Here are 12 leadership principles of Jesus that inspire me:

Jesus was willing to invest in people others would have

dismissed. Consider the disciples. They were not the religious elite, yet
Jesus used them to start His church.
Jesus released responsibility and ownership in a
ministry. Consider how Jesus sent the disciples out on their own. No micromanagement it appears.
Jesus had a leadership succession plan. Jesus consistently
reminded the disciples that He wouldnt always be with them. Of course, He
was still the leader, but He left others to take the ministry forward.
Jesus practiced servant leadership better than anyone. The
King of kings was willing to wash the feet of His followers.
Jesus was laser focused on His vision. Regardless of the
persecutions or distractions, Jesus kept on the mission God had called Him to
complete.
Jesus handled distractions with grace. When the woman who had
been bleeding for 12 years touched His garment, Jesus stopped to heal her,
even though headed to a definite purpose.
Jesus was into self-development. Jesus constantly slipped away to
spend time with God.
Jesus was into leadership development and replacement. He
very purposefully prepared the disciples to take over the ministry. He pushed
people beyond what they felt they were capable of doing.
Jesus held followers to high expectations. Jesus was not afraid to
make huge requests of people. Follow Me meant the disciples had to drop
their agenda to do so. He told the disciples they must be willing to lose
everything to follow Him.
Jesus cared more about people than about rules and
regulations. He was willing to jeopardize Himself personally by breaking
the rules to help someone in need.

Jesus celebrated success in ministry. He rewarded people

generously who were faithful to Him and His cause.
Jesus finished well. Any questions whether His ministry was effective?
Still working today.

Jesus is the quintessential leader. During His life on earth, he turned three years of ministry into a
worldwide movement that changed history. Today, more people follow Him than any other leader
in the world. As a model leader, Jesus practiced the most vital principles of leadershipand he
provides an example for us to imitate. In the spirit of Christmas, Id like to share 12 powerful life
lessons every leader must emulate:

1. To Serve Is To Be Great
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.
Here is the secret to great leadership. Leadership is not about rulership. It is
about serving others. And in giving to others you will never lack for any good
thing in your life.

2. There Is A Cure For Worry

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in
the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in
front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money
wasted on fashiondo you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at
the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or

shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men
and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to
the appearance of wildflowersmost of which are never even seendont you think
hell attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What Im trying to do here is
to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to Gods
giving.
To live a worry free life is a joy. Anxiety is a killer. So to be able to face each
day, knowing that if the world can exist in such beauty and splendor, there is
nothing that you need to be concerned about. Take a fresh look at nature and
get the point.

3. Love Conquers All

Teacher, which command in Gods Law is the most important? Jesus said Love the
Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most
important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as
well as you love yourself.
also
if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant
life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Youre familiar with the old written law,
Love your friend, and its unwritten companion, Hate your enemy. Im challenging
that. Im telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the
worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for
then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.

When it comes to love we are given three directives: Love God. Love your
neighbor. Love your enemies.
The first step forward to develop this love in your life is to learn to pray. I
have found prayer to be an incredibly energizing practice. Now if this is not
familiar to you, let me explain that this is not the point where you get all
holier than thou on me. Prayer for me is simply sharing my heart with one
greater than myself. You will often find me talking out loud as I pray, or
sometimes Im simply speaking quietly in the depths of my mind to one
greater than myself.
I was actually up at 3.30am this morning praying. That happens to me from
time to time. But I also pray while Im at work. I pray while I stroll beside the
ocean. I pray in the car. I pray as an individual, and we pray as a family.
But what is prayer? Simply handing over lifes good and bad that were
handed to one far greater than ourselves and that even includes our
enemies. Seems back to front to conventional thinking but I have seen
many an enemy turned around 180 degrees through the power of simply
praying that good happen in their life.

4. Follow The Golden Rule

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want
people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.
This is such a wonderful principle. Simply, do as you want to be done. Often
the good turn wont come back from the one you did it for but it will come
back from somewhere in this amazing universe that we live in.

