Successful Leadership by Cesar Castellanos (Part 1: Chapter 9 , pp. 79-85)

Chapter 9: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

Page 79

• Intro: “A visionary possesses the ability to transform the absurd into something beautiful, the vile and despicable into something pure, and the weak into something strong.”
• God needs leaders with character comparable to His own. (From molding to modeling)
• What made David great was the way he responded to each situation with an obedient heart and was faithful to what his father had entrusted him.

Page 80

• David knew the secret of persistence. Success must be result of a positive mental attitude.
• Mediocre thoughts = mediocre results.
• Faithful attitude = victorious results.
• Need to wear: “helmet of salvation.” (knowledge of scriptures)

Page 81-83

Lesson 1: Leaders are not born as such, they are made.

• Strength and vigor are qualities that distinguish a wise leader (Proverbs 24:5). These are acquired though a process of character development where one is ultimately able to influence others.
• A person chosen to carry out a leadership role regardless of his personality, should be molded by the Lord and guided by biblical principles.

Five Important principles you must consider when you become a leader:

1. All things work together for good - all good and bad experiences serve a purpose in strengthening our character.
2. There are no losers - great leaders of human history were forged in times of crisis. Abraham Lincoln asked by a journalist, “Aren’t you tired of failing?” He replied: “I haven’t failed yet, I just haven’t attained the desired results.”
3. It is necessary to assume responsibility - the ability to assume responsibility is what gives internal strength to a person.
4. Absolute commitment - commitment shows dedication and consecration to the cause that drives us to leadership, and our cause is Christ. The fruit of abundance waits for the one who fully devotes himself to the mission.
5. Defining short and long-term goals - goals are the bricks with which purposes are built, and that defines the fulfillment of man.

Lesson 2: Reproducing in Others (Pp. 83-84)

• We must be conscious of the need to forge successors.
• When leadership reaches the level of required commitment, it will have the ability to shape others so that they reproduce what God has placed inside them.
• Needs creates a team committed to the vision and a reason that drives us to work.
• 1Corinthians 11:1. This means that an important step required to have a committed team is to give paradigms of conduct, where the leader becomes the example worthy of imitation.
• The true leader worthy of being imitated is the one who instead of saying, “go” says “let’s go.”

Lesson 3: A Lasting Leadership (pp. 84-85)

• An effective leader endures along with his followers who have been formed to perpetuate the word that God has assigned.
• John Maxwell: “The most important asset is people.”
• The measure of success of a pastor is determined by the number of disciples he is training for leadership.