The video for this newsletter is here.
2014 will be a year of opportunity and promotion in the Kingdom for many. Doors will open for Kingdom leadership in every mountain. The Father is having conversations with many regarding the role they will choose, the responsibility they will accept and the level of initiative they will show. There will be some great triumphs in the Kingdom and some great warfare, as well. We are more than conquerors.
Accepting a leadership or management role in a corporate or church environment can be a heady experience. It is fun and honorable to have this privilege… it is also more work. Leaders and managers come in several varieties of emphasis, depending upon where they choose to put their focus. All leaders have certain administrative and task management responsibilities that can’t be avoided. Some leaders are charismatic and inspirational, and they naturally release Kings who are creative and productive. The managers who stay safely in the realm of administrating policy, maintaining safety, QA and managing tasks are “good” but never great. They inspire mediocrity and create servants in their wake. The Kingdom is much different.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. John 15:15-17 NIV
Jesus is not producing servants, and obedience does not describe maturity in either the spiritual or the corporate realm. The Father is pulling people into His business. He’s inviting us to share our heart’s desires with Him, and He’s engaging us as Kings to rule and reign with Him. Giving ourselves permission to function at that level of relationship with God is one of the requirements for leadership. Here’s why.
Initiative – Discovering the desires of our own heart and fulfilling our Kingdom purpose is no accident, and it’s not something God does for us. It’s a very intentional process of discovering your purpose and goals, overcoming personal boundaries, and putting your plan in writing. Yes, God wrote them in your heart, but you have to discover them and implement them with some level of determination. The reason we don’t have an abundance of charismatic leaders is simply that most people don’t know how to try – it’s not that hard to possess all of your land.
Charismatic leaders who inspire us are simply in touch with their own hearts. They are so connected that they can help others connect with their hearts. This all communicates in a very prophetic way because we start to have relationships and speak to one another at a heart level. This is no more complicated than understanding what is driving your own heart and what is driving the heart of those you work with. You can’t know that without trying – it takes asking the right questions and listening at a heart level. When a charismatic leader describes his vision, he’s not just speaking from his head. The passion comes from his heart, and is communicated at a deep level to hearts that are similarly called. That process is electric, and the difference it makes in leadership is night and day. One brings us to life; the other puts us to sleep.
Connecting Others – If we are in a management role, we have to keep up with the administrative and task management side of producing a product and making a profit. However, the real payback comes from fathering others into their own identity. We do that by taking the time to listen to hearts: What are their deepest desires? What are the goals that go with those desires? How do they overlap with the corporate vision? How can we help them reach their goals so they are motivated to reach the corporate vision?
If our corporate vision has a Kingdom connection, it’s not hard to find people who are ignited by implementing that vision. If we can’t make that connection, then we are just in the business of making widgets with servants and there’s nothing to get excited about… and no one does.
Just as the Father shares His business with us, we have to share our Kingdom business with others to inspire their hearts. Charismatic managers take the time to do this with every individual they lead. Do most managers have these skills? Not usually! The Kingdom is still coming on earth as it is in heaven. That’s why we write these newsletters.
Story – I work in corporate America on an engineering staff of hundreds of people. We have a good manager who is a very nice person but totally uninspiring. In the last staff meeting he brought a 6-inch pile of paper full of reminders regarding the administrative and task management details. I was delinquent on one of my computer-generated required reading lists. The manager told a story about a training class conducted that week on Human Performance Improvement (HPI). A question was asked, “If you had a problem, would you take it to your immediate manager for help?” Surprisingly, about half the staff answered, “No.” Our manager wanted to assure our group that his door was always open and, though he was busy, he would always find the time to help if he could.
Reality – Now, it’s nice that he made that offer, but no one will darken the door of his office just because his door is open. Charismatic leadership goes to their office and invites a dialogue on the Master’s business. Fathering success in others that inspires creativity and productivity is very intentional. At the moment, our manager is way too passive – as are most of the leaders in every mountain. The biggest reason for their introversion is the insecurity of not being in touch with their own hearts. We have to volunteer for those positions and be the example of a Kingdom Charismatic leader with a cause worth following.
