Become the Legacy Leader God Created You To Be

John Maxwell's Commentary about Genesis 1:26-31:
You and I were born to lead. Take a look at five observations based on Genesis 1:26-31 that suggest our God-given leadership potential:
1- Being made in God's image means we were created to lead
(v. 26). After God says, "Let us make man in Our image," He says, "Let them have dominion...." One way we reflect God's
image is by leading.
2- God commanded both male and female to have dominion (v. 27).
Both men and women have been given the ability and authority to lead. Leadership is not gender specific.
3- We are to rule over the earth, but not necessarily over each other (v. 28). We were not directed to rule each other, but over the earth's creatures. History is largely the story of how men and women have perverted their God-given roles by trying to rule each other.
4- All of us are to serve one another in the areas of our gifting and purpose (vv. 29,30). God created everything for a purpose. Our general purpose is to lead, but each of us should ask God, "Lord, what's my specific purpose?"
5- Each person's leadership is best exercised in his or her areas of giftedness (v.32). When we discover our gifts, we will naturally lead in those areas where we are most productive, intuitive, comfortable, influential, and satisfied.

Mike's Thoughts:
I (and you, too) am ordained by God to be a leader and I can honor Him by being a servant leader and by using my talents to be an effective leader. Men and women were not made to RULE over each other, but to serve each other as leaders in each of our areas of strength and purpose. All of us have natural ability to lead in different areas or circumstances. It is important that I understand what my strengths are and seek to use them to positively lead others when appropriate and create enduring legacies for future generations.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I will honor God by being a positive leader.
2- I will honor and respect the leadership of others, male and female.
3- I will pray for revelation as to my strengths and His purpose for my life.
4- I will step forward as a leader when it is appropriate.

Please see my Leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Shhh ... It's a Secret!

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
11. Share a Secret with Someone - Mary & Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)

Mike's Thoughts:
Share a Secret with Someone! Share a Secret with Someone? My first
thoughts were to ask how this helps to "Win With People"? After thinking about it though and reading the scripture referenced, it makes perfect sense as I've often done so myself. There is an important distinction though between sharing a secret and spreading gossip. If I tell someone a secret that I know, it is because I know the facts behind it. Gossip, on the other hand, is just repeating unsubstantiated information that may be damaging to another person. As a leader, I can earn the trust of a family member, a friend or someone I work with by sharing a secret with that person - however, my intentions must be pure and the revelation of the secret must not be damaging to someone else. How the person I share the secret with handles it also will reveal much about that person and their loyalty to me.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I pray for wisdom and discernment concerning secrets and gossip.
2- I pray for pure motives when sharing secrets.
3- I pray for wisdom and discernment in selecting whom I share secrets with.

Please see my leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

God Created You to Lead

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Genesis:
Lessons in Leadership:
*God created humankind to lead and rule, but only within the context
of His leadership.
*Leaders must learn to adjust their plans while holding tenaciously to the vision.
*Everyone leads and follows someone.
*No one can lead well without following well.
*Individuals must see the benefits of the vision before they will
commit to it.
*To win trust, leaders must exhibit both character and competence.

Mike's Thoughts:
Mike's Action Points:
1- I will pray for wisdom, strength and courage to do the following:
A- Be a leader according to God's will and within the context of His leadership.
B- Be flexible enough to adjust my plans and yet hold firmly onto
the vision God has given me.
C- Help me to be an excellent example of what a good follower looks like.
D- Help me to be a good communicator of the benefits of the vision God has trusted me with.
E- Help me to exhibit character and competence in everything I do.

God Modeled Leadership

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Genesis:
God's Role in Genesis:
God wanted His creation to begin well. He communicated His vision
for the world to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, then to Isaac and Jacob.
Like all good leaders, God took initiative. Yet He never forced His
leadership on anyone. Each time His people failed, He laid out His plan, then selected those He would invite to take appropriate action. He relentlessly pursued His plan of redeeming men and women from their failures, even as He maintained a relationship with them.

Mike's Thoughts:
There are many leadership lessons in this paragraph and I will use them as Mike's Action Points for today:
1- If I'm to be an excellent leader, I will communicate, communicate & communicate!
2- I will take initiative.
3- I won't force my leadership on anyone.
4- I will communicate my plan over and over.
5- I will select those I wish to invite to take action.
6- I will relentlessly pursue my plan.
7- I will maintain a relationship with my people.

Please see my leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Barriers to Generational Blessings

Today is the six year wedding anniversary of my daughter, Nina and her husband, Stephen, and so I will dedicate today's study to them.

