Lead Yourself Well

At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. The first challenge I gave them: Lead Yourself Well.

If you want to be a leader, then you’ve got to lead yourself well. You’ve got to become a leader worth following. You’ve got to know your gifts, your leadership style, your rhythm. You’ve got to pay attention to your personal spiritual health, your emotional and relational health, and your physical health. You’ve got to go to the places you want to take others. And you have to do it behind the scenes.

We don't drift into character. We don't just wake up one morning and discover that we've developed as a leader. It takes intentionality, and strategy, and a commitment to grow. It takes a willingness to subject ourselves to a development process.

To lead yourself well, think in terms of things like what you need to learn, what you need to read, who you need to hang out with more, what sins need to be addressed, what character issues need to be developed, what new spiritual disciplines should be implemented, and what new rhythms need to be observed.

Before you lead others, you must lead yourself well. Become a leader worth following.