I am frequently asked, “How can I grow as a leader?” I suspect what they really want to know is how to expand their influence. Since leadership is influence, expanding it would grow them as a leader. Makes sense, don’t you think?

I think the best leaders expand their influence and leadership potential by continuing to learn and grow in experience. It takes intentionality to improve as a leader. You can read books, follow blogs and Tweets, attend conferences, and hang out with other leaders. These are all good practices to improve as a leader.

In my experience, however, my leadership influence grows the fastest when it grows through the people I’m supposed to be leading. Let me explain…

Want to expand your own leadership potential?

Invest in other people…

Allow someone you lead to lead…

Promote someone else’s agenda…

Celebrate a team member’s success…

Invite other people’s opinions…

The best leaders I know understand that when the people they lead are growing in their leadership, it spills over into their personal leadership potential. As the team improves, so improves the leader. As others who are following a leader grow in their leadership capacity and influence, the leader’s capacity and influence increases. It truly is one of the win/win scenarios of leadership.

Invest in others and watch your leadership potential expand.

What would you suggest?

One of the best things a leader can do is ask the right questions. I love to say, “A leader can only see what a leader can see”. The leader can often be the last to know where there is a problem or what others are thinking, so asking questions is critical to good leadership. Great leaders ask great questions.

Here are 12 great leadership questions:

What can we learn from this?

Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?

How can I help you?

What’s next?

Where should we be placing our best energy?

What am I missing or forgetting?

How can we do it better next time?

What do you think?

What changes could we implement to make your work life better?

What would you do differently if you had my position?

Are you enjoying your work?

How can I improve my communication with you?

Pick a few of those questions, try them on your team, and let me know your results.

What question would you add? (See, there’s another great question.)

Did you catch it?

What’s the greatest killer of motivation?

You thought it was a lack of vision, didn’t you?

But, you can have the greatest vision ever and still see motivation dwindle and momentum die.

The fact is, we have an amazing ability to get bored with good things over time. It doesn’t matter how much we love something, time can cause us to lose interest. All of us can think of something we once loved, but now it’s old news. We have a the sad ability of tiring of wonderful things.

Buy a child a toy at Christmas and they love it…it’s the best Christmas ever…but a few weeks later…they probably aren’t as excited about it anymore. They are ready for some new toys.

Marketers know they have to keep changing things to keep us buying. We get bored easily. That’s why Apple’s stock is through the roof. They keep introducing new products because we get bored with the old ones.

If we aren’t careful, we’ll do that in our relationships too. One of the biggest obstacle in many marriages is boredom. We quit dating…we quit courting…we quit surprising each other… Over time, we get bored in the relationship.

That feeling of boredom comes into the church also. Greeting at the front door was great at first. We met lots of new people and genuinely felt we were making a difference. Now we know everyone and the job has become old. I’m bored. Time killed my motivation.

Going to small group? Working with students? Playing in the band? Fun at first, but time has made me bored.

Perhaps you understand by now. Maybe you’re bored with this post. It was great when it started, but time has taken away your enthusiasm. Let me get to some help. It’s time.

If time is a killer of motivation, what’s the solution?

Keep retelling the vision – Remind yourself and others of why you are doing what you are doing. If your mission is to reach people for Christ, then get excited about that again. Renew your passion for others.

Keep practicing the vision – Sometimes we get busy with doing that we don’t really do what we were called to do. I know, that doesn’t make sense…but perhaps it makes too much sense. I’m not sure what I’m saying, but I know this. If you want to restore your motivation, do the things you’re motivated to do. If reaching broken, hurting people for Christ was the original passion God called you to do, then step away from the routines and busyness of life to start winning a few broken, hurting people for Christ again. Drop the mundane and follow the heart. Renew your personal passion.

Keep sharing the impact of the vision with others – Most likely there are still some people motivated for the vision. Surround yourself with them. Share their stories. Let their enthusiasm rub off on you and others. Live out the vision with others who believe in it as much as you do. It will motivate you as you share the vision with others again.

