{"id":32176,"date":"2022-09-10T15:59:24","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-ways-to-lead-when-youre-not-in-charge\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:59:24","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:59:24","slug":"5-ways-to-lead-when-youre-not-in-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-ways-to-lead-when-youre-not-in-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Lead When You\u2019re Not in Charge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Maina Mwaura<\/em><\/p>\n

On a typical day there\u2019s bound to be a line of customers wrapped around the building waiting in the drive thru lane at any given Chick-fil-A location.<\/p>\n

But most people are willing to stay in that line because they believe the end product is worth the wait. Mark Miller, vice president of leadership development at Chick-fil-A, thinks the same principle should be applied to church and organizational leaders who are willing to wait to \u201clead up\u201d when they aren\u2019t in charge.<\/p>\n

Miller admits leading up can be difficult, but he also believes that, for those of us who are willing to do it, there are rewards for doing so. In a recent interview with Facts & Trends<\/em>, Miller gives five practical ways that we should think about leading up.<\/p>\n

Be a servant<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Miller believes that the best thing we can do for the people who lead us is to serve them.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many leaders get caught up with a title,\u201d says Miller, who has worked for Chick-fil-A for more than 40 years. \u201cLeadership is not about what title you process in the organization. The best leaders thank others first and begin with the attitude of how they can serve others.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The ultimate benefit a leader at any level can get from serving, Miller explains, is they will begin valuing people the way Jesus does.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to walk in the room thinking, How can I serve others the way Jesus served me?<\/em>\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

See the future<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Someone leading up must have a vision for the future\u2014without getting stuck in the quicksand of today, says Miller. Being able to help the person leading you get their vision carried out and seeing its link to the future is essential, he says.<\/p>\n

Miller recalls a time in the 1990s when things were growing and moving so fast at Chick-fil-A that there was deep concern about what the company would look like in the future if they stayed on the same trajectory. Could they keep up with the demand?<\/p>\n

It was during this season in Chick-fil-A\u2019s history that most of the restaurants were in shopping malls. Department heads were tasked with helping to cast vision. With the ramp up of internet commerce and shopping malls showing early signs of losing foot traffic, leaders within the organization believed it was time to build stand-alone restaurants.<\/p>\n

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If this vision for the future had not been cast\u2014much less brought to fruition\u2014the ongoing success of the franchise could have been derailed.<\/p>\n

Help develop future leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another challenge Chick-fil-A faced during this season of fast-paced growth 20 years was the shortage of leaders in the pipeline\u2014leaders in development ready to be placed in a strategic position to further the company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed more leaders and more leaders fast,\u201d says Miller.<\/p>\n

But as they began conversations about growing their leadership pipeline, Miller says Chick-fil-A\u2019s first item of business was to define leadership<\/em> for their organization.<\/p>\n

Define leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cEvery organization or church needs to have their<\/em> definition of leadership for their<\/em> organization,\u201d he says. \u201cIf there\u2019s no agreed upon definition churches and organizations will be shooting in the dark on what type of leaders they need to grow to build an effective pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller believes had Chick-fil-A not clearly defined leadership for their organization, the franchise wouldn\u2019t have realized the success they have for today.<\/p>\n

Lead yourself well<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While a leader\u2019s skill-set is valuable, Miller says the person must have integrity. One of the verses in Scripture that has guided Miller in developing himself and other leaders is Psalm 78:72 (CSB), which says David \u201cshepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says people who lead and develop themselves with this biblical principle in mind should also consider incorporating these five fundamentals:<\/p>\n