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MEDITATION:

Written by Lauren Miller, a contemporary author, speaker, trainer, and life coach.

Holy Spirit-driven leadership is the ability to lead from the inside out versus the outside in. It flows from having your identity grounded in your relationship with Jesus. As you experience the depth of His love for you, the Holy Spirit gains access into your mind, will, and emotions. As a youth, my favorite author was Leo Buscaglia. My room was filled with his uplifting quotes. A few of the following still carry me forward in life: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Jesus modeled this quote when He walked the earth…A Spirit-driven leader in life is one who moves from the inside out versus the outside in, who guides another back to themselves as connected to God and their greatest expression of who they are created to be in this world. When a leader moves from the Holy Spirit’s promptings they can go for what they want without the heaviness of attachment to something outside of his/herself. An attachment is an emotional state of clinging due to the belief that without some specific thing, or outcome, you cannot be happy. A Spirit-driven leader is not concerned about the impression they make on others. This is living from the outside in, which will always render the one who plays this finite game of life vulnerable to rising and falling depending upon how the world judges them at that time… it is exhausting and unproductive.

There are 5 things to know for Holy-Spirt driven leadership:  1) A leader is a constant student, knowing that their ability to develop talent in another is in direct proportion to their ability to develop their own gifts and talents … 2) The Holy Spirit-driven leader gives his/her spirit permission to guide others through the archway of love and humility utilizing appreciative inquiry and servant leadership rather than bullying behavior … 3) Knowing that a successful organization is made up of individuals who seek out learning opportunities for growth, the Holy Spirit-driven leader creates a learning environment that fosters engagement: the force that motivates employees to higher levels of performance … 4) A Holy Spirit-driven leader fosters the growth in others without the fear of being overlooked or unseen in the light of the success of another for the good of all concerned, including the organization … 5) The Holy Spirit-driven leader lives in the space of mental observation versus reactive behavior. The one who steps away from defensive routines: entrenched habits we use to protect ourselves from the embarrassment and threat that come from exposing our thinking … Rather than avoiding vulnerability they champion it as an effective tool for instant human connection and learning opportunities. Jesus was masterful at this. 

PRAYER:

Written by Lauren Miller, the author of today’s meditation.

Dear God, I want to be the kind of leader that gives my spirit permission to guide my flesh. Grant me the grace to release my need to own, control or possess a conversation. Give me the ability to stand outside of judgments and assumptions, to encourage the open flow of dialogue, and to step away from the expert role so as to include and empower the people around me. Holy Spirit, help me to lead like Jesus. Amen.