by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 5, 2011 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Vision
Yesterday’s post on getting to the next level created a lot of interest. Although it’s not reflected in the comments section, I received several encouraging emails and text messages from people aspiring to get to the next level. If you missed it, you can read it HERE.
When mentioning next-level leadership you may have the image of climbing a ladder to the top. It may feel good to have a position of prominence. However, next- level leadership is not about promotion. It is about preparedness. Guess what: God alone decides who’s prepared and ready to go to the next level.
Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something, (Proverbs 25:6-7 New Living Translation).
I love The Book of Proverbs because it contains nuggets of wisdom applicable to all. Proverbs 25:6-7 tells us: Don’t push your way into a situation. Wait for the invitation. If you belong there, it will come. Go ahead and re-read that statement…If you belong there, God will make provisions for it to happen. In the meantime, the question remains unanswered: How a Next-Level approach affects your Leadership?
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 4, 2011 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Vision
No matter what you’re doing, there comes a time when you are going to want to take things up a notch. Maybe it’s your career — even if things are going along fine right now, ultimately you’d like to get a promotion, increase your client base, or reach a larger audience. “Getting started with anything can be a struggle, but once you reach a certain level of success, it can be hard to figure out how to make whatever it is you do truly remarkable,” according to Lifehack.
Leadership books, blogs, conferences, and websites mainly talk about getting to the next level. If you buy their book, read their blogs (including mine), attend their conferences, and peruse their websites – you’re well on your way to getting ‘there.’ Everyone desires to get to the next level, but many don’t know how. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet that works for everyone. Today I’d like to share what kind of leadership is required to get to the next level.
What is the Next Level of Leadership?
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 1, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership
Happy Friday!
Last week I shared “The ONE Mistake Nearly All Leaders Make” (failing to discern their culture). Failing to discern your culture could prove fatal. Yesterday, I shared how “A Culture of Service Makes a Great Leader.” You can read more about it HERE. Today, I conclude this series sharing the characteristics that reflect a true leadership culture.
What Characteristics reflect a True Leadership Culture?
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 31, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Self-Leadership
Last week I shared “The ONE Mistake Nearly All Leaders Make” (failing to discern their culture). I warned potential conference goers to spend time discerning their culture before trying to implement strategies from other places. What works for Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. R.A. Vernon, and Joyce Meyer probably won’t work for you since you are not them or have their audience. However, there’s an applicable universal leadership principle that supersedes location, gender, and race.
The question is: Is there a culture that can be adopted by leaders that will make them more efficient? Is a successful leadership culture something that can be learned and applied? The answer is yes – A Culture of Service makes a Great Leader.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 21, 2011 | Communication, Decisions, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership
I’m BACK!!!
Since I’ve been away, I’ve been extremely busy launching an online Bible Study, planning a Praise & Worship Concert (March 25-27, 2011) at Mars Hill Baptist Church of Chicago, pouring into our men, and leading a thriving and growing church. The greatest blessing while being away is I took time to work on creative content to share with my blog family. Thanks for your patience.
Laying hands on our men during an altar call – Sunday, March 20, 2011
It’s officially conference season and like any other industry, Christendom has plenty to offer. Before you run off and attend this year’s bevy of conferences, I suggest you spend time clearly defining and understanding the culture of your church, business, or ministry. Why? One of the deadliest mistakes leaders make is failing to understand the existing organizational culture. Often new leaders work diligently to transplant their heart and vision into people who ultimately reject it. Why…failure to take time and discern and understand the culture.
I define culture as the beliefs and behaviors of an organization. In short, every organization has a “certain way” of doing things and that way is ultimately determined by that organization’s culture. For this reason change is often difficult to embrace because it pushes against that organization’s culture.
“Culture – not vision or strategy is the most important factor in organization” according to leadership consultant Samuel Chand (Source: Cracking Your Church’s Culture). He goes on to share how “it determines the receptivity of the staff and volunteers to new ideas, unleashes or dampens creativity, builds or erodes enthusiasm, and creates a sense of pride or deep discouragement about working or being involved.”
Mars Hill is currently transitioning to a church that focuses on Worship and The Word. Consequently, as leaders we worked long and hard to discern our culture before we transitioned our church. First, we had to establish a true leadership culture of service.
What is True Leadership Culture?
Leadership culture takes on many forms. Many theories on leadership talk about natural leadership styles that are linked to your personality type. Indeed, personality does play quite a big part in leadership. Some people are simply more natural leaders than others. The question is: Is there a culture that can be adopted by leaders that will make them more efficient? Is a successful leadership culture something that can be learned and applied? The answer is yes – A Culture of Service makes a Great Leader. Stay with me for the next few days as we discover this powerful leadership principle.
Question:
When you hear words like “culture” or “a culture of service,” what comes to mind?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 22, 2011 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Leadership, Money and Finance, Self-Leadership
Last week I stopped by Jimmy John’s in Oak Park, IL to grab some lunch. While eating, I noticed a sign on the wall that read: “Warren Buffet’s list of 10 Rules for Getting Rich.” Instead of ripping the sign off the wall and risking felony charges for theft and vandalism, I whipped out my iPad (never leave home without it) and typed the rules while enjoying a #4 Turkey Tom Sandwich with Honey Dijon mustard.
The rules were simple, yet profound. Here’s Warren Buffet’s 10 Rules for Getting Rich in its entirety (Source: Jimmy John’s Wall – Oak Park, IL):
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