My travel arrangements have changed in the last week. Now I have a 40min one way trip to work. Wohoo! It is bitter/sweet in that you have the distaste of traffic, but you get the refreshing time to allow your mind and thoughts to focus on the day and to get in line with God’s Spirit.
The last couple of days I’ve been thinking of what are the qualities I need to be praying for God to grow in my life to become a better leader. I just began to pray, and I began to pray for three things: Vision, Wisdom, and Love. As I’ve continued to pray for these three things, I have started to see the need for these in a leaders life.
//Vision
I love how Andy Standley defines vision in his book “Visioneering.” “A picture of what could be, with the conviction that it should be. Of all the leadership books I have read this is the clearest and most simple definition of what a vision truly is.
As leaders we need to see ahead. As leaders we need to be driving, but we also need to know where we are going. But more important than having the foresight of what could be is having the certainty that it needs to happen.
Nehemiah was a great example of having the vision, but more important the passion to see it happen. He was inundated with knowing that the walls of Jerusalem were in shambles that he took action and approached the king, not knowing if the king would have him dismissed and killed or shown favor.
//Wisdom
All of our choices have consequences that show up later down the timeline. That is why leaders need to have the wisdom to make the right choices. You cannot make the right choices without knowing the vision. Without knowing what the picture is suppose to look like, how can we effectively choose the right colors to use?
Wisdom is critical in making the crucial decisions that will effect people. Leaders must have the wisdom to discern motives. Leaders must have wisdom to understand and to respond correctly.
//Love
Vision and Wisdom are 2 important pieces to the pie, but it is the love that makes the pie. Without love, no one will buy into the vision. Without love, no one will respect your wisdom. Love is way we communicate our vision, and the way we carry it out. It is the source of the vision and its the way we deliver it.