Have you seen time destroy motivation? What are you doing about it?

This is a guest post by Loren Pinilis. He writes about time management from a Christian perspective at Life of a Steward

Here are 2 keys to a truly productive church staff:

A pastor has incredible power as a leader.

It’s not restricted to formal voting or the pulpit. Pastors establish the culture of the church staff, which then sets the tone for volunteers and the entire congregation.

And in today’s society of emails, conference calls, and personnel shortages, one of the most important traits for a staff to develop is a focus on time management.

But this needs to be done carefully. Too much emphasis on schedules and undistracted blocks of time, and the leaders seem arrogant. Too much emphasis on relationships and fellowship, and no projects get completed.

The best approach for a productive church staff is not to begin by talking about methods. Instead, work on laying a foundation of the right philosophies. Here are two keys to concentrate on:

The Relationship between Mission and Resources

Time management will be valued when people understand the importance of what they do and the limited nature of their resources.

Many leaders understand the importance of communicating a passion for what the church does: the church’s mission.

It’s our finite resources that we take for granted. We need to be just as intentional about communicating our limited time as we are our mission.

In Psalm 90, a heart of wisdom comes from numbering our days. The Bible is full of reminders that our lives on this earth are like withering grass or a vapor.

The real power comes when our mission is connected with this fact. Then, limited time doesn’t depress us – it inspires us and motivates us. We don’t want to waste a precious second that we could be living out our mission.

When you remember that, to-do lists and calendars will be seen as weapons in a battle instead of merely inconveniences that burden you.

God-Centered and Not Me-Centered

Another roadblock for a truly productive church staff is when we focus too much on our own accomplishment. Time management turns into protecting my study time, my afternoon schedule, or my ability to concentrate.

There’s also a very real danger that we work on the mission of the church – but only to achieve our own glory. We can turn the church into a venue for displaying our individual gifts, effort, and success.

I like the way Jerry Bridges puts this in perspective: “God wants us to walk in obedience – not victory. Obedience is oriented towards God; victory is oriented towards self.”

A God-centered motivation not only allows us to bring him glory, but it guides our day to day decisions. It gives us a new perspective on the balance between relationships and to-do lists, between interruptions and scheduled work.

We realize that the people around us are important. But we keep God as our focus and strive to be obedient to him – not necessarily obedient to the desires of others.

What are some strengths your church staff has in these areas? What are some areas you think need to be worked on?

There are some things in leadership that I could honestly say I despise. Perhaps you have your own list, but this is mine.

Here are 10 things that drive me crazy in leadership:

Responsibility without authority – If you ask someone to lead something; then let them lead.

Small-mindedness – I like big dreams and those that dream them. I’ve never once out-dreamed God. Neither have you.

Naysayers – There is always someone who says it can’t be done.

Laziness – Not only is it a sin, if it is allowed to fester it can be contagious or disruptive to an organization.

Settling – Even if it involves conflict, I want to push for best over mediocre.

Popularity seeking – Leaders who say what they think people want to hear in order to be liked drive me nuts. (Not sure they are technically leaders.)

Power hunger – Leaders who are easily threatened by others or who always try to control others limit people and organizations.

Caution out of fear – I prefer a bold faith every time.

Bullied management – Some leaders get their way from force. That seems cowardly to me.

Passion squelchers – Leaders should energize others to realize their dreams, not stifle them.

What are some things you despise in leadership?

(I posted this basic idea several years ago, but brought it forward again since my readership has grown substantially since then.)

Are you a followable leader?

A followable leader has people who want to follow. They inspire followers to join them on a journey and they develop loyalty from their team.

Ask yourself: Do people want to follow my lead? Why would they want to follow me?

The best example I know of a followable leader is Jesus. Let’s consider some of the reasons He was able to develop such loyalty among the people He led.

