One thing that separates great leaders from average leaders

It is probably not what you think. 

It is not how strategic they are although they are. It is not how many hours they work although they work hard. It is not how busy they are and in fact are often less busy than others. 

No. It is their approach to how they spend their time!

The best leaders are characterized by these traits:

• They are more reflective.
• They take the time to think more deeply.
• They spend more time understanding themselves and those they lead.
• They ask more and better questions.
• They take more time to evaluate succcess and effectiveness in their own lives and in the organizations they lead.
• They do less so that they can accomplish more.
• They think long-term rather than short-term.
• They are more concerned about the quality of their inner lives than the success of their outer lives.
• They are deeply sensitive to the voice of God in their own lives and leadership.

The common denominator of the best leaders is that they use their time differently in order to grow leadership from the inside out - leadership that reveals itself as wise, strategic and focused. 

Instead of focusing on the end product, they first focus on the source of their leadership. They develop an inner reservoir of spiritual, personal, and emotional health that results in healthy leadership.

Don't buy the fiction that greatness comes from busyness, activity, wall-to-wall commitments, and living on fumes. That is the a trap that will lead to ultimate failure. Inside out leadership takes care of the inner life so that the outer life is successful. And that takes time.

How much time are you devoting to the inner life rather than leadership activity?

The magic, pain and wisdom of reflection

There is no wisdom without reflection. Deep thinking brings understanding and truth and yet we do it too seldom because it requires two commodities rare in our lives: silence and time alone. Precious space for our minds to be cleared of distractions. Without reflection we will not learn the lessons of our past, have wisdom for the present or chart a wise course for the future.

There is magic in reflection when we are able to connect the dots of our lives with insights into ourselves or God or the journey we are on. It is why I journal and walk and reflect. It is why David of the Old Testament meditated and reflected on the truths of God and one can discern his own connecting of the dots in the Psalms that he wrote. Those who write know the magic of insights that come in the reflective solitude of words meeting paper.

If there is a reason we don't reflect more, perhaps it is because along with magic, reflection can bring pain. Things we have done that hurt us or others, things others have done that hurt us, the regrets of life that can accumulate over time. Scriptures speak of Godly sorrow, sadness over actions or words that none of us escape this side of heaven. Yet even this is a blessing as we contemplate how we will live in the future, experience once again the grace of God that always encompasses our brokenness and overwhelms us with His limitless love. Without reflection on our brokenness we cannot experience Gods grace or live in  true humility.

There is a direct correlation between the quality of our reflection and the wisdom with which we live our lives. Wisdom requires reflection: time to consider our motivations, the paths we walk, priorities we establish and the plans we are making. Insight into any of these requires deep reflection.

Why do we read C.S. Lewis, the Psalms, or devotional books? Because the writers were people of deep reflection and we are blessed by their insights. Each of us can do the same.