Maximizing Your Leadership

I'm learning...it takes time, but I am learning about being a leader. One of the things that I've become convinced of is that your circumstance cannot and does not determine how great of a leader you are or that you become. Long story short there are a lot of reasons that people supposedly become great leaders, excellent mentors, great parents, opportunities to lead at a young age are all linked to the development of a good leader. Circumstances that call for leadership often reveal great leaders, some people believe that leaders rise up when they are needed most and that's what forges leadership. I know all of these factors help develop and grow leaders, but I have to believe that no matter where you're coming from or what your beginning looks like, it's not what's outside of you that makes you a great leader. It is what you do with what Christ places in front of you that makes you a great leader.
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Personally, I have come to believe that great leadership supersedes any circumstance or opportunity. It has everything to with what you do with the opportunity and circumstance you have been given. I hate the over-used illustration of the "street sweeper" but I can't think of a better one. The point is that a street sweeper should endeavor to be the very best street sweeper that he can be if that is where God has him. Don't get me wrong, I pray you aspire to become more than a street sweeper although God may have you sweeping streets for the time being.
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The NBA draft reminds me of the all important 6th man awarded to the best bench player in the NBA every year. I mean they give an award to a guy who doesn't even start on his team. In essence the 6th Man is the MVP of the "non-starters" in the NBA each year. He is the guy who does the most with whatever minutes he gets and whatever opportunities come his way. He may play 12 minutes one night in a game where he doesn't fit into the match ups and the next night be called upon to score 20+ points and grab 10 rebounds. He has to do whatever he can with the place he is given, no more, no less. Some other great leaders started out doing carpentry, fishing, tent making, collecting taxes, or shepherding sheep...one thing was true of all of them...they were pretty good at what they did.
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I am guilty of always wanting to taste that next level of leadership in my life. I look here and there for the next great opportunity to lead when in reality I probably have a lot of leadership to learn right in the spot I'm in. My team can use a better leader, my church can use a better leader, and my wife can absolutely use a better leader. If you are like me and you want to maximize your leadership the best thing you/I can do is become better at leading where we are. If we allow ourselves to think to much about what we hope to do some day, who we hope to speak to, who we hope to lead, we may very well miss the lessons of leadership we need to learn to get us to where God is taking us in our leadership!