Issue #198, January 11, 2017
Think of a person who has encouraged you in your life. How has the encouragement you received helped you to continue on?
Everyone needs encouragement, even leaders. Servant leaders recognize that there is a time to encourage others and they deliberately work to meet that need. When it comes to encouragement, there is never a time to shut up! Two verses from the writer of Hebrews help us reflect on the power of encouragement. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 3:13; 10:25).
Servant leaders consider these verses and find time to encourage others in three ways.
It’s time to encourage deliberately.
Both of these verses use the command “encourage one another.” Since it is a command encouragement is within our power to do. No leader should say, “I can’t encourage others.” It may or may not come easily for your personality, but no leader is exempt from the command to encourage others. A command also means that we need to be deliberate about obedience. Find a way to make it a part of your daily or weekly agenda. You may choose to write a note of encouragement to someone on a weekly basis. You may choose to speak a daily word of encouragement to your spouse or child. You may need to set a reminder on your phone or put a note in your calendar to deliberately build this habit in your leadership. Do it deliberately! Servant leaders are deliberate about encouraging others because they recognize that people need encouragement and they are willing to meet this need. For a servant leader, this is not an act of manipulation; it is a means of serving another by bringing out the best in that person.
It’s time to encourage daily.
“Encourage each other daily…” Encouragement is not something servant leaders do on a yearly or monthly basis; it is to be a daily part of their leadership. Servant leaders acknowledge that people need regular doses of encouragement. They gladly serve others by daily providing encouragement. There are times when correction is needed but even then, a servant leader will gently encourage the person to move in the right direction. If you are not sure if it is time to encourage someone, consider the verse which says we should encourage others “as long as it is called today”. So, if it is today as you read this, it’s time to encourage someone! Servant leaders make encouragement a daily habit.
It’s time to encourage doubly.
The writer indicates that as we move closer to the end of time encouragement should be done “more and more.” To a daily dose of encouragement servant leaders add more. Why? Because no one gets too much encouragement and there is no danger of an overdose! Servant leaders want to bring out the best in others and see their team continually move forward. So they increase the amounts of encouragement. They look for ways to recognize and reward outstanding efforts of those on their team. As they do so servant leaders build a culture of encouragement on their team that produces great rewards.
Be encouraged! Your efforts to be a servant leader like Jesus will reap a reward. Don’t give in to doubt and discouragement. Keep up the fight. Your work in the Lord is not in vain. Be encouraged, and pass it on, it’s time to encourage someone right now!
For further reflection and discussion:
- Does my team see me as an encouraging person? Why or why not?
- Am I consistent with my encouragement in different environments, for example at work and at home? If not, why not and what needs to change?
- Does my culture make it easy or difficult to encourage others? How does this impact my leadership? What would Jesus do to encourage others in my context?
- Is my ability to encourage others growing over time? Have I taken steps to be deliberate about encouraging others? Have I progressed to be able to do it daily? Can I increase to “more and more”?
- Who around me needs encouragement today? What can I do to meet that need?
- As a leader, I am called to encourage others. What do I do to stay encouraged myself so that I can serve others by encouraging them?