The Power Of Transformational Leadership

August 17, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , , , Leave a comment

Transformational LeadershipI’ve heard it said that anything healthy is growing and I believe that statement to be true. Healthy things grow and if they are growing well, they are reproducing and multiplying. In fact, everything God created, He created with the power to reproduce and multiply itself.

Transformational Leadership Is God’s Idea

Regarding animals, Genesis 1:21-22 states, “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.’”

Regarding human beings, Genesis 1:27-28 states, “So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.’”

And lastly God even states in Genesis 1:29 that He has given human beings every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for food which means that even the plants and fruit trees have God’s creative reproductive power to grow and multiply. Therefore, it should be no surprise that apples reproduce apples, geese reproduce geese, fish reproduce fish, and people reproduce people. And I want to go one step further: leaders reproduce leaders and servant leaders reproduce servant leaders in God’s kingdom. This kind of heart conviction among servant leaders on a team demonstrates the power of transformational leadership through a multiplication team value. John Maxwell observes and further teaches that leaders teach what they know, but they reproduce who they are. That’s why servant leaders in the kingdom of God become servant leaders like our Lord Jesus Christ and then reproduce other servant leaders in His kingdom.

Transformational Leadership Serves People

In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus called His disciples together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  This statement by Jesus is a powerful life transformational statement. He is saying that if we are going to be like Him and lead like Him, we must be different than the cultural leaders of the world. We must become like Jesus leading others by serving them and selflessly giving our lives for them. When we do this well, the kingdom of God begins to grow and multiply because the people and cultures around us become open to the life transforming message of the gospel when they see it actually working in us.

So let me state it again. Leaders in the kingdom of God are servant leaders who reproduce servant leaders in the kingdom of God. As such, servant leaders in the kingdom of God are powerful transformational leaders who multiply themselves and their kingdom impact in the community, region, and world around them.

Transformational Leadership Multiplies Leaders

Do you know that there is a big difference between being a transformational leader and being a transactional leader? Leadership that multiplies growth is transformational leadership; whereas, leadership that merely adds growth is transactional leadership. Let me illustrate with simple math how multiplied growth is transformational and additive growth is really more transactional than transformational.

2x2x2x2x2x2x2=128 whereas 2+2+2+2+2+2+2=14. If this represents a community of 128 people, the initial two transformational leaders who reproduce themselves and then teach the reproduced leaders to also reproduce themselves once each year, the entire community of 128 people would be completely reached and transformed in 7 short years. However, in contrast, if the those initial two leaders were only transactional leaders where they merely reproduced themselves once each year, but did not teach the reproduced leaders to also reproduce themselves, it would take 64 years to reach the entire community of 128 people. This is why transformational leadership is so powerful: transformational leaders reproduce and multiply other transformational leaders.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, the apostle Paul tells Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” As each servant leader in the kingdom of God follows this command of Scripture, sharing the Good News of the Gospel and teaching others to do the same, our community, region, and world will be completely transformed by the kingdom of God in a very short time.

As transformational leaders in God’s kingdom, we must always be reproducing ourselves and teaching others to reproduce themselves as well. Think about it! Everything God created, He created with the ability to reproduce and powerfully multiply itself. His awesome creative power is placed in all of His creation in the form of a seed that can be exponentially multiplied and His covenantal promise to us is that for as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease. This means that you and I have the awesome privilege and tremendous responsibility to continually and consistently reproduce ourselves in the kingdom of God until the day He returns. Together, as you and I grow ourselves and multiply ourselves as servant leaders like Jesus, our transformational impact in the lives of the people and the communities we serve is and will continue to be colossal.

Transformational Leadership Transforms Culture

A simple and practical 3 step multiplication strategy for multiplying servant leaders in the kingdom of God and completely transforming the culture for Christ is as follows:

1)      Discover servant leaders in the kingdom of God

2)      Develop servant leaders in the kingdom of God

3)      Deploy servant leaders in the kingdom of God

Regardless of our individual spheres of leadership influence, as servant leaders in God’s kingdom, if we discover servant leaders, develop servant leaders, and deploy servant leaders, God’s kingdom will grow beyond our wildest imaginations and the culture around us will be powerfully transformed for God’s glory!

To God’s glory, have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Transformational Leadership Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Transformational Leadership, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

True Team Work Makes The True Dream Work

August 3, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Rafting Rapids 5 (2)I’ve heard it said that team work makes the dream work and I believe this is true provided that the true dream work is done with true team work. So, let me ask this question: What do you think makes the difference between true “team” work and just work on a team?  You see, almost everyone who works, works on a team of some sort. However, just because a person works on a team doesn’t really mean that there is true “team” work on the team.

The Difference Between A Job With A Purpose And A Job With A Payday In True Team Work

I believe that true teamwork involves team members who view their work as a job with a purpose; whereas, work on a team involves team members who view their work as a job with a pay day. Additionally, I think the one thing more than anything else that can ruin true teamwork is a spirit of entitlement among team members who just work on a team. A person with an Entitlement mentality says, “What can I get from working on the team?” A person with a Purpose mentality says, “What can I give to the work of the team?” As soon as people begin to think more about what they are supposed to get individually from working on a team, they forget the true reason for being on the team in the first place which is to accomplish a common greater purpose. True teamwork is always about fulfilling purpose BEFORE it is about the reward for team members.

