Leadership Communication

Proverbs 26:4-5 (NASB) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him.  Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes.


What appears to be contradictory in these verses is not. Verse four admonishes us that sometimes it is best not to answer a question whose foundation is foolishness:  silence is golden for the question was not asked to learn, but only for selfish purposes. But there is a time to answer the foolishness of this world:  and that time is when the truth is at stake. In this instance, to not be ready with an answer might lead the foolish person to swallow their own foolishness and contaminate others, leading them to believe that the fool’s words were unanswerable. This is why Believers are admonished to “Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Have a Heart for Communication

Proverbs 15:23 (NLT)  Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!  Ecclesiastes 10:12 Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.

The tongue is a dangerous muscle. Words do hurt. Goethe observed, “No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others.” University books are written on the subject. (McGraw-Hill/Irwin text, Leadership Communication by Deborah Barrett, for example.) Saying the right thing at the right time is scripted in movies, but it is not in real life. Textbooks, seminars and higher education can well prepare the mind for leadership:  it is only God who can prepare the heart. Wise (Godly) leaders are called to offer a distinction to the world by their words: words that encourage and do not destroy; communication that motivates and inspires followers; words that correct without demeaning the hearer; and replies appropriate to the occasion. Leadership is a heart thing. It begins there. It lives there. Do your words show it?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Worship Wisdom

Proverbs 14:33 (NLT) Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.

Wisdom’s place in the heart is not ostentatious.  It is quiet  - a strength that leads to understanding. In their groundbreaking work, Daft and Lengel, in Fusion Leadership point out that leaders must have heart to lead. The “Fusion Leader stay[s] emotionally connected with people and work…and are collaborative and interdependent.”  It is a wisdom that integrates grace and truth:  not just the cold, hard facts of truth and not just the warm safety of grace; rather, this wise leader combines them in a way that compels understanding, positive emotional reaction and change. This leader’s corporate vision “pursues higher purpose that touches the heart.” Whatever possesses a heart regulates living. What's enshrined in your heart?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Listen and Learn

Proverbs 13:10 (MSG) Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other's counsel.

In an discussion about misplaced arrogance in leaders, the Center for Creative Leadership recently reminded its audience, "The leading reason managers [leaders] with impressive track records and high potential get knocked off the career track is their inability or unwillingness to change." These people, caught-up in their own hubris, lead with the arrogance of "it's my way of the highway." As Jim Collins, author of Good to Great discovered, successful leaders are not only humble, but also have learned to collaborate - listen to the advice of others. Arrogance says, "My past has taught me all I need." Humility says, "I am ever learning, and I need you to teach me." Which kind of leader are you?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Do Not Tolerate Arrogance

Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

In John Kotter & James Heskett's book, Corporate Culture and Performance, they explored with empirical research how the "culture" of a corporation influences performance. They found that strong leaders "do not tolerate arrogance in others. They remind people often of who they must serve...." And "They keep their own egos under control. They make room for other egos." Their research revealed that arrogance, inward focus and encumbering bureaucracy are all features of a company in disgrace - unable to adapt to change. Scripture says that hidden in humility is wisdom: the last sentence of Kotter & Heskett's' book says, "...if leaders do not have the hearts of servants, there is only the potential for tyranny." There it is again:  positive, productive leadership begins in the heart. Got the heart to be a leader?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Remember to Remember

Proverbs 7:1 &4a (NIV) My son, keep [remember] my words [follow my advice] [do what I tell you] and store [treasure] up my commands within you [stick to it]….Love Wisdom like a sister…

One can't follow advice if one does not choose to remember it: remembering is a result of an attitude adjustment – learning to "treasure" the commands and paying attention to the instruction that flows from Wisdom found in one place. The opposite way of living is called foolishness. In the first nine chapters, both Wisdom and foolishness are presented in the feminine and the latter as a seductive, but “religious,” adulteress (see verse 14). She is attractive: provocative; stimulating; enticing; full of energy; and, she even smells good. How easy it is to be sucked into the way of the world, and sometimes the distinctions are subtle. The seduction mimics the real. Are you remembering to remember to do business God's way?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Value Others

Proverbs 6:16 - 17a (AMP) 16These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:  [#1] A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others]

Phil 2:3 (AMP) Do nothing {don’t even think about it – Griff} from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves].

Bill George, in his book, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, proclaims:  “… that leadership begins and ends with authenticity…(it’s) being the person you were created to be.” He then points out that truly understanding self takes some risk and humility – learning to be open to others. He admits, “For years I felt I had to be perfect …I tried to hide my weaknesses from others, fearing they would reject me if they knew who I really was. Eventually, I realized that they could see my weaknesses more clearly than I could. In attempting to cover things up, I was only fooling myself.” He learned that pride (haughtiness) prohibits potential leadership power from being realized. Leading from humility is indeed rare, but very powerful. “As a person thinks in his heart so is he.” God judges the heart - the thoughts. What are you thinking about?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders – Every Moment, Every Day

Proverbs 5:21 (NIV) For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.

Richard Kriegbaum, in his book Leadership Prayers, writes in the section on Integrity, that we are not business leaders every moment  (every step), but we are ourselves every moment. Imagine that. Every moment counts. And our lives are a much stronger message than our words. Integrity - being whole - means that we must be ourselves in all situations and God has called us to be holy - set apart for righteousness. Can't do that on my own. It takes two. That's why we have the Holy Spirit. Are you allowing the Spirit to work in you and for you? It does mean giving up what you want to and letting Him shape you into His image - one way/path/step at a time.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

God-fearing Leadership

Proverbs 1:7 (NASB) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(MSG)  Start with GOD-the first step in learning is bowing down to GOD; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

There was a time in our culture when the term "God-fearing man or woman" was used to describe a Christian; however the literature of the last century painted an image of this person as hard, cranky, without compassion, stoic, even brutal - not a pretty picture. Notwithstanding, the "fear" written of here is not the trembling Lion quaking before the Wizard of Oz; rather, this fear includes the attitude of honoring God as having authority over all things rejecting the attitude of  "I don't need God:  I can do just as well on my own."  This faith is not mere facile declaration. This faith is vigorous, attentive, and "alive." God-fearers are called to be magnets - attractive people - because they don't worship self, they value others, and they lead with a moral compass firmly established. Are you an attractive God-fearer in the workplace?

Copyright© 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Day 30 Contentment and Leadership

Proverbs 30:7-9 (NIV) "Two things I (Agur) ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.

It was the first century Roman philosopher, Seneca, who observed, "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more." Today, woven throughout modern secular literature on leadership is the same thread of the importance of character in leadership - especially the literature on servant-leadership. The contented leader is a concept that addresses personal core values and has nothing to say about achieving profitable market share. The later drives a business: the former drives how the leader leads the people who "do the business." Agur's prayer - like the Lord's Prayer - recognizes the truth that living is to be a daily experience. "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our______." How are you filling in the blank?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Being a Dependable Leader

Proverbs 31:4-5 (MSG) "Leaders can't afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, Lest, hung over, they don't know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt.  Use wine and beer only as sedatives, to kill the pain and dull the ache of the terminally ill, for whom life is a living death.

It was David Ogilvy, who told his successor when asked what one piece of advice he could provide, is reported to have said, "No matter how much time you spend thinking about, worrying about, focusing on, questioning the value of and evaluating people, it won't be enough. People are the only thing that matters and the only thing you should think about, because when that part is right, everything else works." And you can’t do that buzzed or drunk. Leaders must first know and manage themselves to be effective leaders, and for some, that might begin with simply dealing with how they handle stress, their dark, internal motivations, and the demons that haunt them. Get that right and you won’t be seeking either artificial stimulation or dulling booze offers. If you can’t manage yourself, how can you manage others? Followers depend on their leaders to know right from wrong – especially in social occasions when they “let their hair down.” Are you dependable in and out of the workplace?

Copyright© 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

An Eternal Vision for Leaders

Proverbs 29:18 (AMP) Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.

This verse has often been presented as a reason to have a personal or corporate vision. No denying the importance of those conclusions. But what is fundamental here concerns God and his revelation to man and by extension, developing both a personal and corporate vision (or purpose statement) that recognizes God's revelation. More to the point here is that if God is not brought into the affairs of humans, if God's Word is not part of how a person thinks about his affairs, if God is shut out from a person's living, “people perish!” What a powerful incentive for Christian business leaders. Who is better equipped to express Christ-like behavior in the workplace? Who is better equipped to express the “redemptive revelation of God” to the marketplace? When focusing on what God is doing you are used for a purpose greater than just work:  companies are transformed - lives changed. Are you a blessing in the marketplace?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Hate - Covetousness

Proverbs 28:16 (MSG) Among leaders who lack insight [or judgment], abuse abounds, but for one who hates corruption [covetousness], the future is bright.

The juxtaposition of covetousness and the lack of insight drive us to look inward to understand motivation and behavior. The terms “emotional fluency” or “EQ” (the ability to use emotions effectively) are sometimes used when describing the process of developing positive corporate culture by practicing integrity. Examples of covetous leaders include those who coerce staff to fudge on the inventory or to book phantom orders in response to quarterly scrutiny or the abusive manager, who sucks the very life out of the team – that being the quintessential expression of covetousness. Leaders must resist behaviors such as these by utilizing an equally powerful emotion – hate. We must hate covetousness! It takes that emotional commitment to turn from self-serving behavior and practice integrity. Integrity built on insight - insight from transparent communication with friends who are wise and from personal communication with the One who created and died for us so we might appropriate insight and good judgment while looking forward to a long, fruitful life.


Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Hate - Covetousness

Proverbs 28:16 (MSG) Among leaders who lack insight [or judgment], abuse abounds, but for one who hates corruption [covetousness], the future is bright.

The juxtaposition of covetousness and the lack of insight drive us to look inward to understand motivation and behavior. The terms “emotional fluency” or “EQ” (the ability to use emotions effectively) are sometimes used when describing the process of developing positive corporate culture by practicing integrity. Examples of covetous leaders include those who coerce staff to fudge on the inventory or to book phantom orders in response to quarterly scrutiny or the abusive manager, who sucks the very life out of the team – that being the quintessential expression of covetousness. Leaders must resist behaviors such as these by utilizing an equally powerful emotion – hate. We must hate covetousness! It takes that emotional commitment to turn from self-serving behavior and practice integrity. Integrity built on insight - insight from transparent communication with friends who are wise and from personal communication with the One who created and died for us so we might appropriate insight and good judgment while looking forward to a long, fruitful life.


Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Giving Advice

Proverbs 25:11 (NLT) Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket.

One of the important functions of leadership is listening; however, there does come a time for giving advice. Timely advice - not constant chattering advice of Micro-managing – advice given at the right time in the right place with consideration of the recipient - advice that is not only “beautiful” but also valuable. Timely advice can be seen as the process of asking insightful questions, the answers to which will yield clarity: What does the questioner really want? How do they understand the problem? What are the options? Do the alternatives have the same weight of importance? If an ethical issue, what are the moral imperatives and where is Truth? At the end of the day, a Believer’s advice must be a perfect mixture of grace and truth.  If a gracious heart rules your mind, then your advice will be both timely and worth its weight in silver and gold.

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Hidden Power of Envy

Proverbs 24:19-20 (NIV)   Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
For the believing leader, this admonition seems simplistic - perhaps, not even very insightful. Because we know the end and the One who holds the end in His hands, we have hope and should live without envy. However, secular literature supports this Biblical observation that envy and leadership are intermixed in many complex ways. Conceptual psychoanalytic research suggests that envy is often so painful an emotion for leaders that it is driven to the unconscious resulting in behaviors that undermine a leader's ability to attract and maintain followers. Biblical Leadership is a "heart" issue - one that takes a power higher than ourselves to expose the hidden drivers that capture our thought-life. Leaders will succeed by "filling [their] minds and meditating on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." [Phil. 4:4-6 (MSG)] What are you thinking about?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Humble Leaders

Proverbs 22:4 (NASB) The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.

In an article written for www.darwinmag.com in June of 2004, leadership author, John Baldoni (www.johnbaldoni.com) writes, "Humility just might be one of the most overlooked attributes in leadership, but it just might be one of the most important attributes a leader can possess. Humility is a strand between leader and follower that underscores one common element: our humanity." If, in our humanity, we put God at the core of our thinking - not as some abstract, ancillary association with life in general, but as our Creator, Sustainer and Provider, then the Sunday stuff will drive the Monday stuff and our team, vendors and competitors will know our humility is genuine - we really do care about our followers because they see us follow our Leader. Plenty, honor and a satisfying life are the consequences of our journey. Who are you following?

Copyright © by P. Griffith Lindell

The Light of the Humility of a Leader

Proverbs 21:4 (NLV) Eyes lifted high and a proud heart is sin and is the lamp of the sinful.      

Why would anyone want to be led by you? Goffee and Jones had asked this very question in a ten-year study and the results published in the Sept-Oct 2000 HBR, "Why Should Anyone Be Lead by You?" They discovered four "unexpected" traits of "inspirational" leaders and the first is that these kinds of leaders "reveal their weaknesses." Proud people would shun away from that kind of leading. Their only "light" for their path is themselves. No one else can do it better, think in through better or explain it better. It is all about them. Leading is best accomplished with a light that clearly illuminates the path. Those who choose self are limited in their light. Those who chose God, as revealed in Christ, have the "light of the world." This light attracts. This light, when shining through us, illuminates all you fall under its beams.

