Leadership: "P" is for People

The People factor of leadership is perhaps the most important and most complex of all the leadership factors.  People are important to leadership, because without people nothing happens.  People are complex.  Even when attempting to lead a small group of people toward a common goal, you will have as many different opinions as you have group members on certain issues.  So how is the leader to overcome the complexity of working with "people" who have differing views?

To understand any creation to the fullest, you must first have a close relationship with the creator.  For example, to understand art, know the artist.  To understand music, know the musician.  To understand and work with other people it only stands to reason that you'd attempt to know the One who created them.  This is one of the most complex concepts for leaders to grasp, mainly because it is so simple it's often overlooked as a valid means of leadership.  If we focus on everything that people want or don't want, we will never lead them to success as a team.  Just like if we focus on everything a child wants or doesn't want and on always making that child "happy", then we will never truly lead that child to a place of success as a person.

The same holds true for those following us as leaders of organizations.  If we are constantly worried and concerned and focused on the "things" that will make those we are leading "happy", then we loose our ability to lead them.  If, on the other hand, we focus our attention on the Creator of people, and attempt to get to know Him, we are then able to begin to lead those around us as we follow Him.  If our focus is on growing a relationship with a "knowable" God, in and through His Son, Jesus Christ, we can truly know and love others.  And as we learned before, we must love those we lead.

As we close out this LEADERSHIP series, I want you to consider one thing about people.  Every person has at least one thing in common: God created them all.  If we are to ever understand and truly lead people, we must rely on our personal relationship with the Creator.  All our relationships are in direct relationship to our relationship with Jesus Christ.  As a leader, we can never forget from where we get our strength, our abilities, and our LEADERSHIP!

I have really enjoyed this journey through Leadership, and I pray that it has been an encouragement to those three people who actually read it.

(I realize that some who read this post, may not agree.  That's okay.  I don't ever want to cram my beliefs down anyone's throat.  However, I still think you should consider getting to know the Creator, and not equate that with your previous religious experience.  Jesus changed my life, and He continually changes my world when I boldly follow Him.  I am not a religious man, but I attempt every day to become a "JESUS" man.  Some days, I actually come close.)