Multiplicaci´on escalar: m´etodo GS

One of Ronald Reagan’s strengths as a leader was his ability to identify people with great talent, place them in key positions, and give them the opportunity to contribute their experience and gifts in fulfilling a worthy cause. He had the capacity to

“staff” his weaknesses. In other words, he found people with skill and experience to fill in the areas where he lacked skill or experience. This is leadership coordination.

Abraham Lincoln filled his presidential cabinet with his political enemies, and many people thought this act was foolish. Lincoln, however, knew the personal strengths of each cabinet member, and he believed they needed to be appointed to their positions for the country to be governed effectively.

Before long, almost all these men came to respect Lincoln deeply as a person and as an extraordinary leader. They became loyal and effective cabinet members at the most difficult time in America’s history. Lincoln’s example shows that a strong leader is not afraid to seek advice and assistance from those who hold opinions that are distinct from his, and that he doesn’t reject sound insights even when they come from those who oppose him.

Financial and Physical Resources

A leader needs to be a faithful steward of the financial and physical resources he oversees. A steward is someone who looks after somebody else’s property. Use your resources in the best interests of your God-given vision and learn to make them productive so that they yield good returns. “Other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop,

multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times” (Mark 4:8, emphasis added).

It is essential for those who aspire to be leaders to learn how to be good managers of their personal resources first. If you cannot be a good manager of your own resources, what else can you be trusted with? For example, if you are making $500 a week, how are you handling it? Suppose you require money for a personal need and you are given that money. If you spend it on something frivolous, how can you be trusted to handle resources for someone else or for the accomplishment of your own vision? Leaders treat their finances as a resource God has provided to meet the needs of their visions, not as a means of filling their lives with luxuries or nonessentials. Be faithful over what is given to you now, and you will be entrusted with more later on.

In essence, stewardship is the effective management of energies, resources, and materials toward a worthy objective.

The word manage means the ability to coordinate and keep control. Anyone who has learned to take control of his or her life can move toward the implementation of vision.

Planning

In order to coordinate all his resources, a leader has to engage in planning. He cannot merely identify his purpose; he also needs to design a plan to take him to his destination.

Before and during the process of carrying out his vision, a leader needs to plan the involvement of the people and the

material resources that are needed. In doing so, he needs to prepare for both the short term and the long term.

As soon as you have a clear vision in mind, assess the needs of your vision and determine what you require to carry it out now, next year, five years from now, ten years from now, and so on. Proverbs 16:9 assures us, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” God expects you, with His guidance, to make plans for your vision. This verse implies that if you don’t have a plan, God can’t direct you toward its fulfillment.

Formulate a Plan

As we discussed in chapter four, “Capture Your Vision,” the first step is to write out a concrete plan, including your overall vision and the goals and objectives you need to fulfill in order get there. Include deadlines that specify when you would like to accomplish certain stages of your plan. Sometimes, the hardest part is thinking through your vision clearly so you can list the particulars for taking you there. Yet working at your plan haphazardly will yield disappointing results.

Expect Your Plan to Require Adjustment Some people make a plan and then try to follow it to the letter, even when it becomes obvious that modifications need to be made. As I emphasized earlier, expect to make some adjustments along the way as you continue seeking God and moving forward—while still keeping to the overall vision. This includes making modifications to timelines and deadlines.

Remember to rely patiently on God’s guidance and wisdom every step of the way.

The Source of Resource

All leaders must recognize that the Creator is the Source they should look to for the resources they need to complete their visions. If you look only at the resources you have at a given time, it may seem as if your vision will never come to pass. Yet Jesus assured His disciples—and us—that we can trust God to provide. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.…Seek first his kingdom and his

righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”

(Matthew 6:8, 33–34).

A leader has enough to concern himself with on a daily basis not to worry about future provision. Of course, you need to plan for the future, but planning is one thing and worrying is another. God the Father knows everything you need. In fact, He knew it before you did because He determined what He would call you to do. Therefore, trust that everything you require will be provided at the right time. God will never call you to an assignment without giving you the provision necessary for accomplishing it. All the resources you need will become available when you need them, as you begin planning and implementing your vision.

Chapter Twelve