Nehemiah: Visions Build People
Issue #87, August 1, 2012 The people clapped and celebrated, a wall was in place! The dream had become a reality, and a wall had been built. But Nehemiah’s vision did more than build a wall; like all servant leaders he built the people who worked to accomplish the vision. At the end of the […]
Nehemiah: Visions Demand Communication
Issue #82, May 23, 2012 Nehemiah’s vision and plans are good enough to get him out of the king’s palace and on the road to Jerusalem, but he has a major step remaining before work on the wall will begin. He has to communicate his vision to those who will help him with the work. […]
Nehemiah: Vision is based on Character
Issue #75, February 15, 2012 With this issue we begin a series of reflections on the life of Nehemiah, a great servant leader with strengths in many areas. We will focus on one aspect of his leadership which every leader needs: vision. Nehemiah lived in exile, born and raised in the Persian empire where he […]
Tame that Tongue: Truth or Lies
Issue #70, November 30, 2011 A 2009 study found that men tell lies six times a day and women 3 times! Whether or not that is true, we live in a world filled with deception and lying is one of the big sins of the tongue. God’s expectation is clear, “Do not lie to each […]
It’s a matter of trust: Recover it
Issue #31, May 12, 2010 In the two previous issues we examined how to get trust and how to keep it. But what happens when trust is lost? Recovering trust is one of the most difficult tasks servant leaders can face. Three steps will start you on the journey. Identify what happened. Look for the […]
It’s a matter of trust: Keep it
Issue #30, April 29, 2010 Getting trust is an issue every leader needs to work at but it’s only the beginning of the journey. Servant leaders do the following to keep the trust of those they lead. Accept the challenge of keeping trust. Servant leaders recognize that being consistent enough over time to keep trust […]
It’s a matter of trust: Get it
Issue #29, April 14, 2010 How much do your followers trust you? Your answer to that question will determine to a large degree how effective your leadership will be. Trust is so vital to your leadership that we will take the next three issues to examine how to get it, how to keep it and […]
Shape the Vision
Issue #24, February 3, 2010 In the last issue we looked at the characteristics of the vision Nehemiah saw for the people of Jerusalem. Now, let’s step back a moment to look at how this vision was shaped in the life of Nehemiah. Just prior to Nehemiah’s public announcement we find these insightful words, “The […]
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 […]