Leaders follow their visions to achieve what they believe is possible. Even with if it hasn’t been done before. Faith holds the vision together and plays a big part in the process, accompanied with courage, hard work and perseverance to make it all happen.
Supporting your vision
Being a leader not just about being in charge or being the manager. Good leaders have mentors who support their vision and who provide them with a fair share of accountability.
Making the right choices
Leaders have to make the right choices which have emotional consequences. Below is an excerpt from best-selling author Seth Godin’s book, ’Are you Indispensable?”
“Emotional labour is the hard work of making art, producing generosity, and exposing creativity. Working without a map involves both vision and the willingness to do something about what you see. Emotional labour is what you get paid to do, and one of the most difficult types of emotional labour is staring into the abyss of choice and picking a path.”
Opposition
All good visions and dreams come with their fair share of opposition. As Seth Godin explains in an excerpt from his book, ‘Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us ’
“Remarkable visions and genuine insights are always met with resistance. And when you start to make progress, your efforts are met with even more resistance. Products, services, and career paths – whatever it is, the forces for mediocrity will align to stop you, forgiving no errors and never backing down until it’s over. If it were any other way, it would be easy. And if it were any other way, everyone would do it and your work would ultimately be devalued. The yin and yang are clear: without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it’s unlikely to be worth the journey. Persist.”
How do we respond to opposition?
Nehemiah sets a good example as he and his people had to deal with a huge amount of opposition. They responded with Prayer, work, vigilance as they kept focussed on the Lord.
- They prayed – Neh. 4:4-9
- They put their hearts into their work – Neh. 4:4-6
- The kept a very close eye on the enemy – 4:11-23
- They kept their minds focussed on the Lord – Neh. 4:14
Read NEHEMIAH 4
Sources:
Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3873014-tribes-we-need-you-to-lead-us
Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+4&version=NIV
Image courtesy of: http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/dKX0On/Business+Leader
Have you thought about becoming a qualified counsellor? It’s a great opportunity to learn how you can extend God's love and grace to the hurting out in the community.
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