The Leadership Pillar

The Biblical King David lead the nation of Israel to its greatest heights of power and glory. King David's leadership is found exemplified in the Gospel of Luke 6:10a, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much….” David's ascent from a lowly shepherd to king of Israel begins with him caring for the least of creatures to caring for God's chosen people. His rise to leadership was gradual, but increased in responsibility after he successfully overcame each challenge he faced. There is no indication in the Bible that David ever aspired to leadership, but there is a sense that David modeled a “bloom where you are planted” mentality. whatever David was in a position to do, he wanted to do it well. By tending carefully to what seems minor, we may find ourselves achieving things we only dreamed about.

Leadership expert John Maxwell once defined integrity as the “state of being complete, unified…” But I think we should go further. A strong definition of integrity, I believe, is given in the The American Heritage Dictionary. It defines integrity as “steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code; sound.” ‘Sound' is further defined as “free from defect or damage.” The uniting of these two definitions clearly identifies what traits someone should possess before we can say they have “integrity.” Only by “steadfast adherence to a moral code” can a leader realize true integrity.

Make a commitment to your people—to value their input and make it part of the overall organizational vision. Good leaders share the same basic assumptions about people, their motivations, and their abilities and good leadership begins from the premise that people want to perform their jobs well and then seeks to build upon that premise.

Organizational success depends on a willingness to adjust to varying conditions. Much the same way a professional baseball player must improve in his area of weakness if he wants to remain competitive, organizations must be willing to change if they are to remain successful. However, oftentimes the biggest hurdle to change is the leadership of the organization.

True leadership says, “I will help others reach their potential, even if that potential exceeds my own.” An organization's greatest resource is its people. And those people want to know that their individual efforts are noticed, valued, and considered an integral part of the organizational mission. Effective leaders manage well, communicate well, and act with integrity and humility. Welcome to “The “Leadership Pillar,” a podcast that shares sound leadership principles based on proven values and approaches that will help YOU elevate the people in YOUR organization.