Chris McClure

Long before satellite and space technologies existed, cities and nations would place watchmen on top of city walls and in towers to see what was coming their way from a distance. They were looking for good and bad. They alerted the leaders and citizens inside the walls of traders coming with goods, as well as, warned of enemies coming to attack.

The watchmen saw farther and sooner than anyone else. They played a vital role in the safety and security of their cities and nations.

This ancient and medieval role is still vital today in every organization, but it looks different. Because of this, it is often overlooked and neglected. Today’s watchmen are those who have the ability to forecast trends and discern problems before they actually happen. Today’s watchmen use their intuition to alert others to opportunities and obstacles ahead.

One of my most difficult seasons of leadership came because of serving in the role of a watchman. I saw trouble brewing, alerted my senior leader, and then was promptly attacked for not being supportive of his desired outcome. Less than two years later, it all came to a head and he was asked to resign for trying to push the very thing through that I was warning him about. At the time, I didn’t realize I was serving as a watchman for this leader and the organization. In hindsight, I now see the role I was playing and how vital it was.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, the prophet Ezekiel was told by God that he was to be a watchman for the people of Israel. Ezekiel 33:7-9 says the following:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.”

This passage of Scripture holds a critical leadership lesson. Watchmen are vital to the health and wellbeing of individuals, organizations, cities, and nations. The watchman is responsible for alerting others about problems to avoid and opportunities to pursue. However, he or she isn’t responsible for how the information is received and acted upon.

If you are a watchman, you must sound the alarm and share the information. That’s your duty. What is done with this information is not your responsibility.

Warning: Watchmen can become very frustrated and ultimately leave organizations when they do their part and are ignored. They rarely are willing to work for or with others who refuse to heed their warnings.

Who are the watchmen in your organization?

Who are the men and women who have strong discernment skills and display the ability to look ahead for both trouble and opportunities? 

Identify these people and then lean on them for the well-being and success of your organization.

Ignore them and they will become frustrated and eventually leave. They may not even know why they are frustrated until later when they understand this important role.

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and display a variety of skills. Spend some time today thinking about the importance of this vital role in your organization, determine who displays these qualities, and then find ways to receive regular insight and feedback from them so they can help you take advantage of opportunities and avoid trouble ahead.

Don’t overlook the watchmen. Embrace and utilize them wisely. This will pay off many times over as you advance into the future.

“Do what I say, not as I do!”

I heard this tongue-in-cheek phrase many times over the years and it describes what poor leaders often model.

If you want to become a GREAT leader, you must first do what you’re asking your followers to do. In essence, you must “walk the talk.”

In our competitive world, people won’t follow leaders for long who don’t model what they’re asking their followers to say, be, or do. It’s inauthentic and it lacks integrity. There is a fine line between doing too much of what you need your followers to execute and not doing enough.

For instance, you need to pick up the trash in your company parking lot if you see it, but you don’t need to be the custodian.

People are desiring to follow authentic leaders with integrity. When you do what you say and follow through on your commitments, you build trust and credibility. When you don’t, you quickly lose trust and credibility, which leads to low engagement of your team members and may cause them to look elsewhere for a new job opportunity.

People leave organizations for a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is the mistrust of their supervisors. More money can certainly cause people to move on, but many people are willing to earn less if they are in an environment that is positive, gives them a healthy work/life balance, and where they can follow a leader whom they respect.

While you may not be able to predict or control why people leave, make sure you’re not the reason!

Take a few moments to reflect on your current leadership approach.

Are you modeling how you want your followers to work?

Are you acting with integrity each day?

Are you walking the talk?

There is no perfect leader, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re falling short. However, use these questions to set your baseline for improvement.

Develop a rhythm of personal evaluation so you can make sure you’re growing and leading with integrity.

Be bold enough to ask your team members about the blind spots they may see in your leadership.

Tell them that you need their feedback so you can be better for your team and organization.

Give them permission to be truth-tellers if you get off-track without negative recourse for their courageous honesty.

Wherever you are in your leadership development, you have the opportunity to improve every day.

Evaluate yourself today and begin your journey to the next level.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

Accountability is something we all need, but few enjoy it.

When you truly embrace being held accountable to achieve your dreams, goals, and objectives, you can take off like a rocket.

Why is this so?

Because when you begin to see accountability as positive reinforcement, you’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish whatever you said you would do. It’s actually closely connected with having integrity.

Integrity has been defined by some as “who you are when no one is looking.” I believe this to be true. I also believe that integrity requires us to do what we say we’re going to do by the time that we say we’ll do it.

When you embrace accountability, you’ll consider your commitments more seriously. You won’t set half-hearted goals or objectives. You won’t set arbitrary deadlines that you can ignore or delay. You won’t overcommit to do too much in too short of a time period. You’ll become wiser and more diligent with your plans.

One problem that holds many leaders back from establishing an accountability culture in their organizations is the idea that “if I hold you accountable, then you can hold me accountable.” And most of us don’t want to be held accountable!

How do we overcome this challenge so we can allow accountability to take us farther faster personally and organizationally?

Consider the following 4 steps:

1 – Change Your Perspective

When you begin to see accountability as part of your success formula rather than negative disciplinary action, your mindset can change for the better. If you dread being held accountable, you’ll run away from it. If you realize how it can help you advance strategically, you’ll embrace it. It’s all about how you choose to view it.

2 – Become More Diligent

As stated above, when you take more time to choose your goals and objectives wisely, it will become easier to embrace accountability. Think through what matters most to achieve your vision. Cut out the busy work and become more intentional with your time, energy, and talents. When you define 3-5 key items to achieve in any given day, week, or quarter you’ll operate with more laser focus and your accountability check-ups can be celebrations rather than dreaded conversations.

3 – Invite Supporters to Hold You Accountable

We all need a supportive team around us in order to achieve our greatest goals. We’re not meant to go through life alone. When you explain to supportive people that you want to be held accountable so you can make your greatest contribution, you’ll gain people who want you to succeed. Tell them that you need them to hold your feet to the fire so you can make your greatest impact. This will give them the motivation to approach holding you accountable in a more enthusiastic, positive manner. This will give you the confidence that people are cheering for you rather than hoping that you’ll fail.

4 – Start Small, Then Expand

Most of us want to hit a grand slam before we learn to get a base hit. It’s natural to want to win BIG quickly. We wall want fast results. However, it takes time to develop into the person you need to become in order to achieve the big dreams, visions, and goals you have. When you start small, you can gain momentum with quick wins. These begin to build on one another and create a compound effect. One win becomes two. Two becomes four. And so on. Before you know it, you’ll be setting and achieving greater goals for yourself, your team, and your organization. Author and success mentor Darren Hardy once stated that we become overwhelmed by looking up at a staircase of 100 steps we must take, but if we’ll just focus on the next step, we can reach the top before we know it. Don’t overwhelm yourself with expecting too much too fast. Rather, embrace small beginnings and let momentum guide you to achieve bigger and better results.

Accountability isn’t a fun topic for most people, but if you’ll shift your perspective to see it as the way to fuel your forward movement, you’ll begin to embrace it and cultivate it among your team and throughout your organization. Decide today to become more accountable and set an example for your followers. Then, take the next steps to create and cultivate a culture where accountability is positively received because people can see how it can help everyone win.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

We live in a world of constant change, but some changes feel bigger than others.

For instance, occasionally we’ll hear people grumbling about a social media platform changing its style, but everyone adjusts fairly quickly and accepts the new reality.

Then there are changes that feel big and scary to people. Maybe it’s an untested marketing strategy that can’t guarantee success or an organizational restructuring that cause people to fear for their jobs or a global pandemic that affects all sectors of society. Whatever the case, bigger changes throw people off-balance. As leaders, our job is to help them navigate the uncharted waters.

