Great leaders are environment ‘influencers’! They do not conform to their surroundings in which they find themselves.
In the Gospel of Mark 5:1–7 we see Jesus demonstrating that role. (NASB95) 1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” Mark 5:15 (NASB95) 15 They *came to Jesus and *observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened.
The moment Jesus stepped upon the land a ripple went through the region and the spirits knew He arrived. The catalyst caused freedom to come to a man filled with torment.
Great leaders keep the attitude of discovery before them as they lead.
The first element of a leader who influences the atmosphere around them is;
Identify your calling and know where you are at in your life.
Identification as a leader with your calling/purpose is essential. Understand where you are standing in different areas of your life. The calling starts a movement in the right direction, bringing many assignments to you.
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus states ‘greater works than these you will do.’ The Lord gives specific assignments to reveal His Heart to the world. In the process, it is to lead us to the fulfillment of His promises. The definition of ‘assignment’ is to allot, appoint, makeover formally.’ If you do not understand the assignment, which includes relationships in your life, the assignment becomes works focused and the relationship is something to be tolerated.
The cliché’ that says, ‘ministry wouldn’t be all that bad if it weren’t for the people,’ will derail you from your purpose. Living the dream God has for you is that, only a dream. The dream (purpose) of the Lord manifests through God’s Grace, and favor, on you. Go touch people’s lives with the Joy of God’s Kingdom.
The second element to put our attention too is to de-clutter our lives.
We need to have a new perspective permitting us to ‘come near.’ Matthew 18:18-22 speaks of a scribe who said he would go wherever Jesus went. Jesus replied with thoughts of the price to be paid. Too often we justify where we are at in life, and it is not an accurate picture of our reality. We can blame others; we can build walls and enclose ourselves off from anything or anyone else. However, that will steal everything from you as a leader.
Atmosphere and environment influencers count the cost and do it without being anxious for nothing. I love the scripture found in 2 Timothy 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
The third element to positioning oneself to change atmosphere and environments is, to stop perfecting performance and put your energy into doing everything with excellence.
Performance: is man maintained and is only as good until someone comes along who can do it better than you.
Excellence is a spirit-attribute manifesting in a leader that is; subject to, or hungry enough, to want something beyond the status-quo.
Leaders face two approaches to leading people.
1. The easiest, the comfortable path is where the leader moves & leads according to the mood and issues of the people. Watching people’s involvement in worship, for example, and then trying to deal with problems or lack of participation becomes people dictated. Direct the flow according to the end result desired. i.e., When someone is hanging off the edge of a cliff, it’s not necessary to fling yourself off and hang there too.
2. The more excellent ministry is where we reveal what the Lord is doing NOW. Thus, proclaiming a ‘call to come up higher’ approach is most effective. This approach encompasses all the words spoken and impacts hearts with hope. A solution presents itself. i.e., Jesus often said, “He that hath ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying.” Basically, ‘He that hungers & desires for the Higher call….”
What happens with the second option is that people are ushered into an environment of the Lord that permeates everything. I can talk about going into a beautiful living room all I want, and describe something I think it’s like, but it fades in comparison as if I stood in that place and described it to you. I’m standing there, and I’m saying, “you got to see this!”. What a significant impact for you and an exciting journey for me.
There’s something that rises within a leader describing where they are. There is a fire that ignites faith and hope in those whom you influence.
Call to Action: 3 keys to be an atmosphere and environment influencer.
1. Identify your calling/purpose and where are you currently in respect to that.
2. De-clutter your life from those things that are not conducive to the direction.
3. Stop perfecting performance, instead walk in excellence.
Dr. Matt Carpenter, Strategic Advisor, Author, Conference speaker, Leadership developer, Certified Executive Leadership Coach, 5-Foldteam Implementor
Hello. magnificent job. I did not imagine this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!
Excellent article. I will be going through some of these issues aswell..
Thank you. I’ve been away from the writing part for a while but more articles are on the way.