Christians who are called to lead in this world have to do two things: they have to lead well and they have to lead in Christ.  Normally these two things are not exclusive but rather build on one another.  And one particular advantage to leading in Christ is the opportunity it affords us to lead in joy.  But what are the secrets to joyful leadership?  One of them is that Jesus sent us out two by two and learning how to journey with friends can be the key to our success.

Every once in a while leaders need to remember the joy of leadership.  And leaders who are following in the footsteps of Christ have a special obligation to witness to the joy that comes from their service because we do what we do in service to the King of Kings.  While challenging sometimes staying joyful is also a secret of the saints.  Not only are leaders keeper of visions and motivators in hard times but we also have the privilege of inspiring those who follow us.

Everyone who tries to do something new has to go through the pain of actually doing it.  Ideas are one thing, inspiration is another, but execution is where things really happen.  And executing on an idea carries with it a burden – the sacrifice of the grind.  Is it possible to stay happy even when toiling?  What happens to a Christian’s joy when they embrace the grind?  And how can we embrace the grind in a way that not only maintains our joy but allows it to expand.

All of us who are responsible enough to step into leadership understand the weight of our responsibility.  Sometimes we forget that we are also called to be joyful – that leadership is a privilege and a blessing for those who undertake it.  In this third part of our series on the Secrets to Joyful Leadership we look at the power of the springtime, the power of starting things new and the gift that God has for us who choose to Dare Great Things For Christ.

Those who practice leadership work tend to focus on negative things - things that we need to improve.  But leaders just like anyone else are more motivated by what’s positive and we who lead in Christ must never forget to be joyful in Him.  In this second part of our series on the Secrets To Joyful Leadership we focus on the joy that comes from bringing a plan together for our people.  Embracing the arduous task of formulating a strategy is actually a gift for our people and ourselves. 

For as much as it’s important to remember the difficulties and challenges of leadership it’s also vital that we keep touch with the inner joy that iw the right of every leader.  Christian leaders especially have the obligation to embody this joy because we serve at the pleasure of the greatest of rulers, Jesus Christ.  But staying joyful in leadership is not always easy.  In this first part of our new series we study the first secret to joyful leadership: casting a vision for a dream worth dreaming.

Whether we like it or not leadership means standing alone.  Of course we need to lead others, so others are always a part of our lives, but whenever you take in things great or small you end up facing the fact that you alone are responsible for the change that you have initiated.  And solitude can be uncomfortable for many.  But for a Christian it becomes the meeting place with Jesus Christ and an essential aspect of our spirituality as leaders.  And this is especially true when we find ourselves at the center of an organization. 

They say it’s lonely at the top and they mean it.  Anyone who engages in leadership in the footsteps of Christ know that the labors involved are intense and often overlooked.  The fact is the most important jobs are often the most thankless.  Those who engage in leadership have to accept the loneliness of the grind.  Lonely of course because no one else is there but not lonely if we know Jesus.  In fact, Jesus wants to work with us. 

Without a doubt one of the hardest parts of being a leader is that we have to embrace solitude.  In this series we are looking at the various dimensions or kinds of solitude that leaders embrace and how Jesus meets each one of us along the way.  In this fourth part of our series we focus in on the solitude of risks.  On the fact that when we decide to act we inevitably have to act alone.  Or do we?  Perhaps it’s in our greatest solitude that we find union with Christ.

 Across the board and throughout time leaders have always complained about being alone.  The expression “it’s lonely at the top” says it well.  But this loneliness is not always a bad thing, in fact, usually it is the result of doing what leaders have to do.  When you lead you’re first and when you’re first you’re necessarily alone.  In this third part of our series on embracing solitude we look at the particular solitude that comes from planning and the surprising ways that we can find Christ there.