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?