What is your light source?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Are All Ears

Proverbs 18:15 (AMP) The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for and craving) knowledge.

Some 3000 years ago, the world’s wisest man suggested that listening is vital for growth. “Google” the words Leadership and Listening and within seconds will find about 34,100,000 results today. Listening is a “hot topic” and in one of those results from a Google search, Jeroen van der Veer, president of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and vice chairman of Royal Dutch/Shell Group stressed to students at the Stanford Graduate School of Business the importance of listening skills to sustainable leadership. He further urged the MBA students “to adopt a model of leadership that involves modesty, empathy, and reflective listening.” He understood that one of the roles of leaders is to ask good questions and then listen to the responses. That takes time and is very different from “doing stuff” – but, in fact, it is the stuff of leading. Do you take the time needed to listen? It’s hard work, but leaders do it.

Copyright© 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Know Where to Walk, Stand or Sit

Proverbs 17:12  (NIV) Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly
Psalm 1:1 (NIV) Blessed (happy) is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers...

Does this verse in Proverbs 17 seem like a hyperbole --a bit melodramatic -- a stretch? A person living in folly is more deadly than a 500-pound Syrian Brown Bear, with bared teeth, menacing growl, towering height and long claws, diving down and running at us? We would desperately try never to tempt a bear to attack. We would avoid cute little bear cubs if we found them while hiking. Avoidance at all costs.  However, we are under greater threat from the "wisdom of this world" than from the physical attack of a known fearsome animal. Why is that? Perhaps, because the folly of fools fills us with false hope, or because it is so seductive-- it appeals to our self-centered natures. Who we look to for counsel (walk in the counsel) who we hang around with (stand in the way of) and where we sit to learn (sit in the seat of) affects our spiritual happiness. We are to be in the world, not of it. Where do you find your happiness?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Planning Starts in the Heart

Proverbs 16:9,25,33 (NLT) 9We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.  
33 We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.

If planning is focused solely on what my organization or I want, not what God wants, planning is worth - nothing. Self-propelled plans produce death because eternity matters, now. Even with business planning, nothing happens anywhere without God's involvement.  We must first think about what we do as "Lord-delighting-plans" - and then marshal our people to plan - developing the discipline for our managers to look ahead and to be intentional about communicating goal progress, resource allocation and the impact of the short-term plans on mission and vision of the organization. We must accomplish all these “business things” remembering that strategy begins in the heart. Is your heart in God’s hands?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Understand the Power of Others

Proverbs 15:22 (NLV) Plans go wrong without talking together, but they will go well when many wise men talk about what to do.

Going it alone is not a recommended strategy in Scripture for leading a business, a family, or your life. God created humans to be fulfilled in community. To make sure that people understood the power of relationships, as Pastor Doug Webster puts it, “God, who was never alone, became alone so we might have a relationship with Him.” We were created to thrive in a community -- a team.  In  business, fresh perspectives are vital to innovation. Collaboration and consensus building drives better business decisions. However, it is not just about seeking advice, not about just talking things over with others; it is also from whom the advice is sought. Are you talking things through with a trusted team of advisors? Are they wise? It is not only the what, it is "the who" that is giving the advice.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Choose Advisors Carefully

Proverbs 14:7 (AMP)  Go from the presence of a foolish and self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

Concerning issues of character, morality and ethics where you get your advice is critical. It is in the “gray areas,” where arguments can be made on both sides of an issue, that “solid” advice is critical. Parsing issues based on legality and balance (is the solution just for all parties involved?) are generally straightforward:  however, it is the third leg of the ethics stool – rightness – that can cause real problems. In today’s atmosphere of  “relative truth” (an oxymoron for a Believer) the question of right and wrong can be quickly muddied with expediency. That relative truth generally comes from a “foolish and self-confident person.” This is a person who lives life as if God were irrelevant - not important at all for living and certainly not for business. Their foolish words can have power – but your discernment even more. God's way is not negotiable:  business must be run in a way that is pleasing to God and the people you impact. When “coloring” the gray areas, choose your business advisors carefully.  

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

The Leadership Team

Proverbs 11:14 (MSG) Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.

Leaders not only provide good direction, they also seek wise counsel. This is not “either/or” thinking; rather, it is “both/and.” Silo thinking is not part of this culture and there is an absence of hierarchical vocabulary and its effect -- lack of collaboration. However, when humility is out and arrogance is not only tolerated, but also often rewarded, people “lose their way” and become well known for offering answers, not solutions. The people running these kinds of organizations often don't ask for advice from the team despite the admonitions above that are certainly plain enough: get advice - Godly advice (wise counsel). God has called Believers to adopt a different attitude - one that seamlessly integrates the scared with the secular. God's word: God's people: And You. That's a team that improves “your chances.”

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Communication Skills Essential to Leadership

Proverbs 10: 32 (MSG) The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.

Corporate culture thrives when clear communication is a core value. That value is expressed when each at every level embraces all the values; when the culture supports communication without fear, even challenging the way “things are done;” and also, when the company “speaks” with integrity because its employees do. Idle words can be dangerous and what you say matters. Effective leadership in this positive culture is about keeping the "air clear." How easily communication can become polluted. Believers are admonished that our words must make a difference. We are called to be purveyors of peace with words that are fitting to our listeners. Words that encourage, edify and empower. Are you that kind of leader?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Ethical Training for Leaders

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

A recent study from the IABC found that over 65% of their membership had no training on ethics – and it is this group that advices senior management on ethical decision-making! It has also been my experience that those who ran their business ethically were people who had grounding in the Word. Interestingly, many have rejected Christianity – but all had experienced religious raining in school.
Today, ethics training that focuses on company values, internal and external relationships is certainly needed; however, the rules, regulations and process that often flow from that training are generally “head” issues. This verse points out that wisdom and understanding (the foundation of ethics) is a heart issue. Perhaps John Jay, first Supreme Court Chief Justice was correct: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Value Wisdom over Wealth

Proverbs 8:11 (MSG) For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

Status, wealth, power, and living the "good life" rule the airwaves. We live in a society where truth is not as valued as is correctness, or tolerance and sincerity (being open to any idea as long as it is passionately, personally, and sincerely believed). We have become society that is more concerned about how we look, how we are liked, and how our decisions "feel" than what reflects Truth that has its source in Wisdom. Taking a stand in business for the Truth sometimes will yield sneering. To battle that belittling attitude, Christian leaders must remember, "Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth." It is a lie that "he who has the most toys, wins." Leaders, whose source of strength is their Creator-Lord not their balance sheet may take some "hits" from the "ruler of this world;" but, undaunted, they focus on the goal set before them by their Lord and press on toward a higher calling then net worth. That’s a goal worth living for.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Seduction and Leadership

Proverbs 7:1-5 (MSG) Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you'll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it! Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart. Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. They'll be with you to fend off the Temptress—that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress.

