GUEST BLOG from Chad Missildine (LIFE Church Forth Worth, TX)
Those of us in leadership can easily be taken down. Often, the causes are not HUGE mishaps. Instead, they are small yet vital details that can easily be overlooked.
Here are 3 Things that Can Take Any Leader Out:
1. Thought life.
By thought life, I mean what you think about all the time. The conversation going on inside your head is arguably more important than what takes place between yourself and those you lead. If your thought life is negative, what comes out of your mouth will likely be negative. If your thought life is centered around what will benefit YOU the leader the most, this will become quickly evident among those you lead.
What you think about you truly do bring about. Watch your thought life and don’t let it take you out. Instead, let it help you rise to the challenges that life presents and lead strong!
2. Energy levels.
Everyone talks about managing your time, but time is fixed and limited. Managing time is important, but I personally believe managing your energy is even more important. Your amount (or lack of) energy impacts EVERYTHING you do as a leader. Lower your energy levels and lower your influence and impact.
Raise your energy levels and multiply your influence and impact. Manage your energy levels by watching your diet, exercise, alcohol intake levels, sleeping patterns, and by taking proper amounts of time off from work.
3. Self-awareness.
Do you have an accurate view of yourself? Are you aware of your strengths, weaknesses, personality type, and emotional intelligence levels? Do others around you have permission to give you feedback?
If the answer to any of these questions is “I’m not sure” or “no,” you may not be very self-aware. The result could be BIG blind spots that can take you out as a leader. Take advantage of feedback and other self-awareness tools to help you gain a higher self-awareness.
What are your thoughts on the above three areas? What are other things that can take a leader or a person of influence out? Please share!
Back to me: For a great conference/seminar on self-awareness go to www.indianaministries.org and sign up for the Lifting Your Leadership Lid. Great opportunity to learn more about emotional intelligence.
Excellent post that reinforces the notion that leadership starts with you, the leader...great advice for us all. I appreciate Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy's article entitled, "Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time" in the Harvard Business Review (Oct.2007) is a classic that I am re-reading this weekend! Keep sharing great leadership lessons to build The Kingdom of God!
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