Shatter Limiting Beliefs to Empower Others

On March 18, I will be taking the stage at the Education 2.0 conference in Las Vegas as a keynote speaker diving into this topic.

John Maxwell defines leadership as influence, and influence, he says, is built on character and conviction.

How do you gain influence in an age of endless disruption? How do you even grab someone’s attention in a three second generation?

Based on my own entrepreneurial experiences I am still learning the answer myself. It is increasingly challenging to be a leader in today’s society - especially a Christian leader spreading values that have become unpopular in our culture.

It can become easy to blame others, blame your audience, blame the culture for the lack of leadership. I know I have caught myself thinking, “if they only would listen for five minutes then they would understand!” Over time, I found complaining to be a fruitless exercise that never leads to anything of value.

Business leaders are tasked with finding a way to breakthrough. As a Christian leader we are tasked with an extra measure to find a way to empower others.

The first step is to rid ourselves of preconceived notions and limiting beliefs. It is a little bit ironic that everyone wants an “empowering” leader yet when you ask people if power is good or bad, most would say power comes attached with a negative connotation.

And yet, how can you empower someone else without first having power yourself? Moreover, how can a leader empower others if they believe power is bad or evil? I know I went a number of years swayed by other people’s abuse of power to believe that power was not something to be pursued.

But what does God’s word say about power? I think of 2 Timothy 1:7. ”For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of POWER and love and self-control.”

Based on God’s word I am convinced power is a great gift bestowed upon us. We are the image-bearers of the Almighty, and He is all powerful, so it would make sense that if we bear his image that we would also be equipped with similar (though, of course, limited) faculties of power.

Power is the means by which we can love and have self-control. I would say it is not a large leap of logic to say our character is formed on our ability to love ourselves and others and have self-control over our thoughts, words, and actions. Our character is defined by our thoughts, words, and deeds, and therefore, it is through our power that we shape our character.

We cannot empower others if we do not first achieve power for and over ourselves. It isn’t the world’s fault there is a lack of leadership, it is our own, for I know many leaders - including myself who have operated in a spirit of fear to wield their own power. We hide behind a false humility; we make excuses like Moses did that we cannot speak well and that no one will listen to us.

Then we try; we step out of our comfort zones. We make the YouTube channel, we create the content, we start the business and we are met with adversity. No one watches the YouTube video, or likes the post, or purchases the product. We interpret it as failure, and this is the point where many quit.

What…did we think it was going to be easy? Did we forget we live in a fallen world and have a spiritual enemy who delights in us not reaching our full potential?

That’s where conviction comes in. Conviction is more than belief. It’s hope; it’s faith in things unseen. It is the conviction of your calling and the fortitude to remain consistent and persistent to keep trying as many times as it takes to breakthrough.

It is at that point when we can truly empower others. Power in its pure form is something to be shared. It is an incredible gift we are called to pursue and once achieved to bestow on others.