Open Hearted Leadership
Issue #19, November 18, 2009 Paul practiced what I call Open Hearted Leadership, a unique brand of genuine transparency that characterizes all servant leaders. He challenged his followers and contemporary leaders with these words, “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from […]
Servant Leaders Build Servant Followers
Issue #18, November 4, 2009 In our last issue we looked at the call for servant followers. It focused on following well. But this begs the question, “What can the leader do to encourage followers to follow well?” True leaders will influence this process and recognize that healthy leaders produce healthy followers. In this issue […]
Servant Leaders Need Servant Followers
Issue #17, October 22, 2009 At a break in a conference a leader came to me and said, “People trusted me until I became a leader.” He was a part of an organization that had a deep mistrust of leaders and his comments addressed the difficulty of leading in this environment. Servant leadership is not […]
Leading More With Less
Issue #16, October 8, 2009 We live in a world looking for ‘more.’ Marketers encourage us to buy because the product has ‘25% more!’ Businesses look for more customers and more profit. Churches look for more members and bigger budgets. Those who have more are highly esteemed. Leaders, as agents of change, naturally join the […]
An Encouraging Word
Issue #15, September 24, 2009 The need for affirmation and encouragement is so vital to our existence that physician George Adams called encouragement “oxygen to the soul.” The leaders of a Jewish synagogue were so eager for encouragement that they told Barnabas and Paul, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, […]
A Passion to Grow
Issue #14, September 10, 2009 All great leaders have a passion for personal growth and development. This passion often is rooted in a strong desire for success and personal achievement. Servant leaders have a similar passion for growth but a very different motive. They are committed to expand God’s kingdom through their leadership and recognize […]
Leading with Excellence
Issue #13, August 27, 2009 Servant leaders, like all great leaders, have a passion for excellence. However, their motive to lead with excellence is not simply for personal benefit or to increase financial revenue. Servant leaders lead with excellence because they have a passion to develop their own potential, to see others develop their potential […]
Leading with an Open Heart
Issue #12, August 14, 2009 All leaders influence followers, but only servant leaders open their hearts to those who follow. Paul, in an intimate letter to the Corinthian church said, “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.” (2 Cor. 6:11) Paul’s statement reveals a deliberate action which he […]
More Money Matters
Issue #11, July 29, 2009 In the last issue we looked at what it means to not be a ‘lover of money.’ Now we’ll examine ways that servant leaders handle the money they have. Servant leaders handle money as stewards. Servant leaders recognize that God has given to them many things including their power of […]
Money Matters
Issue #10, July 8, 2009 Money matters to everyone. We all use money, need money and handle money every day. Our money is a powerful force in our lives and it is not surprising that the Bible has a lot to say about possessions and finances. The way a leader thinks about and handles money […]