From a Message by Paster Garrett Booth of Grace Community Church in Houston, Texas on 8/16/09:

Four Barriers to Generational Blessings:
1- Performace/Behavior: we are a performance oriented society and much too often our self-worth is wrapped up in our performance, whether judged by ourselves or others or both. God's acceptance and love of us is not based on our performance or behavior. He loves us regardless and encourages us to do the same. Romans 5:8 says: 8"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
2- Motivation: when guilt, fear and intimidation are used to motivate others, it creates distrust, disillusionment and dissatisfaction. Those who use such motivating techniques are insecure with themselves and have self-serving agendas. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: 31"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
3- Playing Favorites: when someone is singled out as a favorite at the expense of others the result is jealousy and envy. Luke 20:21 says: 21"Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:"
4- Family Melt Down: divorce or disaster can cause family melt downs that affect generations to come. John 16:33 says: 33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Mike's Action Points:
1- God loves us regardless of whether or not our performance or behavior is pleasing to Him. As a family leader, I need to distinguish between love for the person and dislike for their lack of performance or behavior. I should communicate this when confronting a family member whose performance or behavior is not pleasing to God.
2- As a family leader my personal motivation greatly affects the motivation of family members. If I show a servant attitude with love for the person and for God, then family members should be likewise motivated.
3- I cannot show favoritism towards one family member over another. Does this mean that I cannot draw closer to one family member than
another? Of course not! But it should be clear to all family members that there is love for everyone. Does it mean that every family member is treated exactly the same. No, it does not! Every family member needs to be treated according to their personal needs and personality.
4- The good news is that regardless of where I am or what has happened to me, by trusting in God I can, with His help, break the bonds of family melt down and create an awesome future for myself and future generations.

See my Leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Pass the Credit On

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
9. Pass the Credit on to Others - David and his men(1 Samuel 30:21-31)
Mike's Thoughts:
As a leader, it is my duty to develop leaders for future generations ..... Legacy Leaders! Playing off Ken Blanchard's "One Minute Manager", I can help develop Legacy Leaders by offering "One Minute Legacies" such as passing the credit for work well done on to others. This is also teaching leaders to have Biblical humility, a character trait certainly valued by God!

Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to pray for humility.
2- I need to look for opportunities to pass the credit on to others in a genuine, not self-serving or patronizing way.

Do You Know How to Hire Leaders?

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Genesis:>"Because God designed people to lead - to "have dominion over" the earth(1:26,28) - we know that we possess a ruling capacity."

From Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges:
Servant leadership enables humility to overcome incompetence. Suppose someone who is not qualified accepts a leadership position. What will it take for this person to become effective and get the job done? This question was asked of Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God ..... Prior to this question, participants were asking Henry and Ken about whether you needed to always check if you had the proper strengths to take a particular leadership position. Henry's response was classic. In essence, he said,"That's an interesting concept, but it's not Biblically sound. Name for me one leader in the Bible whom the Lord called who was qualified? Every one of them, including Moses and Mary, claimed in one way or the other that they were the wrong person for the job. The reality is that the Lord never calls the qualified, He qualifies the called."

Mike's Thoughts:
These passages present quite a paradox for me, as a leader, trying to fit the right person to the right position. The authors above are telling me that we all have leadership capacity and it doesn't matter if we are qualified for the position, as long as we are humble we can overcome our incompetencies! I struggle with this. I can visualize situations where, in the right environment, an incompetent leader may be allowed to grow into his/her position. This assumes a definition of incompetence as "not being aware of one's capabilities". Therefore, a leader who appears incompetent, may grow into the position because inside they had the capacity to do the job, they just lacked the experience and confidence in themselves initially. The fact that God had divine knowledge of each person's capacity for leadership, whether or not that individual realized it at the time, allowed Him to "qualify the called". In effect, He did what all good leaders should do, is bring out the best in His leaders. For me, as a leader, I don't have the luxury of divine knowledge of each person's capacity for leadership. I can certainly pray for such revelation. Can I be certain that the Lord will answer each of my prayers for such revelation? Now that is a very good question and poses yet another paradox for me! If I answer that by saying "no, God picks and
chooses the prayers He answers", am I being unfaithful? If I say "yes, God answers each of my prayers", am I being untruthful and prideful because I know that God has not answered every prayer I've ever prayed? I want to defer to Ronald Reagan! I believe it was he who said, "trust, but verify". In other words, God wants us to have faith in Him, but we need to do our part, too.