Unfortunately, many of us often show up to work with the Captain Blue syndrome…

“Here I am, Captain Blue,

There is nothing, I can’t do.

No problem too big,

No problem too small,

Just call me,

I’m smarter than all.”

Have you ever felt like that? I think there is a little super hero attitude inside each of us because we all want to show up and save the day; however, I know it’s hard for us to hear, but the truth is, “There is none of us as smart as all of us.” We can save the day so much better when we do it together as a super team rather than a super hero. I like what Coach John Wooden, great hall of fame USC basketball coach, says about individuals and teamwork. “Individuals win trophies…teams win national championships.”

Do you realize that in a game of basketball, a player may only have the ball in their hands on average, about 2 or 3 minutes in a 40 minute game? This means that the real game of basketball is played away from the ball and great coaches coach players to excel when they don’t have the ball. What players do for the other 37 to 38 minutes when they don’t have the ball is what makes the difference in true teamwork. One of the greatest gifts that God gives to us is the gift of a true team.

The Difference Between Entitlement Mentality And Purpose Mentality In True Team Work

In Matthew 20, Jesus shares a parable with His disciples that illustrates an acute example of workers with an Entitlement mentality rather than a Purpose mentality.

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’  “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

As members of a team, when we focus on what we deserve versus what we get to do in accomplishing a shared purpose, true teamwork suffers and unfortunately, we will likely end up last in the bigger purpose of the team.

The Difference Between Hard Work And Team Work In True Team Work

In Ecclesiastes 4:4-9, King Solomon shares some great insights about “hard” work and “team” work.

“Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin. [Well, you know what, that’s not fair so I’m just going to do it my way] And yet, better to have one handful with quietness [teamwork] than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.

I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, ‘Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?’ It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

When we put others first and work together as a true team, we are stronger, safer, and can accomplish so much more than we can by merely working hard and alone.

The Difference Between Sameness Mentality And Diversity Mentality In True Team Work

Besides entitlement mentality being a significant ruin to true teamwork, I also think Sameness mentality is as equally damaging to true teamwork. True teamwork is not about people holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” together having no conflicts and no differences on the team.  That is not an accurate picture of true teamwork. In fact, I believe true teams often have and should have great conflicts and great differences on the team because God has made everyone different. It’s our differences that make us stronger as a team…provided that each team member mutually respects the differences of one another and can embrace conflict in a healthy way that produces greater results for the common good of the team. As soon as a team embraces a sameness mentality through a covenant of peace inspired by a fear of conflict, mediocrity will surely supplant excellence.

The reason we are servant leaders who foster an environment of teamwork and mutual respect is not for us to have peace through sameness but rather for us to have excellence through diversity. We do this in a healthy way by mutually respecting our differences that make us strong and speaking truth in love during conflict that produces a greater common good.

The Difference Between Individual Uniqueness And Team Unity In True Team Work

When I first went to work in the oil and gas industry, I was told by a veteran in the company that a certain two people were like oil and water, meaning they did not get along well. So I figured I should stay clear of that interpersonal issue. After working in the industry for some time, I learned that oil and water does indeed not mix; however, I also learned that each compound had certain individual qualities that were beneficial to a greater good. For instance, because the properties of oil and water did not mix, the oil company could inject water into a lagging oil well to push greater volumes of oil out of the well through a water injection well. This taught me the leadership lesson that even though two people may not get along well, they each have unique strengths and gifts that can be used together for a greater common good.

Now in all of this, what I’m NOT saying is that we should NOT strive to protect and maintain a spirit of team unity as we respect our differences and embrace conflict in a healthy way. While we are all wonderfully and beautifully made with unique differences, as believers and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we all have the same Holy Spirit living inside of us. Therefore, we can experience perfect unity in Christ even though we are each uniquely different in Christ. Does that make sense?

In John 17:20-24, Jesus prays to the Father, “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

Based on the prayer of Jesus, our perfect unity in Christ as a team has huge implications for the world and our commission. In fact, Jesus prays that our unity in Christ will be so perfect that the world will know that God the Father sent Jesus to the world and that He loves the world as much as He loves Jesus. Wow! True teamwork with a spirit of unity in Christ matters greatly to God. We know this is true by Jesus’ prayer as well as His promise in Matthew 18:19-20 where He says, “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Shared Purpose Makes The Difference In True Team Work That Makes The True Dream Work

Since true “team” work is about shared purpose through the mutual respect of one another’s differences that make us stronger as a team, I’d like to share an acronym for PURPOSE that can help build greater levels of true “team” work on a team. I’ve learned these lessons by riding bikes over long distances with a group of cyclists.

P – Power: Where there is shared purpose, there is power through momentum.

U – Unity: Where there is shared purpose, there is team unity in the same direction.

R – Respect: Where there is shared purpose, there is respect among team members.

P – Provision:  Where there is shared purpose, there is provision for sharing the load.

O – Order: Where there is shared purpose, there is order in forward movement.

S –  Sustainability: Where there is shared purpose, there is sustainability through recovery.

E – Encouragement: Where there is shared purpose, there is encouragement for the journey.

