A Leader's Heart by John Maxwell
This book is a 365-day devotional Journal. Anyone can
follow a path, but only a leader can blaze one. That’s often not easy. As
others depend on you, upon whom can you depend? The answer is God, the Ultimate
Leader. Leadership is not the faint of heart, but it’s encouraging to know that
you’re not in it alone. This daily devotional is designed to connect you to
God, provide you with daily leadership thoughts to help you grow and help you
stay focused on leadership issues as you approach the challenges of the day.
God Has promised His Guidance:
‘I will
lead them in paths they have not known, I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.’ –
Isaiah 42:16
May You Follow Him as You Lead:
‘For
the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;…He
guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will
understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.’ –
Proverbs 2:6, 8-9
January - The call to
leadership is a consistent pattern in the bible.
·
Invitation
to lead
·
Grow
a leader-grow the organization
·
In
your footsteps
·
Don’t
take yourself too seriously
·
Fire
of God
·
The
heart of leadership
·
Be
careful where you get your counsel
·
The
blame game
·
The
power of purpose
·
Checklist
before taking new territory
·
Vision
brings victory
·
Leading
the leader
·
What
makes followers love to serve?
·
Love
people, reward performance
·
Portrait
of a godly leader
·
Talent
is not enough
·
Creating
a climate for developing leaders
·
Be
careful what you promise
·
Not
without my family!
·
The
101% principle
·
Giving
is the highest level of living
·
Seek
God, then ask these questions
·
Equipping:
The leader’s responsibility
·
Leadership
begin in the heart
·
Secure
leadership
·
Diamonds
in the rough
·
A
friend indeed
·
What
a leader must see
·
Blessed
for success
·
Buying
into a leader
·
Good
leader are good listeners
February : Effective, Godly
leadership means giving what you have so that God may be glorified in all you
do.
·
Choosing
the right circle
·
Extending
your influence
·
Give
up
·
A
leader speaks up
·
The
team hold the dream
·
Earn
trust by doing the right thing
·
Trading
for something greater
·
Give
all you can
·
The
longest way is a shortcut
·
As
you are training others…
·
Give
up your rights
·
It’s
not just what you do, it’s when you do it
·
Work
of a real value
·
Take
the high road
·
Against
the odds
·
Give
people permission to take a risk
·
Begin
leading by loving
·
Choose
your mentor well
·
All
in the same boat
·
Differences
that make a difference
·
Growth
= Change
·
Master
communication to manage a conflict
·
How
will they meet change?
·
The
benefits of humility, the liability of pride
·
The
power to change the world
·
The
intuition of Issachar
·
A
leader’s courage
·
A
leader’s heart
March : Who you precedes
what you do…leadership begins with the heart
·
Stay
the course
·
You
gotta have heart
·
If
you fall, Get back up
·
The
right attitude comes first
·
Room
to grow
·
Persistence:
The ultimate gauge of leadership
·
Preparation
to lead
·
Have
children? Then lead them!
·
Communicate
the game plan
·
Leaders
organize so they don’t have to agonize
·
Those
closest to you
·
Leadership
Inside-Then out
·
Bringing
out their best
·
A
bigger vision drives god’s leaders
·
Explanation
and motivation
·
It
takes a team
·
Guarding
against the sluggard
·
The
will to do what’s right
·
Commitment
precedes resources
·
Leaders
who attract leaders
·
Modeling:
Leadership is caught more than taught
·
Spend
time with your best
·
The
leader and stress
·
Qualities
of Initiators
·
Use
every tool you have
·
Trust
buster
·
Be
a worthy follower
·
The
mark of the believer
·
Your
advisors will make or break you
·
Tool
time
·
A
brother in more that only blood
April – You can tell a lot
about which direction your life is heading by looking at the people with whom
you’ve chosen to spend your time and shares your ideas.
