Generous Affirmation

Recently, my friend Neil and I began a discussion about leadership development. Neil is the new leader of All Nations Cape Town and has tons of leadership experience. We share a passion for seeing leaders raised up and released for Jesus.

He asked me a great question!

What are the things you have consistently done with multiple leaders and seen results?

Thought I would share my answers here too. I will post one today and a few more in the days to come.

What do I do that works?

Drawing out and affirmation of gifting, calling and identity! I can look across my relationship with many leaders and see this as a thread that significantly helps them to develop. People simply have not heard from enough people who they are and what they carry…what they are worth and what they can do. I make it an intentional practice to affirm and name every gift and strength that I stumble on. I love edifying and building people up. I will encourage people so much that I have been accused of being fake and inauthentic…because I cannot possible believe all this good stuff about people. It makes me sad when insecurity wins and people can’t handle hearing how precious the are. Their (awful) loss. And I often go beyond that to encourage them into risk-taking and courageous territory they've never been in before.  I love to promote and encourage leaders. Basically, in a word…love! People just need loved and believed in and they soar…contrary to a focus on their weak areas and coaching them to get better at them. That's nowhere near as life-giving (still needed at times though- just not my common strategy).

I have found encouragement and affirmation to take leaders WAY further than criticism and “development of weaknesses.”

I close with this…please do not be stingy with grace. Do not be stingy with encouragement. Give it freely. Almost everyone you see today has been told what they are not. Tell them what they ARE!