#TBT Leadership Then...And Now

I was going through a few pics and really started thing about life back then. Things were so much less complicated lol! These pics are from the beginning days of me and Jeneil's relationship. The first one is one of my favorite pictures of us. (Jeneil's smile:) We were so young haha! The other is our first Christmas together as a married couple. We were caroling at the time and our singing route took us by a friend's house who decided to take a picture of us and send it to us. Ah, memories!

As I thought about us back then, I thought about my mentality about life...and leadership. When Jeneil came to Texas, I had already been serving as a youth pastor for a short time. I had the title of "leader" and my leadership journey was just beginning. My mindset about leadership back then was...whew. It was rough. Thank God for those who believed in me and had mercy on me despite my unbearable leadership at times. For the most part, they all still love God and haven't departed from the faith lol! I wish I knew then what I know now. Here are 5 comparisons between my leadership views then and now...

1. THEN: Leadership was rallying people to get to a goal that I had for the organization (which was generally locked in my brain somewhere). NOW: I'm understanding that vision truly has to be shared, especially when you are leading leaders. The overall picture that you wind up with may not be exactly what you originally had in mind, but at least you drew the picture together.
2. THEN: Leadership is not about making friends, it's about getting the job done. NOW: If people don't know you, they're less likely to trust you. Even if you come across as having lots of wisdom, there will still be the lingering question in the back of a followers head. "Can I trust my leader with ____?" Trust is a key foundation for getting an organization to become productive. And doing life with people builds trust which, in turn, builds productivity.
3. THEN: Leadership is hierarchy and the leader is at the top. Everything flows from the leader and if the followers don't like it, then they need to find a new leader that best suites their needs. NOW: Effective leaders are less like bosses and more like servants.
4. THEN: Leadership success was defined by how much I've accomplished and how many areas of influence I could be involved in. NOW: My definition of success in leadership is determined by how many people I have helped to discover and walk in their divine destiny.
5. THEN: Leaders can't appear to be weak or not knowledgeable on any given subject. Share the things that make you look like you are a leader worth following. NOW: People always have and always will respect honesty. It not about hiding the failures or about downplaying the successes. It's all about truth.

Thanks for reading. I hope that God continues to grow you wherever you are on your leadership journey!

Jarrell

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