3 Keys to Effective Leadership

Proverbs 20:28 MSG"Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity."

As I think about different leaders that have influenced and impacted my life I can remember a lot of great people and a few, less great, people.

But this scripture definitely nails the leadership characteristics that have helped me to develop:

1. "If you don't care about me I don't care about you." As a leader we must truly love and care for those that are following us. If you don't your influence will dry up quickly.

2. "Your life has to be grounded in truth." If you are someone that is following your own thoughts and dreams your plans will fail. If you allow God to lead your life with his truth and direction you will find yourself working with God and not against Him.

3. "Keep it real." When I was young I wouldn't listen to anyone if I felt like they where in-authentic. If I felt like they where trying to put up a front, manipulate me, control me or pull some religious trickery. But if I understood their faithfulness to God and respected how they lived their life I would listen and allow them some influence over my life.

Loving, grounded, authentic leaders is what we need more of because those kind of people are changing the world by influencing lives, one person and meaningful relationship at a time.

The 'get er done' Internal Motor

Proverbs 14:35-  Diligent work gets a warm commendation; shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.


Hard Work used to be something that I avoided in my younger years. In fact I wanted to find a way to make a profession out of recreation. Which is possible, but as I found out, it takes a tremendous amount of hard work to do so.

But man is internally wired for work. Man is hard-wired for diligent work. When we aren't being diligent in the work God has given us something is short-circuiting Gods internal hard- wiring.

Does your internal motor work? Are you able to dig deep when need be to get the job done? If not find out what is short-circuiting your 'get er done' internal motor that God has hard-wired you for.

The Simple Life

Proverbs 13:7 "A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life"


Trying to put on a show for those around us is a waste of time, effort and energy. To simplify things to authentic love for people and God is necessary to find true meaning and fulfillment in this life.

It can become very easy to try to do great work, accomplish big goals, do good deeds and impress those around us. But if that is our motivation the scriptures are clear that none of what we do matters, if our motivation for doing it isn't love.

Let us not envy others in our personal insecurity of insufficiency. Anything we do, not motivated in love, will end in meaninglessness and ineffectiveness. 


Keep it simple and keep it real.