KEEP MOVING FORWARD

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." Louisa May Alcott

YOU ONLY BECOME A LOSER WHEN YOU QUIT TRYING, GIVE IT YOUR BEST, MOVE ON, FIGHT FOR IT UNTIL YOU ACHIEVE IT.

I LOVE YOU

Christian Essel

ATTRIBUTES OF GOOD LEADERSHIP

Good morning to all my lovely followers,

I am happy to share with you 10 proposals that am very convinced will enhance your ability to be an effective leader. I believe in the statement of Shapiro that “Leadership is an action, not a title, and the ability to lead can be found in every person. Each of us must claim our authority to lead at the right time and in the right place”

To begin with, let’s take a look at something in (1 Peter 4:10). Which reads “As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms? 

With the above in mind, let’s move on to discuss our attributes of good leadership.

1. Follow procedures and adhere to policies.

Effective leaders are essentially good followers. They understand that they are accountable to those in authority. They know it is not a good idea to behave as a lone wolf, but that they must instead keep their work priorities aligned with the organization’s goal and have an appropriate sense of self-importance. People who lead in place value the necessity of following procedures and adhering to established policies.

2. Good leaders submit to the authority of others.

Closely related to number one is the recognition that we are all under the authority of someone, whether it is a supervisor, director, president, board of governors, or whoever else.

3. A good leader is committed to his or her course.

Whoever assumes a leadership role needs to be committed to the group. The groups or organization’s vision and mission must be internalized by the leader. An effective leader is a person who can commit to using his or her ability to lead others, implement technical skills and conceptualizing situations in helping to ensure goal achievement.

4. Good leaders are proactive leaders.

It is better to always initiate than to react. Individuals who assume leadership must take the proverbial bull by the horns and move forward to be successful.

5. One attribute of a good leader is the ability to take risks

It is sometimes necessary for leaders to step outside the box, to be innovative. Leaders must be flexible enough to know when it is time to try a new procedure or implement a new policy. For many taking risk is frightening, but such behavior can be invaluable, benefiting the entire group.

6. A good leader has above average character.

There are no perfect people, but for a leader to be considered good, they must have a character that is unquestionable within the organization or group. Leadership always draws criticism from someone, so a leader may not be able to get everyone to believe in him or her, but the people who know the leader best should trust the leader’s character.

7. A good leader is a futurist.

Good leaders are always thinking beyond today. “What’s next?” is a common question asked by good leaders, knowing that someone must continually encourage change, growth and strategic thinking for an organization to remain healthy.

8. Listen

Communication plays a vital role in the achievement of interpersonal and organizational goals. Communication is a two-way process. Effective communication requires leaders capable of effective listening. Covey said “seek to listen first, and then seek to be understood”. Ineffective listening undermines people’s self-esteem, self-confidence and creativity. Remember that, hearing and listening are not synonymous terms. 

9. A good leader continues to learn.

Good leaders are always learning and implementing those learning into the betterment of the group or organization. That could be through reading, conferences, web-based learning, or through other leaders.

10.  A good leader is humble and believes in TEAMWORK.

If you think you are the greatest you will fail. One character trait of good leadership is humility. Humility means you are teachable. Effective leaders understand that it is only when Together Everyone Achieves More.

Good leaders are always hungry for knowledge and are ready to learn what they don’t know. Prideful leaders are always passed by and left in the dust.

I end this edition with a popular quote by Ken Blanchard which reads “LEADERSHIP IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO TO PEOPLE. IT IS SOMETHING YOU DO WITH PEOPLE.”

I love you all, have a blessed weekend.

Christian Essel

DON'T DECEIVE YOURSELF.

People will say I’ve done so many things in your name; I cooked for the church, I prophesied in your name, I swept and tidy up the church, I sung in the choir, I healed people, I was a committee member, I preached the gospel…  I GAVE ALL MY LIFE TO THE CHURCH.

