Many leaders live in tomorrow—and miss the blessings of today.  While looking ahead and solving problems is a needed component of leadership, it can lead to a lack of appreciation for what is. Serving leaders learn to lead with gratitude. Consider Paul’s leadership:

³³ Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. ³⁴ Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” ³⁵ After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves (Acts 27:33–36, NIV).

Paul was one of 275 passengers on this boat during a life-threatening storm. He has no position or title but leads the crew and passengers with his words of encouragement. Then, he pauses to give thanks—a powerful picture of leading with gratitude.

Leading with gratitude is a choice.

Paul took bread and “gave thanks to God in front of them all.” What could he give thanks for in this crisis? All around him was fear of the future and a sense of doom. We don’t know what he said, but perhaps he gave thanks that they were still alive, that they had bread to eat, and that they were not alone in the storm. Perhaps he thanked God for His presence or for the vision that gave him much hope a few days earlier. But whatever he said, Paul chose to give thanks. The choice to express gratitude refocused his attention and all those around him on their blessings instead of their fears.   

Some leaders look around and see problems on every side. They call their team for a meeting to solve the problems and address the issue. They have no time to stop and give thanks. But serving leaders choose to look beyond the problems and give thanks for what is good. Even when they lead a meeting to address challenges, they begin by publicly giving thanks as Paul did. They lead with gratitude.  

Leading with gratitude is concrete.  

Paul’s gratitude led to a concrete tangible action, “he broke it and began to eat.” He acknowledged that the sailors and passengers were physically hungry and would need some energy. He also understood that two weeks of watching the wind and the waves had taken an emotional toll and brought a sense of helplessness. So, he invited them to take a small but significant step of action over their own future.

Some leaders pause to give thanks, but don’t invite others to act on their gratitude. But serving leaders use gratitude as a call to action. They invite their team to give to others, to volunteer for a project or to write a note of appreciation. They lead with gratitude. 

Leading with gratitude is contagious.

Paul’s gratitude was contagious, “they were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.” Paul’s actions changed the atmosphere on the boat as people ate together for the first time in weeks. An attitude of gratitude is contagious; it impacts the lives of others and helps them to also give thanks.

All leaders impact others with their attitudes. Some leaders focus on the problems and ignore what is good. (They would do well to wear a mask that kept their attitude to themselves!) But serving leaders seek to have an attitude of gratitude and share it with everyone in the room. They lead with gratitude. 

For further reflection and discussion:

• Is my natural impulse to look at what could be or to be grateful for what is? How does this impact my leadership?
• In what current circumstances do I need to stop and focus on gratitude? How can I do this publicly?
• What can I do to demonstrate my gratitude in concrete ways? In what ways can I call my team to actions that express gratitude?
• What attitudes are spreading under my own leadership? What can I do to make a greater positive impact?           

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll focus on incarnational leadership, a Christmas theme.

David spends considerable time running from King Saul and his leadership seems reduced to surviving while he waits for God’s plan for his life to unfold. But before he became the king God allowed David to learn how to lead in a crisis. At a pivotal point in David’s leadership, he and his men returned home from the battlefield and found disaster.

When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured – Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind,”(1 Samuel 30:3-9).

What can servant leaders learn from David about leading in crisis?

Acknowledge the reality.

David did not try to hide the pain of the situation or pretend that nothing was wrong. He acknowledged the painful reality; their homes were burned, their families captured. David’s own wives were among the missing. Not only was he personally impacted by the crisis, but on top of that, the people were ready to stone him! David was in serious trouble! How did he respond? He did not deny the situation, he did not point fingers of blame, and he did not run away. He wept together with his men. Servant leaders do not ignore realities or simply hope that a crisis will go away; they honestly admit the reality and the pain of the situation. But they don’t stop there.

Find strength in God!

David was all alone. Even his dear friend Jonathan was not there to provide comfort, wisdom, or strength. But what David did in crisis is one of the most profound leadership principles in the Bible, “But David found strength in the LORD his God.” In crisis David turned towards God. As he found strength in God, he was able to put aside his own personal pain and focus on the needs of the entire group. He then called for a priest who helped him determine God’s direction for the moment. Servant leaders have a place to turn in crisis to find strength and direction. Others on David’s team became bitter; he became better as he turned his face towards God. Crises reveal what is within the heart of a leader, reliance on self or dependence on God. Where is your source of strength in difficult times?

