How to Honor Your Leaders

Leading is not easy. And it's even more difficult if those on your team aren't equipped well to follow.

We all have leaders that we work with, for and around. And every leader I know values being honored and respected. Honor is a really big thing. And incredibly important as it relates to being part of a team.

Here are some ways to honor your leaders:

1. Pray - a huge one. Pray for wisdom, for clarity, for compassion and for a clear vision for your leaders.

2. Encourage- lift your leaders up in public, and critique them in private. Tell them how you appreciate them. Consistently. Write them a note. Pour into them.

3. Confront- if you see something out of whack, tell them. Most leaders crave input and feedback, so give it to them. Push back on their ideas and convictions when appropriate. Confrontation works best though when encouragement and service and trust have been given freely for a long time. Confront in moderation.

4. Serve- be willing to carry the load. Get things done. Deliver more than you were asked to do. Be action oriented.

5. Trust- incredibly important. Follow them. Put stock in the fact that they have your best interests in mind. Fight against sarcasm and cynicism.

6. Understand- know what drives them, what motivates them, and also what frustrates them. Lean into the things that motivate them, and avoid the things that frustrate them.

7. Protect- always have their back. Stand up for them. If you hear something negative, fight it.

8. Release- give your leader permission to lead you. Lean in. Have a posture of humility, respect, and openness to follow them. Open hearts and open minds, vs closed thoughts, arms crossed, and a made up mind.

 

3 Comments »

1. Wow!  This one is so hard for me right now.  I’m currently under leadership that I have little to no respect for due to the fact that I know that they do not have mine or my team’s best interest in mind.  Betrayal of trust is very fresh for me and I’m struggling to not lash out in retaliation.  I know that I was led to this article so I pray that God searches my heart and shows me where I may have been the cause and how I can come to fulfill these excellent steps above.  Apologies for using this comment section to write out my thoughts but it works for me and I always welcome any words of wisdom from others who have been through situations of poor leadership.

   Comment by Ernie - Feb 16, 2012 @ 04:04 PM

2. You know when I was under leadership it was so easy for me to say what might leader was not doing. And granted some of it may have been true but there was little empathy on my part. Now that im in leadership im realizing how hard this really is. I know I didn’t pray much for my leader, I can only hope that someone will pray for me.

   This is a great post Brad!

   Comment by Michael Holmes - Feb 21, 2012 @ 07:01 AM

3. This article is accurate and extremely relevant.  In the environment where I serve and minister, one might forget these simple principles with the multitude of varying personalities of leadership.  We forget the immense pressure of responsibility that is placed on leaders.  When we make a mistake as subordinates or workers we might get counseled, criticized, or even yelled at..but for the leader the consequence of our actions might bring them loss in business, financial burden, or a law suit to name a few.  However, when we are hurt and insecure we don’t consider their struggle. 

   Just to focus on a few that spoke to me: Pray and Encourage can be hard concepts to swallow… but I think these two are more for our spiritual growth then their benefit ...it’s so hard to criticize and gossip when your are praying for and lifting up your leader.  To confront at the right time and manner allows us to learn how to invest and take ownership in that leadership.  Protect and Release are also very distinct attributes in spiritual growth…we can never lead until we learn how to follow. 

   Thank you Brad for this outstanding article…I think I will print it our and put it on my office wall as a constant reminder.

   Comment by Chaplain Harlow - Mar 01, 2012 @ 09:39 PM

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