·
Swallow
your pride or be swallowed up
·
Hope
floats
·
Family
first
·
The
commitment crucible
·
An
unexpected leader
·
Leaders
are learners
·
When
the real leader speak
·
Expanding
the circle beyond twelve
·
The
heart of a leader
·
Invest
to empower
·
Birds
of a feather
·
The
call of a leader
·
Falling
short
·
Team
success brings individual success
·
Everyone’s
a critic
·
A
life of priorities
·
Count
on character
·
Warning
signs of a leader out of control
·
Consider
their dream
·
Learning
from your predecessor
·
Speak
up to your leader
·
Following
in your footsteps
·
Repair
character faults
·
Listening
like Samuel
·
As
responsibilities increase, right decrease
·
Recognize
the need to transition
·
Unchecked
emotion-unsuccessful leadership
·
Sharp
focus sharpens leadership
·
Motive
matters
·
Cod
grants rest
May – Your leadership
ability always determines your effectiveness and the potential impact of your
organization.
·
Are
people drawn to you?
·
To
communicate, listen
·
Trade
your fears for faith in God
·
Let
God worry about your promotion
·
Dream
on
·
The
tough and tender leader
·
It
takes a mentor
·
Petty
differences prevent victory
·
Charting
the course for others
·
Create
an inner circle
·
Give
them themselves
·
Balancing
your gifts with character
·
Not
a ‘Natural’
·
Honor
everyone on the team
·
Me
first
·
The
doctor is in
·
Leading
from the shadows
·
Unequal
in influence
·
Keep
the main thing the main thing
·
Lift
your lid
·
The
value of vision
·
Exam
time
·
Value
values
·
Prepare
your people for the future
·
Seek
God when setting goals
·
Who
you are is who you attract
·
Pay
now, play later
·
Leaders
have a few things to learn
·
Guide
the way
·
Leadership
development, not fulfillment
·
Double
vision
June – As the leader, your
communication sets the tone for interaction among your people.
·
Don’t
try to fly solo
·
The
greatest edge
·
A
weak link
·
Leaders
speak to transform, not merely inform
·
Spare
change
·
Choose
achievement over affirmation
·
Leaders
are brokers of gifts
·
In
the hands of the artist
·
Where
is your confidence?
·
Sow
a seed, change a life
·
Help
those who have helped you
·
How
to add value to others
·
Vessels
for victory
·
Passing
the trust test
·
Who’s
the boss?
·
Recruit
people who seize opportunities
·
Meeting
a God-sized challenge
·
An
investment for the future
·
Reaping
what you sow
·
Take
the lead
·
Communicate
well to lead
·
The
generous leader
·
Share
the burden
·
A
part for everyone
·
Give
yourself away
·
Father
knows best
·
Need
a lift?
·
The
power of empowerment
·
A
leader’s heart of love for the unlovely
·
How
do you expect people to respond?
July – Leadership is more
art than science. The principles of leadership are constant, but the
application changes with every leader and every situation.
·
Lead
as shepherd does
·
Give
up to go up
·
Give
yourself away
·
Reading
between the lines
·
Be
a good follower first
·
Connect
before calling
·
A
model to be followed
·
What’s
the score?
·
Wise
words from a leader
·
Keep
improving
·
The
value of vision
·
Acknowledge
God’s role
·
Fire
up your leadership with vision
·
Help
your people grow
·
Read,
than lead
·
Not
everyone will take the journey
·
Initiate
using intuition
·
Encourage
others’ strengths
·
Signs
of victory
·
A
position doesn’t make a leader
·
Be
prepare
·
Mending
the walls
·
Hope
chest
·
Like
a rock
·
The
plan of an effective leader
·
Charting
the course
·
It’s
not about position, but a credibility
·
Care
enough to confront
·
Take
care of those who closest to you
·
Connection
first
·
Integrity
is about the small things
August –
One of the greatest gifts leaders can give to those around them is hope. Never
underestimate its power.
·
If
it ain’t broke…
·
No
greater love
·
Time
to make decision
·
Don’t
overstep your leadership
·
Leadership
begins at home
·
It
takes more than potential
·
Raising
up a leader takes time
·
When
a leader speaks
·
Moses’
first forty years in the desert
·
Observe
your influence
·
Leaders
must be examples, not exceptions
·
It
doesn’t hurt to ask
·
Playing
favorites
·
Become
a momentum maker
·
A
growing community
·
Trouble?
Turn to God
·
Without
buy-in, the vision perishes
·
Cursed
self-interest
·
Make
communication clear
·
Picking
your team
·
Avoid
destructive partnerships
·
Hope
springs eternal
·
Responsibility
of a leader’s trust
·
Don’t
let go of your dreams
·
Leadership
transitions
·
Let
God use your strengths
·
Leave
more than an inheritance
·
Model
the way
·
In
step a leader
·
Call
in the reserves
·
What
do your people want?
