“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Luke 15.28

Being a leader and being a manager are two different things, but both are needed for success in any organization, including family.

✓ Leadership has more to do with inspiring people.

Leaders create vision for others to buy into for the achievement of goals. Thus leadership is about leading people and helping them to understand the why behind the vision.

✓ Management is more about creating structure, organization, policy, procedure, measurement and evaluation to achieve tasks, and to accomplish the goals and functions of an organization.

In the scripture in Luke regarding building a house, a leader would be the person with the dream and vision for the house. The leader paints the picture of what they see the house looking like, where located, size, type, amenities, and the benefits the house will provide. They would work with an architect by providing them a vision for its design and would hire a contractor to cost it out and build the house. A leader would inspire excellence from both.

✓ A leader cannot just paint a vision, inspire creation and walk away from the process of building.

A leader must be attentive to the managing of all the disciplines involved in the success of accomplishing the goal of building the house. They must be concerned with budgets, quality control, time factors and inspiring completion of the house by staying in communication with the people involved in its success.

✓ Leaders learn to be good communicators and good listeners.

They are connected and involved. They lead by serving and not just by telling. They lead by example and not by force and threats. They care more about the people who will help accomplish the vision than the tasks needed to get done. They care about ethics, honesty, fairness, and about developing people to rise to their potential as they accomplish the vision.

✓ Managers are more concerned with the process, systems and tasks that are necessary to get the job done.

Managers make sure everything is arranged, i.e., people, resources and processes, to accomplish goals. They are more so task oriented than people oriented. Good managers are needed, but not at the expense of hurting and or abusing people.

Good leaders do learn and understand the importance of good management. They count the cost of the house before they build it, they get the right people to build the house and then inspire vision and purpose for its completion.

✓ It’s the same with ministry.

Good leaders know how to build people and teams that are inspired to give their best, achieve goals, and love their purpose. It takes time, effort, learning, practice, experience and prayer to grow as a leader.

✓ Jesus was the greatest of all leaders.

Jesus led by example and much prayer. He was sacrificial, a servant, and He inspired his followers to achieve His vision of bringing the Gospel to the world. His disciples, His team, were willing to accomplish Jesus vision even to the point of giving up their own lives. They were inspired and empowered!

Featured