Solitude: The Place of Strength for Leaders
“Renewal in solitude is one of the visible patterns in the life and leadership of Jesus. This was how he retained His focus, faithfulness and fruitfulness in spite of all the crisis that characterized His ministry.”Benjamin Suulola
One of my favorite books is Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time - Kenneth H. Blanchard & Phil Hodges. From his journey to the way He engaged His audience, Jesus's leadership is one to glean from. Leading like Jesus involves the alignment of four leadership domains: heart, head, hands, and habits. When these domains are aligned, the result is extraordinary levels of loyalty, trust, and productivity.
One of the habits that Jesus had was the habit of solitude, going away and being by Himself for a while. In quietness and trust, is our strength (Isaiah 30:15). This I believe, is critical for leaders. Many times we're busy, juggling many things between work, business, family, school, etc.. and it can be quite overwhelming.
There has to be a time that we 'STOP' and 'RETREAT' ... and it is during those personal retreats that we can review our lives. Some of the questions I ask myself during those solitude moments include:
And many more... I love my 'Me time' and those solitude moments; that time of silence that I take to reflect even on how I treat others and what I need to change. I have written quotes, notes, songs, and articles, during those moments from what is flowing from my heart. I have made decisions to change something or reach out to someone during those moments. It's in the quietness and trust, that we receive strength and the courage to move on, take territories, build bridges, etc.
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Do you have those solitude moments?
What have been your learnings from those seasons?
Please share and let's keep the conversation going...
Leading daily!
Terry
l Systemic and Transfomative Change Advocate l Design Thinker/ Human Centred Designer/Sustainability. CEO, KISSPROGG HUB & SPOKE LTD, Founder - KISSPRO KENYA.
4 个月Very wonderful writing here, Terry! We need this. Paul tells us to "examine your own selves, proove your own selves, unless you are a reprobate". Self reflection, introspection, examination and review is a biblical principle. Paul did it in Arabia for 14 years, he knows it's power when he says we do the same! I practice moments of solitude. Brings clarity to my life, helps me understand the essentials, the priorities and the bare minimals I must achieve! And most importantly, I have time to consult with God on the same!
Ass. Registry Officer at CDSC REGISTRARS
5 个月Solitude moments are self check moments for me. Examination of my attitude and behaviour towards others, how I have dealt with different issues, how to become better than I was yesterday.
Country Manager | Transformative Leader | Driving Positive Change
5 个月“It's in the quietness and trust, that we receive strength and the courage to move on, take territories, build bridges, etc.” I totally agree with your points Terry S.. ??
Warehouse Manager at Twiga Foods
5 个月Well put Terry, aligning the Heart, Head, Hands and Habits.... This helps in building strong and trusted characters. Thanks for sharing the knowledge
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5 个月I wholly support and agree that every leader needs to allocate time, space and opportunity for solitude. From my experience, I learnt to make use of different spaces for solitude, whether it was uninterrupted time alone in the office, a day off-site, or making use of work travel to ensure time to be alone. It is a treasure trove for leaders Terry S. .