Defining Your Spiritual Legacy

We are not going to last forever, but our legacy lives in the people we impact the most. Spiritual leaders can have confidence from God and express it to others. Your leadership affects others in the way they think, act, and react because of your example. Every leader must remember that people are watching them. We have all had influencers in our life through sports, music, business, education and more, and the reality is that people adjust their thinking based on the way influential leaders live. Harvard did a study and found that 58% of people would trust a stranger over their own boss. Don’t believe me? Think of Uber and Lyft. People get into the car of a random stranger, and trust them to take them safely to their destination.

If you were to leave your workplace, would anyone miss you? What would change in your co-workers’ lives if you were no longer present? Your leadership legacy has nothing to do with plaques, attire, top sales, or titles. However, it has everything to do with you as a person and how you light the fire in the lives of others. A study showed that 87% of managers wished they’d had more training before stepping into the role. Who are you training, encouraging, and pouring into to better equip them for their mission?

Here are a few ideas to help adjust your legacy for spiritual impact as you lead well:

1. HAVE REAL CONVERSATIONS: Many bosses or leaders do not have real conversations. Ask questions similar to, “How is your family doing?” and “Tell me about your weekend?” Great questions like these show that you care and that you are interested. Stay away from task-oriented questions unless you are only focused on quick answers. You should be known by your relationship, not your title.

2. OFFER REAL HELP: You will be remembered for the people you helped, not the people you fired. Great leaders are on the minds of people who look up to them the most. If someone on your team is struggling, you need to reach out to them and offer help. If someone is struggling under your leadership, step out, and be the light in their darkness.

3. OFFER RESOURCES: Great spiritual leaders share resources, not hoard them. You begin to build an honorable legacy, when you equip people to do greater things. I like asking questions such as, “Is there any need keeping you from achieving your goals?” or “Is there anything hindering your work process in our organization?” Sometimes it’s as simple as not having the right tools to get the job done. Listen, equip, and resource.

4. HAVE DINNERS: Food changes moods! When you get a bunch of people around the table and talk life, stuff gets fun fast. Take some of your staff and their families out and just spend time with them. The children remember these things, and you being a leader in their lives is also essential. Many spiritual leaders isolate and insulate, but you must move outward if you want to see the impact.

5. PRAY WITH PEOPLE: The most essential tool for a spiritual leader is prayer. Praying for people and with people about any situation is not a small act. People remember when you stop from your busy life to just pray over them. This act of love will last a long time, and quite possibly a lifetime. Be that leader who depends on God so that self never becomes boss.

Have any other tips to build a spiritual legacy as a leader in your organization? I’d love to read them in the comments below.