Good day, Purposeful Hearts! Today I’d like to start a multi-week mini course on effective Christian leadership. I became fascinated by the world of leadership studies during my early years of teaching at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The mission statement of the school professed that WLC trained Christian leaders to go out and serve the world. While I recognized that students could take advantage of many leadership opportunities on the campus, there were no means for students to understand the processes of leadership or receive training in best leadership practices.
I created a leadership course that now runs most semesters and helped design WLC’s Christian Leadership Certificate Program (where I also serve as a coach and mentor). I’ve spent the last 18 years (where did the time go?) helping students identify their personal leadership styles, and I’d like to help you do the same thing! Talk about an intangible topic, right?
While I can’t label each and every one of you with a specific style, I can share with you the process for defining your leadership style. However, I have one message of caution . . . if you thought you’d be able to sit back, relax, and soak in this post, think again. To make the process of defining your leadership style work for you, you need to be reflective and intentional. This process is truly a journey, and you are responsible for tracing your steps on the map in terms of where you’ve been and where you believe you’re headed.
So, now that you’re committed, let’s take a look at where we’ll be adventuring for the next few weeks. The process of defining your leadership style involves three sequential steps. First, we’ll talk about knowing your Savior as the starting point for all Christian leadership activity. Next, you need to know yourself and your strengths, so we’ll look into who you are as a unique, gifted, child of God. Finally, we’ll explore what I call your sphere of influence; that is, the current and potential audiences or relationships that you can reach with the Gospel and your leadership style.
Ready? Then let’s begin with knowing your Savior! Join me next week to get started!
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