10 Critical Points of Productive Leadership

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One important aspect of finding happiness is to be productive. However, it is not just happiness that is desired; but to be fruitful, to matter, to make a difference, and to find meaning in productivity. Leaders are productive people, by their very nature a good leader is  and must be productive. Productivity always comes first, but remember, productivity is part of the journey as well as the final destination.

  

1. Productive people accept the pressures of chronic discontent.

Productive people are willing to be somewhat chronically dissatisfied. In a productive ministry, business, or charity,  one continually feels the pressure of not   doing enough or   getting  it exactly right.  In life,  it is much easier to lower ones standards and to settle for lower levels of productivity. But in a situation where someone is happy with the way things are, nothing is likely to change. For leaders to be visionaries they must be discontent with where they are in order to desire going somewhere else. Discontentment  is based on a comparison of what an individual’s life is at any point in time as it relates to the vision that God has given him.

2. Productive people have specific visions and goals.

Many people have visions and goals, but productive people have very specific and defined visions broke down into specific steps, behaviors, and goals  so that their work accomplishes their vision.

Vision generates productivity when two things happen.

·        First;  When they are made specific

·        Second; When they are connected to action 

3. Productive people fast before feasting

Here is a concept that is lost on the world.  Delayed gratification is a lost art these days. The idea of work first and celebrate or reward second, does not happen very often. But productive people know how to  have delayed gratification. This is a Biblical principal, it simply means that one has to work hard and be productive for now, and maybe do some things he really does not want to do, to see the bigger reward later.

·      There is no achievement in the ministry or business that occurs without pain. This means hard work, sacrifice, deprivation – things one would like to avoid.

4. Productive people tell themselves good news

They understand the Biblical   value of a positive thought life

“Whatever things are true, whatever things a noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report…..think on these things..   Philippians 4:8

Proverbs says;   As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Now I’m not saying you should lie to yourself; if you fail at something, get bad news, or something just didn’t work out,  recognize it for what it was and move on. But don’t dwell on the bad, move past it quickly…

5. Productive people hold themselves accountable.

Productive leaders take responsibility for results and outcomes. They understand that what they do makes a difference. Non-Productive leaders  seem to see everything as being in God’s hands and suggest that, if it’s God’s will it will turn out right, if it’s not God’s will then it won’t. They leave it all to God. That is just another way of avoiding accountability and responsibility for their part of the equation.

God is Sovereign, but He expects you to do your part as He has given you the authority. Productive people hold themselves responsible for everything leading to the moment when God takes over and , by His Holy Spirit, achieves the results. 

6. Productive people ignore unfair criticism

This is HUGE. To be a productive leader, do not wear your feelings on your sleeve. You are going to get darts shot at you when you’re on top because you make an easy target, expect criticism and ignore it.  When you pursue the vision that God has given you, you will most likely rub some people the wrong way.

Remember, there is a strong principal both in Scripture and psychology that productive people frequently cut against the grain of less productive people. Their dreams are beyond the dreams of normal people, their self confidence will be mis-understood, and their discontent will be unsettling. So they draw criticism.

 7. Productive people keep a tight focus..

Productive leaders are not easily distracted from the basic core of their work. The ability of a man or woman to get a single minded, godly purpose generates tremendous power. Highly effective leaders understand that they cannot do everything, so they focus on the basic theme or core of God’s work in their lives, and delegate the rest. Highly effective people are many times described as obsessive.

8. Productive people find and join a conspiracy of mutual support

I like to call this Master Mind Groups.

·        Find like minded people that you admire and look up to

·        People you want to learn from

·        Start a group that meets regularly to discuss topics 

Develop a mastermind group of about 5 people other than yourself. The first one may be hard to find, but keep trying. Find positive upbeat people that will keep you and everyone else uplifted. The last thing you want is someone that  dumps a load of trash on you all the time.

Leaders and ministers need to find and be around people who will believe in them and team with them in a mutual conspiracy for good works.

Know This:  If you want to know where you will be five years from now, look at the people you hang around with the most. The influence of their lives will bring you up or down.

9. Productive people don’t sweat the small stuff

This is another way of saying, keep the big stuff in mind.  It does not mean ignore the details, it means to keep clearly in mind what it is your working toward. Productive people are able to keep the big picture in mind of what they are doing for God, while at the same time not be carried off by the grand design and lose focus. It’s like the saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees.   Get a handle on the small things, delegate them, or forget them. But manage them correctly and keep on track toward the main goal.