These verses make it clear that eternal core values must be of paramount importance if we are to protect ourselves from seduction – of any kind. For leaders, the line between leading and seducing it mighty thin: consider the German language where “to lead” is “fuehren” (think Fuehrer!) and by adding only the prefix “ver” or “verfuehren,” the result is “to seduce.” We must protect ourselves from the “Great Seducer” who wants to add a “simple prefix” to our thinking and paints his path as the path to freedom – freedom to think on our own and to run our lives and business on our own – a path that is actually the very opposite of freedom – slavery; a path that looks good, but is not. Seductive path mimics the real. Can you tell the difference? You can if you make Wisdom the “apple of your eye.”

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

The Heart of a Leader

Proverbs 4:23 (MSG)  Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. (NKJV)   Keep [above all else, guard- NIV] your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

Servant-leadership has become a hot topic in the business press. Servant-leadership thinks of others before thinking of self. This kind of leadership demands a humble heart, which takes effort on our part and that effort, and as Wisdom admonishes, is focused on guarding our heart. We are told that what we think about or ponder in the heart, will define us. The heart is where feelings, behavior, attitudes, hidden thoughts live. Scripture also teaches that the heart is very wicked and deceitful - so much so, it can fool us. That's why it must be guarded. The older I get, the more I understand how much personal discipline it really takes to become a "person after God's own heart."

Are you disciplined for Servant-leadership?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Transformational Leadership

Proverbs 3:3-4 (AMP) Let not mercy and kindness [shutting out all hatred and selfishness] and truth [shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood] forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart. So shall you find favor, good understanding, and high esteem in the sight [or judgment] of God and man.

Leadership that has a genuine concern for others (and their opinion and ideas) is desperately needed. In his new book, Leading Through Conflict (Harvard Business School Press), Mark Gerzon, an internationally known mediator, posits that we need a new kind of leadership, “…we need boundary-crossing leaders who can help the parts work together by strengthening the whole.” This kind of leadership grows from a real concern for truth and for “the other” (even when “the other” is an internal adversary or rival). This leadership forsakes the demagoguery of self-absorption and the limited thinking of simple managerial leadership and focuses on building bridges, not walls. A leader filled with mercy, kindness and truth. Sounds like something Jesus would be about. Are you?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership Treasure Hunt

Proverbs 2: 1-5 (NIV) My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

Working in or running a business God’s way is not a matter of a morning prayer of “Bless, oh Lord, my business I pray…” Observe the highlighted words in the verse – there is work to do, here. Of course, business people still need to develop an understanding of markets, of customers, of competitive landscapes, of the process of differentiation, and then clear statements about the benefits the product offering provides  - business treasure and important stuff. No eternal value. Doing business in a way that glorifies God will develop your character (heart, soul and mind) so that you will become increasingly Christ-like – that’s where the real value is. Are you searching for the right treasure?

Copyright ©2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Relax Then Lead

Proverbs 1:33 (MSG)  "First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy--you're in good hands.

Want to relax? Do a Goggle® search on "relax" and your eyes will be opened to all the world’s possibilities for learning how to relax. There's music: quieting videos; unique DVDs; special cassettes; and even spectacular CDs. You name it. Someone will sell you something to help you relax. This verse says there is a simple method that will provide what you need to learn to relax – and it’s free!  Do life right. Shift your focus. Being self-absorbed equals anxiety. Becoming God-absorbed equals relaxation. The choice should be clear.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

The Stewardship of Wealth for Leaders

Proverbs 31:8-9  (NLT) [the words of King Lemuel that he learned from his mother] Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Just who are the poor and what is the Christian's role? What is the role of a business owner? Where does being gullible end and compassion begin? Was Karl Marx correct - that the non-poor are to blame for the poor? Was Emerson right when he wrote, "Do not tell me, as a good man did today, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor?" We may not be responsible for the poor, but we are responsible to help them in the right way at the right time as God directs- the story of the Good Samaritan being a prime example.  It's not about us, it is about Him and He does care how we handle wealth and compassion. (Matt. 25:34-35).

We are to help but not because it makes us feel good. We are called to be compassionate because we are stewards, not owners, of what we have been given.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell                       

Leader: Are You Listening?

Proverbs 28:9 (AMP) He who turns away his ear from hearing the law [of God and man], even his prayer is an abomination, hateful and revolting [to God].
(MSG) God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him.

Daily business issues often seem to be out of the "realm" of prayer and reading the Word. It is the "big" issues that drive people to seek God; but it is those small, daily issues that we think we can handle on our own, that begin our slide down the slippery slope of idolatry where we worship the creature rather than the creator. Running a business. Determining strategy.  Developing and implementing a sales plan. Preparing to mentor - all the stuff of business life. His Word is the essential of life: it provides a foundation for our core values. It shapes our purpose. It gives us true meaning. Tuning my ears to God's thoughts begins with my eyes focused on His word and my heart focused on Him in prayer.

How interesting; God listens to us when we listen to Him. Are you listening?

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Sincere Leadership

Proverbs 26:23 (MSG) Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery.

The image is striking and apropos. Adding glaze, as fill, was the old trick used to hide blemishes. The Greeks marked their fine pottery after inspection with the word from which we get our word sincere - meaning unmixed or pure. Leadership that builds trust, that is original, innovative, and focused on people works best when it originates from a heart that is pure in motive. The antithesis is Machiavellian leadership. People want to be lead, not manipulated. That's all about heart - motive. The leader's prayer is the Psalmist prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God."

Daily heart surgery yields sincere leadership.

Copyright©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Uncompromising Leadership

Proverbs 25:26 (NLT) If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or [thoroughly] muddying [and corrupting] a spring.

It was George Orwell who observed, "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." To whom will you "back down, stammering instead of speaking truth?" With whom will you "soft peddle" a position? Who do you treat "tenderly" for fear of alienation? Who will you not "debate" when God's glory is not recognized? The fear of other people has crippled many a leader, and we have seen it in politics and in the corporate world where one sometimes must manage "the thoroughbred" Sales VP whose ethics are questionable, but whose results seem to rule. Speaking the truth in love takes confidence, patience, and submission to the Holy Spirit – a task of the wholly devoted follower of Christ.

Are you that?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders and Competitors

Proverbs 24:17-18  (NASB) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.

There is an interesting metaphor about competition that vibrates with military images - the competition is somehow “the enemy.” Jim Collins discovered that Nike's values at one time included "crushing" the enemy - the competition. The paradigm posits that business is about winning no matter what or who is crushed in the process. However, good marketing is not about crushing the competition:  it is about differentiation:  about distinguishing your offering and its compelling benefits to the user. No crushing needed. Targeted, value-based messages produce positive results.

