The Prime Leader Is An Internal Sorter

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have fought that I might not be delivered up to the Jews. But now My kingdom is not from here.” – John 18:36.

I have always been amazed at the way Jesus spoke. He had a firm knowledge of who he was so much that he astonished even Pontius Pilate when he was under questioning. He had a deep knowledge of where he was going and what he was going to achieve. Even when Peter tried to talk him out of going to the cross, he knew it was the work of the devil because his won mindset was of God. Did you ever see in the Scriptures when Jesus invited “constructive criticism”? He knew himself more than anyone else and he never allowed anyone to define him. He defined himself and God affirmed him. Just try to imagine Jesus saying to himself, “I’m just so confused, I don’t even know what to do. My life is such a mess, the Pharisees and the Sadducees are after me. Even the Scribes are out to get me. Maybe I should ask Peter or John. Maybe John, that one is deep…” I know that Jesus was on the extreme end but we can sure draw some lessons there.

As a leader, who speaks into your life? What sort of definitions do you accept from other people. Do you allow them to define your life? Effective leaders have a deep sense of identity, security, significance and self worth. They sort internally. Their values are so entrenched in them that they are not quickly moved by what other people say or do. Other people need the approval of their peers, mother, hair dresser, aunt, etc before making a move. They never feel right about doing anything until they have run it by many people and those people approve. Even if most of them think it’s a good move and a few think it is not, these people still struggle to do it. They have such a fear of the unknown that paralyzes them totally and keeps them stuck in their comfort zone. They can not stand the idea of taking risk. Because they can not do that, they have such a slow pace of life. Slow in the sense that they only change very slowly in every area. They know they need to change, but they are too scared to change. These are external sorters. They can be mild to extreme.

Internal sorters on the other hand make decisions internally. Most effective leaders are like that. When a leader always looks for a consensus before making a decision, then the quality of decisions is reduced to the lowest person. People are made leaders primarily on the basis of their ability to make decisions and lead people into effective teams. What sort of President would you like to lead your nation? I believe he/she should be an assertive individual who can make quality decisions in the heat of the moment. I enjoyed watching the series “24″. It often portrayed Presidents making difficult decisions in the face of terrorist attacks. In such situations you do want a leader with deep seated values. One who is secure enough to make a decision without paralyzing fear that will knock him out of action.

The more you are able to use your internal reference for decision making, the more you can lead. This is not to say that you never listen to other people because that is how we end up with dictators. Listen to other people, use the Bible as your reference book, and do not fear to take risks. Without risks, there is very little that can be done. To the world, faith is tremendous risk taking, but without faith it is impossible to please God. Strive for balance. There are people you may listen to just as David had advisors and also listened to the Prophets of God: Samuel and Nathan. You can listen to your mentors, people you esteem highly, but the ultimate decision is yours to make and own. Take responsibility and make decisions. If it is the wrong decision then you can change it. It’s better to do something than to do nothing.

Affirmation: I have strong values and I make decisions by faith.