Music_and_Worship

André Abrantes Church Music Administration Sarah Scott, Mrs. 10/24/2010 Leadership is a gift. We could have natural leadership skills or we can even develop leadership skills but that doesn’t make us leaders. After reading the book “Practice Greatness” by Reggie McNeal, I had a chance to observe and to think deeply about some important aspects of leadership discipline. To be honest, until I read the book, I never thought deeply or I never gave importance to certain disciplines. To other ones, I definitely experienced their importance when I was involved in ministry back in Paris, and I was able to confirm their importance while I was reading this book. The book initiates by presenting three self disciplines: self-awareness; self-management; and, self-development. I found that everything that has to do with the self becomes the hardest for me comparing with the other disciplines maybe because it is hard to admit it. The discipline of Self-Awareness. On page 11, I read this quote “leaders who know themselves have gained their best ally – themselves”. It is definitely true, especially, because we normally become our worse enemy. Therefore, this discipline is one of the biggest battles we have, not just as leaders but as well as followers of Jesus Christ. Another quote that stood out to me was “For followers, credibility rides or falls on consistency – something leaders short on self-awareness usually do not have.” Consistency is an aspect that I certainly need to invest on. Since a young age, I always wonder about the consistency of certain leaders. Good leaders have awareness that followers are observing them and that they notice the lack of consistency more than we think. The discipline of Self-Management. McNeal states that “Emotions just happen. They are neither good nor bad in themselves. It’s what we do with emotions that counts in terms of self-management.” As I grow to in getting know myself, I will be able to manage myself better. It always struck me how many leaders would be able to stay focused and with a sharp mind all the time. McNeal says “Great leaders stay sharp mentally. They realize that to stay engaged and growing requires that they maintain their brains.” I have to admit that this is a big problem for me maybe because, right now, I am a student, although, I am still trying to force myself daily to rest enough and exercise self-management about my time and my hours of sleep. However, it is still important to me to admit my flaws in this area. The discipline of Self-Development. I think that one big difficulty to anybody to focus in the importance of the self-development has to do with success. I mean, reaching success very early in age makes us think that we already have all together, what is a big lie. “Find a great leader, and you will find a commitment to lifelong learning as a core value. You will also find a cadre of learners around that leader.” This is a quote that I agree and that challenges me to realize who are the true leaders, and more, to find my right path to leadership. To build takes longer than to destroy, it is a process and a long one, and every single aspect of that process is equally important for the whole. The discipline of mission. For what I read, for what I have been observing in my short experience in others and in myself, it is so easy to lose our focus from calling and the right direction. I like the definition of calling that McNeal states when he was referring to the “pastoral” calling, “The leader with this call is expressing a life mission that is oriented around and arising out of his or her person.” Calling is not a synonym of title. Title could be a consequence of our calling but not the goal. Definitely, I was created with many characteristics which God gave to me. Those are important as well as the purpose that comes from God. McNeal says, “The greatest leaders are those liberated by purpose.” The discipline of making decisions. “There is no formula for great timing. It is part instinct, part intuition, part paying attention to surroundings, part prayer life, and all of the above. It is not guesswork.” McNeal is saying that it is part of a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with people. Absolutely, there is no formula for great timing. I guess this discipline for me is related to the discipline of self-management in the way that as best as we are able to manage the self as best as we will be at decisive moments. It is important for people to know our motivations and to have trust in us as leaders; therefore, honesty is a very important quality. The discipline of belonging. I experienced that leadership is lonely, especially in hard times, and that was what the majority of leaders I’ve known have passed to me. It was good for me to read in the book that it is possible that leadership “…can be less lonely than many spiritual leaders make it.” It encourage me, especially if we do have mentors to whom we look up and follow their example and teaching. A mentor challenges anyone to reach always higher and shows that it is possible to go further. No doubt, leadership is lonely when we choose loneliness itself. The discipline of Aloneness. As an introvert by nature, I found important to me to gain energy and to re-focus when I spend time alone. It is important for me to be in silence, to hear God, to hear myself when it comes to my weakness and to my needs. Lately, it is being hard to have that time in the midst of work and stress; although, I have been able to find that secret place that helps me and avoids me of freaking out. At the same time, I do really need to invest on this time to grow more and not just to be able to sustain myself. I do believe that applying each single one of this disciplines will able me to reach what God has for me. I admit that I am in the midst of God process and I feel God changed many things in my life lately. This book, certainly helped me to open my eyes to myself better as a non finished product but something that is in process and it is reaching higher every day.