In order for true spiritual growth to occur there first needs to be a life-changing growth “atmosphere” created by the leader.
Unrecognized Atmospheres You Create
When you understand how certain actions create an atmosphere of health and growth while other actions create an atmosphere of guardedness and shame, you are empowered to lead surprisingly well.
Scientifically Speaking — Family Systems Theory
Family Systems Theory gives us a way to break down and explain how this healthy leading and discipling practically work. Let’s look at this verse to connect them together:
1 Corinthians 12:21, 26 — The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
These verses are more than an exhortation to unity — they describe a universal principle.
“Nobody lives in a vacuum.”
This is monumental. Every action you take affects other people. In a nutshell this is “Family Systems Theory.” Everyone lives and operates in some sort of a “family” every day, whether it’s a church, a business, a community, or your own extended family. And this profound understanding opens the door to successful leadership within these “families.”
Creating A Life-Changing Culture of Growth
Your leadership can do more than direct and instruct — it can inspire. Your stimulating leadership can help keep people’s hearts engaged throughout the challenges and learning curves of life. Conversely, if your leadership is negative and shaming, it may cause people to put up walls to guard their hearts and very little growth will ever occur in this environment.
There are a definable set of characteristics that every healthy family operates under and a definable set of characteristics every unhealthy family operates under.
If a family member has fear issues, an eating disorder, addictions, or even laziness, it is not just a product of the person’s bad choices. Yes, it is partially that, but it is also a product of a system breaking down somewhere. Like the old saying in Alcoholics Anonymous goes, “the whole family gets sick,” not just the alcoholic. Every member of the family is part of that system which is either functioning well or it isn’t. Unfortunately what we haven’t considered much is that these principles apply to all families, both for the bad and the good. We’ve tended to observe mostly the unhealthy ones, but as I like to say:
“Healthy families raise healthy kids.”
If you want to learn more about these principles of having a healthy “family”and how to lead more through the Father’s Love, click here for my book, Fathering Leadership, Creating A Culture of Growth. (Also available on Kindle.)
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