4 keys to keep or restore passion in your leadership
After years of leading, something begins to happen. The passion you once felt for leading others begins to wane. You feel tired and your heart is no longer in it.
You've lost your passion.
It happens to the best of us. Keeping the passion alive is hard.
Leadership is a lot like the relationships in your life. If you're not careful, you can lose your passion for them. You can lose your passion for leading.
The good news is that you don't have to have passionless leadership. You can regain your passion for leading like you can regain your passion for your spouse, your church, or your friends.
You may find the four keys I'm about to share interesting. You may even recognize them as ways you've reignited your passion for your spouse or church.
These four keys are transferable to every aspect of your life where you've lost passion.
1. Stop the negative talk.
Does leading feel like a chore these days? Have you been complaining about the tough things going on at work?
Your complaining can be one of the reasons you've lost your passion for leading.
When we complain, we bring the negative aspects of leadership to our minds. We constantly remind ourselves of what went wrong.
But what happens if you stop the negative talk? Your outlook will change.
By stopping the negative talk and beginning to talk about the positive, you will see there are awesome things happening in and through your leadership. Leadership isn't as bleak as it looked when you were negative about it.
Stop the negative talk. Begin talking positively.
2. Find support.
Too many people will try to lead by themselves. They'll take on all the weight of leadership and refuse to delegate any of the work.
This will be a soul-crushing, passion-draining experience.
You need to find support! You need people who will help you.
Seek out a support system. Find people who are willing to stand side-by-side with you. Allow yourself to be open and vulnerable with your support system.
3. Exercise more.
You may have lost your passion for leading because your health is in poor condition. Leaders can set aside their personal health while pushing forward with the organization's agendas. This leads to burnout and a loss of passion.
You can't lead well when you're unwell. Exercise is the first step in getting healthier and regaining passion for the things you have lost.
Find ways to incorporate more exercise in your day.
4. Figure out what changed.
Sometimes things change in our duties and responsibilities. Maybe you took on a new role that's draining your energy. Or maybe you thought a new project would be fun. It wasn't, and it has sucked the energy from you.
When things change, they can impact our passion for leadership. Look for what has changed, figure out why, and if it can be changed again, work on bringing back the passion you once had.
 | Joseph Lalonde is an award-winning leadership blogger and hosted the Answers From Leadership podcast. He desires to see 20-somethings step into their God-ordained roles as leaders. Previously, on the E3 staff and currently serving in the Catalyst youth ministry of Gateway Church, Joseph has mentored many students and has seen their lives changed through this teaching. His mission is to help equip leaders with the knowledge and information to boost their leadership to the next level. This article was first published on JMLalonde.com. Used with permission Learn More » |
More on Servant Leadership
- Reflecting on twenty years of Blackaby Ministries International (by Richard Blackaby)
- A leadership assignment I hope you will take (by Tom Crenshaw)
- 3 ways to improve decision making and build a stronger culture (by Jenni Catron)
- Traits of catalytic leaders (by Charles Stone)
