFICATION in ministry (page 160).
Love,
Daddy
Copyright © 2016 Derrick Brown. All Rights Reserved.
