Leading Up

A group once wrote to Missionary David Livinstone asking, “have you found a good road to get to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you. Livingston replied, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t wan them. I want men who will come even if there is no road at all.”

That’s what top leaders want from the people working for them. They want individuals who are willing to do what others won’t.

“Few Things ain the Appreciation of a top leader more quickly than an employee with a whatever-it-takes attitude.”

360 Degree Leaders must learn to think outside their job description and do whatever it takes.

Maybe you are already a whatever it takes kind of person - great. Now all you need to do is to learn how to direct that attitude into action so that you’re doing things that have impact and create influence withe others.

Here are Top 10 things Maxwell Suggests.

1. TAKE ON THE TOUGH JOBS

Problem solving is one of the quickest ways to gain leadership. Problems will always arise and most people don’t want to handle them, but when you take them on, you gain leadership. Problem solving skills will always be needed.

“You Learn Resiliency and Tenacity during tough assignments, not easy ones. When tough choices have to be made and results are difficult to achieve, leaders are forged.”

2. Pay Your Dues.

Sam Nunn,

“You have to pay the price. You will find that everything in life exacts a price, and you will have to decide whether the price is worth the prize.”

To Be a leader, you will have to give up other opportunities and activities in order to lead and develop leadership. You will have to sacrifice some personal goals for the sake of others. You will have to get out of your comfort Zone. You will have to continue learning and growing even when you do not feel like it. You will repeatedly have to put others ahead of yourself.

George Halas

“No One who ever gave their best ever regretted it.”

3. Work Hard Even When No One Notices You.

When you pay your dues even when no one sees you, it takes care of the ego problem many face.

Moses - After killing an Egyptian at age 40, he hid out in the wilderness for 40 years where God used him as a shepherd. After 4 decades in obscurity, he was called into leadership. The Bible says that he was the most humble man alive.

“If you do what you can with what you have, where you are, then God won’t leave you where you are and will increase what you have.”

4. LEARN TO GET ALONG WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

People working at the top of an organization don’t have to work with difficult people because they can move them or eliminate them. People in the middle, usually have no choice in the matter and have to learn to work with difficult people.

Why? Because it benefits the organization.

Instead of putting the difficult person in their place, they try to put themselves in their place. They work at finding common ground.

5. BE A RISK TAKER

This is a great way to rise above your coworkers. You take risks, but you never risk the organization or the organizations money or others you work with. You put yourself on the line.

6. ADMIT FAULTS, BUT NEVER MAKE EXCUSES

“It’s easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success.”

The higher you go, the less they except excuses. If you fall short in an area, you can work on it. If it’s something you consistently struggle with you may want to collaborate with others on it, but never make excuses.

7. DO MORE THAN IS EXPECTED OF YOU

Expectations are high for people at the top, but low for people at the bottom. Expectations are mixed for those in the middle.

Chris Hodges - showed up to watch Larry Stockstill’s for show. Ended up being on it for 2 years because he did more than was expected. It changed his life.

8. BE THE FIRST TO STEP UP AND HELP

The person who is the first to step up and help makes the leader feel like people are with him… it makes him fell great. The first to step us is given the 10 treatment and it goes down from there.

Whether you are helping your boss or a team member, you help the team. It will be appreciated.

9. PERFORM TASKS THAT ARE NOT IN YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION.

Very few things anger a leader than having someone refuse to do a job saying, “it’s not his job.” Most bosses are tempted to invite people who say that to be without a job altogether.

THE GOAL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ROLE

Your job as a leader is to get the job done.

10. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES.

ILL - Dad telling a boy about Job… Boy asks why didn’t he sue someone? Isn’t that the way a lot of people think?

Most people’s knee jerk reaction is to blame others for their mess ups. Leader take responsibility. They take hold of their responsibilities and get the job done.

Judges 6:11–7:25 NLT

11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” 15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” 16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” 17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. 18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.” 19 Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the great tree. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it.” And Gideon did as he was told. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 “It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” 24 And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day. 25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. 26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. 28 Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed. 29 The people said to each other, “Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash. 30 “Bring out your son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!” 32 From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar. 33 Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. 35 He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded. 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, 37 prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” 38 And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” 40 So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew. 1 So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. 3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’ ” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. 4 But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” 5 When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” 6 Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. 7 The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” 8 So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. 9 That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! 13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” 14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!” 15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” 16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. 17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ” 19 It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. 20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. 22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. 23 Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian. 24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told. 25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.

Gideon took on he very difficult task of fighting the Midianites. Even though he had serious doubts about his qualifications to lead, he was willing to take on the tough task. He followed the steps to victory.

He was willing to assume responsibility.