To God’s glory, have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

True Team Work Makes The True Dream Work Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, True Team Work Makes The True Dream Work, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Small Beginnings

July 28, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Matthew 13:32 “It is the smallest of all seeds [the mustard seed], but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” NLT

Observation

In this verse, Jesus uses a parable about the mustard seed to illustrate the growth of a flourishing life in His Kingdom. Although the mustard seed starts out as the smallest of all seeds, when it is planted in good soil, it becomes the largest of all plants and further grows into a tree that provides a protective home for birds that come to it for safety and security. The mustard seed that seems so small and insignificant actually has the potential to become a strong, powerful, and life-giving tree in God’s kingdom when it is planted in good soil, stewarded well, and healthy.

Application

The work of my hands and the impact of my life can at times seem small and insignificant, like a tiny mustard seed, especially in the beginning stages of a new work, a changing season, a fresh dream in my life. However, like a tiny mustard seed, my life has the potential to grow, be fruitful, and make a significant impact in the kingdom of God when I am firmly planted in the good soil of the house of God, regardless of how small and insignificant my beginning may seem. Of the godly man, the Bible says in Psalms 1:3, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” The Bible further encourages me in Zechariah 4:10 stating, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Through faithfulness to the work God has assigned me to do in His kingdom, along with steady plodding day after day in His good plan for my life, my day of small beginnings will grow into a life of significant impact and large endings.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Large and Magnificent in every way! Thank You for caring about the smallest details of my life including the number of hairs on my head and the number of days You have written for me in Your book. As I trust You with my life, give me the grace, strength, and wisdom to remain faithful to the work You have assigned me to do in Your kingdom so that my life will grow from small beginnings to large endings of multiplied fruitfulness and significant impact in You. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Small Beginnings Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Small Beginnings, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Learning: The Greatest Growth Factor For Leaders

June 23, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner, Leadership Insights , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Learn And Lead

Learning Comes From The Direct Investment Of Others

Do you know that everything you and I know today is the result of someone else’s investment in us? I am able to write, speak, and teach about learning because of the people who have freely invested in my life in one way or another. Some people have invested in me directly through personal coaching, mentoring, and teaching. People like my father-in-law, who believed in me and personally invested in my education so I could possess the triple-crown in business education: a Finance degree, an MBA, and a CPA. He told me one day as we were sitting in his garden room talking about college and my future, “Gary, I think you’re smart enough to get your MBA and your CPA. You should think about it. Don’t let money stop you from getting an education. Once you have it, no one can take it from you.” And I was thinking to myself…what in the world is he thinking…an MBA and a CPA… Honestly, it was hard for me to get my head around that idea at that moment; however, many months later that seed sprouted into motivation to actually do it.

My grandfather is another person who consistently inspired me to be more, learn more, and do more. He was always there to encourage my business ideas and fan into flame my entrepreneurial spirit. He would say things like, “That’s a great idea! It will take some hard work, but if you put your mind to it, you can do it.”  One time I was at work and I couldn’t remember my home phone number because my wife and I had just moved to a new home. So I called my grandfather to ask him for my phone number. He told me, “Boy, I may not have as many degrees as a thermometer like you, but this much is sure, I know my own phone number…”

My mom and dad are also people who invested in me by sacrificially supporting my education in private schools so that I could be well prepared for college. My dad would always tell me, “Son, I couldn’t afford to go to college, but I want you and your sisters to go so you can have it better than me.” I was the first person in all of my family to graduate from college and then my sisters as well as my mom followed behind me.

And lastly, but certainly not least, my Pastors have invested in me even at the lowest points of my life. They helped teach me how to daily live for Christ, love my wife, and lead my family. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why I’m now in full-time ministry. I was invited into my Pastor’s small group and I just wouldn’t leave so they had to put me on staff. All kidding aside, I am so grateful for my Pastors and all the people that God has put in my life to help me learn, grow, and develop as a person and a leader.

Learning Comes From The Indirect Investment Of Others

Besides those people who have invested in me directly, there have also been others in my life who have invested in me indirectly. People like Mike Murdock who wrote the book, One-Minute Businessman’s Devotional, that helped transform my thinking about business in the kingdom of God. John Maxwell, who has helped me learn how to develop myself as a leader and also develop the leaders around me. Norman Vincent Peale, who taught me the value of always possessing a positive attitude especially as a Christ-follower. Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, who taught me how to build an organization to last through values-based convictions. And Stephen Covey, who taught me that you learn 95 percent of what you teach to others. In fact, that is one of the reasons I so much enjoy teaching others. Each time I have the opportunity to do so, I help people learn and grow and I also learn and grow at the same time. This life principle leads me to the importance of living a Learning Team Value at work and even at home.

Learning Comes From Giving As Much As It Comes From Receiving

To practically live a Learning Team Value, leaders must be servant leaders who participate in continuous training, development, and coaching.  And to do this really well, I believe you and I must learn an important kingdom principle found in Matthew 10:8, “Give as freely as you have received.” You see, each of us is a well of learning from others and as we are freely filled by the investment of others into our lives, we have the responsibility to freely give to others what we have freely received. Otherwise, you and I will become like the Dead Sea, dead and stagnate, always taking in, but never giving out. As Christ-followers, we are not designed to be takers only. No, we are designed to be givers like Jesus. However, none of us can give away what we don’t possess. Therefore, we must be life-long learners, continuously filling-up our well so that we have something to give away to others. A leader or a person that is no longer learning is a leader or person that is no longer growing. A leader or person who is no longer growing will soon have nothing new to invest into others.

