1. Spend more time with God. This is where it all begins. The more time you spend with God, the better leader you will become. He will infuse you with more wisdom, grace and spiritual power. If you spent 15 minutes a day with God last year, up it to 30 this year. If you spent 30 minutes a day with God last year, up it to 45 this year. The time you spend with Him backstage will improve your leadership front stage.
2. Improve your motivational skills. Read the autobiographies of great motivational leaders. A few suggestions are Jack Welch, Dean Smith, John Wooden, and Lee Iacocca. Great leaders motivate team members with a compelling vision and mission.
3. Serve more. The more you serve others, the better leader you will be. This comes from the greatest leader of all times who modeled this by washing His team's dirty feet.
4. Listen more. Listening will help you uncover great ideas and big impact strategies. If all the ideas came from you last year, then you are limiting the ministry. This year, listen twice as much as you talk.
5. Try something new. Growth will happen outside of your comfort zone.
6. Live by a schedule that helps you accomplish your priorities. If you don't plan your time, someone else will plan it for you. Know exactly how you are spending your time. Of course, things will arise that will temporarily take you out of your schedule, but let that be the exception, not the norm.
Remember, the goal is not to be busy. The goal is to be productive. There is a difference and living by a schedule will help you accomplish your priorities.
7. Read. Read. Read. The books, blogs, articles, etc. that you read this year will be a big factor in how much you improve as a leader. You've heard the statement, leaders are readers. It's so true.
8. Make a list of the mistakes you made this past year. And then ask some of the people around you to add to the list. Learn from your past mistakes so you don't repeat them this year.
9. Give lots of care and a little critique. Bottom line. People are motivated a lot more by praise than by criticism. This means you earn the right to critique people by first showing them that you care about them and have their best interests in mind.
10. Help those around you become better. Meet with a few of your key leaders and help them develop a personal and ministry growth plan for 2015. The natural result of helping them improve will be you improving as well. When you help other people grow...you grow.
The floor is yours. What are some steps you are taking in 2015 to become a better leader? Share them with us in the comment section below.
