This is a guest post by Ben Lichtenwalner. Ben is a technology executive with a passion for servant leadership. His blog, ModernServantLeader.com, is a platform for spreading servant leadership awareness, adoption and action. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @BLichtenwalner.

Here are Top 5 Business Professional Confessions:

Pastor, I am a businessman and have confessions to make. I also want you to know that, while I do not pretend to speak for all peers, I suspect many business professionals have similar struggles. So please, listen carefully. While you may have heard these before, they are relevant to many in your flock.

Confessions of a Business Professional

I confess that…

I Fail as a Steward:

I routinely call it, “MY team”, “MY budget” and “MY success”. I know all we have is granted by God and we’re put in each role for His purposes. Yet I think too highly myself, believing I, alone, am accountable for the success. I need your sermons on stewardship to go beyond tithing and speak of what stewardship also means in the workplace.

Titles Matter More Than They Should:

I know it should not matter, but it matters to me what my peers think. As soon as I made “Manager” I wanted “Director”. Now I am Director and want “Vice President”. Not because I want to serve the organization more, but because I want to impress others. I need you to remind me the only title that matters is “child of God”.

I Miss Opportunities to Share the Good News:

Working in a secular field, I forget my role as lay minister. Worse, I let our lawsuit-happy culture scare me from sharing my faith. I could use practical advice like responding to “How are you?” With “Blessed” and finding unique ways to share my beliefs while being reminded of the call to share Good news.

I Don’t Practice Sunday’s Lesson on Monday:

Sunday is great and your sermons I love. By Monday morning though, I no longer remember the lesson. Worse, when I do remember it, I may forget the applicability in the office. I need tools and tips to remind and reinforce your lesson throughout the week.

I Fail to Treat Colleagues as Children of God:

Corporate politics and vanity cause me to forget that colleagues are brothers and sisters in Christ. I often perceive colleagues as competition for the next promotion or industry recognition. Instead of collaborating, I find myself second-guessing the motives of others and placing myself in a defensive position. I need lessons on dealing with difficult people as Christ would have us love them.

I know my colleagues and I have many more confessions. However, I am definitely a repeat offender of these top five and see the same in others. Thank you for listening to me. Please pray for me and my peers. I look forward to your next sermon.

Question: What common business professional confessions did I miss?

This is an encouragement to those who are limping in leadership.

The truth is, the best leaders I know have a limp of some nature. It may not be a literal, physical limp, or even visible, but if you are around them long, they will display remnants of a previous injury.

They may have had a failure that crippled them for a season. They may have messed up. They may have made a mistake. They may have lost their way. They may have even been tempted to quit, but they pushed forward, never to be the same again.

With that in mind…

Here are 7 ways to lead well with a limp:

Don’t hide it – There is most likely a younger leader around you who feels they’ve lost their way…or will some day. They need your guidance. They need your encouragement. They need to see by example they can get up again and move forward.

Don’t be a martyr – No one enjoys a complainer or someone who is always making excuses. You suffered a failure. You had a setback. You made a mistake. Don’t wallow in your misery forever. It’s not an attractive characteristic in leadership.

Allow it to strengthen you – Allow your limp to make you a better person and leader. Let you limp strengthen your leadership abilities, even if it’s learning what not to do next time.

Be empathetic – Always remember others are limping too. If not now, they will be. They’re finding their way, just as you did.

Learn valuable lessons – Most of us learn more in the hard times than the easy times. Most likely, you will also.

Remain humble – Rahab of the Bible never lost her title as a harlot, even in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11). It reminds me that the past is my past. A great leader never forgets where he or she came from.

Limp to victory – Don’t give up. Great leader proudly limp across the finish line.

Are you leading with a limp? How has it shaped your leadership?

This is a guest post by Joel Garfinkle. Joel is recognized as one of the top 50 executive coaches in the U.S., having worked with many of the world’s leading companies, including Oracle, Google, Amazon, Deloitte and The Ritz-Carlton. He is the author of 7 books, including Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level. Book Joel as the inspirational, motivational keynote speaker at your next event.

Here are 5 ways to be a more influential church leader:

The economically and spiritually troubling times our society faces today have resulted in significant challenges for many congregations. It is through these difficult times that church leadership is critical. It’s easy to lead your congregation when things are going well and people are generally happy; however, when your followers are plagued with social and professional strife, this is when church leaders really need to shine. Here are five tips for managing and improving your reputation as a leader so you can develop your influence within the church and lead your congregation into the next era of prosperity.

Establish a solid reputation – Your congregation needs to have complete faith that they can count on you. This reputation isn’t built on lip service, but on your history of keeping your word and getting things done. Once you’ve built this reputation, people will listen to you as an authority. They will look to you for guidance and advice.

