Disciple Leadership

There were many concepts we learned this week that resonated with me.  One of those concepts was being a disciple-leader.  Kim B. Clark described being a disciple-leader as being a call to minister and serve (Leadership with a Small “L”, Kim B. Clark, Brigham Young University-Idaho Commencement, Dec. 2007).  This week I interviewed an entrepreneur in my area.  She really personified this idea to me.  Her husband and her have had several successful business ventures, but the most remarkable to me is that they have followed the promptings of the Spirit to have a large family.  This came at great sacrifice to them, but they put the Lord first.  I was inspired to see their discipleship in the choices they have made with their success.  They are using the blessings that God has given them to help lift others within their realm of influence.  Their example reminds me of the Launching Leaders video entitled, “Achieving Higher Ground”.  Jim Ritchie said that being a leader involves taking people to higher ground. I hope that as I move forward with my business ventures that I will always put the Lord first and follow the promptings of the Spirit. 

 “A Message for Garcia” shared how important it is to be able to execute a task when given a job to do.  In the paper it said, “The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent, because it is far rarer.”  I’ve seen this in my own experiences.  I used to train employees at several of my former jobs.  When looking to hire new people, I was less interested in their skill set and more interested in their ability to learn quickly and work without supervision.  When given a task that is unfamiliar, I have to admit that it is difficult to move forward when you don’t quite know how things will play out or what the outcome may look like.  I was encouraged by the following quote from this essay, “Most times you won’t have all the answers.  Don’t see this as a sign of weakness.  Instead, unleash your natural curiosity.  Focus on asking the right questions first, then seek answers.”  Instead of focusing on what seems insurmountable, I can break it down into smaller manageable pieces.  When I encounter something that I have never done before, I will try to be more curious and seek to ask the right questions – and keep asking until I’ve achieved my objective.

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