So let me ask these two personal training and development questions. 1) Who are your mentors?  And, 2) who are you mentoring? If you don’t have any mentors, directly or indirectly, you are not receiving, you are not learning, and you are not growing as a leader. Furthermore, if you do not have anyone whom you are mentoring, then you are not giving away what you have freely received and you are at risk of becoming a stagnate fruitless leader.

Learning Comes From Mentors And Mistakes

Now when it comes to having mentors in your life, some of you might be thinking to yourself that you don’t really have any mentors. I have at times thought the same thing; however, as a Christ-follower, I have come to know that believing such a thought is actually believing a lie. The truth is that you and I have the greatest, ultimate, Mentor, anyone can ever have in life. He is the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Counselor in ALL of life. John 14:15 states, “And I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” and John 14:26 states, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

The issue for you and I is not whether or not we have a mentor or mentors. The issue is whether or not we will pursue the ultimate Mentor in our life and the other mentors that He divinely appoints in our lives. Let me encourage you. There is great benefit from pursuing the Holy Spirit as our ultimate Mentor in life as well as the human mentors that He places in our life because there are only two ways we can learn in life. We can either learn from our mentors or we can learn from our mistakes. Learning from mentors provides the opportunity to learn from revelation; whereas; learning from mistakes provides the opportunity to learn from tribulation. Let me tell you. I’ve learned both ways and I can personally testify that learning from revelation is so much better than learning from tribulation.  Although, I am glad to say that learning from both ways can produce fruit in our lives when we apply what we learn.

Learning Comes From Applying What Is Learned

In fact, I don’t believe that true genius is found in learning alone because really everyone can learn, but not everyone is a genius learner. I believe people who are truly genius learners are people who not only learn, but actually go the next step and apply what they learn. Unfortunately, far too many people never take the time to take the extra step and apply what they have learned.  In Luke 8:10, Jesus tells His disciples [His disciplined learners], “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’” As disciplined learners in the kingdom of God, if you and I do not apply what we learn through revelation, then we are no better off than those who are ignorant through lack of revelation. As stated earlier, we have no excuse for not learning through revelation because we have the Holy Spirit as our ultimate Mentor to lead us, guide us, and teach us. Pursuing Him today and everyday of our lives will produce great learning and great fruit in our lives.

Learning Comes From Having A Will To Learn

As an undergraduate student in college, sadly, I must say that I did not live up to my full potential as a student. I graduated with a 2.8 GPA which was ok, but was far lower than my High Honors GPA in high school. So when I found it difficult to land a good job upon graduation, I began to consider how I might learn from my mistakes as I decided to go to graduate school and obtain an MBA. Because I did not want to make the same mistakes in graduate school as I did in undergraduate school, I set out to make straight A’s and studied how to do it. In fact, my mother-in-law gave me some cassette tapes titled, “Where There’s A Will There’s An ‘A’”. Do you know that learning takes a lot of effort, but wise learning takes so much LESS effort. Let me tell you, wise learning begins with learning from others.

Here are 5 simple things I learned from the tape series that helped me to make all A’s and just one B in graduate school.

  • Arrive to class early and stay late paying special attention to the material in the beginning and the ending of class because teachers often cover the material that will be on the test in the beginning or ending of class if they failed to cover it in the previous class or during the current class.
  • Sit in the front of the class because there are less distractions and you will learn more about the material than you will about who is wearing what and what kind of hairstyle people have.
  • Never eat a big meal before a test because the digestive process will take your physical energy that could be better used for the test. Instead eat a candy bar or drink a caffeinated soda.
  • Write special notes in the margin of your book to highlight important material for the test and read those handwritten notes before the test.
  • And here’s a bonus tip that wasn’t in the tape series, but I learned from the Ultimate Mentor, the Holy Spirit. Pray before each test for God to bring to remembrance everything studied in preparation for the test.

Learning Comes From Revelation Given Away

Do you see what I just did? I learned something that helped me to make all A’s and one B in graduate school and I freely shared it with you. I received revelation that helped me to learn and grow and I gave revelation away to help you learn and grow. I was mentored and now I am mentoring others. To live out a Learning Team Value is really that simple!

This is what the Bible says about being a wise learner and learning from revelation. Proverbs 9:9-12 states, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” This is great wisdom for you and I today.

Learning Comes From Being An Uncommon Mentor

How many of you would like to be an uncommon mentor capable of instructing the wise so that they will become even wiser?  Being an uncommon mentor is not easy because an uncommon mentor will risk the approval others to see their potential fulfilled.  I like this quote from Coach Tony Dungy that I recently read: “I wasn’t there to be their Boss. I was there to help the players get better.” That’s what an uncommon mentor does. Uncommon mentors are not in your life to be your best friend. They are there to help you get better and fulfill your potential in life.

According to Mike Murdock, there is a big difference between a best friend and an uncommon mentor.

