Empowering Leadership

I have started a 7 week leadership class and I’m going to attempt to blog you through it with me.
I knew the Lord sent me on this adventure and as always that’s all I knew. My first class I was anticipating something wonderful as I had heard the Pastor who was leading the class speak before and he is a powerful communicator.
I didn’t know anyone in the room and decided to lay low and just observe for the first night.
As the teacher/pastor began to speak I knew for sure I was in the right place at the right time. He shared thoughts and theories I had in my own head and couldn't verbalize.
The world has been giving seminars and teachings on creating good leaders forever and I never seemed to fit the mold. I knew I was a leader but my style if you will when compared to other “great leaders” always seemed to be lacking.

Story time.
When my grandson Anthony was about 3 and could reach the lock on the door of his home he would just open it whenever someone came to the door. This of course worried me because I didn’t want him letting someone in the house without his parents knowing that could harm him or his family. For weeks I would go to my son’s house and knock on the door and as I heard his little fingers reaching for the dead bolt I would yell through the door “say who is it?” Hoping he would catch on that if he didn’t know who it was he wouldn’t open the door. This went on for weeks so one day I thought I would test him.
I got to the door and knocked real loud. Once again I heard him run to the door and reach for the lock. I yelled in a deep voice hoping to trick him “say who is it!” to which he yelled back “hold on Nana” and I said in a deeper voice “it’s not nana, say who is it” to which he replied again in that precious 2 year old voice “hold on nana” his hands still trying to turn the lock. I said again in a bolder voice “it’s not nana!”
Then I heard the sound of his mom asking him “Anthony who’s at the door” and he answered “it’s nana but she doesn’t know who she is!”
After a good laugh I thought to myself at times there’s a lot of truth to that statement.
Sometimes we just don’t know who we are and usually that’s because we’re comparing ourselves to what the world says we should be.
Back to the jewel:
Any time I have been in a leadership role I was asked for an action plan of some kind, charts, graphs, business plan, agenda, a pint of blood. OK maybe not a pint of blood.
These are not necessarily bad things they’re just not things I know how to do.
These are not the teacher’s exact words but he said something to the effect of you can’t take leadership and make it a science or program. It’s a living thing, spirit, an art. You have to let go, it comes from the inside, you can’t replicate it.
This spoke volumes to me as I could never put on paper a check list for people to follow on how I did things. They just seemed to flow from the inside out. This of course was and is the work of the Holy Spirit who will do things differently for each person. We looked at 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul talks about the body of the church (us) and the different gifts that are given to each one. As always I suggest you read the chapter for yourself but the verse I want to point out is v11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.You see it’s the Holy Spirit that gives the gifts how and when He wants so how could I possibly give you a check list to what the Sprit is going to do.
I have also taken on leadership roles and then one day the Lord would say your part is done move on. This was not received very well by the world system it translated that to you are irresponsible and aren’t taking your role seriously.
Gems I’m talking about my life here. God of course has people in leadership roles for certain lengths of time because that’s how the Holy Spirit decided that person would do his job. You cannot compare yourself to anyone else. We are each individual organic beings with our own living environment and as leaders we need to create an environment where everyone thrives. We can’t be a programmer or master planner we need to be an environmentalist where our goal is to not make everyone align with me but where everyone can thrive and grow in their spiritual leadership.
Our teacher brought up the word hierarchy and how it can give you power over people but it doesn’t make you one of the people.
I could so relate to this. When I was still living in Lake County I volunteered at a shelter leading a class I called Life After Abortion. When I told some of my prayer partners what the Lord asked me to do the first thing they asked was what curriculum are you going to use?
I didn’t have a curriculum the Lord made it clear He would tell me what to say each week. Now hear me I’m not saying a curriculum is wrong it’s not and many times it’s needed but not every time if the Lord has other plans.
I started second guessing myself. How was I going to lead without a curriculum? I asked the Lord how in the world was I going to heal these women. Me heal these women, did you hear that? The Lord said “they will be healed the same way you were, by Me!”
I was going to use the curriculum plan of 1 Corinthians 12, I would wait and see what the Holy Spirit was going to give me.
I was assured by people that this was not a wise plan for a good leader.
Painting by numbers will no more make you an artist than a check list will make you a leader. It’s born inside of you, its part of your DNA.
There’s another huge difference in this kind of leadership thinking, it’s not competitive as far as other people growing into their leadership capabilities. I’m not threatened if you rise to your occasion.
I used to run a sales floor and my team definitely competed with the two other sales teams. One year we won 10 out of 12 months in sales. You know why? Because I gave ownership to each of my teammates. I allowed them to flow in their strengths, how they felt comfortable selling, I didn’t make them copy my style. Honestly I have a sarcastic humor and someone else trying my technique could really get them in trouble.
We had an amazing living energy on our team and people on the other teams wanted to transfer to ours. Not because I was such an awesome leader but because there was a living energy that excited something in them and they wanted to be a part of it.
My question now is how do you still have leadership and chain of command if you use this type of thinking?
God is about order and He definitely had a chain of command. He tells us to obey those who have authority over us so where does that all mesh together?
I’m not sure I guess that’s part of the reason I’m intrigued by this class.
So Gems this is A To Be Continued jewel. Hopefully we will all learn something together about being a leader and empowering others to lead as well.