You can't need to be needed

Like the need to be loved, a leader has to make sure that they do no have a need to be needed. It is nice to be needed and we need leaders, but the leader who has to be needed is a leader that cannot and will not delegate to others. It is really a selfish attitude and not servant leadership since it really communicates, "I have to be more needed (more important) than anyone else." Thinking like this will paralyze you from empowering others and will create codependent followers, but not servant leaders and disciples.

You can't love to be loved

If  you have to be loved you cannot lead! Being loved is wonderful and when you can make people happy when you lead them that is icing on the cake, but the person that first and foremost has to be loved will never be in a position to make the tough calls. The hard decisions. He cannot lead. Speak the truth in love, but speak the truth and lead for the good of others and not yourself.

Do you work better under pressure, or do you only work under pressure?

Procrastinators love to brag about how much better they perform when under pressure, but the truth is they really do not know for most of them only perform when under pressure! Many a student that crammed the night before the big test or did a semester term paper in a night walk around in a self induced caffeine stupor convincing themselves they really nailed it that time! If you are one of those, why not prove yourself right or wrong by actually starting something early. Giving thought to it and then rework it some more. After all, there is no good writing. Only good rewriting!

If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the crowd

Every audience loves to watch and listen as the orchestra performs. The musicians feed off of the crowd and soloists even play to the crowd, but if you want to conduct the orchestra you have to turn your back to the crowd. It is the conductor who leads the orchestra, but in doing so he/she must not focus on the crowd or the musicians, but rather on the music. Do you want to be a leader? Then you must be aware of the crowd, but you cannot play to them. You must be sensitive to the orchestra, but you have to be able to stand alone. Crowds are everywhere, musicians many, but maestros are few. Can you hear His music?