Day 34 – Leadership Starts With Who You’re Becoming

May 4, 2026 — Monday

Today was our all-staff meeting.

First Monday of the month.

Everyone together at the main campus.

Not Your Typical Meeting

There’s breakfast.

There’s connection.

But then…

There’s worship.

And I’ll be honest…

There’s something different about these moments.

I’ve been to a lot of services.

A lot of Sundays.

But being in a room full of leaders…

People who are:

• disciplined

• grounded

• deeply connected to God

Worshiping together?

It hits differently.

You Can Feel It

You can feel the presence.

The alignment.

The unity.

And I caught myself thinking:

I’m in this room?

Because around me are people who have:

• studied theology at the highest level

• spent years in ministry

• lived this out far longer than I have

And yet…

I’m here.

And It Made Me Realize Something

Leadership in the church…

Is different.

You can lead:

• companies

• teams

• organizations

But without direction…

Without grounding…

Without truth…

You can still be lost.

But This… Is Different

Because here…

You’re not just leading others.

You’re leading yourself first.

The Training That Stuck With Me

We went into leadership training.

And one word kept coming up:

Vision

The Reality of Vision

Every organization has one.

And as a leader…

Your role is to support it.

Even when:

• you don’t fully agree

• you don’t fully understand

• it’s not your natural instinct

Because misalignment…

Breaks momentum.

But There’s a Key Piece Most People Miss

People don’t just need direction.

They need understanding.

They need the why behind the what.

Because without the why…

Vision feels like pressure.

But with the why…

Vision becomes purpose.

The Other Piece That Hit Me

Relationships.

This is where leadership either grows…

Or breaks.

Because Most People Do This

They wait for their turn to speak.

But real leadership?

Listens first.

What I’m Learning to Do

Be fully present.

Fully engaged.

Not thinking about:

• what I’m going to say next

• how I respond

• how I sound

But actually asking:

• What are they walking through?

• What are they struggling with?

• What do they want in life?

Because Here’s the Truth

You can’t lead people you don’t understand.

And you can’t understand people…

If you’re not listening.

A Shift in Perspective

I’m starting to see something clearly:

Every interaction is intentional.

Not random.

Not accidental.

God is placing people in front of me for a reason.

And my responsibility is simple:

Give value.
Be present.
Listen well.

The Deeper Realization

Leadership isn’t just about:

• systems

• structure

• execution

It’s about:

People.

And not just leading them…

Knowing them.

The Anchor

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22

Closing Thought

Today reminded me of something simple…

But powerful:

Leadership doesn’t start with what you do.

It starts with who you’re becoming.

Because when you become:

• more grounded

• more present

• more aligned

Everything you lead…

Gets stronger.