Leaders Worth Following

by Tim Howard

If you are a leader, you have people following you! I believe it was John Maxwell that said something to this effect: If you think you are a leader and no one is following you – you are just out for a good walk.

I‘ve followed several great men and women over the years and have been helped greatly by them in the process of my maturity. They led in such a way as to elicit from me loyalty, faithfulness, a willingness to sacrifice and a strong desire to follow them.

How do you develop a team that people want to play on? To reword the question; How do you become a leader, people want to follow?

One key word is “Environment.” We all create a certain environment, atmosphere or aura if you will, that other people can see, sense and react to. How many of you find yourself rejoicing when a certain co-worker calls the office to say they won’t be in on a specific day? Be honest!  If you rejoice when they are not present, it’s because they have created an environment that’s not very pleasant. The opposite is true as well. We miss someone because they create an atmosphere that is enjoyable.

There’s a sign that reads: “All people bring me joy, some when they enter and others when they leave.” That sums it up.
 A good atmosphere or a good environment keeps the morale high and when the morale is high, people want to follow the leader and they look forward to playing on the team. One of the greatest challenges a leader will ever face is not merely to complete a task but to create an environment conducive to love, joy, peace, and camaraderie.

Here are four ways to create an atmosphere on the job, in the home, at the school, and a myriad of other places that will help to create in people a desire to follow your leadership.

1.   Be a person of integrity. Open, upfront and honest! The environment this creates will allow openness from others and build a safe place for free expression. Authenticity is a must!

2.   Treat people in the same way you want to be treated and don’t show favoritism. Everyone has value and is uniquely made. In Genesis 37, Jacob showed favoritism by loving one son more than the others. Result: The family members resented each other and negativity grew. A competitive and comparative spirit enters and the temperature becomes very cold when you favor some over others.

3.   Compliment your followers more than you criticize them. How many of you would admit: When the boss asks you to step into his or her office, the first thing to go through your mind is this question: “What did I do wrong?” Focusing on the good and giving some praise now and then can build the morale and create a positive attitude.  Look for the Gold. You will never find the gold in people if you only focus on the dirt surrounding them. And by the way, we all get dirty. 

4.   Talk WITH people, not TO them! You can talk to people, at people or with people but when you do the latter of the three, people will respect you because you are actually listening to them. Communication was always intended to be a dialogue, not a monologue.

I encourage you to be a leader worth following!

You Belong

by Tim Howard

It’s a great feeling to be around people who embrace you when you are difficult to deal with – love you when you’re not as kind as you should be and forgive you when you mess up in a big way. They may not approve of everything you are doing but their acceptance of you as someone important and significant to them is never questioned.

Jesus offered this to people. Individuals came to Him and felt comfortable in His presence. They didn’t feel judged, condemned, alienated, or out of place. He made them feel like they belonged. He challenged them, cautioned them and even corrected them at times but always with acceptance, love and a spirit of compassion. Non-religious people loved being around Jesus. If you question this fact, check out Mark 2:15 and Luke 5:29 in your Bible.

I know people who won’t come to church or follow Christ because they don’t feel good enough or worthy. They think they must change their ways first and then Jesus will accept them. The truth, however, is just the opposite. When people came to Jesus – many were anything but religious. They didn’t change first and then come to Him, they came to Jesus who welcomed them as they were and from that encounter He changed their lives forever.

The Bible is clear – You can’t make internal and eternal changes without Jesus. You may be able to alter your behavior because of self-determination and self-help books but only Jesus can change you from the inside out. All of us have things in need of being altered!  The true answer to our challenges, however, is not: ‘change then come’ but come just as you are and He will change you. Jesus invites you to come into His presence ‘just as you are.’

Here’s the irony! You would think that religious people who claim to be followers of Christ would function the same way and have the same attitude as Christ. The opposite, however, is too often – true! The religious leaders of that day were ticked off at Jesus for embracing people who weren’t like them. They required people to believe first and then they could belong. Change your behavior and then you can fit in. Become like we are and then you will be accepted. In other words: You must believe, behave and become like us before you can belong.

Allow me to simply state: Jesus did not give us that model! Romans 5 reveals that before we believed in God, before we became anything of significance; before we changed our behavior He loved us enough to send His son Jesus to help us. He died so we could belong.

In this day and age, we can’t afford to get the cart ahead of the horse.

Do we need to behave differently? Absolutely!

Do we need to believe the truth? Positively!

Do we need to become all we were created to be? Without a doubt!

But BEFORE any of these things – You belong to Him – He is your creator – and He loves you!

You Belong in God’s presence… Warts and all!   

Who Are You Following?

by Tim Howard

How many of you have ever played “Follow the Leader” as kids?  The rules are simple. You pick a leader; everyone gets in a line behind Him or her and tries to imitate whatever he or she does. I’ve always thought that’s a pretty cool picture of what it means to be a Christian. You simply follow Jesus! Go where He tells you go, say what He tells you to say and do what He tells you to do.  The W.W.J.D. is a good thing to ask when you are making decisions of any nature. What Would Jesus Do?

Following Jesus is a recurring theme in the New Testament. The apostle Paul wrote: Follow me as I follow Christ.  When Jesus called His first disciples he said: “Come, follow me,” and as they followed Him their purpose and perspective changed. As Jesus walked along, He saw Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. He ultimately became the one who wrote the first Gospel in the New Testament. Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself or herself and take up their cross and follow me.

Following Christ will change you for the good – People follow many leaders but not all leaders are worth following. If you are looking for a mentor or someone to follow make sure you’re looking for the right thing.

Character is more important than charisma. Someone may look impressive and their rhetoric may sound persuasive but without character, they will lead you in a direction you should not go. When I read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and use the word, character rather than love, I understand what Paul is trying to communicate in this passage. Here’s what it says:

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t have character, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all His mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t have character, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t have character, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without character. True love will reveal true character.

The same Apostle sets forth a standard for leaders who are worth following: A leader must be well thought of in the community. Cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He or she must know what they are talking about and not be overly fond of wine to the point of drunkenness. They must not be pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned nor money-hungry.  He or she must handle his or her own affairs well, because if they can’t oversee their own lives well, how can they lead others?

Do you notice the Apostle Paul doesn’t talk too much about skill, abilities or talents? Not because they are unimportant but because without the essential quality of Character a leader worth following will never develop.

Jesus fits all the criteria above and more. That’s why I follow Him. He is worth following! Who are you following?