So, how do you do that? Consider the following 7 steps:

1 – Listen to Concerns

Many times, people simply want to be heard. They need to communicate their concerns. They need a sounding board. When people feel heard, they feel valued. When they are ignored, they mistrust. Remember that the news of change is brand new to them while it’s been in process for quite some time for you. Give them a listening ear to help them process the change.

2 – Cast Vision

Sharing the vision of the change is critical. What is the end goal? Why is this change important? What should we expect as a result of this change? Answering these type of questions can help people be forward-thinking and energized rather than backward-thinking and fearful. Help them consider the benefits of the change to combat the pain of loss they are feeling.

3 – Sympathize, But Don’t Validate Fears

As you listen to concerns and discuss the vision, it’s fine to sympathize with the unsettled emotions of your followers, but don’t validate their fears. Fear has been defined by some as “false evidence appearing real.” Fear is based on uncertainty, not hard evidence. We fear what we’ve not experienced before. When people are expressing fear, it’s a sign that they haven’t been there before. Most of our fears are irrational and never actually happens. Be sympathetic to emotions, but don’t validate them as if they will become reality.

4 – Stay the Course

When you face resistance to change it’s tempting to shrink back. It’s easy to doubt whether you’ve made the right decision. If you’ve done your due diligence and worked hard to plan strategically, you must stay the course and persist. Push through the invisible wall of uncertainty. It’s like driving through fog; you may need to go slower and be more cautious, but you must keep moving forward if you’re going to get through it to experience clear skies on the other side. Change is difficult for most people, so they need leaders who will help them keep moving forward by staying the course that has been communicated.

5 – Reassure Consistently

When results are slow and you’re in the “messy middle” of the change process, reassure your followers that you’re making progress despite the lack of immediate obvious evidence. Re-cast the vision. Help them keep looking forward rather than backward. Be confident and compassionate simultaneously.

6 – Communicate Progress

Even though small wins may not feel exciting, any step forward in the change process is important to highlight. Share with your followers the progress that is occuring. They may not see it. Leaders see things from a higher level view. Those on the ground level may not see what’s happening. Small improvements aren’t always obvious. It’s like raising children. Parents don’t see the growth as easily as others who haven’t seen the child for a while. On a daily basis, change is incremental, but over the course of time, it is exponential.

7 – Celebrate Wins

Determine to celebrate when milestones are achieved. People need to know they’re winning. They want to be on a winning team and wins give confidence to keep working the plan. Celebrating helps alleviate fear and uncertainty. It’s the boost that the team needs in order to accomplish each next step in the change process.

Change is hard because it pushes us out of our comfort zones. But change is necessary for improvement. Healthy organizations grow. Growth doesn’t always mean getting bigger. Sometimes it means going deeper. But the reality is that staying right where you are to protect your comfort zone means that the world is moving on without you. Determine what needs to change in your organization, then help your followers navigate the change so you can experience new levels of success.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

“Are you primarily a strategist or an action-taker? Are you more of a thinker or a doer?”

I was asked this question several years ago when considering a new job opportunity. It was one of those questions that I knew I needed to explore more to read between the lines. As I did, I realized that the person asking me this was surrounded by thinkers who didn’t take many actions. This was causing stagnation and frustration.

I immediately knew the answer for myself. I’m definitely an action-taker, but over the years I’ve realized that without an intelligent strategy, I can become busy with taking action that doesn’t lead to the results I desire.

The reality is that both are needed in leadership. Another reality is that most (if not all) leaders have a bias towards one or the other and must intentionally address their weaker tendency by placing others around them who can help fill their gaps.

So, I’ll ask you the same question I was asked – Are you primarily a strategist or an action-taker? Are you more of a thinker or a doer?

Answering this question is extremely important for your future success as a leader. When you have greater self-awareness, you can intentionally surround yourself with the right balance of strategists and action-takers to advance your mission to achieve your vision. Don’t beat yourself up for what you’re not. You were uniquely created by God to be who you are. Your team needs you to be you!