Develop an enhanced skill set – This is often the strongest existing area for church leaders. Chances are, you are already highly skilled and proficient at your job. You are the expert they can turn to for all of their religious needs, with an abundance of knowledge in your faith. Your enhanced skill set is demonstrated through actions and a track record of helping congregation members with their spiritual needs. When your congregation has faith in your enhanced skill set, they will seek you out to answer their questions about spiritual matters.

Cultivate an executive presence – Although the term “executive presence” often has secular connotations, it is essential to becoming an effective religious leader as well. To improve in this area, you must exude confidence and assurance. Know in your head and your heart that you are guiding your followers down the correct path. If you are second-guessing yourself, your congregation will begin to second-guess you as well.

Never underestimate the power of being well-liked – First and foremost, your congregation has to like you. Unlike a business organization, you are not paying people to follow your lead. If you ask people why they chose a specific church when there are several of their faith within a reasonable distance, many will answer that their decision was at least partially based on “liking” the pastor and other church leaders. Superior likeability is needed for you to develop a solid rapport with your congregation. Although charisma is an innate skill, maintaining an optimistic outlook regardless of the circumstances can increase the natural charisma you have. Having superior likeability will result in others being inspired by you and wanting to follow your lead.

Acquire the power to persuade – Church leaders who have honed their power to persuade are able to more effectively and efficiently convince others to support their ideas and points of view. Through the power of persuasion, you can encourage people to work together toward a common purpose. Church leaders with the power to persuade are able to gain agreement and approval from people in a diverse group much more easily. To help facilitate the development of your own power of persuasion, align yourself with influential and powerful people. Aligning yourself with others who are already skilled at persuasion will magnify your own efforts and help you build your skills in this area.

What would you add to Joel’s list?

• I’ve quit trying to take people where they don’t want to go…
• Choosing to leave things at status quo…

• I no longer challenge worn out ways…
• Simply embracing the good ole’ days…

• I cave into critics, giving them the win…
• Rolling over easily, and doing it with a fake grin…

• I keep my voice silent, on issues that divide…
• Simply doing nothing and pretending to enjoy the ride…

• I’m making popularity my primary goal of the day…
• Following the voices of what the majority say…

• I’m refusing to share my God-given dream…
• Allowing mediocrity to stifle the team…

• I’ve quit stretching people with my goals…
• Purposefully ignoring the organizational holes…

Can you add a rhyme or two?
If so, you can make leadership easy like I do…

With every decision a leader makes…

Some will agree

Some will disagree

Some won’t understand

Some won’t care

While I think it’s important to keep that in mind, while I believe completely in accountability in leadership, even after the decision is made, ultimately the leader’s greatest attention should be:

Making the right decision for the organization regardless of other people’s opinion.

Leader:

• Get on your knees
• Hear a word from God
• Know clearly the vision God has placed on your heart

Then, although you may not have all the answers, or know where the path may take you, though some days it seems there are more adversaries than supporters, move forward in confidence.

That’s what leaders do.

How do you keep yourself strong when others are criticizing your decisions?

Spend more time looking towards your future than at your past.

Spend more energy on what you can change rather than what you cannot.

Spend more time reading a book than watching television.

Spend more time extending grace than holding a grudge.

Spend more time listening than talking.

Spend more time dreaming than dreading.

Spend more energy with people you love rather than things you can buy.

Do you have more?

Have you lost your way?

Have you given up on the dream?

Would you like to begin again?

I believe that hope is ultimately found in person of Jesus Christ, but sometimes our attitude towards receiving that hope determines our reality of living it. Perhaps you need a change of attitude.

Here are 10 words of hope to help you get back in the game:

Recharge – Recharge your drained batteries. Read a good book, hang out with someone positive, or attend a conference.

Rest – Struggles drain us personally. Sometimes we can’t continue until we have an extended period of downtime.

Reward – Reward yourself for small achievements. You may just need one win to spur you to greater things.

Re-energize – As strange as it sounds, I find exercising to be helpful when I need more energy.

Resist – Push through the pain and resist the temptation to quit.

Renew – Renew your passion for the vision you once believed in.

Restart – Invite some change, begin something new or try a different approach.

Reclaim – You had a dream. You believed in it. It had potential. Perhaps you simply need to reclaim what you already had.

Rejoice – Sometimes you need to throw a party…even before you realize the victory. A celebration may give you the motivation to try again.

Remind – People follow the leader. Remind them of their role in achieving the dream. Lead through the drought on to new victories.

Got any others?

Here’s the action plan. Pick the one that you feel you need the most, write it on an index card, then place it somewhere you’ll see often.

I don’t write many strictly business posts these days, even though I spent more than 20 years in that world. This article caught my attention though:

Bonds outperform stocks

(Click on the title to read the article. Basically, bonds are now outpacing stocks on a 30-year average return.)

