🔥 From Leading Sheep to Fathering Sons

There is an amazing functional transition in leadership happening right now. The business payback for instilling relational sonship in our staff culture has an incentive that overwhelms our principled, professional, impersonal, and aloof identity as business leaders. Leader and manager are introverted identities that don’t multiply; Fathers reproduce sons and daughters and multiply their business.

People follow us because of the magnitude and majesty of the purpose we follow!

• Surprisingly, it’s not really our charisma, character, or credentials. Not even the paycheck!
• It’s the agility we live and model in following, to keep in step with what Father is doing.

When we engage sons in contributing to their Kingdom purpose it becomes self-motivating, self-sustaining and self-propagating. They start fathering other people and the Kingdom Business Culture becomes a contagious Ecclesia of shared purpose. There is a new language that goes with the new culture. We’re all having to shed our old ways and wineskins to join the party!

Mentoring people is a personal, relational transformation that happens as we follow our Father. Jesus said it best, Follow me and I will make you into yourself. People do follow us in the beginning. The key is helping them transition to following their Father. We are not primarily telling sheep what to do, we’re helping sons learn how to hear Father’s voice and do His works themselves. That puts everything we instill in the context of the corporate Kingdom business purpose and their individual life purpose. It’s the leader’s job to know what those two realms of dynamic purpose are, and how they are changing over time. Purpose isn’t static, neither is identity. Its why the best leaders are primarily followers too.

Kingdom Leaders are Followers and Fathers – Fathering is all about seeing and esteeming sonship; the ability and agility to follow the lamb withersoever. We still have purpose, goals, KPI’s, a process, and cash flow. We still develop leaders. Those things are in the context of Father’s purpose and people. We’re intentionally putting the Kingdom first, positioning Father to add all these things. It’s not magic, but it does have a miraculous ingredient, Father plays a role in Kingdom business. There is a spiritual dimension to Kingdom, and everything starts from our seat in Heaven, in Father’s Council.

Two Temptations in Leadership Identity – Kingdom leadership is knowing how to follow, how to do what Father is doing. The juice isn’t primarily in our authority, wisdom, experience, or business model. The leader/manager identity can feed a hungry ego; the premise is: 1) that we already know what we need to know, have need of nothing, and 2) we don’t need to listen to the bleating of sheeple or keep in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25).

The secret sauce is Seers and Doers who know what Father is doing and do it with Him. Our business intention is putting the Kingdom first. That’s what leverages God’s power on earth. That’s why we’re shifting from passive charismatic crumbs, flashes, dreams, visions, and hunches to intentionally ascending to our seat in heaven at Father’s Council. We want to see Father’s heart and co-labor with him. That’s a totally different place from asking God to bless my work and speak to me on the fly. Co-laboring is more fun and far more effective. Now we have a business plan and strategy that overtly collaborates in the Council. Listening and following are the two primary skills of leading. We do it because we love God and we love people.

Making it practical – The new thing Father is instilling in business right now is Kingdom Culture. There are three practical fronts to intentionally build Kingdom Culture into your business.

1-on-1’s – Job performance is the traditional first step of managing an employee. The new is that we’re meeting weekly and listening for their Kingdom Purpose, their aspirations to fulfill that purpose, and the story of how God has/is grooming them (past, present, and future). The underdeveloped skill to pull this off is leaders learning to listen to people and the Holy Spirit. Is there any Listenership in Leadership?

In the context of what Father has given our staff, we’re chatting through what Father is doing in the company and what He’s personally inviting them into. How does their job fit with what Father wrote in their heart? What does take up your cross and follow me mean in this hour? Our real goal isn’t excellent human performance. We’re looking to tap each person’s anointing. What can God do through them? What has Father written in their heart that ignites them? How can we help them flourish?

Sons and Ascension – Helping people navigate their spiritual inheritance is a path to guaranteed resistance from the enemy, specifically the religious spirit in our old wineskin. Sons typically go through accusations that require the Courts of Heaven. Clarity of purpose is found in the Council complete with conversations with Father, Jesus, and the 7 Spirits. Fathers help their sons (staff) deal with accusations and get clarity on purpose. Guessing and glossing don’t work; ascension, Courts and Council do work.

Intentional Reformation – Higher purpose is always the perspective that keeps us balanced and current. Reformation in the lives of People, our Business, City, and Nation has unique purpose on all four levels that is both exciting and intimidating. Allowing our staff to participate in those four levels and “see” for themselves how it unfolds is a key ingredient for their engagement. We’re all on the same team, all doing what Father is doing. We’re all followers.

This journey to Sonship and Kingdom is not an exact science that lends itself to a recipe. However, it’s real. The presence of God in a business is tangible, the purpose is authentic, and so is the impact on cash flow and morale. There is every reason to say, Yes Lord! for the new things He’s doing in Kingdom Business. We have experience, resources, and people who can help you take your next step on this exciting journey.

The inspiration for this blog came from my own council sessions: These are insight-full examples with links to help you do the same.

• 2024-08-16 Council – The Source of Wisdom
• 2024-08-17 Council – Beyond Leadership to Fathering Sons
• 2024-08-23 Council – Allow Me to School You in Intercession
• Printable PDF version of this blog for study

We help Kingdom Businesses find and fulfill their unique purpose while producing value and cash flow. We integrate Father’s Courts, Council, Purpose and Passion for Business leaders in a 1-on-1 format.
Axiom – Have fun, make money, love people, and build the Kingdom!

• Get on our mailing list with a free copy of Intentional Reformation.
• Get on John’s calendar for a Zoom conversation.
  1. We start with a Purpose Profile to get your Kingdom purpose in writing.
  2. Have DIY options and a fleet of coaches with different specialties to choose from.
  3. We’re partnering with Larry Nault at BuildingaKingdomCompany.com.

 

Cutting Room Floor

Enthusiasm – Comes from in theo or in God. Staying on top of your game and identity flows from following the lamb wherever (Rev 14:4) and doing what Father does (Jn 5:19). There really is warfare in the Kingdom. You really will need times of refreshing in the Council. Father is always working. He is always inviting us to come with Him. There is always an answer, you just have to know where to find it.

Ascending to Father’s Courts and Council, and regular conversations in the Council with Father, Jesus, and the 7 Spirits of God is the definition of sons and daughters being in Christ. The fruit is enthusiasm, through the fellowship of His sufferings, or reigning with Him from your seat in Heaven. Kingdom leadership in business sons begins in the Council with conversations. It’s how others will hear your phone on earth; how God will hear your phone in Heaven (Jn 10:4).

Jn 1:51 – “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels (messengers, sons)
of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Isa 11:2 – The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his e ars hear

Rev 1:4 – Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before his throne

Rev 3:1 – These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God

Rev 4:5 – In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing.
These are the seven spirits of God.

Rev 5:6 – The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Tell us where you’re at and:

• We’ll suggest some free or low-cost resources
• Or, maybe coaching will help you know what comes next
• Or, maybe consulting, and we’ll jump in and help.

This is the 40 minute video discussion of this blog… very insightful.