Once again, for the Believing businessperson, it is all about attitude - a heart thing. Are you solely rejoicing in Him - no matter the marketplace circumstance?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Let Go and Let God

Proverbs 21:1 (MSG) 1Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

What do successful businessmen like Ken Blanchard, Jim Amos (President of Mail Boxes, Etc.,), John Couch (one of the early VPs at Apple Computer) and Senator Bill Armstrong (former entrepreneur) have in common?  Read their stories and discover that each learned that it was pride that made them independent of God. Personal humility grew them and their businesses. It is our responsibility to plan, vision, propose, motive, implement, control, manage and lead; however, all this is done from an internal understanding that we are but a “channel of water controlled by God.” It is God who must be our strength. It is in Him we must trust.  We are not sovereign. Only God is.

Who do you really trust to guide your life?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Understand Internal Motivation

Proverbs 20: 5, 27 (AMP) 5Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.   27The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.

The question "What business are you really in?" has fueled the longest and deepest discussions in my career. Goffee and Jones had asked this very question in a ten-year study, the results published in the Sept-Oct 2000 HBR, Why Should Anyone Be Lead by You? They discovered four "unexpected" traits of "inspirational" leaders - first being that leaders "reveal their weaknesses." Proud people shun that kind of leading. Their only "lamp" is themselves. It is all about them. Moses led millions. He learned to better manage the process by his father-in-law who immediately saw a managerial flaw early in Moses' career. Moses, his motive and heart pure, listened, set up the system to manage the process. Numbers 12:3 reminds us that "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."

Leading from a position of humility works.


Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

The Generosity of Leaders

Proverbs 19:17 (MSG) Mercy to the needy is a loan to GOD, and GOD pays back those loans in full.

In his article The Cultivation of Transcendent Leadership, Jamie S. Walters posits that generosity is the first of the six principles of "transcendent leadership." As he points out, "Generosity of spirit...fosters collaboration, creativity, idea-sharing, knowledge-sharing, camaraderie, trust, satisfaction, and constructive communication." Mercy to the needy is not only financial help (which is important in its own right) but also is expressed, in the work environment, in the sharing of information, delegating both authority and responsibility and/or providing necessary feedback. Mercy is a quality from the heart.

Do you have the heart to lead?

Leaders Learn With the Head and the Heart

Proverbs 18:15 (MSG) Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. (NIV) The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.

Knowledge. Always learning, looking for more - reading management journals or books on leadership. Filling our minds with facts, concepts and diligently connecting the dots. The acquiring of this learning we most often associate with the mind. Not the heart. Heart knowledge changes the meaning in this verse. True, leaders are life-long learners; however, Biblical leaders practice prudent learning – learning that seeks out and experiences God. Learning that changes the way we live and how we impact others.

Are you learning to lead – God’s way?  

Copyright ©2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Take the Time for Counsel

Proverbs 20:18 (AMP) Purposes and plans are established by counsel; and [only] with good advice make or carry on war.

Of course, you might say, leadership asks for advice. Not according to a new survey of 1,400 leaders and managers (by the Ken Blanchard Group) as reported in by Nic Paton www.Management-issues.com.  It seems that a whopping 81 per cent of the respondents reported that leaders failed to listen or involve others in the process of planning. Listening to the team and collaborating drives businesses success. God, who promised us wisdom, often imparts His wisdom through others and the growing success of groups like Christ@work (http://www.fcci.org/) or www.wisecounselonline.com/ or Internal Coalition of Workplace Ministries (http://www.icwm.net/) demonstrates the benefits of wise, Biblically based business counsel.

Are you connected for wise counsel?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Learning to Live Untouched by Trouble

Proverbs 19:23   (NIV) - The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

God-confidence vs. self-confidence – one is driven by faith, the other by sight. Disappointment, discouragement and despair can dog a leader – or any person. It is the discipline of the will that does not let disappointment lead to the others. That discipline, for the Believer, has a solid core, driven deep into the bedrock of faith. Fearing God is not a trivial thing, or easily grasped and held on to. It is the opposite of self-reliance and yet, paradoxically, the more we rely on Him, the more confident we appear to others. "Untouched by trouble" is not about circumstances, but about our attitude born of faith about what's happening.  Got faith? You got attitude.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Servant Leaders

Proverbs 16:2 (NLV) All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the thoughts of the heart.

In the Forward of Insights on Leadership: Service, Stewardship, Spirit, and Servant-Leadership, Stephen Covey posits, "the power to cultivate servant-leadership comes from the individual. It's an inside-out approach." And therein lies the real problem. "Google" servant leadership and you may find as I did 6,980,000 results. Hot topic and not all are in agreement with the concept. The reason may be quite simple: the "inside" of humans must be changed before an authentic servant-heart emerges. When the "going gets tough" for those with hearts unchanged by their Creator, self-serving drives decisions. Motives can be hidden except from the One who will judge the living and the dead. When what we do is about us and not about Him, our motives are wrong. Hard to weigh that one: our scales are weighted in our favor.

What motivates you - really?

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Out Of a Leader’s Mouth Flows What’s In the Heart

Proverbs 15:7, 14, 28 (NIV) 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. 14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

A few years ago, Sorcher and Brant in the Harvard Business Review suggested that leadership is really more about "soft" skills—and it is those "soft skills" to which the word heart in these passages refers. From the failure of Enron’s management (who had an Ethics Manual that was over an inch thick) we learn that it is not in the writing of the words on paper that counts; rather, it is the writing of Word in the heart that matters. What leaders say has meaning beyond the simple words. Grad school can well prepare the mind for leadership: it is only God who can prepare the heart. Feed on eternal ideas and then apply the principles of Best Business Practices in a way that will differentiate you from those who feed on folly. What are you feeding on?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership With Insight

Proverbs 14: 8 (NLT) The wise look ahead to see what is coming, but fools deceive themselves.

Effective leaders not only understand the business purpose (its vision) but also they clearly understand the mission and they observe what is happening today while looking ahead, determining strategy based not just on some static document, but on the reality of a dynamic marketplace. They know the difficulties of the mission and break through them while not violating the core values that shape the culture.  These behaviors do not happen in a vacuum - they are shaped by the values of the leader. Believing leaders value their Creator's insights, and follow His guidelines, consult Him in prayer and meditation, asking for wisdom to be acutely aware of what is coming not only in the business, but also, more importantly, in the shaping of their lives to be more like Christ.

Who and what do you value?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell                           

Leaders Embrace Trials

Proverbs 13:15 (NIV) Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard (the unfaithful does not endure). James 1:2 (NAS)  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

For the Believer, God's providence must be the foundation of our value system. That core sustains our belief that God cares and is dynamically in charge of all of life, especially our trials.  Christian business leaders understand that God cares far less about the business, than he does about the person, for it is our belief system - our faith in operation - that is of interest to Him; for, "without faith it is impossible to please God." How you endure (respond to, react to) business setbacks, failures, and persistent problems not only wins favor with those watching you (Your attitude answering the question, "Is the Christian stuff for real?"), but it also is of interest to God who is working in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son.

