The Life-Giving LeaderSample

Starting Small…and Never Giving Up

The Colorado River, which created the Grand Canyon, is one of the most powerful bodies of water in the United States. The Colorado, however, starts as a stream that you can straddle. La Poudre Pass is the simple beginning of this river whose beauty is known worldwide. If the Colorado River were to remain the size of where it begins its course, it would hardly make an impact. But other streams join the flow. What starts small can turn into one of the most powerful forces humanity has experienced. 

Life-giving leadership can do the same. When leaders steward the small amount of influence they have in a God-honoring, life-giving way, it is no surprise when they are handed more influence and more opportunities to bring hope to others. Everyone has influence over someone. Great leadership involves stewarding or managing that influence over others to the best of our ability. 

The level of trust we place in other people tends to be lower now than in the past. Many people would say the workplace is not a place where life is given but instead a place where life is taken. Management steals the joy from work and from workers. Team members live on their heels, constantly insecure because their leaders are managing them poorly. 

But life-giving leadership changes the game. It brings color to monochrome organizations. It manifests light in dark places. It restores joy where joy has been lost. It pushes people to be their best. Who doesn’t want to be known as a leader who does that?

In the pursuit of being a life-giving leader, you never arrive, but you get closer to the goal. Life-giving leaders will keep pursuing a better version of their leadership for the rest of their days. And trust me, it’s worth every minute. If I were to ask people about the life-giving leaders they work with, I’m confident that they would say they are thankful for their leaders never quitting the race. 

It is difficult to grasp the extent of the positive impact that life-giving leaders have on people. Better performance and a more productive work environment are a given, but the full extent of our impact comes about because we are called to live no other way. 

Why do good leaders push others to be their best? Why do poor leaders tend to bring out the worst in those they lead?

If you enjoyed this 5-day devotional from Tyler Reagin, be sure to check out Tyler's book, The Life-Giving Leader.