"Now what?" to the Will of God in Leadership

I've been reflecting about how the attribute of God's Will helps shape a biblical worldview of leadership. Before I share some practical suggestions below, we must remember a few things: 1) Man is created in God's image and therefore reflects and represents God. As D.A. Carson has said, "Man is to live as God's created analogy." 2) "God's Will is that attribute whereby he approves and determines to bring about every action necessary for the existence and activity of himeself and all creation" (Grudem). In other words, God makes decisions. 3) One implication of God's Will for leadership is that leadership requires approving and determining results (i.e. purposes, visions, goals, etc.). But how should we lead differently? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Determine the necessary changes in your current situation. What's needs change? What must that change look like? You cannot lead (i.e. bring about change the reflects God's character and serves others) unless you determine what you're trying to accomplish. OK, what does this look like? Well, ask: “What change do I/we need or want in this situation?” when facing a leadership challenge.. Time with God in prayer and in his Word helps us determine what changes we need to make. I think asking this question is at the heart of leadership.

2) Ask "why?" Why are we doing this? What's the purpose? What are we hoping to accomplish? I've learned from David Allen in Getting Things Done that asking why defines success, creates decision-making criteria, aligns resources, motivates, clarifies focus, and expands options. I find myself asking this question all the time in meetings, especially when we are bumping up against a wall.

3) Set goals and vision. This relates to the first suggestion, but takes it one step further to articulating the desired outcome. David Allen says that asking why furnishes the impetus, but the vision provides the blueprint of the final result. For me this often requires time outside of the immediate pressures of the day. I'll take my laptop and find a quiet spot for an hour and reflect on questions like: "What will this situation really look like when it successfully appears in the world?" Write down your thoughts. Start small. Take risks. Make them personal. In other words make your goals mean something to you. What will it cost you if they aren't met? If the cost doesn't hurt, aim higher. Be passionate about your goals. Do you think God had personal feelings about his plan? Let's imitate God by feeling passionately about our plans. I think David Allen is correct when he says, "you won't see how to do it until you see yourself doing it."

3) Determine a strategy for achieving your vision. I think this action is more closely linked to the wisdom of God, so I hope to talk more about this later. Planning and strategies require a biblical perspective.

4) Submit your goals to the will of God. Before, during, and after determing goals, I need to pray to God. For me this simply can look like praying from the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). This is critical. We must avoid selfish ambition by submitting our ambition to the will of God. We want our goals to align with the goals of his kingdom. This is one way we can think God's thoughts after him.

5) Commit. Don't avoid the necessary work. Get to work. I use David Allen's system of managing work, so for me this means setting up projects and listing out the next actions to get things done. I try to get my work down to simple actions, so I don't feel overwhelmed by the projects in front of my face.

"So what?" to the Will of God in Leadership

In my last post I shared that the communicable attribute of the will of God shapes our view and practice of leadership. In this post I would like to share how this attribute reflected in the image of God in man specifically does make a difference in our functioning of leadership. God approves and determines what he will do, but so what? Here's one implication for leadership:

Implication: I think leadership requires approving and determining results (i.e. goals).

I read this quote in one of those inspirational posters that describes this point: "The ability to succeed requires the realization of what one wants and the passionate desire to attain it." We should determine what we will do and what we will not do. We should plan. We should determine results. We should impose our wills. This involves planning. This involves determining what results we want. This involves resolving to bring about those results. This involves approving those results. This involves determining what is necessary for these results. Here's what Grudem says about this: "We exercise choice and make real decisions regarding the events of our lives. Although our will is not absolutely free in the way God’s is, God has nonetheless given us relative freedom within our spheres of activity in the universe he has created." We make decisions about the events of our lives and then we have power to bring about those decisions.

It's important when we talk about the will of God reflected in mankind that we remember the difference between God's will and our will. I forget where I read this, but this quote balances the the will of God and the will of man: "The main difference between God and man is that God is free from all authority while we are under the authority of God. No plan of ours will go forward apart from God approving that plan. But also nothing will get done unless we lift a finger to do it, sparing a miracle."

