Last week we began an article on 7 ways to honor those who lead you. If you missed numbers 1-3, you probably want to go back and read part 1. Today we’ll continue with the last four ways to honor your leaders. As I wrote in part 1, I believe it’s impossible to lead well if you can’t be led well. Honoring those who lead you is the best way to gain influence in ministry. So without further ado, let’s jump into four more ways to honor those who lead you!
7 Ways to Honor Your Leaders: (Part 2)
#4: Pray for Them.
Perhaps nothing honors your leaders better than when you pray for them. When you pray for those who lead you, you honor them before God. Pray for your leaders when things are going well and when things are rough. If things are going well, praise God for your leaders, for their call, and for the wisdom He gives them. Remember, it’s God who has placed them in the position to lead you. Pray that God will continue to lead them well, pray for their wisdom, and pray for favor. The hard part comes when things get difficult. However, it’s harder to criticize a leader when you’re praying for them. When things are tough and you’re tempted to complain, choose to pray instead. Leadership is hard, and I know I’m not always easy to lead. So when things get tough, I’ve made the commitment to pray for my leaders. I pray for guidance and wisdom for them. I pray for understanding and patience from me. And again, I pray for favor. I’m convinced that one of the best things you can do to honor your leaders is to pray for them. The next time you find it difficult to honor your leaders, pray for them and see how it changes your attitude!
“Nothing honors your leaders better than when you pray for them.”
#5: Be Honest
Another way to honor your leaders is to be honest. Now, it’s important to note that honesty is not an excuse to be dishonoring. Being honest with your leader in the right way can be incredibly honoring though. The key here is the right attitude. Why are you saying what you are saying? Are you sharing with them because you see a potential ditch to drive into? Is your honesty to make sure your leader has all the information? Are you sharing because you want the best for them? If so, that’s honesty that honors your leader.
The game changes when honesty comes off as an attack. Are you sharing out of frustration? If so, it’s both dishonoring and an attitude issue! The final piece of the puzzle is your reaction afterward. If they disagree or don’t take your advice, are you willing to submit? When I say submit, I don’t mean just going along with it. Submitting is owning the decision as if it were your own and supporting it. Thats honoring your leader.
In my experience, no leader wants to be exposed as the emperor with no clothes. I want the people I lead to be honest with me. I want to know what they know. The mistake many of us make is using “honesty” as an excuse to be jerks and vent our frustrations. Don’t be that person. Honor your leader with a loving honesty. Share what you see, but do it behind closed doors. Not in front of the team. And after you share, honor them by submitting to the decision they make.
#6: Honor your Commitments
This one is simple, but powerful. Honor your commitments. If you commit to turn in a project by Friday at noon, then make sure it’s there on time. Be where you’re supposed to be and be there on time. Be prepared to lead the areas you’re tasked to lead. In general, do what you say you will do and do it well. This is an easy way to honor those who lead you.
Now, let’s look at one area where youth workers struggle to honor commitments. The budget. Here’s the truth: going over budget is dishonoring the leaders who set it. A budget is not a suggestion or set of loose guidelines. Mishandling the budget is a quick way to end up in hot water with your senior pastor or direct report. Youth workers are notoriously bad at handling budgets, and it has to stop. It’s dishonoring and lazy.
On the flip side, simply following your budget is great way to honor your leaders. It’s also a great way to show your leaders you’re ready to handle more. You can’t honor those who lead you without honoring your commitments, so do what you say you will do.
“You can’t honor those who lead you without honoring your commitments, so do what you say you will do.”
#7: Value what they Value
Regardless of who you report to, one thing is true. You’re an extension of who leads you. What you do will always reflect back on who leads you. For good or bad, your performance is an extension of their leadership. Since this is the case, one way to honor your leader is to value what they value.
I always tell my leader I want to be an extension of his leadership. I want to speak as he would speak and lead as he would lead. That’s easier said than done, especially if I don’t know what he values. I often have more than one good option when facing a decision. If all things are equal, I want to make the decision that best reflects the values of my leader and the church. For example, I’m currently planning a weekend event for the fall. I haven total freedom and can go any direction I want with the event. It’s important to note that I love going offsite for events like this. Offsite retreats are usually my default thought. However, I know that one of my leader’s values is to have as many students be able to attend as possible. So I made a decision to honor him by valuing what he values. Instead of going offsite, I came up with several options that keep us home and save over half of the cost. This will make the event affordable and accessible to most everyone.
Now, is anything wrong with doing an offsite retreat? Absolutely not! The decision I made isn’t better than the alternatives, but it values what I know my leader values. I made a conscious decision to honor him by leading from his values. If you want to honor your leaders, value what they value.
“If you want to honor your leaders, value what they value.”
You can’t become the leader you’re capable of being until you learn to be led well. The best way to do this is to honor your leaders. So what do you think? Is there a great way to honor leaders that we left off the list? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Subscribe below to get more content like this and other free resources as they come available!
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