When I was a graduate student, my professor quoted Pastor Andy Stanley in our Leadership class. I don’t remember the exact quote; however, this is what I took from it. The clearer your vision, the fewer options you have, because with a clear vision decisions are few. In the Power of Purpose class that I teach, I take students beyond their vision and have them connect to their personal philosophy so they can have balance of spirit, soul and body.

Your personal philosophy is different from your purpose. Purpose is the why you exist. Personal philosophy is the system of thought about your purpose that every decision should be filtered through to keep you on track. Your personal philosophy is based on your knowledge, your reality (both actual and perceived), and the boundaries that you have set for yourself.

A purpose without the alignment of your personal philosophy will eventually cloud your vision. For example, if your purpose is to develop leaders and your personal philosophy is to never take a leadership role, because leadership is too risky, then there is a disconnection between your purpose and your personal philosophy. Or if your purpose is to build a Cadillac and your personal philosophy is to use a Chevy blueprint to save money, then your vision will become clouded, and it will be difficult for you to live on purpose and build a Cadillac.

Some leaders may want to revisit their personal philosophy. Our team at Team Building Leadership.org can help you do just that. Vision care becomes easy with the alignment of a personal philosophy and your God-given purpose. If the personal philosophy is flawed, decisions will be flawed and options will be confusing. Disconnects may follow causing chaos. Chaos may hinder alignment; thus, the vicious circle continues.

Clear vision can be restored by operating in your purpose; establishing a personal philosophy that supports that purpose; and bringing clarity to the vison. Eliminating options that cloud your vision will bring focus. Focus will assist you in making easy decisions. Clear vision will help your organization save time, money and grow in record time. Contact us today for a vision alignment, so you can accomplish all you were called to do!

Speaking our message in the five languages of leadership is essential to clear communications. Those we lead will only hear us if you speak in their language. Oftentimes we, as leaders, are so assigned to our language that we believe those who are not hearing us are rebelling against us. In most cases that is not true.

In my forth book the “Five Languages of Leadership” to be released early spring, I help frontrunners own their personal leadership language style, know how to communicate in the remaining four and maintain the authenticity of the message. We must be authentic or those we lead will not follow us for a long period of time. Mixed signals gnaw at our credibility. Those we are called to empower will not feel safe following us, and over the course of time will leave us.

In my first book the “Five Shades of Leadership” I describe the five leadership styles. These styles, the visionary, the builder, the promoter, the protector and the balancer, each have a language. The language used by each, connects those they lead to them. The language is what makes those we lead loyal to the work. People can overlook our shortcomings, if our language is consistent with how the hearer listens. That is why team building leadership is so important.

Building a team with five leadership styles and allowing those five leaders to communicate the same message using their language is how the early church exploded with growth. This leadership model will provide an airtight organization where those you lead will feel safe, they will follow and they will be loyal. This leadership style is over 2000 years old and still works today, if we will work it!

I’ve said it before and will say it again. We were not created to live, work or play alone. Each aspect of our lives, unless it’s our personal renewal time, is more effective when we include others. Whether to involve them in rewards, benefits or profits, we tend to have more joy when we share the limelight of our success, unless we are self-centered. It’s been my experience that self-centered leaders end up tragically alone and defeated.

In my book Five Shades of Leadership I have proven that there are benefits, as a leader, in empowering others to be the best leader they can possibly be. We are made in God’s image, after His likeness, and we have power to empower others to be the same so that they can empower those they lead. Working with your family, the marketplace, the house of prayer, the community and the world is the only way to fulfill the mandate of making leaders. Yes, that is what disciples are. They are leaders, who are made in God’s image, after His likeness and they use the power of leadership to produce love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faith and self-control in their homes, in the community, in the schools, in their state, in their country and in the world.

The power of leadership is encouraging others to live the power of leadership principle and produce the fruit that I’ve named above. Subsequently, you can measure the fruitfulness of your leadership by how many leaders you produce, who bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faith and self-control in their homes, in the community, in the schools, in their state, in their country and in the world. How powerful is your leadership?

Back in the late 90’s one of my favorite professors, Dr. Rodney Jackson, at Beulah Heights University gave our class a book to read that I have kept in my library all these years. The book’s title, “Celebration of Discipline: The path to spiritual growth” was intriguing to me from the onset. The author Richard J. Foster, a Quaker, takes the reader on a three part journey of disciplines that truly are paths to spiritual growth. Inward, outward and corporate disciplines are discussed simply, yet, thoroughly. Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica touch on spiritual growth in the form of balance by praying that the very God of peace would sanctify the entire being of each person in that church. He prayed that each member’s spirit, soul and body would be consecrated.

In my second book “Five Shades of Leadership: No Bugs, Just Profits” I talk about the journey to balancing the spirit, soul and body, to ensure that you are living a profitable life. It has been my experience that if you allow the spirit to rule the soul and body will rock! I am so grateful for that insight in a world that has many distractions. Please take a moment and order your copy from our web store! I celebrate discipline…what about you?

As I prepared for today's tasks, two words ordered my steps, "Refined Silver". Leading a team of leaders is never easy, especially if you talk to them in "your" language, instead of their language. Just as difficult is attempting to turn gold into silver and silver into gold. It's a wasted effort. Although both are refined by fire, both will remain true to what they are. The fire will produce refined gold, if that is what went into the furnace, and the silver will be refined silver, if that's what went into the furnace.

