How Your Prayer Life Affects Your Leadership

How does your prayer life affect your leadership? Have you given this much thought? Leading cannot and should not be done without a life of prayer!

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend when I articulated my leadership approach as it relates to prayer. I told him that every morning I talk to God about how I would like Him to use me that day. “God, help me to do what you want (instead of what I want) today as a leader.” I often pray, “God, give me the direction I need to navigate the day.”

As a leader, do you sometimes make decisions and act solely on your own initiative? This is an area in which I struggle at times. I consider the options, gather the facts, ask for input, and often make decisions based on what I know or want. After all, I’ve been on this planet for 62 years and have been in a leadership position of one sort or another for over 40 of them. Certainly, I know what’s best. Right?

Maybe. But, I answered a call almost 20 years ago to be in paid ministry. Before that, I answered a call to be in volunteer ministry. In fact, 23 years ago, I made my decision to follow Christ. So, way back then, I decided to follow. And to this day, as I follow Christ, prayer is essential to everything I do as a leader.