As a leader, you must find your voice. If you don’t see, develop and mold your leadership voice, others will shape it for you.
On INC.com; Peter Economy, The Leadership Guy; listed five qualities in the article, “The 5 Traits That Define Great Leadership” that every leader should possess:
- EMPATHY – The ability to understand people’s needs.
- AWARENESS -Self-awareness–as well as insight when it comes to the actions of others–is always key to making the best decisions.
- HONESTY – It is embarrassing that this quality would even be included in a list of positive leadership traits, but as we all know, honest leaders are not as plentiful as they once were.
- DECISIVENESS – If you have ever worked for a leader that simply cannot make a decision no matter how much data you give them, then you know how crucial decisiveness can be for the leader and the entire organization.
- OPTIMISM – As a leader, will you see the glass as half-full or half-empty when you face obstacles? Your decision will trickle down throughout your organization.
What will your voice be when the pressure is on? As James 3:11 instructs us, “Sweet and bitter water can’t come from the same fountain.” You can’t be empathetic and distant at the same time. It’s impossible to be aware and display unconsciousness simultaneously. Trying to be honest and deceitful will confuse the entire organization. Being decisive without a plan is just a humorous thought. An optimist surrounded by naysayers will eventually turn negative.
“James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”
My experience is that you must choose your voice and decide your reaction BEFORE issues arise. If you have determined to be honest when you get trapped in a situation, no choice will be needed; you will simply be honest.
NURTURE YOUR VOICE
You don’t wake up one morning and magically find your leadership voice. It comes over time. Below are six tips that will help bring your leadership voice into maturation.
1) SURROUND YOUR VOICE
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Many world-class soloists have beautiful voices. I have always enjoyed a tremendous Southern quartet. I love watching them blend all four voices in perfect harmony. I love listening as each voice breaks out on its own. There is something powerful when many voices come together with the same melody.
No matter how great of a voice we may have, it becomes so much more powerful when surrounded by other godly voices.
2) FILTER YOUR VOICE
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. ESV
Have you ever met someone who has absolutely no filters? My mother-in-law was always the life of the party because she said whatever she wanted. She would say when you’re 80, you can say anything. My 13-year-old daughter Rosie is the “mini-me” of her Gran and her mother. She also struggles with filters, and we have been trying to teach her that she is 13 and has a long way to go till 80, so she has to be careful with what she says. From time to time, I will hear Rose say, “Don’t let the Gran come out, don’t let the Gran come out, don’t let the Gran come out.” What that means is she realizes that, at that moment, she needs to filter her voice. In the spirit of the Apostle Paul, just because it is lawful to say or do something does not mean you should. We must use wisdom with our words.
3) SILENCE YOUR VOICE
Zechariah 2:13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
I have preached that the best spiritual discipline we could ever have at times is a roll of duct tape. As a leader, the best thing we can do is simply be silent. I must be honest; this is not my greatest strength; I tend to talk too much. I can talk myself out of blessings. I can talk myself into trouble. I have certainly talked myself into chaos. At times the best thing a leader can do is say nothing. Listening can be our most significant advantage.
As a husband, when my wife is explaining everything happening in her world, I learned to look at her and say, “So right now, are you wanting a solution from me, or to simply listen?” That question has saved me a lot of grief in my marriage and can also save us in leadership.
4) INFORM YOUR VOICE
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
I believe that learning is crucial for the growth of every leader—notice I said learning and not reading. I believe in reading, but I feel the saying, “Leaders are Readers,” is a little outdated. I think it’s more accurate to say. “Leaders are Learners.” I have met people that don’t “read” at all, but they listen to five podcasts a week from top authors in their fields. Some people read journals, periodicals, and magazines. Others are conference attendees. However you prefer to learn, you must inform your voice from the viewpoints of others.
I have always read and tried to grow my voice, but I tend to get tunnel vision on what I read. I was once preaching for a friend, and as we were talking, he asked me, “Do you just read what you feel at the time, or do you have a prescribed reading list at the beginning of the year?” He also asked, are you “intentional” about reading different genres or just reading the same things repeatedly?
Well, both of these questions challenged me. I realized I was more of an impulse learner than a calculated reader. Since then, I have created a yearly list of books I want to read. The categories change from year to year according to my seasons of life but, I generally follow the circles of learning laid out in “Living Forward” by Michael Hyatt:
- THE CIRCLE OF BEING: Spiritual, Personal, Physical
- THE CIRCLE OF RELATING: Marital, Parental, Social
- THE CIRCLE OF DOING: Ministry, Financial, Hobbies
This gives me a more rounded approach to learning and it informs my voice with a balance of information that I can use in the many different facets of my life.
5) CONSISTENT VOICE
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
The voices in my life that get my attention the most are the consistent voices. The ones that are not too high and not too low, not those dealing with pre-traumatic stress disorder. They are the ones that, for decades, have been solid, consistent, and faithful.
If you want people to follow your advice in leadership, find a consistent voice pattern. If your leadership is consistent year in and year out, people will seek you out to follow you.
6) AUTHENTIC VOICE
Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
You can have a golden voice, paint great dreams, and motivate everyone around you, but if you are not authentic, those around you will see through your voice very quickly. An inauthentic voice will bring you down quicker than anything else around you.
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. I’ve heard it said, “We tend to judge ourselves by our INTENTIONS and others by their DEEDS.”
CONCLUSION:
You can tell what people BELIEVE by what they DO! Find your voice and back it up with authentic living. How you live is the most reliable indicator of what you believe.
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