Some say I am spirit filled… have you asked yourself whether or not you are filled with the fight spirit?

Don’t deceive yourself friend…………..

It is not whether you gave your life to the church or not, have you given your life to JESUS CHRIST.

Matthew 7:13-22

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Narrow Way

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

I Never Knew You

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

IMPROVING ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP

We go into relationships hoping to make them forever.  After all, it is not wise to enter into JUST any relationship which will end in a break up. To make a long term relationship work, a couple needs trust, understanding, mutual respect and SIMILAR VALUES and goals.

To improve our relationship requires an equal amount of selfless love and nurturing from both partners to flourish into a beautiful and strong relationship with time. Good luck friends.

To help improve our relationships, let’s begin by considering these questions;

1.       Do you have the conviction that Jesus brought the two of you together?

2.       Do you follow the spiritual beliefs, values and customs of your religion?

3.       Do you have any secrets? Then reveal them yourself and don’t wait for another person to inform them.

4.       Have you been sexually active with people other than your fiancé? If YES, have you told him or her?

5.       Are you committed to the relationship or you have one eye on something else?

Ø  To improve your relationship, keep the golden rule. This is “LOVING YOUR PARTNER AS YOURSELF”.

Men and Women are equally valued in the eyes of God. It is true they have different roles to play in enhancing the relationship but RESPECT is a main ingredient of any happy couple.

It might surprise you that, in the process of pleasing your partner, you will find yourself to be the HAPPY ONE.

Ø  Learn how to communicate effectively.

This is essential to a healthy relationship. More than often, loving couples get stuck in a communication pattern that robs them of the ability to speak clearly, listen reflectively, and respond compassionately.

Having effective communication skill is helpful in accomplishing the daily chores of partnering. It is critical when it comes to communicating about topics of conflict but it is easier to find resolution when you know how to speak and listen with respect and clarity.

Ø  To improve your relationship will require you to MAKE COMMITMENTS TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP.

What are you committed to? What is presently happening in your relationship discloses what your spoken and unspoken commitments are to. What are you spending your TIME doing? Consciously slice out TIME exclusively for your relationship and to committing to one another and making passion and love a priority.  

1. To improve your relationship, there is the need to Form new beliefs about how you can be together.

Our beliefs about what is possible influence our actions and the results we get from our actions. If you're not experiencing what you want in your relationship, it could be that you're being blocked by holding on to unhelpful beliefs about what's possible. If so, create new beliefs about how you and your partner can be together that are aligned with your desires.

2. To improve your relationship, look for opportunities to pamper and spoil your partner.

In the case of married couples, especially men, pampering can be as simple as letting your partner sleep in late, while you make breakfast and take care of the kids, or allowing them to relax while you wash the dishes after dinner. Or, it can be bringing home a little surprise gift that you know they'll love, like ice cream or a favorite food or even taking them to places of their interest.

Women on the other hand should learn how to pamper their men and make them feel good.

3. Touch your partner in loving ways.

When we touch, we connect at that moment. Give your partner gentle touches, hugs and kisses so they can feel your love and connection. Or touch their heart, by writing to them how you feel about them.

4. Spend regular time alone together.

It's difficult to have a successful relationship without spending at least one morning, afternoon or night a week alone together, free from distractions of family and work responsibilities. Experiment and find fun things to do together.

To suggest, you can have on the beach, get massages together or better still, give each other a massage!

Your dates don't need to be expensive but your intention needs to be to connect and focus on each other.

Remember this; a true date means you're spending time looking at one another, not at something else.

Jesus, the Son of God said that the greatest commandment of them all is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. When applying this commandment to our relationship or marriage, it means to love your husband/wife or better still your partner as you love yourself. That implies putting his or her wishes above yours, giving in to make the other happy. Hmm... this sounds a bit difficult, doesn't it?

But there is nothing we cannot do if we really want happiness in our relationships leading to marriage.

Christian Essel.