A few weeks ago, I sat down with an old friend to catch up. He lost his job about nine months ago in a recession-induced layoff and has been unable to find another job. He’s had plenty of interviews just no offers.
This is a guest post by Jeremie Kubicek. He is the author of the new book, Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It. He is also the CEO of GiANT Impact, the company that owns Catalyst and produces the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. You can follow Jeremie on Twitter or read his blog. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
To be a true influencer in the lives of those you lead, you must understand a simple, but powerful question. It is one your followers are asking. It goes like this: “Are you for me, against me, or for yourself?”
It is a great question, one that is asked by those you and I lead at least once within the relationship. Once the question has been confirmed, it rarely comes up again. Our followers know our intent towards them or at least towards ourselves.
I am good at a few things. But waiting is not one of them. Whether it is being put on hold when I call a business, sitting in the waiting room of my dentist’s office, or standing in the security line at the airport, I am impatient.
As I am writing this tonight, we are waiting on the test results for my granddaughter, Libby. She has had strange symptoms for a couple of years. Finally, after she vomited again this afternoon, my daughter, Mindy, took her to the emergency room. My wife, Gail, dropped what she was doing to be at her side.
Why do books have “running heads”? This is where publishers put the title of the book on every other page, usually alternating with the chapter title. Comedian Brian Regan asks, “Why?”
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Gail and I are going to see Brian live on Sunday night. I can’t wait! Second only to Ken Davis, he is my favorite comedian.
If you are going to be an effective leader, you must be able to enter into your followers’ world. In fact, if you are going to influence anyone for anything—whether it is your boss, your employees, a client, your spouse, or even your kids—you are going to have to get really good at incarnational leadership.
This leadership principle is based on the Christian teaching that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a). Imagine that: God entered into our world in order to bring us back to Himself.
In one of the comments regarding yesterday’s post, my friend, Ron Edmondson, said, “I would love to sit at your dinner table sometime. Great conversations!” As I read that, I thought, We do have great conversations around our dinner table! Then I realized that these don’t happen by accident.
A few weeks ago, I was called by a consultant who was prospecting for business. He was a friend of a friend, so I felt duty-bound to give him thirty minutes to tell me about his company and the service he provides. Sadly, it was a complete waste of time.
As a leader, how do you become a better leader? If you’re like me, you probably read a lot of books, listen to podcasts, and attend a few conferences. But one of the best ways to grow is to ask other leaders questions.
Several weeks ago, I invited my readers to submit questions to me. I said that nothing is off limits. I will answer questions about leadership, publishing, business, my job as a CEO, your job, work/life balance, running—whatever. Since that time, I have received scores of questions. I will answer these as I have the opportunity. (If you have a question, you can email me. Please only include one question per e-mail and keep it short. Thanks.)
A reader named Linda wrote, saying,
I help people live and lead on purpose. I am also the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Read more about me ...
These are the amazing people who help moderate my comments and provide leadership to our growing community.
MICHELE CUSHATT is a communicator and storyteller whose speaking experience includes Women of Faith, Focus on the Family, and Compassion International. As emcee and communication coach, Michele is in her sixth year on staff at Dynamic Communicators International. She lives in Colorado with her husband Troy and three teenage sons. You can connect with Michele on her blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
BARRY HILL, JR. is a storyteller, blogger, speaker, barista, and is in his fifteenth year of full-time ministry to teens and their families. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and their six children—“the circus.” You can usually find Barry where fresh coffee and good ideas are brewing. To join in the conversation, drop by his blog, The Ordained Barista, visit him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
JOE LALONDE is a husband, explorer, challenger, and an adrenaline junkie. He has served as a youth leader for E3 Ministries for over 10 years. He is usually found wandering the woods, enjoying the company of his wife, or running the trails. Joe enjoys helping others expand their influence and leadership skills. You can connect with Joe at his blog or Twitter.
RACHEL LANCE is originally from Alaska but now lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband and daughter. She works in technology and communications for the Willow Creek Association. She holds a degree in information management and is working on her Master’s in Library Science. Given the gift of time, top on her list would be a long bike ride, a great novel, and a farmer’s market dinner. Follow her on Twitter.
JIM MARTIN is the minister of Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas, where he has served since 1994. He also leads a mentoring group, primarily composed of younger Christian leaders, and serves as a Mentoring Partner for MentorNetwork Ministry. He and his wife, Charlotte, have been married for 33 years. Read his blog, A Place for the God-Hungry, and follow him on Twitter.
TIM PETERS is the Co-Founder of Resolute Creative, a digital marketing group. He loves seeing organizations of all sizes come alive when they identify the best digital solutions to advance their cause. Tim enjoys working out, running marathons, playing golf and spending time with his wife and three kids. Connect with him on his blog, follow him Twitter or connect with him via LinkedIn.
JASON STAMBAUGH is a husband, father, former fat kid, accidental techie, and founder of Wevival and Shop My Church. Jason also blogs at Heart Your Church about church ministry in the social media era. When he’s not helping customers, or working on his latest project, you will find him hanging with his family, reading, learning to code, cooking, hobby farming, and exercising. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.
JEREMY STATTON is an orthopedic surgeon in Louisville, KY. Although he enjoys writing, reading, and running, his first love is his wife and four kids. His family is currently in the process of adopting a son from China. He is also the author of Grace Is: A Practical Guide to God’s Love. He is an avid blogger at JeremyStatton.com focusing on helping others live a better story. Follow him on Twitter.
JOHN TILLER is an inspirational speaker and writer. He travels with his family to churches, conferences, and other events sharing their remarkable survival story. He enjoys real estate investing, serving at his home church, watching NFL and NASCAR, improving his 10K time, and hanging out with his family at their Powhatan, Virginia home. Connect with John via blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
JUSTIN WISE is the social strategist for Monk Development, builders of Ekklesia 360. A proud husband and dad, Justin and his family live in Des Moines, Iowa. When not running, reading, or cooking, find him blogging at JustinWise.net, online at Justin.am, or on Twitter.