THE HEART OF A LEADER!!!

THE HEART OF A LEADER!!!

Brethren, being a leader is not a popularity
contest. There’s no doubt that as a leader,
there’ll be times you have to make tough
decisions. How do you balance motivation and
tough decision making? A leader must always
ask himself “What do I do to move people
forward?” Many come for conferences like this
one year after year but do not put what they’ve
learned to use! Brethren, after you learn
something you must change something within
forty-eight hours or else you’ll be back to
square one!

WHO IS A LEADER?
A leader is a visionary or assigned executer of
the vision of an organization who owns the
responsibility of leading the people towards the
fulfillment of the vision. Brethren, God is
interested in the hearts of men but especially in
the hearts of leaders.

The job of every leader is to ensure everything
being done within an organization is according to
the vision. As a leader, you must ensure the
people you lead do not steer you away from the
vision.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.
The heart is the place where genuine decisions
are made especially as it affects people’s lives.
Concerning David God said “I have found David
– a man after my own heart” Brethren, God is
always searching and looking at the hearts of
man.

1st Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son,
know thou the God of thy father, and serve him
with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for
the LORD searcheth all hearts, and
understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of
thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee
off forever.

MAYGOD NOT CAST US AWAY! Many are in the
habit of saying “God sees my heart” when what
they are doing is wicked! Brethren, OUR HEARTS
MATTER!

2 Chronicles 1:10-11 Give me now wisdom and
knowledge, that I may go out and come in
before this people: for who can judge this thy
people, that is so great? And God said to
Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and
thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour,
nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast
asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and
knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge
my people, over whom I have made thee king.

OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF A LEADER

COMPASSION & CARING
Ezekiel 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep,
and seek them out.
Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a
great multitude, and was moved with
compassion toward them, and he healed their
sick.
Matthew 15:32 Then Jesus called his disciples
unto him, and said, I have compassion on the
multitude, because they continue with me now
three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will
not send them away fasting, lest they faint in
the way.

SELFLESSNESS
Romans 15:2-3 Let every one of us please his
neighbour for his good to edification. For even
Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written,
The reproaches of them that reproached thee
fell on me.

PASSIONATE
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to
do the will of him that sent me, and to finish
his work.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to
do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me.

LOVING & GIVING
Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that
he might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

HUMBLE
Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very
meek, above all the men which were upon the
face of the earth.

SERVICE
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many.

VISION
Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is
fixed: I will sing and give praise.

INTEGRITY (HONESTY)
1st Kings 9:4-5 And if thou wilt walk before me,
as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart,
and in uprightness, to do according to all that I
have commanded thee, and wilt keep my
statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish
the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever,
as I promised to David thy father, saying, There
shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of
Israel.

RESOLUTE (FIXED & FOCUSED)
John Maxwell once said that “You must touch
the hearts of people before you ask them to
follow you”. Motivation is defined as an act or
process of giving someone a reason to do
something. It is a force or influence that makes
people do things. Considering the fact that most
church workers are unpaid, they need to be
motivated. A highly motivated workforce will
accomplish great things. Motivated people are
not looking for anyone to give them a certificate.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE
People are motivated by what we do as leaders
as well as by what we say. As a leader there are
things you can say that can mess up ten years
of what you’ve built. THERE IS POWER OF LIFE
AND DEATH IN THE TONGUE! Always keep the
end product in view. Challenge the potentials of
your followers. Share with them examples of
past achievements. If you’re a late-comer, how
can you get your followers to arrive early?
Brethren, the truth of the matter is that people
will get weary and tired. Life happens. YOU
MUST CONSTANTLY KEEP THEM IN VIEW OF THE
END PRODUCT. You must constantly remind
them “This is where we’re going, don’t get tired”.
By so doing they begin to realize that they can
do all things through Christ that strengthens
them.

Everyone has a potential. If we challenge the
potential of the people we are leading, you’ll be
amazed what they can do. Remind them of past
achievements. David told Saul about how he
dealt with the lion and the bear and how he was
confident he could bring down Goliath.

