Nuggets on Leadership pt 2

Enjoyable, reader friendly and highly recommended

• Leadership comes down to two things: who you are and how you think. Dr. Myles Munroe
• Leaders touch the heart before they ask for a hand. John Maxwell
• Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Winston Churchill
• The day we take responsibility for our attitudes is the day that we truly grow up. Dr. Myles Munroe
• Leading well is not about enriching yourself – it’s about empowering others. John Maxwell
• People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. John Maxwell
• You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things. Mother Teresa
• A team doesn’t win the championship if its players are working from different agenda’s……A team needs diversity of skills. John Maxwell

Excellent leadership pointers

How am I applying these nuggets in my life? Attitude, getting things done, passion, stamina, vision, teamwork and so on are all vitally important in leadership but where does HEART come in? Is it really necessary? How does HEART fit into leadership?

Jesus, the ultimate leader of leaders, gave much attention to the heart of leadership. Our entire life is controlled and determined by our heart. What do we actually mean by HEART? Dr David Allen, a leading psychologist, in his book Contemplation, describes heart really well: “It is the decision making centre where all of our choices – good and evil – are decided…………..The heart is both conscious and unconscious…………(It) is also the place of understanding and reasoning.” Our heart motivates us in our attitudes and actions, even though we may not be aware of what is influencing us.

“For out of the outflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. All our actions are motivated by the content of our hearts. Have you noticed that our true attitudes and beliefs are often manifested when we are under pressure? We are revealing what is in our hearts.

The heart is the chamber that holds our convictions about all aspects of life. Why do we believe what we believe about ourselves or others? Whatever we put in, will come out when we press the right buttons. “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” The heart is the seat of life and determines the quality of our experience in life. Leaders lead out of their hearts.
You are what you believe. Your thoughts create your beliefs. Your beliefs create your convictions, your convictions create your attitude, your attitude controls your perception, and your perception dictates your behaviour. As leaders then, its important that the source of our thoughts are correct. If not, our thoughts are incorrect and our conclusions and beliefs are defective and contaminated which affects the way we live our lives and treat others.

Discovering Truth is an important pursuit. What you believe is essential to your life because you live out of your heart; you see through your heart; you interpret through your heart; you judge through your heart. We need to correct what we have heard because much of what we have previously heard and accepted as truth has negatively influenced our image of ourselves, our beliefs about our worth, and how we have lived our lives. Where does this TRUTH come from? Truth comes from the creator of TRUTH – Jesus Christ himself. He is TRUTH and his truth needs to saturate our thoughts, which ultimately affects our beliefs and convictions and regulates the nature of our leadership.

HEART is crucial. Whatever is inside will come out one way or the other and reveal our true self.

To conclude then, I'd say that heart in leadership in # 1. Everything else can be worked around it. As Dr Myles Munroe says:"When the leadership attitudes come together in your life, then you will fulfill the definition of a leader: You will have the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, ignited by a purpose."

Compiled by Molly Manhanga