Occasionally I sit down with a cup of coffee and try to distill the leadership lessons I’ve personally learned over the past few years. Here’s what I came up with this morning:
1. Do not be caught without vision when God decides to provide the money.
2. Quality systems build trust; a lack of systems sows distrust.
3. Don’t try to fit a round peg in a square hole; don’t try to get somebody to do what they’re not fit for.
4. Listen to others, even their harsh complaints; and then give them hope.
5. Focus on quality, not quantity. Thriving organizations grow from a “hot center.”
6. Trying to influence people’s actions is futile; influence their vision and actions will follow.
7. Many have vision. Unfortunately, it’s not very specific.
8. Prayer is a strategy, perhaps the most important strategy.
9. Spend half your time on what’s urgent, not “important;” the other half of your time on what’s urgent and important. Try to ignore the rest.
10. Recruit godly leaders. Amazing things happen with the right people in the room.
11. Seek wise mentors. They’re indispensable.
12. Give. It is the foundation of leadership.