Leading as God Made You

In Leadership Tips, Men’s Ministry by Kirk Giles

If you have ever played baseball, you will know the difference between a swing that makes the bat vibrate your entire hand and a swing where you barely feel a thing. Hitters call the best type of contact “hitting the ball on the sweet spot.”

When it comes to leadership, your “sweet spot” is found leading precisely as God has made you. The leadership sweet spot is where your efforts become life-giving instead of life-draining.

This is a concept that applies in business or ministry. Marcus Buckingham, a prominent researcher on strengths and leadership at work, says, “Focusing on strengths is the surest way to greater job satisfaction, team performance and organizational excellence.”

This is not a new idea.

The leadership sweet spot is where your efforts become life-giving instead of life-draining.

You are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and you are given a personality and gifts from God to use for His purposes (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). When you lead as God made you, you are the best version of yourself and will make the best contribution possible.

Leading as God made you is logical, but it is not always simple. How can you get to your sweet spot as a leader?

Practice

When a baseball player tries to find the sweet spot on his bat, it will take multiple swings to experiment with different contact points on the barrel. The same is true in leadership. Younger leaders especially need to attempt different types of leadership practices and skills. There is a difference between the leadership to have a vision for a ministry versus what is required to lead volunteers or pull together logistics. As you practice different skills, pay attention to where you find joy in your efforts.

Seek Wisdom

God has surrounded you with people and resources who can give you a perspective of how they believe God has wired you. Listen to them. Many leaders underestimate or overestimate what they have been created for, and surrounding yourself with the input of others who see your strengths and your blind spots will be a gift in your leadership.

We also live in a time when there is access to great resources to help you discern how God has wired you. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • SHAPE Profile – This simple spiritual gifts assessment combines your passions and personality to give you ideas of how to combine different parts of who you are for your greatest Kingdom contribution.
  • Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment – measures your personality characteristics and shows how you will likely behave in any work environment.
  • Myers Briggs – a personality test to help you increase your self-awareness and improve your effectiveness at work and in your personal life.
  • The Working Genius – based on six fundamental activities required for any work, this tool helps people discover their natural gifts and thrive in their work and life.
  • The Birkman Method – helps you understand different shades of your personality and how they shape your perception of the world around you.

As you begin to combine experiences and wisdom, you will become clearer on what it looks like to lead as God made you. I remember moments of incredible freedom when I could say “yes” or “no” to an opportunity through awareness of how God has made me. It is a gift for your soul and the people around you.

However, too many leaders stop here and sometimes miss out on the fullness of God’s plan. So:

Listen to God

If Moses had taken the profile tests of today, he would have never said yes to God’s call to lead Israel out of Egypt. He was not a confident leader and saw himself as someone who could not speak well (Exodus 3:1-4:17). That is not a good combination when direct and challenging conversations with Pharaoh are required.

But God had a different idea of Moses’ sweet spot than he did.

If Joshua had relied on his personality alone, then he may not have had the courage to take over from Moses and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. After all, God had to tell him several times to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:2-9).

Your sweet spot is ultimately found doing and being who God calls you to be. Your personality and gifts will still be refined as you walk with Jesus and become more like Him. Don’t put God in a box created by humans. Taking the time to listen to Him and discovering what He wants for your life is the best way to lead as God has made you.

About
Kirk Giles
Kirk Giles is the Co-Lead Pastor of Forward Church – a multi-site congregation based in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. He loves Jesus and being a husband, father, and grandfather (plus the Toronto Blue Jays). Kirk is the former President of Impactus (when it was Promise Keepers Canada) and has spent over twenty-five years helping men learn to follow Jesus.
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Kirk Giles
Kirk Giles is the Co-Lead Pastor of Forward Church – a multi-site congregation based in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. He loves Jesus and being a husband, father, and grandfather (plus the Toronto Blue Jays). Kirk is the former President of Impactus (when it was Promise Keepers Canada) and has spent over twenty-five years helping men learn to follow Jesus.