5. Ask For What You Need

Heres what Im saying: Ask and youll get; Seek and youll find; Knock and the door
will open. Dont bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a catand-mouse, hide-and-seek game were in.
Go on, I dare you. Ask. In sales I learned very quickly that if I never asked for
the sale I would never get the sale. The power is in the asking. Now Im not
saying that you are going to pull a sales strategy on God. But ask, and in
your asking expect to receive. When my children ask me for something, as
their father I cannot resist the pull that it invokes on my fatherly heartstrings
to give them the best that I have to offer.

6. Judge Not
Dont pick on people, jump on their failures, and criticize their faults unless, of
course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.
Its easy to see a smudge on your neighbours face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on
your own. Do you have the nerve to say, Let me wash your face for you, when your
own face is distorted by contempt? Its this whole travelling road-show mentality all

over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that
ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your
neighbour.
Point one finger in the direction of another in judgment and you have three
pointing straight back at you. Not good. Resist the slippery slide towards
judging others.

7. Keep Your Word

Just say yes and no. When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go
wrong.
If you can say yes. If you cant say no. Dont muck about by telling a lie when
you know that you cannot do what you have promised. The word no can be
your most liberating friend if used wisely. You cant do everything, so start
practicing the use of it. And if you say yes ensure that you do what you say
even if it is inconvenient. This builds a depth of character in your being and
trust from those around you.

8. Give In Secret
When you help someone out, dont think about how it looks. Just do itquietly and
unobtrusively.
There is nothing worse than someone blowing their own trumpet. Practice
the art of giving in secret. Your reward will be great.

9. Forgive Others
In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You cant
get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to
do your part, you cut yourself off from Gods part.
To forgive others is to free you from the disabling chains of unforgiveness.
Sorry is sometimes the hardest word to say, but once said it is liberating.
Dont wait for others to apologize. You lead the way and be the first to offer
the hand of forgiveness. This is not about wrong or right, but rather living a
life of freedom.

10. Speak Good Words

A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is
a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words
is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are
powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your
damnation.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, so use words wisely. Put a
watch over your mouth and analyse the words that leave your lips. Are they
positive? Or are they tinged with negativity and judgement? This is serious
business, so pay heed to the advice given. It is truly the difference between
salvation and damnation here on earth let alone throughout eternity.

11. Nothing Is Impossible If You Have Faith

The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you
would tell this mountain, Move! and it would move. There is nothing you wouldnt be
able to tackle.
Faith is a small word, but a powerful one at that. Faith is trust in a greater
one than yourself, trust in the abilities that have been placed within you, and
trust that with every step forward you will find your way towards your
dreams and your goals. With a sprinkling of persistence added to the formula
you can do but one thing win!

12. Use It Or Lose It

Its also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and
delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two
thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off,
the first servant went to work and doubled his masters investment. The second did the
same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his
masters money. After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back
and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had
doubled his investment. His master commended him: Good work! You did your job
well. From now on be my partner. The servant with the two thousand showed how he
also had doubled his masters investment. His master commended him: Good work!
You did your job well. From now on be my partner. The servant given one thousand
said, Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways that you
demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint
you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound
down to the last cent. The master was furious. Thats a terrible way to live! Its
criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do

less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum
with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the
thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this play-it-safe
who wont go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.
Every one of us has been endowed with a specific gift or natural talent that
requires use. If you fail to lose it you will lose it. Whatever you do, dont
compare yourself with the other guy or girl who seems to have been given a
bunch of talents. Use the one that you have and develop it. These represent
your personal strengths, and like any muscle, the best way to develop a
strength in your life is by strengthening it. So at every opportunity use it
and that way you will never lose it. You will in fact enhance it and position
yourself to become a leader in your chosen field of endeavor.
If there is one of these life lessons that you have developed in your life with
great results, comment how it has helped you.