September – The sign of great
leaders is not what they accomplish on their own, but what they accomplish
through others.
·
Connect
with your leadership heritage
·
When
you fail, fail forward
·
Leaders
touch a heart before they ask for a hand
·
Are
you a whole person?
·
Our
comfort allows us to comfort others
·
Making
the tough call
·
Self-promotion…self-destruction
·
A
credible leader
·
Overcoming
poor morale
·
The
irony of spiritual leadership
·
Coming
together as a team
·
Bloom
where you are planted
·
Personal
qualifications for leadership
·
A
living sacrifice
·
Coping
with difficult people
·
Making
the most of the gift
·
The
velvet-covered brick
·
See
the heart and the potential
·
Leadership
in the home
·
Being
before doing
·
Leadership
in God’s economy
·
Heart
of a champion
·
Three
question for Christian leaders
·
Principle-centered
leadership
·
Say
No to the status quo
·
Ingredients
of influence
·
Share
the dream
·
Never
work alone
·
Give
yourself, not just your opinion
·
Be
on purpose
October – Your thoughts
determine your character…the first person you lead is you.
·
The
fruit of obedience
·
Growing
to your potential
·
Important
of clear communication
·
Be
willing to stand up
·
Do
the little things to maintain momentum
·
It’s
not about position
·
Be
first to take your good advice
·
God
leads, we follow
·
A
house divided
·
Alarm
bells for leaders
·
Leading
across cultures
·
Character
before talent
·
The
first principle of wisdom
·
Confrontation
results in purity and security
·
Discount
your distracters
·
Security
is found in the Lord, not in followers
·
Guard
your thinking
·
What
is your role?
·
A
leader passes the baton
·
Gaining
authority in Christ
·
Leaders
cannot show the way until they know the way
·
Read
the need, then lead
·
When
your priorities are right…
·
Reforms
begins within
·
Submit
to God-given authority
·
Leadership
lessons from an ant
·
Abuse
of power
·
Deception,
more often than mistake, disqualifies leaders
·
When
people are esteemed, relationships are redeemed
·
The
danger of too many pursuits
November
– People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
·
Learn
from a master communicator
·
See
the leader, know the followers
·
The
two go together
·
Broker
talent for team-building
·
Give
your all
·
Leading
from the inside out
·
Leadership
and the fruit of the spirit
·
Lifting
the lid
·
The
price of commitment
·
If
they respect you, they follow
·
Choosing
a leadership model
·
Spend
minutes wisely
·
Evaluate,
then empower
·
The
fast way to gain leadership
·
Finding
your place
·
Leaders
and followers have specific roles
·
You’re
a 10!
·
Find
clarity, not certainty
·
Watch
them blossom
·
As
the leader goes, so goes the nation
·
Competence
doesn’t compensate for insecurity
·
Where
does God fit in?
·
Make
your home a haven
·
Leaders
lose the right to be selfish
·
Believe
in yourself
·
Offer
vulnerable obedience
·
Feel
bad? Then give!
·
Oh,
It’s nothing
·
Boosting
low morale
·
Leaders
broker human resources
December – Commitment is the
one quality above all others that enables a potential leader to become a
successful leader.
·
Go
to the very end
·
Go
the distance
·
Touch
a heart first
·
Life
cycle
·
Decision
to delegate
·
The
leader’s refuge
·
It
takes one to make one
·
What
kind of leader are you?
·
Measuring
influence
·
Anointed
to lead
·
Your
friends’ best friend
·
Repentance
brings reward
·
Color
my world
·
The
importance of starting well
·
Moving
your team in the right direction
·
Good
leaders own up to their mistakes
·
The
key to continued success
·
Know
your people before placing them
·
Ask
for commitment
·
First
achieve victory over self
·
Whole-hearted
devotion
·
Follow
my lead
·
Offer
others a sense of belonging
·
A
leader of discernment
·
Keep
training, keep running
·
Heads
you win, tails you win
·
Closer
than a brother
·
The
right to lead
·
Close
to the heart of God
·
Are
you a navigator?
·
Take
me to your leader
Keep Connect :)