Mike's Action Points when filling a position:
1- Pray for discernment and peace in regards to this candidate. If I receive a clear answer from the Lord that this is the right person
for the position then move forward with placing him/her. If I don't
receive a very clear answer then proceed with the steps below.
2- Verify the quality of the candidate by checking references and
verifying what the candidate has been doing the past few years.
3- Run a background check. However, issues that may arise as a
result of a background check should raise a red flag, but not
disqualify a candidate by itself. EVERYONE messes up sometimes, but in different ways and to different "degrees". Remember, to God, a sin is a sin, whether it is taking a pencil from the office or committing a third degree felony. Jesus died on the cross so that we can all be forgiven of our sins daily. So,it is more important what are doing about and since we messed up than the fact that we messed up, because we all mess up. How many great pastors and servants of the Lord have come from people who were incarcerated for years for crimes they committed? The answer is more than you realize.
4- Once I've done the due diligence as to the quality of the candidate, I should pray for peace as whether or not to move forward with the person.
5- Next I need to verify that the candidate has the talent/capacity to fill the position. We all have leadership talent, but a person may have the talent to lead in one area, but not another. This is
different from the skills and knowledge that a person has acquired thru study and experience. Anyone can acquire skills and knowledge, but talent is unique from person to person. There are excellent assessments that can be used such as "Strengthsfinder" by Tom Rath, and others.
6- If more than one candidate has made it this far in the process, and they are deemed equally capable for the most part, then go about assessing their knowledge and skills.
7- Pray for peace and a clear understanding as to which candidate is
the appropriate hire at this time, if any! If you don't receive true peace about the candidate, then the Lord is most likely telling you to start over with new candidates or to evaluate the position itself.

Please see my blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Please Encourage Others!

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
8. Encourage the Dream of Others - Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 3:1-6)

Mike's Thoughts:
To me, my most important job as a leader is to be an encourager. People need encouragement, whether it is at work, at school or in the home. This is so important in marriage ... I just can't emphasize enough the positive energy in a marriage between partners who lift each other up. It also makes a tremendous difference in the work environment if the leader is an encourager to his/her people.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I pray that God helps me to be an encourager to everyone in my life.
2- I will practice by encouraging myself and those I talk to each day.
3- I will read encouraging books, go to encouraging movies and associate with encouraging people.

My Blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

John Maxwell's Commentary in His Introduction to Genesis:
"Isn't most of history the story of conflict among people trying to lead and
rule one another, independent of God's direction?"

Mike's Thoughts:
This goes well and contrasts with my study of Esther on 8/5/09. When
leaders work together to accomplish God's will, good things happen!
Unfortunately, however this is more often not the case. In my opinion, one
of the two biggest problems we have in society are leaders who are only
interested in how short-term results make them look good and imposing
their self-serving agenda on others. Whether it is between leaders of nations, leaders of states or cities, leaders of business, leaders of homes
and, sadly, leaders of churches; it all boils down to short-term results and
self-serving agendas. While I may not be able to change all of mankind, I
have committed myself to help create Legacy Leaders who look beyond the
short-term to see how their decisions will effect future generations and help
them to create Servant Leadership agendas that will encourage and develop
Servant Leaders for future generations. Please join me in this quest!
Mike's Action Points:
1- I will pray for our leaders and for my leadership agenda.
2- I will look at the long-term effects of my decisions.
3- I will develop a Servant Leadership agenda and strive to influence
Servant Leaders for future generations.

See my new blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Say Right Words @ Right Time

John Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win With People:
7. Say the Right Words at Right Time - Mordecai to Esther
(Esther 4:13-14)

Mike's Thoughts:
This event documented in the book of Esther was an incredibly stressful,
life or death situation for the ancient Jews. Mordecai, a leader, came to
Queen Esther, a leader, with words of wisdom concerning the events about
to unfold. Esther was motivated by Mordecai's words to take immediate
action, yet in a calm and well-thought out manner that would bring about the
most favorable response from her King Ahasuerus. This is an amazing story of leaders working together to achieve a positive outcome, even though
great risk was involved. Modern leaders could learn much from studying
this story. Let's look at what had to happen for these events to transpire and
progress to a happy ending:
a- Mordecai, as a leader in his own right, had to have a good
relationship with Esther in order to feel comfortable going to her
with his words of wisdom.
b- Esther, a leader and queen, had to have respect for another leader,
Mordecai and the proper character to listen to and receive the
message from him.
c- Esther, upon realization of the magnitude of the tragedy about to
occur, did not panic. Instead, she devised a well-thought out
strategy to appeal to King Ahasuerus and solicit a favorable
response.
d- Then Esther implemented her plan and did not deviate when
tempted to do so.
e- King Ahasuerus must have had great respect for Esther when she
broke protocol to seek an audience with him.
f- King Ahasuerus also had the character to listen to Esther and
take swift, appropriate action to derail the impending tradedy.
To me, the bottom line of this story is all about relationships. It is evident
that Mordecai worked hard at having a good relationship with Queen Esther
and she respected his leadership. Queen Esther also had worked diligently
at accomplishing an excellent relationship with King Ahasuerus and he
obviously had much respect for her as he was willing to give her half his
kingdom if she just asked for it.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to read the book of Esther and pay particular attention to the
relationships between the leaders.
2- I need to pray about my relationships with other leaders and ask for
discernment and wisdom in those relationships.
3- I need to work to form good relationships with other leaders.
4- I need to respect and listen to other leaders who are sharing with
me because I never know when they are "saying the right words
at the right time".