Plan for action.

Leaders call people to action, and as soon as David had direction from God, he rallied his men and they set out to resolve the crisis. They had no guarantee of success, other than faith in God, but they followed David’s leadership and moved forward. Moments earlier the followers’ response to the crisis was to attack David, the leader. But David attacked the problem and proposed solutions. Leaders in crisis must act quickly, but first need to find strength in God.

Times of crisis call for strong leaders like David whose hearts have been prepared in advance to respond honestly, cry to God for help, and then call others to act.

For further reflection and discussion:

• What other ways could David have responded to this crisis? What might have been the outcome?
• Reflect on a leadership crisis you observed in which someone else was leading. What was their response and what can you learn from it?
• What is the greatest crisis you have faced in your own leadership? Reflect on what happened. Did you respond in the way David responded and how did your response impact what God was able to do in the situation?
• In what ways can you prepare in advance for the inevitable times of crisis?

Everyone recognizes that we are living in tough times. The world economy has affected all of our lives in one way or another. Job losses and budget cuts are a part of daily life for leaders everywhere. How do servant leaders respond to our times? I recently asked several business friends this question and their insights are applicable to servant leadership in the marketplace as well as in the church. Here’s what I learned.

Tough times call for active leadership.

When times are tough, ‘hands on’ leadership is needed. During easy times a leader may provide leadership from a distance but when times are tough servant leaders must be more active. More time and leadership energy is necessary because of the great needs. Quick decisions will often need to be made with little time to gather information. Leaders must see the big picture and be able to guide the organization through the turbulent waters. They must communicate more to keep people together and to deal with the fear and uncertainty caused by troubled times. They must spend more time with their key leaders to evaluate current realities and decided how to move forward. They must agonize over decisions that impact the lives of their workers, families and community. It may require releasing a faithful worker or long serving staff person. At the same time, because of their faith, servant leaders are able to lead with an optimistic perspective. Servant leaders recognize the need of our times and get involved.

To think about: Have I responded to the difficult times by appropriately increasing my leadership activity? Have I adjusted my leadership style to reflect the situation?

Tough times call for clarity of focus.

Times of crises bring servant leaders back to their core values and mission. There is no room for a lack of clarity about what is the most important work of the organization. Programs, activities, or people that do not directly help accomplish the vision must be eliminated.

To think about: Do I recognize clearly what our purpose is? Do the people I lead understand this purpose and the role they play in carrying it out?

Tough times call for greater accountability.

In times of crisis results matter; there is little room for error. The ‘bottom line’ counts and everyone must be held accountable. Servant leaders often focus on the ‘soft’ side of leadership but difficult times require a balance of the ‘hard’ side of holding people and the organization accountable for results.

To think about: Are we seeing the results we need? What are we rewarding? Is everyone on the team contributing their part?

Tough times call for a renewed commitment to stewardship.

Tough times serve as a wake up call for servant leaders to renew their passion to efficiently steward all that God has put in their hands. Business owners recognize that if they don’t properly care for what God has given them, they may lose it all. Church workers acknowledge that if they allow complacency to continue, the people and resources God has entrusted to them may be lost. Servant leaders reflect on why God has placed them in leadership at this time.

To Think about: In what way does my leadership reflect my commitment to be a steward?

These difficult times are an opportunity for servant leaders to step up, actively engage, clarify vision, demand accountability, and renew the call to stewardship. Serve the people you lead by rising to the challenge.

Further reflection and discussion for business leaders:

• Have I fully embraced my responsibility to be a steward of all God has entrusted to me during these difficult times? Is prayer for wisdom a daily prayer?
• Have I worked with my leadership team to clarify our vision and purpose? Is it clear to all our staff/workers?
• Do we have a good balance of the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ sides of leadership? (serving, loving, etc. vs. accountability, results)

Further reflection and discussion for church leaders:

• What are the indications we see of tough times? Have we adjusted our leadership style to meet these realities? Have we communicated these changes to those we lead?
• Is our purpose absolutely clear? Are there things we are doing that do not help us accomplish our mission? Are there programs or activities that no longer bring measurable results?
• How do we measure results? Do we lean more towards the ‘soft’ side of leadership (serving, loving, caring, etc.) or the ‘hard’ side (results, action, accountability, etc.)?