When we lead others, we are not to change them, we are to refine them. That results in our knowing them and knowing their language. You see before the foundation of the world, God made us, gave us our own language and called us "leaders". We are made in His image, after His likeness and He gave us leadership as a way to serve others. We are leaders who produce more leaders, who produce more leaders. So with that said and done, as a leader it is my responsibility to refine the leaders that God sends to my workshops, seminars, classes and especially to serve my organization, just as the Silversmith refines silver.

In my first book, which is available for purchase in the web store on this site, I talk about the five shades of leadership that God has given each family, each church, each community, each organization and each country to operate with to ensure a healthy balance. War, dysfunction, stunted growth and lack are signs that all the shades are not involved or valued.

The visionary sees where the group is going. The builder creates the system the vision needs for efficiency. The promoter ensures that the message is widespread. The protector inspires collaboration, and the balancer makes sure that the entire operation makes dollars and sense.

Whenever there is stealing, killing or destruction one of these elements is missing. It is so easy, because of what we've seen or heard, to believe that the point person has it all. Yet, in my research of the relationship between training and job satisfaction in retaining real estate agents, it proved that when leaders are not operating in their true gifting and calling they tend to take flight (that's why so many organizations can't retain good talent); fight (the murmuring and complaining); or worse become apathetical (the walking dead).So it is so important that we leaders refine those leaders that God sends our way.

We are called to refine the visionary see clearly; yet, know that eyes without the other parts of the body are limited. We are called to refine the builder so they can create systems; however, systems without the other parts are ineffective. We must successfully refine the promoter to get the word out about how we are here to serve, although without the other essentials the promoter is a sounding brass and tingling cymbal. The protector must be refined to bring about collaboration and know that without the others, collaboration may stunt the growth of the group. The leader must refine the balancer to speak truth about the financials; however, must remain humble that it's not all about the dollars and sense of the vision; it’s about what God wants to do.

Refining silver is my job all day everyday….and I am grateful for it!

The shift from where you are as a leader to where God wants you to be is not for the faint of heart. The good news is that we have models to learn from. Take for instance Abram, who was given specific instructions 1. Get out of your country. 2. Get out from your kinfolks. 3. Get out from your father's house. 4. Go to a land that God, himself, will show you.

Abram was a successful leader, who made many mistakes. The first of these series of mistakes was to allow his nephew, Lot, to travel with him. What part of get out from your kinfolks and from your father's house didn't Abram understand? Or maybe Abram allowed it because Lot's father and grandfather had passed on, and he felt obligated to Lot. Or maybe it was because Abram was afraid to do the job alone. We know that Abram struggled with fear because he lied about Sarai being his wife. I don't know what Abram was thinking, but I do know that it cost him time and money. He even had to rescue Lot.

One important lesson we leaders must learn is that in order to make the shift we must obey the instructions. The second lesson to learn is that partial obedience is in fact disobedience. The third lesson is that disobedience cost time and money.

The shift from the familiar to the unfamiliar can only occur by faith, faith to obey, faith to not take hitchhikers and faith that God knows what he is doing. Early in my leadership walk, God gave me an assignment that seemed too hard. I talk about it in my new book, "No Bugs, Just Profits". I was afraid so I did a partial obedience, which is nothing short of disobedience. I am so grateful for grace and mercy. Now I can shift when necessary and not be afraid.

So what's the point of the shift from the familiar to the unfamiliar? The point is that the shift is a necessary process in our leadership walk.  In the familiar, as a leader, we are very likely to take God and his people for granted. In the familiar we are possibly not as creative as we need to be. In the familiar we can become complacent. Abram’s father died in Haran and his brother, who was also Lot’s father died in Ur. Both missed Canaan. The familiar does not grow us in our faith and cannot get us to the promise land.

What is God shifting in your life today leader? Do you have the faith to obey so you can get to your wealthy place?

As successful leaders, we have the amazing responsibility to ensure that our actions are directed by a pure and honorable balance of the spirit, soul and body. And it doesn’t stop there because we must love the work we do, as we empower others to love the work that they do. No one is left behind; thus, if someone cannot serve with us, we gratefully help them find their place of prosperity.

“No bugs, just profits” is the second installment that God gave me to empower leaders to love their leadership role. It’s by leading others that we find the balance necessary to walk in His image, after His likeness, and we are given power to change lives. Start today by using your power to change lives and smile to light up the atmosphere, for it is so difficult to smile and then not serve.

A merry heart is good medicine, and it has been my experience that a merry heart feeds the spirit, soul and body. Your meditation will be powerful with a merry heart. Your interaction with others will be fruitful with a merry heart. Your workout and food plan go smoother when you have a merry heart about what you are doing. A merry heart can help you get the job done in record time!

"We are free to love, have joy, make peace, be longsuffering, be gentle, share goodness, walk in faith, give mercy, and have self control on this Independence Day! Enjoy your freedom in Jesus' Name!!!" This was my July 4, 2014 post to Facebook.

As successful leaders, we must be willing to love the unlovable; have joy in time of sorrow; make peace with peace breakers. And it does not stop there, because leaders must suffer long with those that they are called to lead and that takes gentleness and goodness. We can not do this on our own. This type of leadership takes faith as you give mercy and walk in self control. Not just on Independence Day, but each and every day.

The leadership call is one of righteousness, peace and joy. That must come from the inside out! It's alright to put yourself in time out until your feelings catch up with your faith. You were born in God's image, after His likeness and you have the power to lead and change lives. Start today and see how many lives you can change!