But now what? In what ways can we lead differently in light of this idea?

Great Ideas that Shape Leadership (part 3)

Lots of ideas shape the way we think about leadership, but each one stems from presuppositions about God, man, and creation. In this post I want to share one more great idea that I think shapes a biblical worldview of leadership. Here's the idea:

The Will of God. Grudem says that "God's will is that attribute of God whereby he approves and determines to bring about every action necessary for the existence and activity of himself and all creation” (Bible Doctrine, 95). In other words God chooses what he will do and what he will not do. He makes choices. He decides. He resolves.

So what, though? What difference does this make for leadership? I'll try to explain how this is relevant for leadership in my next post.

"Now what?" to the Omnipotence of God in Leadership

I've been reflecting on what the attribute of God's omnipotence means for leadership. Because we reflect the power of God, we can bring about change that makes the lives of others better. In this post I want to share a couple of ways we can live and lead in light of this idea.

1. "Don't passively accept what is in your power to change." I heard a speaker say that once and it has stuck with me for years. I can so often sit by passively while I notice something that needs change. Ask yourself, "Where do you see a need for change, whether big or small?" Can you do anything about it? If so, act like God and make something happen.

2. Fight. The Bible calls this perseverence. I think leaders do not let go easily of what they have approved, determined, and decreed. Like a snapping turtle crunching down on a stick of wood, leaders do not let go until they get results. Leaders are tenacious. Focus on the vision. Put on your blinders. Don't take your hands off the wheel. Keep punching forward. Things just don't happen unless people are committed. I have often been inspired by this quote from Successful Coaching: “Humanity’s greatest accomplishments come about when people make an intense commitment to something, when only their total concentrated effort may result in success – but even then success is not guaranteed.” We must have staying power to finish what we start.

"So what?" to the Omnipotence of God in Leadership

OK. In my last post I shared that the omnipotence of God is one idea that can shape the way we view leadership. Remember that the omnipotence of God is his power to do all his will. In this post I want to share one implication for leadership.

Implication #1: I think leadership involves creating change. I think leaders exercise power in ways that bring about results; and these results should reflect God's character and serve others. As one of my students said, "Leaders get results." Why can we create change? Well, God has given us "power" as a capacity like a muscle that can cause something to happen. So, we influence, we create change, we make a difference. God exercises his power to bring about whatever results he dctermines, and these results always reflect his character (his goodness, love, mercy, etc.) and always serve his people. God creates that kind of change. Check out this quote in Systematic Theology about the power God has given us:

"God has given us power to bring about results, both physical power and other kinds of power: mental power, spiritual power, persuasive power, and power in various kinds of authority structures (family, church, civil government, and so forth). In all these areas, the use of power in ways pleasing to God and consistent with his will is again something that brings him glory as it reflects his own character."

Like God we exercise God-given power to make a difference, to create change - the kind of change that reflects God and makes the lives of others better. You can imagine how this implication is relevant for education and coaching, business and government, virtually every sphere of life.

So what do you think are some ways we might lead differently in light of this implication?

Great Ideas that Shape Leadership (part 2)

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. Life sure is full, and I love it that way. My family has been enjoying vacation with Jessica's family in Charllottesville. Picking up from where I left off, here's another idea that shapes our view and practice of leadership:

God is omnipotent (Daniel 4:34-35). Like a benevolent dictator exercising power over his realm, the omnipotence of God is his use of power over his creation. Grudem says that this attribute "has reference to his own power to do what he decides to do" (Grudem, 216). In other words, nothing can frustrate his will. He is able to accomplish all his will. God exercises power to get done his plans, to bring about results that reflect his character and are good for his people. Wish you could do that?

Now what does this have to do with leadership? In the next post I'll share one implication of this attribute for leadership.