LEADERS ARE POSITIVE
- Discouragement is literally dis-courage-ment – a lack of
courage...It comes when we have no vision, when we live with
imbalance, when we fail to achieve our goals. It comes when
we get lost in the urgent, limited perspective of the day, when
we fail to act with integrity in the moment of choice. It comes
when our thinking is competitive and scarce, when win-lose
interactions fill our lives and our environment with backbiting,
politicking, and comparative thinking.
Discouragement is being lost in the woods without a compass
or an accurate map. It’s discovering that many of the maps
people hand us lead us farther away from where we really
want to go.
Courage, on the other hand, comes as a result of knowing
there are principles, of fulfilling our needs and capacities in
a balanced way, of having clear vision, balance between roles,
the ability to set and achieve meaningful goals, the perspective
to transcend the urgency of the moment, the character and
competence to act with integrity in the moment of choice, the
abundance mentality to function effectively and synergistically
in the interdependent reality. Courage comes from the heart,
and being in touch with the heart creates hope. 22
The Christian leader or businessperson must keep in mind that
the power of negative thinking is just as great as the power
of positive thinking. Negative thinking is one of Satan’s
most effective tools. If he can cause you to form negative
thoughts and attitudes, he knows he will get negative results
from your actions...^23
- Pessimism and leadership are at opposite ends of life’s attitudes.
Hope and optimism are essential qualities for the servant of
God who battles with the powers of darkness over the souls of
men and women. God’s ideal servant is optimistic until every
part of God’s work is done...Are you reasonably optimistic?
Pessimism and leadership do not mix...^24
- Cynicism has no integrity. Cynicism often properly evaluates
