Leadership Skills - Part 1

Key #1 know where you are going

• Write and communicate your vision, goals and aspirations for your organization.
• A biblical writer said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run.”  (Habakkuk 2:1-3)
• Here is a quote that applies to all leaders seeking to influence those around them from Johnny Cash, the famous country musician copied from an online article written on Academy of Achievement’s website, achievement.org, from an interview on June 25, 1993 in Glacier Park, Montana:

If you can hold your listener, hold their attention, and you're sure you know what you're doing, and know that you're communicating -- you know, performance is communicating.  You've got to communicate.  You've got a song you're singing from your gut, you want that audience to feel it in their gut.  And you've got to make them think that you're one of them sitting out there with them, too.  They've got to be able to relate to what you're doing.

• Your vision must be clear, as the way you will achieve the vision must also be clear.                                                                                                               
• Consistently update your people on the progress toward your stated vision.  This helps get buy-in to your vision and keeps people in the loop, not feeling as if they were outsiders.  If we are not meeting stated goals, then there should be no surprise when they do not receive their bonuses for that quarter.  This helps maintain peace and an attitude of teamwork.
• Poor Example:  A couple was getting married in the home church of the Bride’s family.  They asked their pastor to perform the ceremony.  Since he was unfamiliar with the layout of this church and did not adequately prepare in advance he led the groomsmen into the broom closet at the close of the ceremony.  Unfortunately, the groomsmen followed him!

Key #2 don’t show favoritism

• Set standards companywide – determination of salaries, vacation and sick pay, office or factory hours, benefits, etc.
• Follow these standards, make no room for discrimination for any reason.
• Treat every person fairly – reward equally.  Do unto others as you’d have done unto you.
• Equal treatment separates emotions and petty disagreements from the workplace.
• If you give preferential treatment to one you open the door for cheating another which sprouts a root of discord.  Example: The Hebrew patriarch Jacob’s second to youngest son Joseph was treated specially by his father who gave him a multi-colored coat symbolizing the favoritism.  The un-fair treatment caused so much discord among his brothers that, when given an opportunity, they sought to kill him.

Recommended Resources: 

The Heart of an Executive – Richard D. Phillips

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John Maxwell

The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make – Hans Finzel

The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham – H. Myra and M. Shelley

The Empowered Leader – Calvin Miller