Editor's note: This article originally appeared on JustinBuzzard.net. Used with permission.
I’ve been thinking about leadership a lot this year. Here are a few thoughts on how to become a better leader:
Listen to God.
Get time with leaders who are better leaders than you.
Read a lot.
Experience a lot.
Lead.
Stay humble–realize you have a lifetime of learning and maturing ahead of you.
Ask a lot of questions.
Learn as much as you can everyday.
Seek to become a better leader everyday.
Come up with a clear definition of leadership. I like what my friend John Bryson says: “Leadership is taking initiative for the benefit of others.”
Transfer the truth you learn each day–turn your input into output.
Take risks.
Place yourself in roles/contexts that play to your strengths and where you’re in over your head.
Pray often for help.
Say “no” to a lot. Stay focused on what you’re called to do/where you can make the greatest impact.
Get in better touch with your intuition. Quit over-thinking things.
Figure out what excites you and what ticks you off and make sure most of your energy is devoted to these things.
Put a great team around you–people who are smarter than you and/or different than you.
Try new things that stimulate your mind in new ways.
Be clear.
Go big.
Trust God.
Let people know you care about them.
Rest.
Work hard.
Stop doing a few things you’ve been doing. Keep doing a few things you’ve been doing. Start doing a few new things.
Understand that your life is a gift from God–everything you have, all the resources you are stewarding, are gifts of grace.
Notice whether your leadership gives life to others, or burdens others.
Know yourself, be yourself, forget yourself, and love others.
Have fun.
Face reality. Develop a clear vision. Develop a strong strategy. Lead courageously.
Justin Buzzard is founder and lead pastor of Garden City Church in Silicon Valley. Buzzard has been dating his wife for nine years and is the father of three young sons. He speaks widely, writes at JustinBuzzard.net, and is the author of Date Your Wife, Why Cities Matter, and Consider Jesus.
Publication date: October 4, 2012