I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
This is the tenth in a series of posts in a book I am reading on my Philippines trip. It contains leadership insights from the most victorious team in sports history (winning percentage = 86% as of the writing of the book): The All Blacks, The New Zealand National Rugby Union Team.
“Harvard Business School professor Bill George argues that the essence of a great leader is about ‘being genuine, real and true to who you are’. It’s an approach reflected within the All Blacks camp.
Enoka says of McCaw, ‘people say to him, how do you manage the public arena? And he said, “Well, it’s easy, because what you see in public is exactly what I am like in private.”
‘Most leaders who fail,’ says Bill George in an interview with Pamela Hawley, ‘really suffer from a lack of a strong identity, belief in themselves and, to be frank, respect for themselves.’…
‘First we need to take a look at the meaning behind life,’ he says. ‘Leaders need to think: Why are you here? What’s your purpose? How do I use my time here?
‘I believe that leadership begins and ends with authenticity,’ says George. ‘It’s being yourself, being the person you were created to be.’ Adopting the styles of other leaders is the opposite of authenticity.”
Bill George as quoted by James Kerr in Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business of Life (London: Constable, 2013) 124.
Today is our last day in Manila. I am attending the Lausanne / World Evangelical Alliance Anti-Corruption and Integrity conference so today’s post is fitting and timely. For any effectiveness in ministry we must have authenticity.
This impacts generosity as well, as others will not engage with us in God’s work if we are not authentic and if we do not preserve, value, and guard trust and integrity. All this starts with knowing yourself and your purpose.
What do you think God created you to be? As being precedes doing, lean into that question first. Then consider these questions. Why are you here? What’s your purpose? This then shapes your use of time on this earth. Your greatest generosity decision has nothing to do with money. It’s about how you will spend yourself and the time given you by God.
People ask me how I get so much done or have so much energy. My answer is this: Get up as early as possible, spend time alone with God, be reminded of who you are as His child, what your purpose is, be filled with His love and truth, and then go accomplish it with every ounce of strength, confidence, and authenticity for His glory.