  •  A Best Friend loves you the way you are.
  • An Uncommon Mentor loves you too much to leave you the way you are.
  • A Best Friend is comfortable with your past.
  • An Uncommon Mentor is comfortable with your future.
  • A Best Friend ignores your weakness.
  • An Uncommon Mentor removes your weakness.
  • A Best Friend is your cheerleader.
  • An Uncommon Mentor is your coach.
  • A Best Friend sees what you do right.
  • An Uncommon Mentor sees what you do wrong.

Learning Comes From Being An Uncommon Protégé

In the pursuit of learning, an Uncommon Protégé will pay any price to stay in the presence of an Uncommon Mentor and learn from them. And when they do, great blessing, favor, and anointing from the Uncommon Mentor is transferred to the Uncommon Protégé. This type of transference is seen in the Bible story about Elijah (an Uncommon Mentor) and Elisha (an Uncommon Protégé).

2 Kings 2:2-10 records the account stating, “Then Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So they went down to Bethel. Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent!’

Then Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So they came to Jericho. Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?’ So he answered, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent!’

Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So the two of them went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’ So he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.’”

In reading this story, why do you think the other prophets didn’t pursue Elijah like Elisha did? I believe it’s because they thought they already knew everything and didn’t need to pursue Elijah. In each of the cities, the other prophets told Elisha (all paraphrased by me for emphasis), “Hey man, what are you doing following that old man around…don’t you know that the Lord is going to take him away today? Why are you wasting your time with an ‘old-timer’ like that?”

The reason is that Elisha wanted a double portion of Elijah’s anointing and would do anything to stay in Elijah’s presence and learn from him. As a result, the Lord honored his pursuit and gave Elisha a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.

In living out a Learning Team Value, you and I must NOT be protégés like the other prophets in this Old Testament story. We must be Uncommon Protégés like Elisha and do whatever it takes to be in the presence of Uncommon Mentors and learn from them. And when the double portion anointing of the Uncommon Mentor transfers to us, we must then become an Uncommon Mentor to someone else. This is what it means to be servant leaders who participate in continuous training, development, and coaching.

To His glory, have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Learning: The Greatest Growth Factor For Leaders Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Learning: The Greatest Growth Factor For Leaders, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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In Due Season

June 8, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” NKJV

Observation

In this verse, the apostle Paul is encouraging the believers in Galatia to keep doing good because the Lord will provide a harvest of blessing when the time is right if they don’t lose heart and give up. It is clear that God’s kingdom law of reciprocity returns goodness, favor, and blessing when believers plant goodness, favor, and blessing in the lives of others. In verse 7 of this same chapter in Galatians, the apostle Paul affirms the kingdom law of reciprocity stating, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Application

As a believer, I am encouraged by Paul’s letter to the Galatians to keep doing good in life even though the planting seasons of life can become wearisome at times. Because God is Lord of the harvest, He will return a harvest of goodness, favor, and blessing in my life from the seeds of goodness, favor, and blessing that I plant in other people’s lives. Although a farmer can grow weary in his planting season, the wise farmer keeps on planting because he knows there is a harvest season coming if he doesn’t lose heart and give up. I realize that I too can grow weary in the planting seasons of life; however, like the wise farmer, I will choose to keep planting seeds of goodness, favor, and blessing in the lives of others because in due season, the planting seasons in my life will change to harvest seasons in my life if I don’t lose heart and give up.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Lord of the planting seasons in life and also Lord of the harvest seasons in life! Thank You for Your faithfulness to return harvest seasons of life blessing from the planting seasons of life blessing. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, give me supernatural strength to not grow weary in the planting seasons of life and give me Your abundant grace to lavishly plant seeds of goodness, favor, and blessing in the lives of others. I love You Jesus! Amen!

In Due Season Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, In Due Season, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Possessing A Positive Attitude

May 25, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner, Leadership Insights , , , , , , 3 Comments

Attitude ConceptIn all my years of leadership, there is one thing I have consistently experienced and that is…you learn 95% of what you teach. So as I write about the team value of positive attitude, be certain that I am writing to myself as much as I am writing to you. As the author of this post on Possessing A Positive Attitude, it might surprise you to learn that there are days when I have a negative attitude lurking inside of me all ready and willing to express itself. And by the way, so do you.

Possessing A Positive Attitude Can Do Great Good Or A Negative Attitude Can Do Great Harm

The really neat thing about the attitude lurking inside of me and you…and the really scary thing for that matter…is that my attitude, your attitude…has the potential to do more good or harm than we probably realize or even fully appreciate. Let me share with you what Chuck Swindoll has written about Attitude:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company… a church… a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes”

Possessing A Positive Attitude Is A Great Responsibility And A Great Choice

When I think about people and the kind of attitude we have towards our own attitudes, unfortunately, I see far too many people having a half-hearted attitude. A couple of months ago, I came across a little quote that I think will help illustrate the kind of attitude many of us have about our own attitudes. It is this: “No sense in being pessimistic…it wouldn’t work anyway…” So what am I saying? I think we all know that we should have a positive attitude, but unfortunately, like the author of that quote, we don’t fully own the responsibility for our attitude.

