"Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors, and little old ladies never had to cross the street alone. men took charge because that's what they did. But somewhere along the way the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny. But today there are questions our gender-less society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grownups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar, and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It's time to get your hands dirty. It's time to answer the call of manhood. It's time to wear the pants."
In this modern world of political correctness and "just do enough to get by" we need some HEROIC LEADERSHIP! Not only in our homes...but in our churches!
- Leaders who are not afraid to get their HANDS DIRTY!
- Leaders who are NO LONGER CONTENT to remain on the sidelines!
- Leaders who will take the INITIATIVE and take RESPONSIBILITY!
- Leaders so full of PASSION they will do ministry without a paycheck!
- Leaders who won't work just any old job...unless they can be totally SOLD OUT to what they're doing for Christ!
- Leaders who will do WHAT IT TAKES to get the job done.
- Leaders who are NOT CLOCK PUNCHERS!
- Leaders whose WORK ETHIC means they come early and leave late!
- Leaders who STICK WITH IT when others give up!
- Leaders who MEASURE SUCCESS in INCREMENTS instead of one big fanfare!
- Leaders who ENDURE failures!
- Leaders who can keep going without RECOGNITION!
- Leaders who walk in HUMILITY and can identify what it's like to be last and hungry!
- Leaders who can HANDLE SUCCESS with humility and gratitude!
- Do Right - every leader has to do right. We have an obligation to God and to those who are following us to do the right thing. We cannot afford to put our selfish desires ahead of God's plan.
- Treat Others Right - we must never forget to treat people with dignity and respect. People are people - real flesh and bone - not numbers and statistics! We must care for other people with compassion and conviction.
- Stay Right - in whatever season we're in, we must treat our ministry opportunity with humble stewardship. It is not to be taken lightly! We must carry the ministry of God like an egg in our hand. One wrong move - could fracture it or worse...destroy it. Every day is an opportunity to be the best steward I can be.
- Lead Right - when I'm communicating clearly, those who are following me won't have to scratch their heads in wonder. They're as much as part of the team as I am. They deserve to know where I'm headed and the place I lead.
- Line-up Right - I MUST never refuse correction and I MUST always be open to constructive criticism. Doing so will keep me in alignment. If I ever think I have all the answers or am infallible - I'm a train wreck waiting to happen. I MUST be transparent and open. I MUST take responsibility for my actions and missteps. I MUST be accountable to those whom God has placed over my authority.
Leaders Wear the Pants!
Every leader is a decision maker who communicates vision and direction. They are driven with passion, they know the taste of victory and the agony of defeat and for certain one thing they will have is followers. When you have followers, you have people who look to you for direction, challenge and encouragement. At some point, they'll learn to trust where you're going and decide to follow.
If you're not ready to lead...then get out of the way! Leadership is a high calling with A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY! We don't lay our responsibility by the door just because we accomplished a task or reached a goal. We have a responsibility to PEOPLE... especially the people we're leading - they have real ideas and desire to succeed both in work and in life.
I need OTHER PEOPLE to make my dream come to pass! How can we move forward without the help of others? No matter how you view it our blessing is coming wrapped up in some flesh. God is going to use people to help us get to our destiny! Leaders must not only move forward but they must also INVEST in the lives of those they're leading. Friends, we have people around us right now who are able to do what we're not able to do. On top of that, we must CREATE an ATMOSPHERE where people can tap into their gifts and abilities without fear or jealousy.
When we're secure in our calling and working on our "internal stuff" - we'll be confident to allow OTHERS TO LEAD US. This is what's called MUTUAL SUBMISSION. Obviously, someone has to be the head (leader) or what some refer to as "THE FIRST OF EQUALS", but this mindset will release our team to PUSH ON OUR IDEAS and QUESTION them if it's a derivation of our corporate goal.
John Maxwell speaks about this in his book THE 360 LEADER - in essence, he says, any leader at any level needs each individual on his or her team to apply upon them leadership pressure. I NEED PEOPLE in my life that will challenge me to do better! They will use their INGENUITY and EXPERIENCE to help me STAY CLOTHED! (Genesis 9)
Every leader must be surrounded with people who will cover them. If something is wrong, we need people we trust to tell us and help us especially when there is a lot of pressure. LEADING UP isn't about publicly voicing disagreements with our leaders ideas - it's about verbalizing our support and loyalty when the role of a leader is at its toughest point. LEADING UP requires honesty and commitment to the leader, even when it isn't comfortable or easy.
PRIORITIES
Who's in charge? Who's wearing the pants? Whoever is over us in the Lord is who we are required to answer to. However, in the order of priorities - we are first committed to Jesus and the Body of Christ and then to the leader. It's easy to follow someone else when you know they're concern is beyond their personal success.
LEADING UP isn't about disagreeing with our leader - it's about pushing our leader forward in areas they think they can't. It's about being honest enough to say something that will HELP the situation and provide strength.
We must use wisdom when we do this. We must never do anything to embarrass our leader publicly. If we notice something about our leaders attitude or actions that's not quite right or out of character - we go to them in private - one on one. NEVER in front of others.
In a team environment - (i.e., meeting, etc.) we speak the language of our leader in the form of strategy. We point towards the heart of our leader and communicate their voice with our influence especially when we can tell others aren't receiving or they misunderstanding what our leader is saying. It's not what we say...but how we say it.
What does every leader need? Every leader needs a person on their team to love the church and the leader enough to be honest and open...when its time to push back and when it's time to push forward. That's the only way everyone will reach their goal - both corporately and personally.
Friends, no matter where we lead...from the top, the middle or the bottom...we MUST WEAR THE PANTS and LEAD!