MAKING TOUGH DECISIONS
“Tough” denotes “hard” or “difficult”. The
expression “tough call” is defined as a choice or
judgment which is difficult to make, especially
one involving only two alternatives
(definitions.net ). Tough calls can be made by a
team, a vote, or by the leader alone. It is the
ultimate responsibility of the leader to make the
call. A “tough call” is a call from the heart and
can be painful to both the leader and the
people. It is perhaps one of the most stressful
things a leader has to do. An example is the
account of Abraham and his nephew (Lot).
Abraham peacefully told Lot to go and start his
own ministry “ELSEWHERE” (away from him) so
that there would be peace.

Touch calls are inevitable and unavoidable.
Effective leaders do not neglect making tough
decisions. A lack of decisiveness in a leader can
result in low productivity and eventually collapse
the vision.

BOTTOM LINE: If you don’t make tough calls,
the situation will come back to haunt you.
People are watching what you do and are taking
notes of whether you show favoritism by
chastising one person for one offense and
overlooking it in another.

KINDS OF TOUGH CALLS
To cancel or not to cancel a failing program.
Raising funds for the vision of the house.
Letting go of a church office staff.
Reprimanding a worker or minister or your
spouse.

Handling difficult members.
Some leaders will rather die than accept that
they are wrong. Some people are more loyal to
the system than to God and will fight you if you
change anything. Many pastors use guest
ministers to raise funds.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTIVATION AND
TOUCH CALLS?
As a leader you must strike a balance. People
have left churches because of the pastor’s wife!
It is a fact that there are “members from hell”
for whom as a leader you’ll have a thanksgiving
the day they say they are leaving! A very
important thing to consider is that most difficult
members have great influence in your
organization kind of like Peter who said “I go a
fishing” and everyone follows. These members
are on “whatsapp” and other social media and
have the email addressed to every member of
your organization!

SOME CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN MAKING
TOUGH CALLS?
Keeping some or all the members of your team
motivated and focused on the vision, especially
when your decision has a propensity to impact
them.

“Counting the cost” and preparing yourself for
the possible backlash.

Timing. Lack of certainty about the right time to
make the call. John Maxwell once said, “Procrastination kills leadership effectiveness
today and leadership potential tomorrow”
In making touch calls you must realize that YOU
CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE AT ALL TIMES or you’ll
become a politician in your organization.

QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK BEFORE MAKING
A TOUGH CALL
Why am I making this decision?
What is the desired outcome on the ministry?
The envisaged outcome should boost your
confidence in making the decision.
When? Is this the right time to make this
decision? If I don’t do it “NOW”, will I regret it?
Do not delay if you are convinced.

How do I execute this decision to ensure
minimal impact on morale? You must have a
strategy and an action plan.

Am I ready to handle the ramification of this
decision? CONFRONT YOUR FEARS. Your decision
may not be popular at first or easily accepted.
Who will this decision impact the most? You
must preempt their reaction and begin to deal
with them ahead of time. If you do not get your
story out there rumors will carry it for you.

BOTTOM LINE: You shouldn’t have a minister
you can’t rebuke. If they want to start their own
church, LET THEM GO! I once grounded my lead
instrumentalist and the following Sunday the
others did not show up. Then I went on to fire
every single one of them! Needless to say, they
all came back begging.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR TEAM MOTIVATED
AFTER A TOUGH CALL?
Keep your passion. Remain on course. Don’t
mourn your decision. Be ready to start again.
Acknowledge the changes in the organization as
a result of your decision. Recast the vision and
reset priorities. Make sure everyone understands
the big picture and how they can fit in. Be open
and willing to listen and answer questions
concerning this change. Be accessible to offer
clarity when necessary. This removes barriers
that may create a volatile atmosphere. Be ready
to retrain replacement to give maximum output.
Celebrate the progress of the team and
appreciate their support. Recognize and reward
results.

GOOD LEADERSHIP IS NOT A POPULARITY
CONTEST. Good leaders take responsibility.
NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES. As
you lead, you must know when to be a lion and
when to be a lamb. When next I see you, I hope
to see you at the top!

Psalm 68:11, "The Lord gave the word; great is
the company of those that published it."

From: Pastor Tola Odutola