Mindset of a Leader
Learning how to lead through serving
The most challenging leadership battles we fight are not in the conference room, in the marketplace, or even in our personal relationships. The mind is the true battlefield where leadership is won or lost.
The thoughts we entertain, the beliefs we hold, and the attitudes we adopt all converge to shape the way we lead ourselves and others. In other words, to lead your external world, you must first lead your internal world––the world of the mind.
Now, here’s the issue: Our minds naturally have a bias to serve ourselves. An undisciplined mind constantly asks questions like, “What’s best for me?” “How will this affect me?” “What do I want?” But this kind of thinking is the complete opposite of what great leadership requires. You see, the heart of leadership is about serving others, not ourselves.
When we shift our focus to serving others, our lives become less about success and more about significance.
Think about it—many of the world’s greatest leaders have mastered the war of the mind to serve the greater good. Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr.—these are some of the first names that come to mind. But the greatest leader of them all—the one whose life I reflect on every day—is Jesus of Nazareth. In my book, Jesus, the High Road Leader, I discuss the path Jesus set as an example of high road leadership—the kind of leadership that adds value to the world, to the people around you, and to yourself.
The Bible tells us that Jesus’ life was not without temptation. He had many opportunities to put Himself first over others and His divine purpose. If He had done so, He could have avoided hunger, ridicule, pain, betrayal, torture, and even death.
But Jesus was a high road leader.
Scripture tells us that Jesus was fully God and fully human. This means His mind was just as susceptible as ours to living a low road life. Yet, through prayer and other spiritual practices, Jesus conditioned His mind to win those internal battles.
The good news is that Jesus said you and I can do even greater things than He did (John 14:12). Each and every day we have the opportunity to be high road leaders––leaders who live lives greater than ourselves.