Here are 7 qualities of a followable leader:

Have a vision worth following – To be followable, a leader needs a vision that lasts beyond today. There to be an element of faith and risk and to motivate followers. The vision needs to take people somewhere they want to go, but aren’t sure how to get there.

Be willing to lead the way – Followable leaders go first. They pave the way. They lead by example.

Remain steadfast – Even through difficult days, a followable leader stays the course. Followers know they can depend on the, resolve, strength and fortitude of the leader during the darkest hours.

Display patience – A followable leader extends grace and forgiveness when mistakes are made. They pace the team until the team is ready for greater challenges. They equip the team with the proper training and resources to complete assignments.

Challenge followers with high expectations – People want to follow someone who sets the bar for achievement high. There’s no intrinsic value in following easy-to-attain goals.

Practice humble servanthood – To be followable, a leader should display humility and be a servant of others; especially those he or she is supposed to be leading.

Place energy into others – Followable leaders consistently invest in other people. They give real authority and responsibility as they encourage and develop other leaders. They even replace themselves in key positions.

Can you see Jesus in each of these?

Would you follow a leader with such qualities?

Which of these do you most need to improve upon?

Pastoring can be lonely. As a pastor, I’m supposed to find my strength in Christ, (and you have to know how helpful that is to be reminded as if those who are not pastors are not commanded to do likewise ) and I do seek Christ as my ultimate strength. I teach the Bible regularly, however, that says we are to “bear with one another”. God didn’t design us to do life alone. That goes for pastors also.

From my experience, those in ministry leadership have been some of the loneliest people I’ve known. I hear from them everyday.

I was talking with a young pastor recently. He said, “Who is going to invest in me?” I understand the sentiment. He is struggling for answers he can’t seem to find; practical answers. People are looking to him for leadership and seminary didn’t teach him all he needs to know. I think every good leader asks that at same question; hopefully often.

Later that week I talked to an older pastor. He said, “I go home most days and haven’t heard a single positive. Things are going great. We are growing faster than ever, but it seems I get far more of the negatives than I get to hear of the good we are doing.” All I could do was agree. I’ve felt that way before many times.

When the weight of ministry responsibility appears to rest on your shoulder…when everyone looks to you for the answer…when some days you don’t know which direction to turn…when you are balancing the demands of ministry and family…when you are seen as a key in helping everyone with a problem hold their life together…yet you feel no one is concerned about your personal struggles…and you don’t know who to trust…

Remember God’s words of encouragements:

Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.

Yes, that is the first answer.

Next, find a mentor; someone who is walking further down the road from you, but going in the direction you want to go. I’ve written extensively about this, but you can start HERE.

And then regularly:

1. Surround yourself with a few pastors at the same level you are organizationally. (If it’s a pastor, youth minister, etc.) It seems to work best if the churches are similar in size and structure. They’ll best understand.

2. Work to develop a close enough relationship with them, over time, where you can trust them. You may have to spend some of your free time and even travel to do this. Learn from each other, seek wisdom from more seasoned people together, and grow together in the ministry.

3. Consistently share burdens, concerns, and encouragements with each other. You can do this occasionally in person, but more frequently over the phone or online. Chances are, they need this as much as you do, so be the one to take the initiative.

I hear what some pastors are thinking, because it has been said to me so many times. You often think those groups aren’t there for you. You’ve tried before and couldn’t find them. I would say:

• Keep trying. It’s worth it.
• Treat this like any other friendship. It takes commitment and has to be a balance of give and take.
• Be willing to be vulnerable.
• Risk the rejection to extend an offer for friendship.
• Use social media, denominational leadership, recommendations from others to find these pastors…whatever if necessary. (This has been one of the greatest benefits of social media for me, by the way.)

Some of these relationships I have had to develop outside my own city. I’ve found they are valuable enough to justify the time and financial investment required.

Pastor, help other pastors by commenting with how you handle the loneliness of leadership. 

What about it pastor? Are you struggling today? What are you going to do about it?