LEAD LIKE A PRO: DISCIPLINE

A man without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls. Proverbs 25:28 (TLB)

REFERENCE
Proverbs 25:28 (TLB)

If a leader lacks the indispensable quality of ‘discipline’, all other leadership gifts he may have will never fully develop. Before one can conquer the world, he must first conquer ‘himself.’

Jackson Brown, Jr. said, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates; there is plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

To be a successful leader, you must submit yourself to some imposed discipline from without (demands of your team or leader) and then take on even a more rigorous one from within; you must have limits you will not cross. The absence of discipline can destroy much good in a leader’s life. It can make him destroy a reputation he has built over time.

Lazy and disorganized people can never rise to true leadership; because success in anything never comes cheap. It comes on the platform of discipline, self-control and self-denial.

Thus, to have a positive influence as a leader, you must hold yourself to a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse your mediocrity or lapses – be more lenient to others than to yourself. Cultivate discipline in reading, time management, punctuality, praying, exercising, communicating, resting, etc., and master the art of self-discipline.

When you demonstrate strong self-discipline as a leader, your team will sense it and usually cooperate with the expectations you require of them.

People who are willing to pay the extra price in discipline will go the extra mile in life. The ‘Davids’ who perfect their skills in the lonely grazing fields will slay the ‘Goliaths’ and emerge as kings.

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Proverbs 12:1 (NLT) and I Corinthians 9:24-27

REFLECTION

What discipline are you cultivating right now?

PRAYER POINT

Pray for grace to help you cultivate discipline especially in the areas where you are lacking self-control; and also for strength to pay the extra price in what you do, so you will not miscarry your leadership destiny.