Are you embracing God's work or expressing unbelief by questioning it?

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leader's Words Inspire Others for Change

Proverbs 12:18 (MSG) Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise.

In his book, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Harvard professor Ronald Heifetz posits that the role of leadership is changing: the new role is “to help people face reality and to mobilized them to make change.” Change is at least painful and at worst potentially destructive. People are sometimes “destroyed” by what is said and how it is said as they spontaneously react negatively to the change. The wise leader recognizes the various impacts of change on the team and speaks words that heal by creating value and meaning for each person experiencing the change.

Are you leading with words that heal or maim?

Copyright ©2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Learn to Focus on the Right Things

Proverbs 9: 1, 10  (MSG) 1Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home... 10Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-GOD, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

A special house has been built for Believers and it should be enough - but many times, we spend time looking out the window at other buildings that seem bigger, better, bolder. The world does this as the their practice of living. Always seeking another way - one's own way. Often, we focus on “building something,” but it is skilled living that’s the key. Christian leaders have the opportunity to demonstrate what God can do with a business wholly committed to him -- one that thrives, grows and is profitable - an enterprise run for His glory. Dickens would not have had much material to use if Christians at the time were committed to running Christ-enabled businesses. Businesses run God's way should be better - the leader more skilled at living because she/he isn’t trying to build a house. That leader is focused on walking the path of skilled living.

Are you walking on the path that leads to the house Wisdom has built?

Copyright ©2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Are Present

Proverbs 8: 34 -35 (AMP) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me [Wisdom] finds life and draws forth and obtains favor from the Lord.
How important is “being present” in business conversations. Connecting. Practicing active listening. More important, however, is being present in the process of letting God superintend your life and your work. This concept is found in two words: “watching” i.e. being diligent every day to connect with the Lord, and “waiting” as being “first at the door” or eager. Both attributes demonstrate being connected to the process. Both are attributes of leadership – eager and diligent to learn from both other people and from results of our actions. The if/then quality (finds life – draws forth - the image is of drawing water from a well-favor) of these verses is simply a group of consequences, not motivations to get on God’s “good side.” Leadership is not about wealth, power or prestige – it’s about influence. Your positive, Kingdom-building influence begins with the simple process of diligently and eagerly listening to the Word and then drawing what you need to impact your world.


Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Irresistible Leadership

Proverbs 30:5-6 (NLV) Every word of God has been proven true (pure). He is a safe-covering to those who trust in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will speak strong words to you and prove you to be a liar.

Do we really believe this? Our culture demands "tolerance" for behaviors that God called sin: tolerance for life-styles that do not please Him; tolerance for visual stimulation in music videos and movies that only appeal to our prurient natures; tolerance to accept many ways to God when our hope is in one-way, one truth and one life. To be really Christ-like in this environment takes faith that He is our refuge, our shield, and our protector. Our core values must be clear, consistent and courageous – and yet remain contagious, irresistible, inviting.

Our lives have meaning. Is your life at work attractive and pure?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Want to Lead? Better Learn to Serve

Proverbs 26:17 (AMP) Do you see a man wise in his own eyes and conceit? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him.

Max Dupree (former chairman of Herman Miller, Inc.), in Leadership Jazz, observes, ”…leadership is a position of servanthood. Leadership is also a posture of debt; it is a forfeiture of rights.” Very different from “wise in his own eyes.” Conceit, consistent with Satan's fall, has captivated humans from the very beginning. Try to work-in or run a business without God -- that conceit makes you a "practical atheist," even if you profess a personal relationship. Atheists by any other name are still atheists. Acknowledging a need for God in the workplace, working in a way that acknowledges Him, is not an option. There is one wiser than we and His word is our guidebook.

Who do you serve? What are you reading?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership That is Not Presumptuous

Proverbs 25: 6-7 (MSG) Don't work yourself into the spotlight; don't push your way into the place of prominence. It's better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted.

Self-exaltation often results in disaster. In an interview with Larry King, Donald Trump observed that pretenders to success often spend too much time talking to him about all they have done: successful people, on the other hand, spend the time learning -- asking questions about his success. Leaders – lifelong learners - are insatiably curious and more interested in learning than they are in preening. Their focus in not on seating arrangements, but learning from the person they are seated next to. This practical advice about where you think you should be sitting says much about your heart. Christian leaders are called to march to a heartbeat whose cadence is called out by God, not by the meaningless chatter of this world.  

Are you seeking God's honor or the worlds?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Discern

Proverbs 24:7 (MSG) Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven't a clue.

Life is a spiritual battle: the world tries to make it material. The Sarbanes-Oxley environment over the last several years has produced much talking, little wise conversation. The world just does not "get it." As one executive put in, "The Ten Commandants haven't worked; why should we think our rules will work?" He missed the spiritual element. A discussion of ethics without a discussion of morality and truth is useless, yet it happens often. Recognizing the spiritual forces in play, a wise leader’s conversation is more about parables than pontification; it’s peppered with interesting questions rather than interrupting sarcasm; and it is simple, not simplistic. Sensitive to the spiritual void, a wise leader can approach an issue without being antagonistic to the person. You know, like Jesus did.

Can we talk? Really talk.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Must Learn to Resist the Seductions of Success

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NLV) Do not work hard to be rich. Stop trying to get things for yourself. When you set your eyes upon it, it is gone. For sure, riches make themselves wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Working hard and achieving success is generally good. However, according to J.L. Badaracco, Jr., a professor at Harvard Business School, in his new book Questions of Character he writes, "The basic problem with the flow of success is that life can look very good when it really isn't.” The mythological story of Icarus (who, in his exuberance with successfully flight, flew too close to the sun and melted the wax in his wings, falling to his death) illustrates that lesson. Working hard for the right things is always best. Working – no matter the job -- is really a mind-game; it is an attitude that must flow from seeking “first the kingdom of God" to one of stewardship - how we think about what we have. The daunting challenge for many leaders is, paradoxically, the very thing they aspire to achieve - a successful life and career and all that comes with them -- can be fleeting if they find they are working for the wrong reasons.

Fly like an eagle: work for God, not yourself.

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Attractive Leadership

Proverbs 22: 11 (MSG) GOD loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship.

Leadership motivates.  Pureness of heart will attract both followers and other leaders. Christian business leaders should have an advantage because we can lead from a pure heart and our speech can be seasoned with graciousness. Both are a result not of who we are naturally, but of Christ in us. Do you want to make a change in your workplace? Work on your heart and leave the rest up to God. His love for you will cover the consequences of your stand for righteousness - your expression of a pure heart.