He anticipated positive results

He was willing to be a risk taker

4. Lead Up Principle #4 DO MORE THAN MANAGE - LEAD

Managers work with processes. Leaders work with people. Both are necessary to make an organization run smoothly, but they have different functions.

Leaders lead the people who manage the processes.

People do the work and manage the processes. People can be managed, but they would rather be led.

Good leaders will be good managers, but good managers are not necessarily good leaders.

Leadership is

People more than projects

Movement more than maintenance

Art more than science

Intuition more than Formula

Vision more than procedure

Risk more than caution

Action more than reaction

Who you are more than what you do.

If you want to influence others, then you must learn to lead.

MOVING BEYOND MANAGEMENT

To be a leader, you must move beyond management, so How do you do that?

1. LEADERS THINK LONG TERM.

Leaders look ahead… might be a few hours, days, weeks, months or years.

Managers have to live in the moment.

Managers are people who do things right. Leaders make sure the right things are being done.

“Most people evaluate events in their lives according to how they will be personally affected. Leaders think within a broader context.”

2. LEADERS SEE WITHIN THE LARGER CONTEXT.

Most people evaluate events in their lives according to how they are personally affected. Leaders think, How will this impact my people? Then they also think about how it will impact those around me and above me… they try to see how it impacts the entire organization.

3. LEADERS PUSH BOUNDARIES

Most rules are good and need to be followed so we can have an orderly society. Most processes are governed by rules. ie - forget to order office supplies, you run out of…

Managers follow rules because they are supposed to. They make sure the rules are followed.

Leaders push the boundaries trying to find a better way to accomplish the goals of the organization. Leaders are always asking, why are we dong this? Why are we doing it this way…

4. LEADERS SEE THE INTANGIBLES

The things managers can manage are tangible… measurable. Leaders deal with intangibles like: morale, motivation, momentum, emotions, attitudes, atmosphere, and timing. All of this is intuitive.

Many problems it appears leaders face is not really the problem.

Store off budget 100,000. Money not the problem. Problem could be morale of the sales force, timing of a product launch, attitude of the department’s leader.

Leaders prepare for the Day

Tommy Franks - 5 challenges he may ace that day… 5 opportunities he might ace that day.

Important thing is to prepare for the day.

5. LEADERS LEARN TO RELY ON INTUITION.

They lean to trust their hunches. The more you focus your attention on intangibles instead of tangibles; on principles more than practices, the more information you will store and the sharper your intuition will be.

6. LEADERS INVEST POWER INTO OTHERS

Good leaders give their power away. They look for good people and invest in them so they can be released and empowered to perform.

The process is not smooth, not matter how hard you try, and it’s often messy and uncontrollable.

The Better the leader, the more excited they are to see team members finding their own new ways of getting things done. If people outshine the leader that empowered them… all the better.

7. LEADERS SEE THEMSELVES AS AGENTS OF CHANGE.

Things will always be changing.

Geared to the times, but anchored to the rock. We will try different approaches, but we will always be anchored to the ROCK.

Leaders understand things change and embrace the process… innovation and the challenges.

Leadership is a moving target so be prepared for change.

So if you want to lead up, learn to think like a leader.

Judges 4:1–24 NLT

1 After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 2 So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. 3 Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. 4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. 6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. 7 And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” 8 Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” 9 “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh. 12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. 15 When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. 16 Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. Not a single one was left alive. 17 Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor. 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 “Please give me some water,” he said. “I’m thirsty.” So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again. 20 “Stand at the door of the tent,” he told her. “If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no.” 21 But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died. 22 When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. She said, “Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his temple. 23 So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. 24 And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.

Judges 5:1–9 NLT

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2 “Israel’s leaders took charge, and the people gladly followed. Praise the Lord! 3 “Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you mighty rulers! For I will sing to the Lord. I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel. 4 “Lord, when you set out from Seir and marched across the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, and the cloudy skies poured down rain. 5 The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord, the God of Mount Sinai— in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the days of Jael, people avoided the main roads, and travelers stayed on winding pathways. 7 There were few people left in the villages of Israel— until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel. 8 When Israel chose new gods, war erupted at the city gates. Yet not a shield or spear could be seen among forty thousand warriors in Israel! 9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel, with those who volunteered for war. Praise the Lord!

Judges 5:31 NLT

31 “Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera! But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!” Then there was peace in the land for forty years.

Deborah was able to gain the respect of a male dominated culture in Israel about 100 BC. she became one of the greatest leaders of her generation, bringing peace to her people for forty years. Here are some of the marks of her leadership...

She exceeded expectations of others

She stood firm on her convictions.

She possessed uncommon security and maturity.

She valued her team

She helped others experience success.

She thought ahead of others.

Whats the difference between management and leadership?

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