Selfish Leadership

Some Leaders I LOVE to Champion. Wish I could fit 10 more here.  

The season I'm in now is affording me far more time to reflect on what I believe and what I feel called to. While much remains the same, some things are significantly shifting. Here's one...

When I get excited about something, I go all in. Quickly. And I'll convince myself and many people around me that it's the end all. This is a great influencing gift that doubles as a big weakness. I'm thankful for faithful mentors and friends who have pointed this out to me.

As I look back, I notice how I have unwisely become overly excited about specific programs, approaches and strategies for church planting, discipleship and mission….and got carried away about things that come and go…things that work now, and then don’t work later, or work here and not there. And as I have journeyed longer, I have realized that my calling is to love and build people and to stir, shepherd and send leaders....Not slot them into my/our plans, but to find out their plans, dreams and calling and breathe life into them!

There is a very fine line between selfish leadership development and selfless leadership development. The former builds you, the latter builds others. Many a leader still don't get this. Their main goal is to get people to "buy into the vision and grow the ministry." (This is just as prevalent in organizations, by the way.) There are thousands of books about that. I won't be writing one of those. 

I'm still not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but I know it will be about BUILDING PEOPLE and their dreams and not building my plans, programs and ego.   

Lord, keep teaching me how to love and serve people for their growth and your pleasure and not to love and serve myself for my benefit.