Don’t try to be both and dilute your strength. Rarely is anyone successful without a strong team around them. Even those who receive the notoriety have a strong supporting cast who complement them and fill their gaps.

If you’re a strategist, evaluate if you have enough action-takers around you. 

If you’re an action-taker, evaluate if you have enough strategists around you. 

Then, work together to put strategic plans into effective action. This is how you’ll improve, advance, and multiply your impact.

Also, accept each person for what they bring to the team. Don’t belittle others for not being what you are. Instead, celebrate and welcome their contributions. Collaborate together for the sake of your mission or cause. Visionaries can become frustrated with action-takers because they don’t see the bigger picture. But it’s equally easy for action-takers to become frustrated with visionaries for not taking enough action or to cast too many visions that the team can’t implement all at once.

This leadership dynamic requires intentionally exercising patience and extending grace toward one another. When you learn to navigate this well as a team, you’ll have better harmony and you’ll accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.

Take time today to analyze yourself and your team. Once you have a better understanding of what you have to work with on your team, you can proceed with more focus and success.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

Leadership can make us so busy that we overlook the resources available to us to accomplish the vital tasks at hand.

I was reminded of this recently as I was considering how to complete some projects. I was focused on what I needed to accomplish, yet was unsure of how to make it happen. In my quiet time of prayer and reflection, I was reminded that I already had the resources available that I needed.

Perhaps you’ve been there as well. Maybe you’ve felt like you didn’t have the knowledge or tools necessary for the job. My encouragement is to look up and around your environment. Many times we have books, software, and people who can help us be successful. Consider the following questions to get your mind going in times like these:

Who has the knowledge you need?

What tools or technology are at your disposal?

What books or training notes do you have?

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers or resources on your own. Rather, it is about knowing where to find them and to use them well. You don’t need to be an expert on everything. You simply need to be able to gather experts to help you problem-solve or brainstorm ideas for moving forward. Napoleon Hill explains this in Think & Grow Rich as the power of the “Master Mind” – when two or more people come together to think through challenges and opportunities, a collective “mind” appears that is better than anyone’s individual thinking can be alone. In essence, your ideas + my ideas = exceptional ideas.

Make a list of the resources you have available to you and begin utilizing them wisely.

You are well-resourced, even when you don’t feel like you are. Simply look up and around to find what you need to help you lead well and accomplish your goals.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

Have you ever studied something new and found yourself having a headache?

Have you ever done a new activity and found yourself feeling more tired than normal?

If you have, there’s nothing wrong with you. The reality is that learning or doing anything new requires more focus and energy than we’re used to expending. I’m not speaking as a neuroscientist, but rather as someone who has recently experienced this phenomenon.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading some new books to increase my business knowledge. I’ve had these books in my Kindle library for quite some time, but haven’t decided to read them until recently. As I dug in, my brain started hurting! It wasn’t because I had a headache from allergies or the weather. It was simply because I was mentally digesting new ideas that I haven’t studied before.

And what’s worse, I felt this mental “pain” while sitting poolside relaxing with my family!

I had no reason to be stressed or strained. So, I began analyzing why I felt the way I did. I realized it was because I was being mentally challenged in ways that I haven’t experienced for quite some time. Much of what I normally read is aligned with what I already know, so it’s like adding small building blocks on top of one another. However, when we study something foreign to us, it’s like adding boulders to our minds. It can feel overwhelming!

I tell you this personal story to simply help you understand that when you feel the mental tension while learning something new, it’s normal. In fact, it’s a great sign that new growth is happening in your life!

John Maxwell teaches the “Law of the Rubber Band” in The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. In this chapter, he shares that “growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.” Think about a rubber band for a moment. It’s only good when it’s being stretched. Without the stretch, it’s a flimsy rubber ring that doesn’t have much value. But when it’s stretched, it can hold many things together.

