LEADERSHIP Series: Grounded Leadership

Effective leaders are grounded. They believe in something greater than self to be true. Some cling to observed success principles. Some are more direct – they simply believe in karma and operate accordingly. Others, raised in a loose Christian tradition, have shaped God into their own image – it’s a god that works for them and their lives.

Believing leaders face a challenge: Christian’s believe that the concept of ethics (the study of human character) follow the concepts revealed in the study of the character of God (theology). We act ethically when we reflect the revealed character of God.

Proverbs 30:5-6 (NLV) Every word of God has been proven true (pure). He is a safe covering to those who trust in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will speak strong words to you and prove you to be a liar.

Do we really believe this? Our culture demands "tolerance" for behaviors that God called sin: tolerance for life-styles that do not please Him; tolerance for visual stimulation in music videos and movies that only appeal to our prurient natures; tolerance to accept many ways to God when our hope is in one-way, one truth and one life; tolerance that, even in a business setting, truth can be relative.

Our lives do have meaning. To be really Christ-like in this environment takes faith that He is our refuge, our shield, and our protector.

Our personal and business core values must be clear, consistent and courageous – and yet remain contagious, irresistible, inviting.

Does your leadership style reflect what is attractive and pure?


Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Gossip - Deadly to Business and Leaders

Ron Heifetz, co-founder of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, is quoted as saying, “Purposeful honesty and appropriate transparency at all levels are eventual indicators of your organization’s adaptability and ability to thrive.”

What leaders listen to – i.e. honor - matters. One of your team want to share a juicy morsel? Stop them before they blurt out more. If lies, gossip, spurious chatter of any sort is tolerated at the top (of any size “heap”), that lack of judgment drives the true organizational values of the organization.

Honesty and transparency go hand-in-glove with discernment. You want your leadership to be meaningful in the workplace? Your core values real? Then be known as a discerning leader who won’t participate in any form of gossip.


To what are you willing to listen?


Proverbs 29:12 (MSG) When a leader listens to malicious gossip, all the workers get infected with evil.

Copyright (c) 2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Timely Advice

One of the important functions of leadership is listening; however, there does come a time for the leader to actually give advice. This advice must be timely advice - not constant chattering advice.

Advice is not the same as Micro-managing. “Timely” is advice given at the right time, in the right place, and in the right way giving consideration to the recipient of that advice (What is their learning style? Their communication style? How much emotional capital is invested?). This advice that is not only “beautiful,” but also valuable.

Timely advice can be seen as the process of asking insightful questions, the answers to which will yield clarity:

• What does the questioner really want?
• How do they understand the problem?
• Do they have a grasp of their options? What are those?
• Do the alternatives have the same weight of importance?
• If an ethical issue, what are the legal boundaries first, the moral imperatives and where is Truth (God’s view of the issue)?
• How do the ethical standards of holiness, justice and love shape your advice?

Proverbs 25:11 (NLT) Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket.

At the end of the day, a Believer’s advice must be a perfect mixture of grace and truth. If a gracious heart rules your mind, then your advice will be both timely and worth its weight in gold.

Is your advice “as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket?”



Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP SERIES: FOCUS ON BUILDING PEOPLE

Motives are everything – especially for the small businessperson in these economic times.

In his book, Principle Centered Leadership, S. Covey derides our culture’s fixation on wealth - especially wealth without work. He notes a correlation between one’s movement away from the laws of nature and the degree to which one’s judgment is adversely affected.

The law of nature (God’s truth) is this: if it's only money that leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time.

Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. [1Tim.6: 9]

Proverbs 23:4 (NASB) Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it.

Believing leaders beware: the heart is desperately wicked. Focus on your heart and the needs of others -like customers, employees, vendors, etc. Allow profits and wealth to be the consequence of good management and your dependence on the Lord.


Dependence on self = disaster. Dependence on God = blessing.

On whom are you depending?

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: The Impact of Humility

In an article written for www.darwinmag.com in June of 2004, leadership author, John Baldoni (www.johnbaldoni.com) writes:

“Humility just might be one of the most overlooked attributes in leadership, but it just might be one of the most important attributes a leader can possess. Humility is a strand between leader and follower that underscores one common element: our humanity.”

If we place God at the core of our thinking – not as some abstract, ancillary association with life in general - but as our Creator, Sustainer and Provider, then the Sunday stuff will drive the Monday stuff. When this kind of consistent living happens, our team, our suppliers or vendors, our customers, and even our competitors will know our humility is genuine. We made the Sunday “stuff” real. We demonstrate that we really do care about our followers. They will see that we follow our Leader so we can better lead.

This “important attribute” of leadership begins when we submit to heart surgery – in this case, a transplant. People who are "me-centered" will not only fail at leading, but also fail at living. The other-centered journey begins for us, as leaders, when a new God-fearing heart begins to yield a life worth living.

Proverbs 22:4 (NASB) The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.

“Plenty and honor” are not goals of this leader: they are the consequence of his/her humble spirit and this includes experiencing a satisfying life during our journey. People are willing to follow this kind of leader.


Are you leading by making the Sunday stuff real on Monday?

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Leaders are Open-minded

Leaders listen. Well, authentic leaders listen.

Effective leaders have learned that art. In a January 2001 article in Harvard Business Review, Jim Collins introduced the world to the “Level 5 Leadership” wherein HBR observed that is was “The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve.”