Do you know that if you write down the word A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E and note underneath each letter the numerical place in the alphabet that each letter represents (ie. A = 1 since it is the first letter in the Alphabet; hence, 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5), the sum total of the numbers equals 100? This is a pretty interesting little fact that serves to remind us that we are each 100% responsible for the choice of our attitude – positive or negative.

Possessing A Positive Attitude Is A Great Team Value And A Great Heart Conviction

As servant leaders in the kingdom of God, you and I must possess a positive attitude because our attitudes are infectious. This is why I prefer to have the unofficial title of CMIHL [Chief Make It Happen Leader] over my official CAO title [Chief Administrative Officer] in my organization. My CAO title defines my official responsibilities as a Chief Administrative Officer  – what I am supposed to do in the organization, but it really doesn’t define much about the way I will choose to do what I am supposed to do in the organization. You see, being a CMIHL says a lot about how I will choose to do what I am supposed to do as CAO. As a Chief Make It Happen Leader, I choose to serve others with a positive attitude to make things happen for our team, our members, and our guests. Being a CMIHL is actually all about serving others with a positive attitude.

And guess what? Every person on a team has an official job title that defines what they are supposed to do in their job; however, a team value for possessing a positive attitude with a corresponding heart conviction will actually help inspire each person on a team to be someone who will serve others with a positive attitude. The Team Value is: Positive Attitude. The Heart Conviction is: We are servant leaders who possess a positive attitude.

Possessing A Positive Attitude Ignites Great Promotion And Great Potential

This means that we must not only focus on our technical competencies in our job, but also our behavioral competencies and this is where the rubber meets the road. You see, it’s relatively easy to coach people on their technical competencies in a job, but when you start getting into the areas of their behavioral competencies like attitude, people get nervous because you are touching upon who they are on the inside. Joyce Meyer says that, “Attitude is your thought life turned inside out.” The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 “As a person thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Let me illustrate by the wings of an airplane what it means to develop ourselves both technically and behaviorally. Years ago, when I was at a church leadership conference in California, I heard a great leader illustrate how truth and grace (representing 2 wings of a plane on the journey of Christian life) intersect at the cross. He said that if Christians only approached life in truth without grace, they would be flying on a plane with one wing of the gospel and having a perspective that everyone would be going to hell. On the other hand, if Christians only approached life in grace without truth, they would also be flying a plane with one wing of the gospel, but in the opposite direction and having a perspective that life could be one big party with no boundaries. However, in the Christian life, perfect truth meets perfect grace in Jesus at the cross which totally frees the Christian to soar in the journey of life on the two full wings of the gospel: perfect truth and perfect grace.

As I pondered this teaching, I came to realize that the same airplane illustration could be used to describe the importance of developing people, technically and behaviorally, on the journey of leadership and people development. As leaders, if we only focus on developing people’s technical competencies, then people end up flying on a plane with one wing going round and round in circles and never really achieving their full potential. For instance, if someone is an interpreter and has developed their language skills to the level of being able to fluently speak 10 different foreign languages, but they never develop a positive attitude in life, they will keep going around the same mountain of personal failure and disappointment. It may be true that such a person is technically competent to fluently speak 10 different languages; but, if they possess a mean, rude, negative attitude…having the ability to speak 10 different languages only means that they can be fluently rude in 10 different ways. Such a person will never be promoted in life no matter how many languages they learn to speak. Does this make sense?

Now the same is true on the behavioral side of leadership and people development. If a person only develops their behavioral competencies and never spends any time developing their technical competencies, then they are flying on a plane with one wing in the opposite direction going round and round in circles and never really achieving their full potential. For instance, a pilot can be the nicest person in the world, perhaps bringing everyone on the plane homemade brownies from his wife; however, if he has only flown small commuter prop airplanes and doesn’t know how to fly large commercial jet airliners, I’m not getting on a commercial jet airliner with that pilot in the cockpit. It doesn’t matter how nice someone may be, if they are not competent to do their job, they will find themselves never fully reaching their growth potential.

BUT, when people develop their technical competencies and also their behavioral competencies, they actually build a plane with two wings that will allow them to soar to ever increasing heights of leadership development and growth potential. So let me be clear. Possessing a positive attitude is a huge component in developing an exceptional behavioral competency and as coaching leaders, we cannot ignore that aspect of personal development for each person on our team.

Possessing A Positive Attitude Overcomes Great Unmet Expectations

Now let me ask this question. What do you think is the biggest reason why people go around with a mean, rude, and negative attitude? Personally, I think one of the biggest reasons that someone will do this is because of unresolved unmet expectations in their life.  Proverbs 13:12 states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”  Unfortunately, when someone is let down and they do not get that matter resolved in their heart, a bitter root can grow that causes them to possess a negative attitude towards life. For example, someone at work is expecting a promotion and it doesn’t come. Or maybe someone else gets the promotion. Either way, the expectation of being promoted remains unmet and furthermore, the longer that expectation remains unmet and unresolved in that person’s life, it can eventually turn into a sour root that begins to express itself in the form of a negative attitude towards life and people.