That’s the way our minds are too.

When we are being stretched, we become more valuable. When we aren’t being stretched, we begin to experience mental atrophy. This is why scientists have created “brain games” for older adults to keep them thinking new thoughts as they age as life often becomes dull and routine.

So, are you being stretched lately?

What area(s) do you need to grow in?

What books do you need to read?

What mentors do you need to seek out?

What new activities do you need to try?

Make a list of key areas you need or want to grow in and then take action. Be prepared to feel the mental stretching, but accept it. Just like starting a new workout routine causes sore muscles, learning something new will cause you to feel some mental soreness. Embrace it. Press through it. And watch how much you grow and how valuable you can become!

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. Are you a business owner or executive who is looking to attract quality team members and keep them engaged in your organization’s vision and mission? Check out the Magnetic Leadership Community where you’ll receive weekly leadership lessons, participate in monthly Q&A calls, hear from dynamic leaders in monthly interviews, and engage in a private forum with other growing leaders like yourself. You can even choose a monthly 1:1 coaching call. CLICK HERE to learn more and join the community!

Many people aspire to achieve greatness, but too many try to accomplish it on their own.

Consider the following legendary duos that have achieved greatness in their respective fields:

• Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – Chicago Bulls 6-time NBA Champions
• Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak – Apple Co-Founders
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen  – Microsoft Co-Founders
• Larry Page and Sergey Brin – Google Co-Founders
• Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers 3-time NBA Champions
• Simon and Garfunkel – Folk-Rock Duo
• Bono and the Edge – Legendary Band U2
• Tiger Woods and Steve Williams – Legendary PGA Golfer/Caddie Combination

The list could go on and on. And all of these “dynamic duos” that made the headlines had many more talented people surrounding them to support their work.

If you want to be GREAT at anything, you can’t do it alone. At some point, you will need the help of others to achieve your goals and dreams.

Strive for personal excellence while realizing that you only have so much talent in and of yourself. You need others around you with complementary gifts and abilities to go farther faster in any pursuit.

Do you have a solo act or partner mindset?

How you think makes all the difference in how high you can climb to reach your goals and dreams.

If you have a solo act mindset, I encourage you to look around and see who supports, encourages, and challenges you. While they may not be your legal or official partners, they are helping you achieve success.

If you have a partner mindset, evaluate what makes each person so valuable in your pursuit of greatness. Then share with them what you notice and thank them for their contribution.

Leaders need others to reach the highest levels of success. Beware thinking you’ve arrived anywhere significant on your own. You haven’t. There’s always at least one person helping you in some way, shape, or form.

Keep this in mind and invite others into the journey with you so you can continue to advance personally and professionally. You can reach your potential. You can achieve greatness. But you’ll need the help of others along the way.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

P.S. If you’d like some help with navigating personal or professional challenges and opportunities, click HERE to learn about my coaching services.

After more than 20 years of experience and observation in leadership, I’ve noticed that leaders rarely slow down to take care of themselves.

Sometimes it’s because you feel there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done.

Other times it’s the fear of being perceived as lazy.

Many times it’s because you want to set a good example of hard work ethic for your followers so you don’t give yourself the chance to rest and relax.

Whatever the reason, it’s time to stop this unhelpful (and even dangerous) behavior.

Why?

Because you can’t give to others if you’re running on empty. 

My publisher and business coach Kary Oberbrunner has a mantra that challenges me daily – “Show Up Filled Up.” 

The reality is that you can’t show up filled up if you don’t stop to rest and get a refill!

Maybe you simply need to refill your energy tank.

Maybe you need to refill your intellectual tank.

Maybe you need to refill your relational tank.

Maybe it’s your spiritual tank.

Whatever tank is running on empty, you have to stop and take care of yourself. If you don’t, burnout, health concerns, relationship problems, and more are lurking right around the corner.

I have to admit that I’ve been one of the worst offenders of this, so I’m speaking from experience and to myself as much as anyone else.