Share your heart. God did.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell                     

Leadership Demeanor

Proverbs 19:12 (NLT) The king's anger is like a lion's roar, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

Work done by Porter, Lorsch and Nohria, reported in the October 2004 Harvard Business Review found that seven surprises await the new CEO and “Surprise Four” is "You Are Always Sending A Message." A leader's anger may not be voiced particularly loudly, but it is heard like a "lion's roar." The leader's favor may be small, but it is experienced like "fresh dew on the grass." Everything is magnified. The solution? Research suggests consistent, clear and simple messages. Often repeated. Supported by stories.

The paradox: leaders (executives, teachers, parents) must encourage a culture of accountability and nurture - we must be "fresh dew" on the lives we impact. We provide nourishment to the thirsty. Hope for the hopeless. We cannot do that if we are roaring.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders are Open-minded

Proverbs 18:17 (NASB) The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.

Leaders listen. Well, authentic leaders listen. Effective leaders have learned that art. In a January 2001 article in Harvard Business Review, Jim Collins introduced the world to the “Level 5 Leadership” wherein HBR observed that is was “The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve” Those who practice humility listen actively. And active listening is a skill that is not easily developed. The goal must always be mutual understanding. The key to effective listening is here in this verse:  asking good questions. Good questions are not simply a matter of casual probing. These questions take forethought. Skill to develop a conversation that achieves understanding of the issues involved. Are you listening? Asking good questions? Or just talking?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Leaders Understand True Courage

Proverbs 17:12  (NIV) Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.

Winston Churchill offered a thought about courage: "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Profound. We have become a timid lot, we followers of the Way. We are willing to listen when we should stand up to speak; and we stand up to speak only when the audience is "safe." It take more courage to stand up to a passionate person, wise in their own eyes, having no need for God and seducing the world to idolatry (a fool in his folly) than the deadly, angry mother bear. Committed Christian leaders have learned not only when to “stand up” – to discern the seduction of words and thoughts that have their genesis in Hell – but also what to say. Who are you afraid of most:  the bear or the fool?

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Learn to Pray and Plan....and Pray

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NIV) I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

It was D.D. Eisenhower who said: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Mintzberg & Quinn in their text The Strategy Process observed: "Strategy deals with the unknowable, not the uncertain." Business leaders work hard at looking at patterns, factors, trends, research, known and unknown needs - elements, among others that go into planning; but they do not know the future. God does. The Christian business leader should use good planning and management techniques to control the business: but s/he does this with the absolute certainty that the LORD determines the outcome. This fact in no way excuses people from planning, thinking, strategizing. May I suggest the 8 Ps of Planning: Plan. Pray. Practice. Perform. Pray. Ponder (what is God saying and what am I to learn?) Pray. Perform.

Planning is good. Praying is essential.

Copyright© 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Practice Collaboration

Proverbs 15:22 (NLV) Plans go wrong without talking together, but they will go well when many wise men talk about what to do.

Fresh perspectives are vital to innovation. Research has shown that collaboration that results from participative management in a flat organization drives better business decisions. According to Sirota, Mischkind and Meltzer in The Enthusiastic Employee, camaraderie that grows in a collaborative environment is one of the fundamental desires of employees. In Built To Last, Collins and Porras found that higher performing companies promoted from within – a process facilitated in a collaborative environment which does not happen in a vacuum:  it is the result of people actually talking together - not a person telling someone something.

Are you leading by collaborating or by telling? Your key employee turnover may be a key to the answer.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Learn to Love Discipline

Proverbs 12: 1 (AMP) Whoever loves instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.

To put this verse more simply – “to learn, you must have discipline (NLT).” To grow personally or to lead, it’s discipline that drives your work and your life in the direction needed.

But note also the AMP translation: we are not to tolerate discipline. Not deal with it. Not accept it. Love it. I’m reminded of what M. Scott Peck said in his book The Road Less Traveled, “without discipline we can solve nothing.” Some organizations just love strategy formulation - big plans and wonderful Power Point® presentations: but it is the discipline that comes from strategy implementation where the rubber meets the road. Leaders learn that every action taken is a learning experience: they see it as producing a result- not as success or failure, per se. That’s the attitude of loving discipline. Learn from the results you produce. If you don’t like, change what you are doing – don’t be a “brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.”

Learn. Change. Grow.

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Learn to Stop Gossip Quickly

Proverbs 11:13 (NLT) A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. (AMP) He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy and faithful in spirit keeps the matter hidden.

Workplace gossip has become almost like air: it's everywhere. So pervasive that management literature not only recognizes gossip as a force in the workplace, but also has studied how it starts, how to use it, how to make it work for you (!) and how to stop it. Writers in the field of organizational development, human resources and management seem to recognize that gossip "is a universal human behavior that we all engage in, and which serves a functional purpose for employees and organizations.”(Summerhurst & Talbott)

How do you stop it? Research has discovered that if the gossip is immediately challenged or redirected, the gossip will stop; however, if a second person joins, it grows. Business etiquette and Scripture agree - stop it before it starts. Do you really trust God with your life? Are you “faithful in spirit?” How you use your tongue will ultimately tell the tale.

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Wealth: Goal or Consequence?

Proverbs 10:22 (NLT) The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Christian business leadership should be focused on who we are, not what we are. Leadership that keeps the focus on Him (“seek first the kingdom of God”) results in leadership without sorrow. Wealth is not the goal of being a wise person, but may be a consequence. And it is this kind of wealth that one should aspire to. Let the Lord determine who will receive the blessings of riches that have no sorrow.

Let us determine to be faithful followers, leaving the results to Him.

Copyright© 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Interdependence

Proverbs 9:6 (NIV) Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
Other translations lend more insight:

• "Leave your impoverished confusion;"


• "Forsake the foolish and simpleminded;"


• "Leave your foolish ways behind;" and,


• "Forsake the foolish" are from various other translations.

"Simple ways" is pregnant with meaning. This passage in Proverbs is at the end of a description of Wisdom's feast: "Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home; it's supported by seven hewn timbers. The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted, wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers. Having dismissed her serving maids, Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place, and invites everyone within sound of her voice: "Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on? Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me! I've prepared a wonderful spread--fresh-baked bread, roast lamb, carefully selected wines." (MSG)

As I was reading, the metaphor used struck me: God has done it all - even the getting of Wisdom. Of course, I knew that, but today the picture took on new color, new meaning. I don't have to slaughter the meat, cook it. I don't even have to set the table. I just have to come to dinner and feast.

"Sounds too simple. There's got to be stuff I need to do to get the wisdom I need to be a better leader."