But I have good news for you and me! We do not have to let unmet expectations stay unresolved and turn into a sour negative attitude in our lives because the word of God gives us some great guidance in this area. Proverbs 4:23 states, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” When we properly guard our hearts, we are careful to not allow an unmet expectation to turn sour in our hearts and produce a negative attitude. I believe the best way to do this is found in Luke 6:37-38 which states, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

I find it hard to have an unresolved unmet expectation in my heart when I make a conscious decision to not judge someone whom has failed to meet my expectation.  The key word here is unresolved. While an expectation may be unmet, it doesn’t have to stay unresolved in my heart through judgment towards the person that failed to meet my expectation. Now add to that the extension of forgiveness towards them when I am hurt by their failure to meet my expectations, I find that this will pretty well insulate my heart from embracing a sour negative attitude towards life and others.

Possessing A Positive Attitude Is Possible With Our Great God

Furthermore, as bone-fide Christ followers, let me encourage you with 3 great reasons why you and I have no excuse for possessing a negative attitude in life.

1)    We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

2)    We have the Word of God and all of its promises are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus through us.

3)    We have the ability to pray and commune with our heavenly Father anytime, day or night.

Writing to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” Regardless of our circumstances in life, the apostle Paul tells us that we have a great power from God that shines in our hearts. This great power is the Holy Spirit which empowers all Christ followers with the ability to have a positive attitude despite any negative, adverse, or challenging situation in life. Furthermore, Jesus Himself tells us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” With faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit living inside of us, you and I have everything we need to possess a positive attitude in life!

To the glory of God, have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Possessing A Positive Attitude Copyright 2013, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Possessing A Positive Attitude, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

A Mother’s Day Blessing For My Mom

May 12, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , Leave a comment

Love 

On this Mother’s Day,

Better than flowers in a bouquet,

I want to bless you Mom,

In a special kind of way.

Please know that this is true,

Of all the Moms that are living,

And that I could have been given,

I am grateful that God chose you.

Although life is not a breeze,

Your constant encouragement,

Gave me a loving environment,

To bloom with relative ease.

Through day and night,

I know your prayers for me,

Truly helped me see,

God’s redeeming light.

Having a beautiful family of my own,

I know what it means personally,

For you to still pray for me,

Even now that I am fully grown.

From my birth til even now,

Thank you Mom,

For always making me feel,

As if I wear a crown.

So on this Mother’s Day,

This is all I really want to say,

I love you Mom,

In a special kind of way.

A Mother’s Day Blessing For My Mom Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the poem, A Mother’s Day Blessing For My Mom, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Blow The Trumpets

May 10, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Scripture

Numbers 10:9-10 “When you arrive in your own land and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with the trumpets. Then the Lord your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies. Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind the Lord your God of His covenant with you. I am the Lord your God.” NLT

Observation

In these verses, the Lord is commanding His people to praise Him in times of battle by blowing the trumpets. When they do, the Lord promises that He will remember His people and rescue them from their enemies. Additionally, the Lord commands His people to praise Him during the good times of life to remind Him of His covenant with them.

Application

In my life, it seems easy to remember the Lord by calling upon Him when I am in trouble and need Him to rescue me. However, in these difficult times, I must remember to not only pray for His help but also praise Him in the midst of the trial until He brings complete victory. Additionally, I must remember to praise the Lord in the good times of life and not just the difficult times of life. Jesus is Lord of the valleys and also Lord of the mountaintops. He alone deserves praise for His goodness, His word, and His faithfulness during the good and bad times in my life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are good! Thank You for always remembering Your covenant with me through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Give me the everyday mindfulness to praise You in the valleys of life and praise You on the mountaintops of life for You are good, Your word is true, and You are faithful. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Blow The Trumpets Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Blow The Trumpets, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Building Leaders In The Kingdom Of God – Part Two

May 4, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Coaching Corner, Leadership Insights , , , , , , , 2 Comments

PraisingWhen we study the New Testament, we find that Spiritual Leadership combines two cups of leadership in the kingdom of God: a Spiritual Cup and a Leadership Cup. The Spiritual Cup entails exemplary living as a born-again child of God and the Leadership Cup entails the equipping of God’s people to do His work. As spiritual leaders in God’s kingdom, we are to become more like Jesus in exemplary living every day as we do what He has called us to do in the equipping of His people to do His work.

The Spiritual Cup Of Exemplary Living – Who We Become in Christ

In 1 Timothy 4:11-13, Paul tells Timothy, “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.” The Spiritual Cup of spiritual leadership pours into others from who we are in Christ. We live as an example to others by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside us. Through Christ in us, we become more like Him as the Holy Spirit teaches us all things and leads us into all truth.

The Leadership Cup Of Equipping Others – What We Do In Christ

In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul tells the believers in Ephesus, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” The Leadership Cup of spiritual leadership pours into others from what we do in Christ. We equip others to do God’s work in the earth as His ambassadors on the earth. While Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords sitting at the right hand of the Father, it has always been God’s plan to empower His creation to carry out His will on earth by His authority given to redeemed men and women in Christ.

