You can impress people from afar, but you impact them from up close. Leaders get involved in the lives of the people they lead— particularly those who themselves are in the process of becoming leaders. You can’t model from a distance. Modeling is life on life. Modeling says, “Come do this with me.” Modeling lets people see your mistakes up close and how you handle pressure.
Because this is true, we can’t truly impact large numbers of people. Your extended relationships may be numerous, but you model for just a few. Know who they are and be intentional about it. Be real and be yourself while also being the best model of Christianity that you can.
You reproduce who you are.
The principle of mirror leadership is very sobering. Mirror leadership means that after about 36 months of leadership, the people around you reflect very closely who you are.
Look closely and learn from who you attract, and the people who stay with you under your modeling, equipping and developing. When good people leave you, find out why. Your skills and personality may determine who you attract, but your character, integrity, and lifestyle will determine who you keep over the long haul.
Our lifestyle influences others.
In many arenas of life, it is your skills that earn you the right to influence others. But as Christian leaders it is first our character – our lifestyle that earns us that right. What we do when no one is looking is as important as our level of competency. Competency is critical, but it’s not the whole picture.
Modeling integrity over the long haul is what really makes a difference. We are about changed lives, changed by the power of God. Although this can happen in a moment, for most it’s a process, and a slow one at that. People aren’t projects and they don’t fit into formulas or timetables. Meaning is found over the course of a journey. We need more than “party manners.” One can behave for a short period of time. What counts is your ability to live well over the long haul. —based on article by Dan Reiland
I am cast upon a horrible, desolate island, void of all hope of recovery. I am singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world, to be miserable. — Daniel Defoe
