Leadership of the Heart
Coach’em Up Principle:
The Leadership of the Heart Principle states that our best ministry flows from a well-led heart. The
bottom line is this: how you lead your heart is central to your effectiveness as a leader.
Training Value:
Personal Wholeness (Integrity)
Special Guest:
Dan Webster is an author, teacher, communicator, mentor and founder of Authentic Leadership, Inc.
Dan’s passion is to see leaders both discover and live out the person God has made them to be. For
more than thirty years he has worked with and developed leaders ranging from youth pastors to
company presidents.
Game Plan:
As an FCA leader, you have a passion to honor God and make your contribution to the world. That drives
you every day, but we must understand the significance of the heart. Empowered by the Spirit of God,
you are committing to show up daily and to make a difference in the kingdom. You step up to the plate
of ministry and bring the full weight of yourself—your talents, passions, faith and resources— to the
work God has called you to. Yet, the #1 job for you as a leader is to lead your own heart well.
Leadership of the Heart is daily leading yourself into the presence of God and begging Him to transform
you into an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. That’s what every authentic leader does. The Leadership
of the Heart Principle is simply that our best ministry flows from a well-led heart. The bottom line is this:
how you lead your heart is central to your effectiveness as a leader.
Where does your leadership effectiveness begin? Does it begin with developing ministry skills, clearly
communicating with your supervisor or being a great teammate to fellow staff? The answer to these
questions is NO! They each represent an important quality in a mature leader who leads downward,
upward and sideways, but leadership begins a different place. Solomon had something to say about
where ministry effectiveness starts. Proverbs 4:23 says: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for
your very life flows from your heart.”
FCA wants you lead effectively in your service to God. As you attempt to accomplish the work that God
has assigned to you, there are always multiple demands pulling you in different directions. It’s important
to know your top priority on how you will spend your time each day. An Old Testament leader named
Jotham had something to say about the importance of self-leadership. 2 Chronicles 27:6 says, “So
Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord His God.”
We must each strive to become mighty men and women for God in our communities. King Jotham didn’t
just talk about being mighty. He became mighty. He was concerned with what was most important and
did something daily to move towards mightiness. Jotham knew that priority #1 for any leader is to learn
to lead the heart well by developing the skill and grace to order his or her ways before God.
Your heart is that place inside you that defines who you are, what you believe, how you decide and
which direction you will lead. It is where wisdom is birthed and the ability to enjoy life begins. Your heart
is where your deepest passions reside and your most meaningful dreams originate. Worship begins in
the heart, and it is where you carry the people you love. Our best performance flows from a well-led
heart.
This type of self-leadership is not easy. It will take determination and discipline. But remember, it is your
life line...don’t ever let go of it. In the middle of the fray of ministry, you will be tempted to let go of this
important rope that keeps you tethered to your spiritual home.
Anyone familiar with the history of farmers on the Great Plains knows that at the first sign of a blizzard,
farmers would run a rope from the barn to the back door of the house. These farmers knew stories of
people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of their home in a whiteout
while still in their own backyards. You will hit some ministry blizzards on the plains of your service to
God, coaches and athletes. Everything will tempt you to let go and wander in your own strength. Don’t
let go of the rope. It always leads you back to home to the place where your heart is connected to God.
Make a Play:
It’s time for a Heart Check! How is your heart doing? FCA leaders whose hearts are in trouble show it in
various ways. Here are six concepts all FCA staff should process:
1. Be honest. What is the truth when it comes to your heart? How is your heart? Write three
words that currently describe your heart.
2. Own your life. Don’t expect anyone to rescue you. You must take responsibility for your life.
Don’t blame others if you aren’t leading your heart well. Stop playing the victim role. Grow up
and move towards doing that which will breathe life back into you. I know that this is risky, but it
must be done. Are you waiting for someone to rescue you?
3. Create a plan. Develop a plan to restore your heart if you are having heart trouble. Ask for some
time off. Maybe you need to take a few vacation days to sort out where you are and what you
can do to get back on track. A day to really think about your life and any changes you might
need to make is well worth it. Do you have a plan for managing your heart? If not, when will you
create one?
4. Deal with your “stuff.” When addressing your heart condition, maybe you need to go to a
Christian counselor and discuss your “stuff.” Your stuff from the past will contaminate your
present. Courageously seek after inner health. Do you need to talk with someone who will help
you sort out where you are and create a plan for your future? If so, who?
5. Rediscover play. Doing people-work can steal your life. It often seems that the needs of people
never end. You need to rediscover legitimate fun fixes that renew your soul. If we don’t get
enough legitimate play, we will be tempted to pursue illegitimate fun fixes that can lead to
further trouble. What can you do this week that will renew you and be fun?
6. Reestablish quiet times with God. Modern culture can dismember our inner worlds if we allow
it to. Slowing down to pray and read God’s Word allows us to remember that we are loved by
God and the objects of His care. You might want to begin by reading one Psalm and one Proverb
each day. When will you get alone and quiet before God in the next 24 hours? What passage of
Scripture will you study?
The most challenging thing for you as a leader will be to manage your life so that you live with a healthy
and well-led heart. The beginning point of your success on FCA staff hinges on your ability to lead your
own heart well. Go after this task.
Pay attention to the challenges of self-leadership. Keep track of what works for you. What does this look
like for you on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? Take seriously this self-assessment and practice
slowing your life down and listening to your heart.