Part of leadership is empowering others to achieve greatness.  You have the ability to do for someone else what many great leaders have had done for them, provide confidence and authority to achieve their dreams.  If you are a pastor, stay at home mom or CEO, you are called to raise up leaders who will accomplish more than you ever could.  Your team wants to be released to flex their muscles and take your organization to new heights.  You are the key that unlocks that potential for them. I have found there are some keys to empowering those around you.  Take a few minutes to discover six practical things you can do this week to help other leaders soar.

I have been communicating to people for almost twenty years.  I have employed various styles of attempting to get my point across.  Some have worked.  Many have not!  During this time I have learned a handful of principles to help guide me.  I now have four filters I run my communication through to make sure it is effective and sticks.  You have a message to communicate.  If you speak to people around a table during a meeting or from a stage for a presentation, you need people to listen.  Do not let your voice be dismissed due to a poor approach.  Take a few minutes to consider these four filters for the messages you want to convey.

There is an environment we often find ourselves in that can be mind-numbing: Meetings.  The mere thought of a meeting has some of you twitching right now.  How many times have you wondered if you were somehow less smart from having sat through that time?  Many things have a reputation for being the highlight of people’s day, meetings are seldom one of those things.  The good news is that it does not have to be this way.  I submit to you that it should not.  If you are a leader you are not there to waste your team's time or your organization's resources with how you lead gatherings.  Staff meetings, tactical meetings, creative meetings, planning meetings should and can have life to them.  It is not easy to pull this off, but easy never promised to be part of your job.  Step up, gather your team, and create environments where great things happen.  Here are seven things that you can do to bring energy and focus to your meetings.  

Do you ever dread a certain day of the week?  How about a certain person?  I think we all do at times.  It never fails in life that we bump into people who are hard to deal with.  "Difficult" is perhaps a kind word to describe some of these individuals.   What if we decided to change our approach with these people?  Instead of complaining about them, we tried to connect with them as people.  We have to shift from burning bridges to attempting to build them.  I find myself searching for ways to do this.   Today I want to focus on how to break down walls and build bridges to difficult individuals.  Here are 3 actions you can take that help you better lead difficult people.

A few years ago while on vacation I took a surfing lesson.  From that moment, I have been hooked.  Understand that surfing is my passion but far from my profession.  I am, and likely will forever be, a novice.  In my mind I embody the spirit and coolness of Bodhi from “Point Break.”  In reality I am afraid I look more like Gary Busey’s character from that movie!  Regardless of how I look or perform, surfing has a firm place of importance in my heart.  I search for excuses to make the journey to the ocean.  Everyday when I walk past my board in my garage I feel it pulling me towards the coast.  Not only is surfing my favorite lifestyle activity, it has also served as a teacher for me.  While some lessons have been practical, many have served to instill in me leadership truths.  Here are 5 mantras of leadership I have learned on my surfboard.

Most would argue that leaders tell people what they need to do.  Leaders are firm.  Leaders tell, leaders do not ask.  Leaders have answers.  There is truth in that.  However, there is also a different way to approach influencing people.  While we are still called on to be the curators of courage among those we lead, the boldest leaders serve those who follow them.  Perhaps you have seen examples of this.  Maybe the world is waiting on you to model the way.  This is a different way.  I believe it can revolutionize your leadership.  Here are 3 of my personal mantras of servant leadership.

Every day when we show up, we earn our right to lead others.  This is known as credibility.  We cannot buy or be given credibility, we have to earn it.  One of the most important qualities of a leader is their credibility.  It is something that leaders work hard to gain, that can erode over time and that can be lost in one mistake.  As you take the field today and line up against issues that you may feel beat you up, I want to encourage you to keep showing up and to give you 5 steps to earn credibility. 

Simple decisions can drive us crazy sometimes can't they?  Ever had an irrational reaction to a simple problem?  I have!  While I reflect on those moments as humorous, there are times when we face major decisions that actually carry weight in our lives.  Heavy decisions impact every area of our lives, especially as a leader.  Perhaps you are facing one right now.  When should I hire more staff?  When do we add another service or product?  Do I allow negativity to continue on my leadership team?  Is there a better way to engage volunteers in our church?  Should I fire the underperforming team member?  How do I admit to my own feelings of inadequacy in my role?  Whatever decision you are facing, I want to challenge you to engage in the process of making it.  Here are 6 reasons you need to make that difficult call.

Being transparent, I do not always respond to negative people by working to make things positive.  When I do I notice that people’s demeanor morphs by showing genuine interest in them.  Every day you come in contact with people.  Family members, co-workers, people at the gym or baristas at Starbucks.  Some are good interactions, others are challenging.  Every day you have the opportunity to bring out the best in another person.  If you are a leader, this is a crucial part of your job description.   Since we all have the chance to impact lives, I want give you 5 habits that give you a strong chance at winning with people no matter what the situation.  

Ever felt like you are stuck on some treadmill where you increase your energy, but never actually move forward?  What a miserable feeling!  No one enjoys the crushing feeling of being overwhelmed.  Worse yet is the stress that is partnered with feeling unproductive.  This struggle is not limited to our personal life.  If you are going to achieve in your career and in leadership, you have to get things done.  There has to be an ability to make actual progress.  Being busy is not sufficient.  Theory is good.  Philosophy is important.  Thought leaders are necessary.  But if you cannot execute well, your effectiveness is limited.  Gold medals are not won on treadmills.  So, how do you make sure that you are getting things accomplished, yet still have time to enjoy life?  Here are 6 ways I have found to be effective.