I can’t help but believe this isn’t great news for a capitalistic economy. In a very simplistic view, stocks are based more on the assumption of risk. Bonds are based more on the assumption of security. When a capitalistic economy stops taking risks, it’s ceasing to live up to what it was designed to do. (I realize many times investors are looking for options other than stocks, but it doesn’t negate my point about a capitalistic society.)

What difference does all this make in terms of my calling now…as a pastor?

Well, I think the same is true for me (and those with similar callings). I see too many people in positions of leadership in the church who become comfortable and resist walking by faith.

When we stop taking the risks involved in fully surrendering to God’s will…when we become complacent or satisfied…we cease to live up to what we’ve been designed to do.

Is God placing something on your heart?

God calls us to things which require personal risk. Following God requires great faith, even more so the longer we follow Him. People don’t always agree when you step into “God-following” territory. It may even appear at times we are going to fail, at least in the short run. God callings often take years to see returns from the investment. Don’t settle for what appears secure at the time. It never really is!

If God says “Go”, do so in spite of your fears!

Be honest pastor,have you been settling for what’s comfortable these days?

Also, do you have an interest in business or politics, in addition to your God-calling? (Please don’t leave me alone here.)

In school, you may not have been too happy with the grade of D. There was that one time in a college marketing class when I was proud of an earned D (that’s a long story), but most of the time, we want to do better.

Maybe we’ve given D a bad name sometimes…especially when it comes to leadership.

Here are 8 D’s of good leadership:

Demand – There should be some non-negotiables when we talk in terms of good leadership. Leaders need to excel in issues of such as moral excellence, responsiveness and character. (Read 7 Non-Negotiable Traits to Work on My Team)

Deliver – You need to show up as a leader. Good leaders follow through on their commitments and can be depended upon to do what they say they will do. Leaders lead so others can follow by example. (Read: The Leader Sets the Bar)

Direct – Good leaders guide and shape the path of the organization. Leaders need to clearly communicate expectations and continually follow up to ensure the organization stays on track. (Read 4 Tasks of the Senior Pastor/CEO)

Divert – Good leaders aren’t in a position to seek all the admiration for themselves. Good leaders consistently point to the successes of others on the team, and ultimately give all the recognition for any success to God. (Read Sign of a Great Leader, The Humility to Say “I’m Not the One”)

Discuss – Good leaders keep an open dialogue with the people they lead. A leader who wants to be valued by a team allows his or her leadership to be vulnerable, questioned and challenged. (Read 7 Ways to Hear “I Have a Problem with You Leader”)

Develop – Good leaders empower others and are always recruiting and developing new leaders. (Read 4 Benefits of Empowering Leaders.)

Drive – Leaders push the organization to succeed. Good leaders are strategic. They push people and the organization to greater heights taking them places others wanted to go, but didn’t know how to get there. (Read Leaders Encourage Their Team to Victory)

Decided – Regardless of what comes, good leaders stick to the God-given vision until He calls them elsewhere. (Read My Best Advice for Leaders When Things are Going Wrong)

Leader, earn your grade! Get a D in good leadership!

Be honest, which of these 8 do you most need to improve upon? (I’ll go first. My biggest weakness on the list is “Direct”. I need to better communicate expectations to my team.)

What did I miss? What words (starting with the letter D) should be on my list for good leadership? 

I’m not working the first week of the new year.

Well, actually I am working. I’m writing a message for Sunday, I’m replying to dozens of emails, texts and phone calls, I’m thinking, processing, and dreaming about the new year.

I’m not in the office. Normally on this week there would be dozens of meetings. I’d begin implementing the plans I dreamed of over the month of December. I am a “hit the ground running” kind of guy.

But, instead, I’m on a “retreat” with my youngest son Nate. And, I’ll admit, it’s fun!

I’m at Passion Conference, a gathering of 44,000 mostly 18 to 25 year olds whose primary purpose is worshipping Jesus!

And, I’m not disappointed. I actually hope this is representative of my year.

I realize some would need no encouragement to do something like this to start the year, but you see, I don’t sit still very well. I’m more of a doer than a be…er. (Couldn’t find a way to write that word without you thinking it was an alcoholic beverage.) I struggle to rest in Christ. I’m more like Martha than I am like Mary. (Luke 10:38-42) I’d rather be doing something for Christ. Worship, as much as I want my life defined by it, is often pushed to the side for other, more “tangible” projects. (Sorry, just being honest.)

This year:

• I want my life defined more by devotion than by duty.
• I want to meditate on God’s Word as much as I study or even teach God’s Word.
• I want to praise more than I produce.

So, while this may seem like an unproductive start to the new year, I hope it’s the beginning of my most productive year ever. Hopefully, the older I get, the better I’m defining productivity.

How about you? Are you more like Martha or Mary?