Okay, let it be know…leader’s have anxiety! Whew, I am glad that’s out of the bag! The truth is, we all have anxiety in certain areas we deal with. As leaders, it can be difficult because we do not want others to know we are dealing with anxiety, but a true servant leader is not afraid to show their inadequacies; they are transparent. Transparency in leadership is crucial to developing a followership that is transparent.
There is nothing worse than having an organization, which is built on distrust, or unknowns. When leaders allow themselves to hide behind the, “I’m an all powerful leader, and I can handle everything” mentality, it flows to their followership. This type of thinking creates an unhealthy environment that ultimately causes breakdown. Transparency is the forefront of any good leadership. Leaders cannot be afraid to show they are not sure, at times. Followers will ultimately respect those leaders who demonstrate their humanity. Years ago, the Strong Man leadership was the model of leadership all organizations seemed to thrive with, but growth in the area of leadership has asserted other models. The model I suggest using is the Coaching Leadership model. Coaching leadership will help followers to rise up and become leaders within the organization. Coaching is a relationship, which is built on mutual respect, and boundaries, but which instills purpose in the followers.
A leader that has mutual respect, boundaries, and ultimately is transparent will enable free communication to emerge between a leader and their followers. Free communication is the foundations of successful organizational growth. When followers feel free to bring their concerns to leadership, the chances of organizational catastrophies are lessened, and the chances of organizational growth will increase!
Now, that we have discussed transparency with followers, let’s go even further. We are to be transparent with others, but it is most important to be transparent before our Creator. Philemon 4:6 states,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Leadership can release their anxiety through prayer to God, and in giving thanks. Have you ever been around someone who is seemingly always happy? Have you taken a moment to look at their lives? People who are seemingly always happy, are not people without problems, they are people who have learned to be thankful. Thankfulness comes when we realize we cannot control everything; when we release our anxieties to God. A spiritual leader learns to be content in the fact they cannot control everything. What a leader can control is how thankful they are. When it seems like everything is crashing down, instead of fretting, ask God for help, then begin to thank God for the little things, and see how your attitude shifts, inspite of what is going on.