10. Productive People take time to recharge the battery, get some rest, and enjoy the trip

God does not want the leader’s life to be all drudgery, all obsessive focus, all work. God engineered man to need rest, to relax, and to have recreation. No job on the “to do list” is so important that God wants you to neglect your family. You must find balance in your life.   Good time management skills and sitting priorities are vital.  Yes the mission is important, but  not at the cost of your health or the health of your family unit.

QUESTION:  What experience have you had with productivity issues and how have you overcome them ?  Leave us a comment so that others can be involved..

Copy Right 2012 Darren Dake and Darren Dake Ministries 

Leave Familiar and Lead to Greatness

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Are you tired of the familiar ? Are you convinced that you were created for more, or at least sure hope you were ?  In this great book written by Bruce Wilkinson, Dream Giver, takes us on a journey through parable of a little man named Ordinary as he leaves his old boring life and sets out on an adventure to find what he was created for.

 Buy it Here

Dream Giver is a book that relates to all of us looking for more. How many times in your life have you thought, there must be more than this to my life ?  You have big dreams and goals, or should I say, you had big dreams and goals. Somewhere along the way you were domesticated, broken, and all your fire and ambition left you. That’s not where God wants you. He created you and all of us for greatness.

Take a day and just reflect on your life and recall those great ambitions  you once had. It’s not too late to find that fire again.  All it takes is a decision by you to fight for it.

Pick up a copy of this great little book and rekindle that spark.  I have not in any way been asked to endorse this book, nor am I financially tied to its sale in any way. I have simply read the book and have added it to my library and you should too.

Stop living in your land of familiar and set out on your adventure  with the Dream Giver to find your big dream. It’s never too late to start again..




Question:

Have you read this book ? If so please give your review so that we can share in your insight.

Christians Have Lost Their Voice !

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We as Christians are losing our voice. Why is that? It’s because we are not using it. 76% of Americans claim to be Christian, plus this nation was founded on Christian beliefs. But we are not standing up and taking charge of our Country.

 I’m not wanting a church government, but I’m wanting what every American wants, the freedom to worship as I please. I think we are still guaranteed that right.. But when judges are removed from the bench and marriage counselors are sued simply because they refuse to condone same sex couples, we are losing our voice.When the Ten Commandments are removed from a courthouse in Alabama, even over the protest of many to satisfy the few, we are losing our voice.When our schools refuse to teach anything about God or Jesus, but will gladly teach same sex unions, Muslim beliefs , abortion, and evolution, we are losing our voice.

When we allow the government to spend tax dollars on abortion, supply money to groups and projects that directly undermine Christian values, we have lost our voice. In fact our current President, voted in by a majority I might add, did not want to display the nativity scene in the white house as it has been for decades.  His reason, he didn’t want to offend anyone,  and this man leads our Country, leading to what is my concern.

When we don’t remove ungodly politicians from office we are losing our voice. I have heard Christians tell me that they do not vote. I cover that in detail in my posting Should Christians Vote. When we do not stand up for God and godly values then we have lost our voice.

The Bible tells us that if we deny him among men, He will deny us..

Ever heard the term, the squeaky wheel gets the oil , well every minority group in America is squeaking louder than us.

I’m not preaching a Christian radical message, I’m simply pointing out that our country, which was founded on sound doctrine, has lost its voice. If Christians would once again stand up for Biblical principals this Country would be far better off than it is now.

No Christian is a perfect being, and God gave each of us free will to live as we choose. But when that right interferes with any group, other than Christians, there is trouble. But let a Christian be removed from office, fired, sued or humiliated, There’s joy in the streets..

My summary is this. Stand up for God and Christian beliefs. Don’t set out to harm anyone. Love everyone and show Godly love in all situation. But do not compromise Christian values to please the wheel.

Ambition vs. Arrogance

This article is a reprint of an article by Pastor Steven Furtick.  I felt that it was an awesome article and I agree with it so much that I had to share.........

Steven Furtick

StevenFurtick.com

Steven Furtick is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church, an incredible move of God in Charlotte, NC with more than 9,000 in attendance each week among (soon-to-be) six locations. He is the author of the book, Sun Stand Still. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Holly and their three children, Elijah, Graham and Abbey.

Leadership Character: Ambition vs. Arrogance

Steven  Furtick

Steven Furtick: "If you’re never accused of being arrogant, you’re [probably] not being ambitious enough."

There’s a word many Christians are afraid of. It’s almost a bad word. If you have it, many people assume it means you’re self-serving. Power hungry. But most of all, arrogant.

I’m talking about ambition.

It’s almost like if you want to excel at something or do big things with your life or organization, then you must have a God-complex. An all too elevated sense of self-importance.

There’s no denying that that’s definitely true in the case of some people. But I also fear that our fear of ambition is severely limiting other people who have been called to do great things for God. Why should we put a cap on their potential because some people can’t put a cap on their pride?