As spiritual leaders in the kingdom of God, who we become in Christ and what we do in Christ are equally important. In fact, we find this spiritual leadership pattern in the kingdom of God represented in Christ all throughout the Bible by the person of Jesus and the principles of Jesus. To be an impactful spiritual leader in God’s kingdom, we must not only know Jesus personally, but we must also do what He says to do by living out His principles such as:

  • Give and it shall be given to you
  • Lose your life to save your life
  • Serve others to be the greatest
  • Pray for those who persecute you
  • Forgive and be forgiven

In John 14:15-17, Jesus tells His disciples, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.” Spiritual leaders in the kingdom of God know Jesus and obey Him because the Holy Spirit lives inside us and teaches us how to live out His principles in life.

The Imperative For Developing Spiritual Leaders

As a young leader, the COO of our organization told me early in my professional life that I had to prepare myself to grow and lead in an environment with significant growth.  Additionally, I was encouraged that if I heeded that instruction, I too would enjoy the opportunity of personally growing the same way within the organization. In response to that instruction, I continued developing myself as a leader within the organization.

As a result, in 10 short years I went from being a Director of 3 teams, to an Administrator of a Clinic Division, to a VP of a consolidated Hospital and Clinic Division, to an SVP of a Central Business Office operation for 7 Hospitals and more than 700 Physicians, to a Chief Operating Officer of 7 different operating divisions. From the age of 30 to the age of 40, my leadership responsibilities grew from leading 45 people to leading over 1,000 people in my direct sphere of leadership influence because I was willing to learn, grow, and develop as a leader as well as equip others to learn, grow, and develop as leaders.

The reason I share this story is because the kingdom of God is experiencing significant growth in these last days and we must appropriately prepare ourselves as spiritual leaders in God’s kingdom if we intend to effectively steward the harvest of souls entrusted to us by the Lord. This means that spiritual leaders have to become better leaders and must effectively equip more leaders for the work of the ministry in God’s kingdom. The stakes are high and if we are not prepared for the growth, we will be at significant risk of ministry overload and personal burnout, even as spiritual leaders in God’s kingdom.

The Development Process For Spiritual Leaders

In order to effectively develop spiritual leaders in God’s kingdom for sustainability in their personal and professional lives, spiritual leaders must have a Personal Excellence Plan derived from a written Life Plan and a Professional Excellence Plan derived from a written Business Plan. The Personal Excellence Plan focuses on important leadership development aspects of the leader’s personal life such as the character development of the leader and the chemistry development of the leader within his or her team. The Professional Excellence Plan focuses on important leadership development aspects of the leader’s professional life such as the culture development of the leader and the competency development of the leader within his or her team.

A Personal Excellence Plan Supports Character Development And Chemistry Development In A Spiritual Leaders’s Personal Life

The Character Development of a leader builds the Spiritual Cup of a leader on a personal level. A good Personal Excellence Plan seeks to answer Spiritual Cup questions such as: 

  1. Who are you becoming when no one is looking?
  2. How are you becoming more like Christ each day in your personal life?

The Chemistry Development of a leader builds the Leadership Cup of a leader on a personal level. A good Personal Excellence Plan seeks to answer Leadership Cup questions such as:

  1. What are your personal leadership gifts and talents given to you by God?
  2. How will you personally use your gifts and talents to glorify God and benefit others?

A Professional Excellence Plan Supports Culture Development And Competency Development In A Spiritual Leader’s Professional Life

The Culture Development of a leader builds the Spiritual Cup of a leader on a professional level. A good Professional Excellence Plan seeks to answer Spiritual Cup questions such as:

  1. What type of team are you helping the organization to become when no one is looking?
  2. How are you helping the organization to become more like the kingdom of God?

The Competency Development of a leader builds the Leadership Cup of a leader on a professional level. A good Professional Excellence Plan seeks to answer Leadership Cup questions such as:

  1. What are your leadership commitments and responsibilities in the organization?
  2. How will you fulfill your leadership commitments and responsibilities as a kingdom ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ in your organization?

To be sustainable spiritual leaders in our personal and professional lives, we must continually fill our spiritual cup (who we are in Christ) and our leadership cup (what we do in Christ) in the areas of character development, culture development, chemistry development, and competency development. Otherwise, empty cups will lead to empty spiritual leaders.

To His glory, have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Building Leaders In The Kingdom Of God – Part Two Copyright 2013, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Building Leaders In The Kingdom Of God – Part Two, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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Examined Life

April 26, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Psalms 26:2 “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.”

Observation

In this verse, David prostrates himself before the Lord and opens his heart and his mind to be examined by the Lord. David understands that his life is safe in the hands of Almighty God, the only True and Righteous One, who knows his every thought and the motives of his heart.

Application

Socrates has said that, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Life becomes dark when I do not allow my life to be open and vulnerable to the Lord and others because our heart and our thoughts can easily deceive us. The only way that we can prevent ourselves from being led astray by deception is to allow God and others to examine us, speak truth to us in love, and expose our blind spots. The reason blind spots are called blind spots is because we cannot see them with our own eyes. The scariest thing about being deceived is that a deceived person does not know that they are deceived. Being open and vulnerable to God and others immediately solves the deception problem.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are All Knowing, Righteous, and True! Thank you Lord for searching me, knowing me, and leading me in Your paths of righteousness. By Your grace Lord, lead me into all truth and teach me all things as I open my life to You and to others who will speak truth in love to me. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Examined Life Copyright 2013, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Examined Life, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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