Do you know who is the least likely to use all of their paid time off? LEADERS!

Most followers are quick to use up their vacation or sick days. Leaders rarely do.

Do you know who is the least likely to leave the office for a half-day just to get away from it all? LEADERS!

Leadership is hard. Yes, there are many perks and joys that we experience as leaders, but there are also many lows and challenges that drain us. This is why we must take care of ourselves.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your people.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be a model of self-care to others.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be no good to your friends and family members who you say you value most.

This is not me condemning you, but rather a plea for you to lead yourself better in the area of self-care.

You are too valuable to those who love and follow you.

Life is short.

The work will never end.

Be willing to lay it down and refill your tank with rest and recreation.

One of the most freeing things I read a while ago was that Winston Churchill took full-on naps in the middle of the day during World War II. If a global leader saw the need for self-care in the middle of a war, shouldn’t we do the same amidst our daily grind?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned to listen to my body more. I’ve developed the discipline of waking up early to get a jump on the day, but that also means my energy begins to run low mid-afternoon many days. Instead of pressing harder, I listen to my body and either take a 20-30 minute nap or simply step away from my work to clear my head, breathe, and get a change of scenery.

Whatever works for you and your environment, do it.

Leader, please take care of yourself. Your people need you to be at your best and you can’t be that if you continue to press the accelerator constantly.

Evaluate your daily schedule. 

Are you giving yourself margin to rest and recharge?

Are you taking your paid time off strategically throughout the year?

Whatever adjustments you need to make, please do it for your own sake and for the sake of those you love and lead.

Until next time…make today GREAT!

***This article is inspired by chapter 12 of “Leadershift” by John C. Maxwell – “Career To Calling”***

“Some wake up to an alarm. Some wake up to a calling.” – Author Unknown

This is such a powerful statement amidst a workforce where only 30% of employees are considered “engaged”. The other 70% are either considered “disengaged” (apathetic and just going through the motions) or “actively disengaged”( willing to sabotage their organizations). You can read the latest Gallup poll article for more details on these statistics.

One of the key reasons for this disturbing trend is because very few people have discovered or embraced their life calling. According to John Maxwell, there are three general categories that people fit into:

1. You do a job.
2. You build a career.
3. You fulfill your calling.

Maxwell goes on to state that callings consist of the following characteristics:

• Mainly about others
• Something chosen for you
• Integrated into your entire life
• Never leaves you
• Something you must do
• Measured by significance

Conversely, careers consist of these characteristics:

• Mainly about you
• Something you choose
• Separated from your best life
• You can take it or leave it
• Something you can do
• Measured by success

One thing that I’ve discovered to be true for myself and for those who are passionately living out their callings is this – your life will never be the same once you know what you’re called to do and are working to fulfill it every day.

L.P. Jacks wrote the following about becoming a “master in the art of living.” Evaluate if this describes your experience and the experience of your followers:

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”
– Education Through Recreation (1932), p. 1

When you live out your calling versus simply do a job or build a career, things change. Your life gets better. You become more joyful and pleasant to be around. Your engagement level rises drastically. Many times, a calling can be lived out right where you are in your job or career. It may just require a mindset shift.

Consider John Maxwell’s 8 characteristics of a calling in his book LeaderShift:

1 – Your Calling Matches Who You Are

Your calling is connected to your identity. As a person of faith, I believe that each human being is created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:26) and is created with a unique life purpose. When you work outside of your purpose, you may achieve some level of success, but you will often find yourself asking, “Isn’t there more to life than this?” This discontentment is a warning sign that you were created to do something different. When you work within the parameters of your unique identity, you find yourself excited and motivated.

2 – Your Calling Taps Into Your Passion

What are you passionate about? Does your current job or career tap into that passion? If not, do you see a way to join the two? The reality is that even in your dream job you will not be passionate every little detail. However, if you simply hate your job and dread going into work each day, something is seriously wrong and needs to be addressed. Evaluate if you can connect your passion to your current reality.