I’ve seen too many pastors settle for reaching hundreds when God called them to reach thousands. I’ve seen too many talented businessmen stop short of the impact God had called them to make on their field. All because they feared being thought of as ambitious.

So let’s clear this up once and for all: nowhere in the Bible is ambition condemned. Selfish ambition is definitely warned against. But ambition for the sake of God’s glory is not only condoned—it’s commended. It’s a required asset for anyone wanting to rise above the mass of men and do something extraordinary.

Ambition led Noah to build the ark. David to expand the borders of Israel. Solomon to build the Temple. Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. Paul to spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth.

I wonder if people accused them of being arrogant? Maybe. But then again, if you’re never accused of being arrogant, it’s probably a sign that you’re not being ambitious enough. You’re dreaming too small. Your goals are too easily attainable.

Let me free you: it’s OK to want to be the best at what you do. It’s OK to want to achieve as much as you can with your life for the sake of the God who gave it to you. I sincerely doubt God is going to look at you at the end of your life and say, “You did too much for me.” But I do sincerely believe that God is going to look at many people and say, “You were too 'humble' for your own good and the good of countless people you could have impacted if you'd had a little more ambition.”

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that ambition is synonymous with arrogance. Godly ambition is what God uses to do incredible things in our world.

If that makes you look arrogant, don’t back down from what God has called you to do. Instead, mourn for the people who are living so far beneath their potential that anything greater must be arrogance.

Are you a reader ?

Are you a reader?  I mean aside from blogs. Do you regularly read books of interest ?   I am what many would call a book nerd. Yet I’m not  a nerd at all, at least not in the since most would think of the definition. I learned, or most likely read, years ago the phrase; readers are leader, and leaders are readers - and I took it to heart.

Every year I set a goal to read a certain number of books over the next twelve months on specific  topics. Some may be in my area of vocation, some may be in a new areas of interest, and some may just be fiction.  But I read and I read a lot.  Of course I read my Bible every morning and spend time each night reading  books on my goal list.

I don’t decide in January exactly what books I will read, only that I will read a certain number of books in a specific category. The fun part is getting to look for that next great book.  I read with a pen and paper close by. I mark up the book, write down notes, and copy phrases to look into further. Most books, if they are any good at all, are so marked up when I’m done they probably wouldn’t be good for anyone else. 

If you are not an avid reader, let me exhort you to take a greater interest in this sport. You will be amazed at what you can learn and how it will help you in your career.  I have learned over the last  twenty-five years that the leaders are readers quote is true.  

Find some books of interest and get started, you will be richly blessed. 

Spiritual Hoarding

I think we are all hoarders to some extent. Some of us call it “pack rats” but most of us save things that we think we may need later on. I’m a pretty organized person in most areas, but if you were to look in my garage I could probably be called a hoarder to some degree. But I just never know when, or if, I might need one of those valuable items.

Spiritual hoarding is just as bad or in most cases much worse than hoarding things. What do I mean by spiritual hoarding?  All too often we  want to hang on to past hurts, anger, pride, and  jealously. These feelings of the past just hang around and are pilled in one mental closet or another and serve no purpose but to clutter up our mind.

Too often we want to take out some of these treasures and re-visit them. We  re-live the pain and hurt that these  feelings caused. We roll it around in our minds and justify our feelings. Then after our pity party we stick them back in the closet and close the door.  We are so busy hanging on to our past hurts that we are hindered from growing in God. We want to complain about how horrible our childhood was and how angry we are with a parent or relative that we can’t see past the pain. We grumble and fuss, cry and complain, and rationalize  our hurt. Then we wonder why it seems that God never hears our prayers.

In many cases we are still angry at people who are dead and can’t right their wrong, but we stay angry anyway.  Or maybe that person just won’t right the wrong that they have caused.  We forget sometimes that God has forgiven us of a great debt; and yet we won’t forgive another.  We didn’t deserve to be forgiven,  but He did anyway.

Other times its jealousy or pride that is holding us back; we deserved that promotion, we should get more recognition than we do.  Hate and racisms is another weight that holds us down. Hate  only serves to eat you up from the inside out. Your hatred for another human being does no harm to them but will eventually  kill you;  both physically and spiritually.  

The weight of haughtiness and pride fills our minds with an unclear and most times, wrong view or ourselves.   Keep in mind that the Bible warns us that pride comes before the fall, and you will fall every time and very publicly. God lets us build our selves up so that it is easy for everyone to watch as we are knocked off our pedestal. 

Do some house cleaning today. Get rid of the junk you’re holding on to, give it to God and let Him deal with it. Free your mind of the clutter and grow.