We do it for salvation. "But for running my business? The Bible is not a business book," some might ask. Business school certainly gives you the tools needed to analyze, evaluate, and build organizational process: but it does not give Wisdom or Understanding. Without the latter, our ways are simple or foolish - tell that to a Harvard MBA!

Whether it's Business School or the school of life, any learning that leaves out God, is foolish. And what do we discover if we "walk in the way of understanding?" We can find among other things combining the learning from B-Schools and the God's Wisdom is a powerful combination. I know that many of the business decisions are not right from wrong; rather, it is which ethically right path should be followed - and that takes Wisdom. For we cannot see down the path:  following God's lead is a walk of Faith and not sight. And I think we make "walking by faith" harder than it needs to be: we try to prepare the meal, or at least set the table.

Walking by faith is a walk of wisdom, a way of understanding that begins with "knowing God" which results from feasting at the table of His Word, praying, and having a transparent relationship with Godly people.

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Find Wisdom

Proverbs 8:9-10 (MSG)  [Wisdom speaking] Prefer my life--disciplines over chasing after money, and God-knowledge over a lucrative career. For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

Wisdom is portrayed in this chapter as a women calling out to passers by. In my mind, I picture this woman to be unadorned, plain. Attractive if one were to stop and notice. But not loud. Not seductive. Strong, confident. Not flirty. I arrived at this from the word pictures used to contrast Wisdom and foolishness. The latter is seductive, alluring, sensual - the kind of women that are presented to our culture today. Shaped the right way. Dressed the right way. Smelling right. Wisdom, on the other hand, is not shaped by Hollywood, dressed by designers or concerned by about seductive smells. She "calls out" with words to live by, not words to seduce the listener. She offers advice, not empty flattery with flashing, saucy eyes. Her looks are direct and bore into the soul. No wonder she is ignored. She sees us as we are.

Do you have an accountability group that will help open up your mind to Wisdom? Minds have shut, not because of any real intention to ignore God, but shut down often just because of laziness. Dull thinking. Shut because of focus on the value of "silver and gold" and not the value of living God's way.

Our culture bombards us with images, messages and memories of the "rich and famous." We have become seduced by, cars, computers and clothes. Football, racing, all Sunday morning sports, have replaced faith, reverence and soul-searching. The act of Worship has been replaced with rallying behind our favorite team. And even when we find a church, its more about what is it doing for me than how can I meet God here and give back something to others.

Our culture demands of our churches things that the New Testament church never imagined. That church spent time praying and learning God's word. How very boring for today's culture. Church growth experts would shudder if Sunday were spent in prayer for one another - real prayer - study of the Word (in depth - not simply listening to a 22 minute message) and caring for one another's needs.

Those are the disciplines of Wisdom. And a small group can help facilitate that kind of care and concern. There are many business models for this kind of effort – just “Google™” marketplace ministries (my response gave me 4,880,000 for marketplace ministry groups in .20 seconds)! Wisdom can be found in the marketplace. Are you searching?

Copyright © 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

Leading with Integrity is Good Business

Proverbs 5:21 (MSG) Mark well that GOD doesn't miss a move you make; he's aware of every step you take.

• Job 31:4 (NIV) Does he not see my ways and count my every step?


• Job 34:21 (NIV) "His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step….”


• Psalm 119:168 (NIV) I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.


• Jeremiah 32:19 (NIV) … great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men….


• Proverbs 4:26 (MSG) Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.


• Matthew 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


• Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/integrity/) “integrity is one of the most important and oft-cited of virtue terms. It is also perhaps the most puzzling.” Puzzling that it is puzzling! If you look up the word in a thesaurus, you will find words like “Moral or ethical strength; The quality of being honest; The condition of being free from defects or flaws; or The state of being entirely whole…” (http://www.answers.com/integrity) Those synonyms seem to make the meaning clear. According to one philosopher, even integrity has become a relative term so that it is based on what a person is committed to; therefore, a con-man who remains true to his commitment of deceit is operating with integrity, but not with an accepted moral basis.

I’m from a simpler school best illustrated by the old story of the preacher who preached on Sunday on honesty and integrity. On Monday, he had to take a bus downtown, got on, gave his money, received his change. Upon sitting down and counting his change, he discovered that he has been over-paid in change. At first, he was thankful that God had supplied some extra money that he did really need; but upon leaving the bus, he stopped at driver’s seat, took out the “extra” change, handed it back commenting that the driver had given him too much change. The driver smiled and told the preacher that that had been no mistake: he had attended that preacher’s church on Sunday and wanted to see if on Monday he put his life where his mouth was.

In my email that linked to his article, I referenced the work of David Leonhardt in his article in the May 3, 2006 NY Times titled, Rule No. 35: Reread Rule on Integrity where he quotes William Swanson who was “found-out” that he had plagiarized several of his business maxims from a work published in 1944. According to Leonhardt, Swanson “…has failed his own integrity test. 'Integrity,' to me," he [Swanson] writes, "is having the fortitude to do what is right when no one is watching."”

Well, he captured it! Being “perfect” or mature is about completeness. Walking your talk – day and night – as if everyone you know is watching what you do. God is watching.

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Lights of the Word

Proverbs 4: 18-19 (NIV) The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

• (AMP) [Verse 18 only] But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].


• John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."


• Matthew 5:14 (NIV) "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.


• Ephesians 1:4 (NIV) For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.


• Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord


• 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Uncompromising values.  That's the path we want all our leaders to walk - whether a business team leader, CEO, politician, parent, friend or spouse. Yes, we want that for "them" but it is each of us, not just them. All believers are called to be "lights."  Impossible on our own:  we must appropriate the power to walk righteous path.

I am struck by the analogy given to help paint the picture for us. From the beauty of dawn's early light to the searing light of the midday sun, the message is simply that when walking this path, changes are to take place in those that walk it. In fact, we have a religious term for this walk - sanctification. The doctrine states that our growth along this path is continual and will be completed when we pass from this life into the next.

Our spiritual transformation differs in kind and quality from any man-made light source. In this journey, we are to become ever brighter - not like a battery that overtime looses its power; our light is to get stronger and stronger, brighter and brighter. Obviously not a man-made journey - ours is powered by a source outside of us and is greater than we.  Light is attractive:  people love to look at city lights seen from a high place. We will drive or walk to see a sunset. Some of us want to be awake early not to miss a sunrise. Just as Jesus was light, so we are called to be lights - our lives (our everyday living) so bright and beautiful that the world is attracted to our light.

Which brings up the concept of holiness. We have been called to be Holy - set apart. This holiness is not just a "scared" thing:  it knows no boundaries of sacred and secular. Personal holiness is the most profound mixture of God's sovereignty and human responsibility.  As we mature in our choices, we grow brighter and that brightness touches the lives of those around us - a quintessential synergistic relationship. We are to light up the world!

This is a God thing. He empowers us to walk. We obey. He lights up our life.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell