The Other Side of Leadership

Most Leadership Developers have a consistent theme: What it takes to become a great leader.

Most Leadership Developers are fantastic at teaching their respective themes. There's tremendous wisdom passed on through these themes.

Let's talk about what not to do if you want to become a great leader.

I'm talking about the opposite of VALID Leadership, aptly called UN-VALID leadership.

VALID leaders practice Vision, Association, Love, Involvement, and Discipline. These traits produce excellent leadership qualities.

UN-VALID leaders practice Vengeance, Arrogance, Lying, Insecurity, and Division. These traits produce destruction and devastation to any organization who allow them to take a strong hold.

Although Solomon talks about it throughout the book of Proverbs, he sums it up in 4 verses.

1. Vengeance- Hands That Shed Innocent Blood (17), A False Witness Who Brings Out Lies (19)
2. Arrogance- Haughty Eyes (17)
3. Lying- A lying Tongue (17), False Witness Who Brings Out Lies (19)
4. Insecurity- Pick Any Of Them (17-19)
5. Division- Devising Wicked Plans (18), Sowing Discord Among Brothers (19)

Solomon states in verse 16 that God hates the traits listed above.

If God considers them an abomination, shouldn't we do our best to avoid them?

As a VALID Leader you'd better.

Thoughts To Live By: Thanks to Solomon and James Allen

The last few months has been an educational period. The main lesson, Contentment, took top billing.

By reading a chapter of Proverbs each day, as I've done for the last four years; combined with a highlighted segment of As A Man Thinketh, the path to contentment is much clearer.

I'm not sure we're ever to actually reach the destination of total contentment, but the journey toward there is worth traveling.

There are numerous passages in Proverbs which describe contentment. Today's 21:19 from the ESV says, "Its better to live in a desert land, than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman." This book is loaded with instructions in every chapter to guide us along.

The segment from James Allen, "A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting his thoughts," should be stored in your memory banks and spoken out loud every day.

We are what we think about all day long, and we get to choose the topic.

Mine is Contentment. What's yours?

Christian Fiction Online Magazine

The latest version of CFOM is now live at

http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com

My latest short, part two of Proverbial Intake, is part. Please check it out and provide feedback.

Thanks,
James

Break

I'll be taking a break from this blog to finish my novel, Operation Geronimo, thanks for your understanding

Proverbs 1: Theme?

The first chapter of Proverbs has three major themes. The first and most important will be discussed last.

The next two, in no particular order are:

Association and Wisdom.

Association is the second factor in VALID leadership. Who you allow to populate your inner circle will affect who you become.

Verse 10 (ESV), My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.


Wisdom is putting knowledge and experience to work. Why spend countless hours learning and trying new things if you don't apply them.

Verse 33 (ERV), but those who listen to me will live in safety and comfort. They will have nothing to fear.



The final and most important theme of chapter 1 is verses 2-7. These actually explain what the book is about and what we can learn from it. Today let's start with verse 2 and 3.


Verse 2 (ERV) They will help you learn to be wise, to accept correction, and to understand wise sayings.


Verse 3 (ERV) They will teach you to develop your mind in the right way. You will learn to do what is right and to be honest and fair.

The Proverbial Intake system uses these verses to form its foundation. Why look anywhere else for solid, life-changing advice?

Proverbs is where it's at! You just have to use it.

A Thematic Approach to Proverbs

My wife and I have employed the Proverbial Intake System for about four years running. Over this time we've become quite familiar with the book and the message it portrays.

One of our new goals is to decipher a theme for each chapter and institute that theme during the day.

This isn't as easy as we thought. Many of the chapters have multiple themes. Some appear just to be random thoughts reading like the chart below.

Randomness

Still others send a clear message. One chapter in particular, 20, devotes 9 different verses to honesty in our business dealings. We'll discuss this in detail and others over the next few weeks.

Until then, off to Houston for our son's high school graduation.

God Bless.

Proverbial Intake, Insight

While working on my new book Proverbial Intake I've noticed one of the most popular themes throughout Proverbs is telling the truth. Why is that such a large part of the overall message Solomon is trying to convey?

My opinion is this. All relationships start with a attraction of some kind. Whether it be visual, commonality, or even adversarial. Something brings two people together.

Over time the relationship is either grown by trust, or forgotten by lack thereof.

In order to gain trust, both parties must be truthful.

There you have it. If there's no truth, there's no trust, thus no lasting relationship.

Proverbial Intake: Refocusing for 2012

2012 promises to be an exciting year. We as a family have been faced with several challenges and obstacles. A few are minor and a few are major.


Proverbs 16.3 states, Commit your way to the lord, and your plans will be established. This should be the first step with any plan or goal. Give it too the Lord!


How do we address these once we receive confirmation? We prioritize our plans based on importance, not urgency. Then we focus on the solutions and decide the proper course of action and follow through to completion.


The highest priority is the issue which must be addressed now. The one which can bring great benefit to you and your family or great distress if not tackled now. If you are honest with yourself, this should be easy to identify. Then continue the process until you have the most important issued listed in order of priority.


As important as listing them is taking action. proverbs 11.14 states where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory. Simply stated ask for help and advice when you need it. There is strength in asking for help.


Are you focused in to the right priority?

Proverbial Intake: Association, You Are Who You Attract!

Vision

Understanding who you allow in your inner circle will eventually determine who you are.

Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 11.14 NASB

It is amazing how we cultivate destructive relationships even when we know better. The old sayings, "If you lie with dogs, you'll get fleas" and "guilt by association" are dead on.

It’s nearly impossible to stay positive when negative people surround you. It is equally as hard to stay negative when positive thinkers surround you. Certain groups will tear you down, while others lift you up. You will be the same person you are today in five years with the exception of the books you read and the company you keep.

This does not mean we don’t help those in need and spend time ministering to others, only that we must choose our inner circle wisely. Jesus had 12 disciples, but only 3 were considered his inner circle.

Our inner circle does dictate who we are. Whether you buy into this or not, its a fact! There are over 100 verses in Proverbs covering association. They discuss who you should and who you shouldn't hang around with.

When I take a serious look at my past, it is crystal clear! My successful days were spent with quality relationships. Those with positive outlooks and visions. My bad days were also tied to my relationships, except they were destructive. Those with negative outlooks and no vision.

The truth was and will always be I attracted others based on my outlook. Birds of a feather...

Experience is a great teacher, but it takes time to learn. Why not use a shortcut, called Proverbs and learn from the King of Wisdom. They Proverbial Intake system will help you achieve your goal to live a positive life!

Proverbial Intake: Vision- Seeing is Believing!

Vision

The ability to imagine, declare, and implement an idea or strategy which does not exist at this present time.

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained

Proverbs 29.18 NASB

Vision is arguably the most important aspect of leadership. Vision is seeing the future and blazing a trail toward it. Without a vision there is no need for a leader. The Bible is loaded with stories and vivid recollections of Visions.

A strong, believable Vision creates excitement and excitement creates enthusiasm. Enthusiasm creates energy and energy creates inertia. It is much easier to lead enthusiastic people with inertia than those without any momentum. Leaders with vision create their own momentum.

Would you commit to follow someone without direction? Would you have a greater level of confidence following someone who only knew the next step, or one who had the entire plan mapped out?

There are two ways to describe vision. The first is tangible sight. The things we actually see each day. We know they exist because we can touch and smell them. No faith is needed.

The second type, leadership vision, is intangible—an imaginary place. Successful leaders must have the ability to cast their vision and then cultivate the vision throughout the organization until it becomes part of the culture.

Creating your vision is not as hard as you think. It starts with your goal. What are you trying to accomplish? It is impossible to visualize accomplishing something if you don’t know what you are chasing. Vision is seeing your goals turn into realities. As Proverb 29.18 states, people need a vision to stay on track. Without it, they become out of whack.

If you are in a leadership role now and your team is unrestrained, you now know why. They lack vision and the leader, you, are responsible to cast it. And if you don’t, another leader will set up and replace you. Remember leadership requires followers. Followers require direction. The vision sets the tone and the direction.

Do you agree? Feel free to add your comments and advice.

Proverbial Intake: Leadership, What Else is There!

LEADERSHIP!

The act of leading! Providing the resources, guidance, and discipline required to bring fruition to an idea or strategy without coercion or intimidation. Bringing Validity to your role as a leader!

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4.20-27 NASB

The scripture shown is one of the best descriptions of leadership you will find.

Leadership is taught in many forms, but who can argue with one of the most influential authors of all time and his description of leadership! Solomon in all his splendor and glory recorded nearly 1000 nuggets of wisdom and instruction in the book of Proverbs.

The VALID concept of leadership is modeled from the scripture above. It captures the essence of our inner being. After all, leadership starts internally. It can only be passed on once we are developed internally. Make no mistake, leadership is who we are, not what we do!

The goal of PI is to help you internalize leadership and make it part of your everyday life.

To accomplish this monumental task we need a simple, yet effective system.

Each week we'll break down one of the seven steps for VALID leadership. This will give you the chance to apply the principle throughout your week. We will repeat the process to give you two examples of each step. The seven steps are as follows:

1. General Leadership- Proverbs 4.20-27 NASB

2. Vision- Proverbs 29.18 NASB

3. Association- Proverbs 11.14 NASB

4. Love- Proverbs 10.12 NASB

5. Involvement- Proverbs 24.27 NASB

6. Discipline- Proverbs 15.32 NASB

7. Un-VALID Leadership- Proverbs 6.17-20 NASB

Today's lesson is short and sweet. Being a leader puts you in the spotlight. Everything you do and say, whether seen by others or not counts toward your credibility rating. The higher the rating the more trustworthy you are and the more followers you will lead.

My awesome wife quotes,"Whatever is in the dark, will come to the light." This falls in line with, you reap what you sow. Leaders understand these universal laws and try to model their behaviors to comply. Of course, nobody is perfect and we all for short daily.

The key takeaway here, act appropriately at all times. If you slip, get up, dust yourself off and make amends. Then continue your journey to success! Next stop, Vision.

The Initial Post

Proverbial Intake!

Proverbs is a fascinating book loaded with principles and teachings which will improve each area of our lives. The key is to apply them. But how?

First, you must read them! Not once, but repeatedly. I find reading one chapter each morning works wonders. Second, take one of verse and apply throughout your day. The results will astound you.

The idea behind PI is simple. Each month we'll select a specific topic such as wisdom, abundance, relationship building, and leadership. Then we'll discuss one verse each week relating to the topic of the month. In the course of one year, we'll have discussed 52 specific principles and our transformation will be well under way.

Month one will be a topic near and dear to my heart; leadership. The first post will debut on March 1, 2012. And for less then $.03 per day, you can have PI delivered regularly to your Kindle! Pretty Cool!

Please join me through this awesome journey. You'll be glad you did.