3 – Your Calling Is Important To You, But It’s Not About You

This is of utmost importance. While your calling gives you excitement and passion, it’s ultimately about serving others using your unique abilities. Most people begin their adult lives seeking personal goals and success. Those who live out their callings find this in how they benefit others. This ultimately leads to living a life of significant contribution rather than simply chasing temporary success that quickly fades. When you live out your calling for the sake of helping others, they benefit AND you begin to experience L.P. Jacks’ definition of being a master in the art of living.

4 – Your Calling Is Bigger Than You

When you begin to live out your calling, you are often thrown outside of your comfort zone. This occurs because your calling requires you to grow into a better version of yourself to fulfill it. Your calling may intimidate you. It may even seem impossible to fulfill when you first discover it. Yet, you know in your heart that it’s something you MUST pursue and you become willing to stretch yourself to complete it. You commit to keep moving forward even when the odds feel stacked against you. It’s like looking up at the peak of Mount Everest before beginning the climb and knowing in your heart you must tackle the mountain.

5 – Your Calling Changes Your Perspective

Having a calling makes you see the world differently. Where you once saw only obligations and responsibilities, you will begin to see options and opportunities. You shift from focusing on the tasks you are required to do and begin to see things that you want to do. A calling lifts your heart and expands your options. It can even make the mundane feel meaningful because these tasks are leading to a greater goal that you’re excited about.

6 – Your Calling Gives You Purpose

Author and marketing genius Seth Godin once said, “Instead of wondering what your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Ouch! That may sound harsh at first, but it is the experience of the 70% of disengaged people in the workplace. Too many people settle for a job or career that they can’t wait to retire from. People who live out their callings operate daily with a sense of enthusiasm that comes from living out their life purpose. As mentioned previously, it’s possible to live out your purpose in many jobs or careers. It’s often not about the tasks you do at all, but rather the way in which you show up each day. Some of the happiest, most fulfilled people on earth are doing jobs others don’t want but they do them with a positive attitude that others never have. They can do this because they live with a greater life purpose.

7 – Your Calling Helps You To Overcome Obstacles

Obstacles are inevitable. When pursuing your calling, they seem to multiply. Once again, as a person of faith, I believe that not only is there a loving God who created you, but there is also an enemy (the devil) who opposes you. He wants to steal your peace, kill your dreams, and destroy your life. This includes attacking your calling. When you become aligned with God’s design for your life, you will face opposition. However, when you decide to passionately pursue your calling, you will be motivated to press on amidst and despite the obstacles. You will keep your greater purpose in mind and realize that the obstacles are simply “weights” that you’ll lift to make you stronger as you push through them. This helps you become a better version of yourself. This allows you to be better for those you love and lead.

8 – Your Calling Brings Fulfillment

Wealth, fame, achievement, and recognition all fall short when compared to the fulfillment you experience when living out your calling. The other things are nice to have, but your calling leads to true significance in your life. When you are engaged in your calling, you will begin to think “I was born for this!” Living out your calling doesn’t guarantee life will be easy, but it does lead to a life you’ll love. It will lead to you being a master in the art of living where you’ll struggle to know if you’re working or playing. It will feel like you’re doing both.

As we wrap up this series inspired by John Maxwell’s LeaderShift book, I hope you’ll seriously consider this final article. Life is too short to work in a job or career that you dread. It’s also very difficult to lead people who are simply going through the motions to receive a paycheck.

As a leader, one key opportunity you have is to make sure that your followers are aligned with their own callings. If they aren’t, can you move them to another role in your organization? If not, consider how you can help them transition well to other opportunities. While you may have to endure the short-term pain of filling vacancies in your team, you’ll be doing your followers and yourself a favor long-term. When you foster a calling-centered environment, productivity and job satisfaction will increase significantly. Be willing to do the hard upfront work so you and your followers can experience the long-term benefits.

Until next time…make today GREAT!