Daydreaming is my favorite pass-time. It always has been. In the second grade, I would stare out the window of the WD Munson Primary school at the Dillons supermarket parking lot watching for people I knew, wondering what they were there to get, imagining where they were going after. I had so many stories running through my head there wasn't room for silly trivial things like math and social studies. So I nearly failed second grade until my mom woke me from my daydreams to face the real work of learning and passing Mrs. Pray's class to move on to the third grade.
Our culture loves dreams and dreamers and those who would tell us the impossible is, in fact, possible after all. In the current culture of first-world Christianity, we equate leadership with chief daydreamer and visionary. It's often these visionaries who identify the preferred future, and motivate teams to action toward that preferred future. Vision-casting and keeping the team focused and striving toward that goal or that picture of how things ought to be are common characteristics of most successful leaders. So the second of our leadership fundamentals is this - what do you BELIEVE the preferred future to be for those you lead? What is your organization working toward? What is the one thing your team is bringing to the table of humanity that will be missing if you don't succeed? In the overtones of Christianity, what are you praying about in regard to your organization or those you lead?
And again, this is not just for the CEO or supervisory positions. If you have influence, you have leadership. Let's put it this way - if anyone looks at you to make a decision for any reason, you have influence and you are a leader. The only question that remains is where are you leading them to go? What are you believing the future ought to be?
Believe for it. Pray about it. Seek God for the next step in that journey. Ask for wisdom and for open doors. And don't be a wimp. Ask and don't shrink back and don't waver. Commit it your way to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
Now before I'm accused of being a name and claim it brand of believer, I'll throw in a caveat. Not only should a leader Believe, the leader also should Be Real.
At the most intense moment of the classic movie "Hoosiers", we are cheering on the team in their most important game of the season. As the players exit the locker room to take the court, one young man remains kneeling down praying. By this time in the movie, we're all familiar with this habit. What we're surprised by is the moment Coach comes to him with a hand on his shoulder and says with an encouraging tone, "God wants you on the court, son."
I love that scene. It serves as a great reminder that in every issue we bring before God, there is an element of responsibility. As one Bible teacher said, "Work like it all depends on you. Pray like it all depends on God." Both are true. As you identify the preferred future, and believe in it and pray about it, don't be surprised if God responds with a kind reminder that He'll have you be an important player in its answer. Be real about whose responsibility is whose. Do what is in your power to do then rely on God to do what only He can do.
For many of us, the greater work of this fundamental is clearing identifying what the preferred future is. What role or task is uniquely your contribution to the world or to the Kingdom of God? If you can do it without the help of the Divine, you might not be dreaming big enough. Be intimidated by your goals. Allow them to force you into God's presence for the confidence to continue moving forward. For some it will be as simple as managing an environment or home that people enjoy being part of. Maybe you're tasked with raising kids who love God. What is it that you're believing? Now be real about what that will require of you. The best leaders do both.