Can You Inject Your Influence Into Others?
Hey Friends,
What will you do with your influence? This is a critical question for every leader. Can you inject your influence into younger leaders around you? This is something I have tried to do for many years. Now that I have watched leaders develop or fail to develop over almost 30 years of ministry, I am more careful about injecting my influence than I used to be.
Early on, I gave my influence to anyone I could. I thought everyone could be a leader and just needed some help. I have since learned that many do not want to be leaders. Some of the people I gave my influence to did not steward it well. They would continue to come back and ask me to bail them out with more influence. I learned in the process to loan my influence, not to continue giving it away!
Today, I am even more careful. I have watched some I have given influence to turn it on me and try to hurt my leadership. Sad, really. Today, I do love to loan influence to help younger leaders get started. I also try to leverage my influence to help younger staff members get started. My influence can be the added momentum they need to get rolling or to go to the next level.
If I inject influence on someone who does not use it well, I will not continue to give it to them. You must choose to whom you add value. There are some younger leaders around me who demonstrate that the more influence I inject into them, the farther and faster they climb. I love to watch it.
To whom are you adding value? To whom are you giving your influence? As leaders we must raise up the next generation and your influence is a big part.
Yours to count on,
Pastor Chris
3 Comments
This is just a personal opinion, but I feel strongly that people are born leaders. Just as an athlete has physical characteristics given by God that allows them to carry out a performance, leaders are given a look, a special ability to connect with people when God created them. Just like many things in life, it can be used for good or bad. People are drawn to leaders, they feel like they can open up to them, it is truly a special gift.
A leader needs to train, and develop the gift just like an athlete does, or the gift will go to waste.
Anyone can attempt to be a leader, just like anyone can attempt and train to play football. If they were not given the talent by God, they will never be exceptional because that is not what they were meant to do.
Mike,
I agree. Leadership is a spiritual gift (even found in the list of Romans 12:6-8). Some leadership skills are useful for just about everybody; however, not everyone is spiritually gifted to be a leader. In the US, we have this false belief that you’re a leader (a winner) or a follower (a loser). There’s a pressure to become a leader in order to become a success. As a result, folks try to force their way into something they were never spiritually gifted to do (“worldly” leaders may not even be spiritually gifted leaders). How you use your spiritual gifts is a measure of success, not how you lead (unless that’s your gift).
In my case, I do have areas where I need to lead, but I don’t think it’s my main spiritual gift. In my work and at home and some in church work, I have some need for leadership skills, because I have some leadership responsibilities. This blog helps me with that.
Also, as a side note: I’m glad that the leadership structure at Faith Promise church does not “require” Pastor Chris to have all spiritual gifts. He doesn’t have them all (nor does anyone); he doesn’t pretend to; his job responsibilities don’t require him to pretend to.
Just my two cents… kind of off topic.
Andy.
Everyone influence someone, A leader or not a leader. It can be for the good or to the bad. We don’t realize how much influence we have upon people. I’m sure the many former Sunday School children I’ve been a teacher to have been influence by my actions towards them and the
sharing of Gods words with them. I’ve been a influence to people and not realize I was leading them. There are Presidents,Vic-Presidents,Co-Chairman all leaders in there on right. There are Bishops,Cardianals,Decons. Each of these positions held have influence upon those they relate with within a church. I remember being the Financal Sec. for a church and when there was a board meeting for the set up of the years budget I was respected my suggestions where put in even though I wasn’t the Pastor or President of the church. I know I influenced my only son and his friends to be their best and to follow our Lord and Savior. Currently I’m sure I’m influencing someone and I don’t have the title of leader.
Peace,Joy,Love