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"The merciful man does good for his own soul,
but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh."
(Proverbs 11:17)
Healthy organizations have one grand commonality: they are all led by healthy leaders. When there is a mist in the leader's mind, it will quickly become a fog in the midst of those he or she leads. Great leaders lead with clarity, vision, clear direction, affirmation, and most of all, integrity.
It is never easy to lead; however, in these difficult days filled with strife, uncertainty, and division, the task of leading well has never been more challenging. I have written these devotions to leaders this week in hopes that they will help and inspire you to be the best leader that you can be.
In his book, Developing the Leader Within You, leadership expert John Maxwell explained the importance of leaders starting with themselves. This applies today as much as ever. In this time of leaders being stretched to the max, I think Maxwell's advice on internal development is greatly needed.
What are you doing to help your personal leadership ability? A good place to start is giving attention to your personal health. Jo Saxton says, "You have one body, and your leadership lives in it." It seems to always come back to being healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. As for the physical, I know you have it heard before, but have you actually made positive changes? Are you getting enough sleep at night, eating healthier, and getting some exercise? If not, let's start there. Make some changes!
As for mental health, so much could be written here. A mentally tired leader will always make poor decisions. You can get by for a while, but eventually, your lack of mental rest and calm will catch up with you. I am a huge proponent of taking a sabbatical rest at least one day a week. This is where you unwind and simply do not work. So many leaders laugh at this idea and keep burning the candle at both ends until the flame is extinguished. A leader burning out does no one any good. Your mind needs rest and recharging. In addition to rest, I recommend reading books that you enjoy, genres that will take your mind off of the many tasks you have at hand.
Emotional health is vitally important, and I think it is here that most leaders unravel. My favorite book on getting emotionally healthy is Hope Quotient by Ray Johnston. He encourages the reader to stay away from unkind critics, unbalanced schedules, and unnecessary guilt. For a deeper dive into the leader's emotional health, I recommend The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero. Another resource I highly recommend is any book written by Mark Miller, Vice President of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A. He states, "Your capacity to grow determines your capacity to lead." (Source.) Check out Miller's The Heart of Leadership: Becoming a Leader People Want to Follow.
Finally, in order to be a leader that others will want to follow, you need to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus modeled for us servant leadership, and by following Him, you will be the absolute best person you can be. I believe being healthy spiritually is not only the key to effective leadership, but also the key to enjoying this life God has given us.
Many of you who have read this devotional series this week are either leaders currently or leaders in the making. I pray that God sharpens you so you become the best leader you can be for His glory and your benefit.
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