Those who practice humility listen actively. And active listening is a skill that is not easily developed. The goal must always be mutual understanding. The key to effective listening comes alive in the verse below: this listening gives birth to asking good questions.

Proverbs 18:17 (NASB) The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.

Effective, probing questions are not simply a matter of casual asking of top-of-mind questions. These questions take forethought. It takes skill to develop a conversation that achieves an understanding of many facets of any issues involved in a dispute. It takes discipline to not jump to conclusions.

Are you disciplined to listen first and then ask good questions?

Copyright (c)2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Learn “to be” Not Just “to be doing.”

Just as money cannot buy happiness, it cannot buy wisdom.

The purchase of wisdom is a heart thing. The heart must first be changed since God's ways are not the ways of the world.

What are leaders at work to do? Stop funding all educational incentives? Disparage the educational system? NO! That MBA will help do stuff: a heart for God will help you be.

Proverbs 17:16 (NLT) It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom.

Believers are called to a different world: to a different way of living: we are called to learn God’s ways and apply them. It matters little whether we are a butcher, baker or candlestick maker: we are each models of applied wisdom.

What are you working on: being or doing?

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Planning

It was D.D. Eisenhower who said: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."

For business leaders, planning that goes into strategy is essential. You must know what is happening in the environment. You have a duty to understand the business sector. Understanding market share and profitability helps determine strategy. These are tools, when given to God, become quite useful for humans. Mintzberg & Quinn in their text The Strategy Process observed: "Strategy deals with the unknowable, not the uncertain."

Business leaders work hard at looking at patterns, factors, trends, research, known and unknown needs - elements, among others that go into planning; but they do not know the future. God does.

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

The process is ongoing. The market changes. Internal factors change. People come and go. New dynamics emerge. The Christian business leader should use good planning and management techniques to control the business: but s/he does this with the absolute certainty that the LORD determines the outcome. This fact in no way excuses people from planning, thinking, strategizing.

Are you planning with God in mind?

For Further Study

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Get Advice. Godly Advice.

We live in a world of uncertainty – magnified by the political, socio-economic and military events of 2009. Jobs lost. Families in stress. For many leaders, the streams of their revenue have dried up. The lake of their reserves now lies with its old, rotten stumps exposes in pools of mud. No water there. Not a pretty picture.

Google “business advice” and you’ll find over 98,000,000 entries. Lot of advice out there. Small and large business leaders have many sources from which to choose. Many are living a life of frustration with their unrealized plans. Frustration with the wide variety of choices for advice. Frustrated with movement or lack thereof. Who do you choose and why?

For the Christian leader, this verse offers very explicit advice. Solomon directs the reader to seek those who know us well – small (by implication) intimate group with whom we have been transparent. A team proven to be trustworthy with our secrets.

These are the ones with whom we can share the interrelated nature of what is happening to us. They have a special task: They listen. They deliberate. Then, they offer a plan.

God’s way recognizes that plans sometimes are complex. The counselors chosen must have resources beyond them simple mental capacity to ask important questions – to guide your thinking – to provide legitimate resources to draw upon to help solve business problems. These “counselors” have proven themselves worthy by prayerfully considering the circumstances, and based upon their connection with the Spirit within them, they offer the kind of achieves that achieves results.

Proverbs 15:22 (AMP) Where there is no counsel, purposes are frustrated, but with many counselors they are accomplished.

Look at the promise: the plans are established. Can’t beat that. Ah, but it’s conditional. Get counsel from those who get counsel themselves. God has shaped them with life experiences from which they have learned practical and spiritual lessons.

Advice from people who have “been there - done that” is important. Advice from those who have learned spiritual lessons in addition is vital to the Believer. Consider Kingdom Point consultants - they provide both attributes.

Got those kind of people around you?

For Further Study

Copyright ©2009 by P. Griffith Lindell

LEADERSHIP Series: Leader’s Language Heals or Hurts

In his book, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Harvard professor Ronald Heifetz posits that the role of leadership is changing: the new role is “to help people face reality and to mobilize them to make change.”

Change has been a hot topic recently and change is at least painful and at worst potentially destructive. Positive change in our relationship takes intentionality. People are sometimes “destroyed” by what is said and how it is said as they spontaneously react negatively to the change.

Crosby, in his book The Absolutes of Leadership, posits that there exist five leadership personalities:
o “Destructor – see things only from their own perspective;”
o “Procrastinators – waste people’s time and energy;”
o “Caretaker – who is frozen in time”;
o Preparer – plan well but are inflexible; and,
o “Accomplisher”– who through words and deeds inspire, motivate all stakeholders to move the organization ahead.

What is interesting is that the communication styles move along a continuum that is similar to this verse – the “Destructor” will use rash language that cuts and maims, while the “Accomplisher” is a wise communicator, healing customers, suppliers and employees so that all are building positive relationship with the business.

Business strategy is virtually meaningless until the leader successfully motivates the team to change. Motivation is the predicate of healing words, words that build and do not destroy; words that inspire personal change in behavior for the benefit of the individual and the organization.

Proverbs 12:18 (MSG) Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise.

The wise leader recognizes the various impacts of change on the team and carefully chooses language and speaks words that heal by creating value and meaning for each person experiencing the change.

Are you leading with words that heal or maim?

Copyright ©2009 P. Griffith Lindell