Leadership Thought: How Will You Add Value to People Today?

Dear Friends,

One of the most influential people in my life is John Maxwell. I have never met him personally although I have heard him speak at numerous conferences. I have listened  to his messages on the internet and absorbed his wisdom through many of the over 100 books he has written. I resonate with him because he is not only one of the great experts on leadership, but he is also a person of deep faith. And most of the leadership principles John teaches, have their foundation in the teachings of Jesus. To me the greatest leadership lessons come from the Master Teacher, Jesus Himself, and if we will look to Him, we will find more than enough leadership lessons to make us successful in whatever we might do in life.

One of the  key principles in John’s writing and teaching is the importance of “adding value to others.” We are to be people who are always on the lookout for ways to help people  become all that they were meant to be.   

In John’s words, leaders are made to be “lid lifters,” helping others discover their often hidden and unrealized potential, so they in turn can use that potential to make a difference in other people’s lives.

We all have gifts within that can be used to add value to others. We may not recognize those gifts, or we may underestimate or under appreciate their importance, but we all have something that we can do 100 times better than someone else

The late Elie Wiesel, a well-known writer and survivor of the Holocaust, writes that “When you die and you meet your Maker, you’re not going to be asked why you didn’t become a Messiah or find a cure for cancer? All you’re going to be asked is, ‘Why didn’t you become you? Why didn’t you become all that you are?’”

Everyone has something to offer, and as I go through life I want to be one of those people who helps others discover the gifts, talents and abilities they within them, so that they might become all that they were meant to be.

One way to do that is to use your sweet spot, the thing you do best, to add value to others. My sweet spot is encouragement, and so I try and exercise it by always being on the  lookout for ways I can encourage others. Your sweet spot may be serving, or giving, or listening and you can use it in adding value to others.

Why not take a few minutes today to think about the experiences that you have had, the talents you might possess, the learning you have acquired and ask God to show you how you can use these things to add value to others. In so doing you will be fulfilling the exhortation found in  Hebrews 13:16 where we read: “And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom