Hello friends, welcome to a new series entitled Outstanding Leader written by Pastor Daniel Foo.

With biblical training and practical experiences, Pastor Daniel Foo focuses on the most important foundational aspect of leadership – the leader – based on God’s love, His Word and His Spirit. This Scripture-based book teaches us how to grow both our character and our competency for greater effectiveness. And Pastor Foo provides us practical tools, insights and expertise to become excellent leaders for the cause of the Kingdom with living testimonies shared by individuals.

The godly principles mentioned in his book are applicable to Christians who are interested to excel in every aspect of live, be it in family, marketplace or in church.

As Christians, we are indeed grateful that the Bible records unshakeable word of God that guides and leads us to live a godly life. The Bible clearly prepares and cautions us not to fall into traps as we serve our roles in whatever position we are in. To the non-believers, they will see the difference in us. The difference is backed up by His Word which is remarkable.

With helpful tips highlighted by the author, we pray that you will be enriched with godly pre-requisites and be aware of possible traps. Also, we pray that you will one day see tangible results and achieve greater heights in your career or whatever position you are in. Bible verses used in his book are taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated.

In the book of 1 Chronicles 7: 40a says, “All these were descendants of Asher – heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders.”

Today, we are living in the end times and facing issues our forefathers did not see or hear in their entire lives. For examples: lesbian, gay, bisexuals and transgender, which we often referred as LGBT, activism and terrorism in the name of religion. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24: 12, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold”. In Singapore, there have been increasing cases of corruption in the civil service where senior officials are involved in sex-for-contracts and misappropriation of funds.

This signs point us to the need for leadership among the people of the Lord. We must be prepared to lead our organisations and churches boldly and with conviction. More than ever, what is needed is leadership that is outstanding.

What is the meaning of ‘outstanding’?

The word ‘outstanding’ as found in Merriam-Webster dictionary means “extremely good or excellent, standing out, marked by eminence or distinction”. To be outstanding, it means “exceptionally good” and “clearly noticeable” as given in the Oxford Dictionaries.

A leader is anyone who is in a position to influence others. For example, a mother is the leader in a position to influence her children; a business executive is a leader in his or her organisation. No matter who we are, we have been placed in positions to impact peoples who are around us. As Christian leaders, God puts us in positions to influence others towards the outworking of kingdom values. God has called all believers to be leaders, to influence others towards doing His purposes and will wherever they are.

To be an outstanding leader is to be a stellar. In our daily lives, we influence others through our characters and actions. We also do so through our work or ministry, steering others to a particular aim by our purpose and vision. Stellar is a man or woman of God who hears the Lord clearly and acts upon His word in faith. As they walk with God vibrantly, they are men and women who stand for righteousness. They are not double-minded. The decisions they make are manifested in boldness and clarity. Rooted and established in their faith, they lead with diligence and spiritual fervour (Romans 12:11).

Outstanding leaders are ready for battles against evil and depravity in the world. Like Christ, and with the empowering of the Holy Spirit, they heal the broken-hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind and free the oppressed (Luke 4:18). They recognise that God has given them the power to turn the hearts of people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Jesus says in Acts 26: 18, “To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

People always follow outstanding leaders for they are able to unite Christians to follow after His causes and mobilise kingdom-minded believers to rise up and prepare for battles.

Did you ever wonder why are some organisations thriving and others struggling?

The thriving ones are led excellently with leaders who direct them with focus and strategic goals. Thus, the organisation shines and stands up brightly among all.

The struggling companies are led by people who are inadequate, lack boldness yet fearful. Leaders produce followers like themselves. So, weak leaders lead organisations that are mediocre in their standards, lacking focus and power. If this applies to church, the congregation they serve will begin to leave.

We should seek not just to be good leaders but exceptional ones. Today, people demand nothing less than this level of leadership and performance. In short, this applies to all aspects and situations. Wherever we are, be it at home, at work or in ministry, we can and should be outstanding leaders.

Testimony:   There is a sister in Pastor Foo’s church who visits hospitals and homes of the sick. The ministry required her to consistently pray and minister to those are physically weak. She has been doing this faithfully and effectively over the past 20 years and has seen many lives touched as people are healed and come to know the Lord.

God’s intention for a Christian leader is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Romans 8: 29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” He does this not in spite of our unique personalities but through them. He does not overrule who we are, nor does He replace those parts of our nature that make us who we are. Instead, as we yield to His leading, He forms Christ in us, who is then manifested through our transforming personality, in the way we think, act and respond.

The Seven Keys of Outstanding Leadership

What makes an effective, outstanding learder? There are 7Ps and all of them are critical components. We shall look at each key in detail with explanations given by Pastor Foo in the next couple of weeks. But briefly, we highlight as follows:-

Person – the leader. The focus is on his character and personality – who he is; how he, through experiencing brokenness, becomes a person God can use; and how he must deal with personal baggage in his life in order to mature holistically and move into God’s destiny for him.

Perspective – the perspective of a Christian leader determines how we respond to, engage with and behave towards others. The author pointed out that God shapes our perspectives through the lens of Scripture which enables us to learn His ways, develop a biblical worldview and bear witness to His faithfulness in our lives. It is through these God-shaped perspectives that Christians build faith convictions upon which our conduct is expressed and put forward as an example to others.

Power Source – not every leader is as smart or competent as others believe he is. We therefore need to rely on a power source beyond ourselves to keep us going at all times. The godly leader’s power source is the Lord Himself which is through the Father’s love, the Light of the Word and the Life of the Holy Spirit.

Person, Perspective and Power Source are three principles that address the inner facets of the leader’s life, just like the portion of an iceberg that is beneath the water.

The next three principles however are borne out in our lives as we lead others.

Purpose – the objective of a leader to fulfil God’s mission. The purpose of a leader’s life is caught from his walk with the Lord. What are his vision and mission, his gifting and calling and how can a leader validate his performance as he works towards his personal destiny?

Performance – focuses the level of competency of the leader and the achievement in leadership in work and ministry. This is best known as KPI, Key Performance Indicators, in the corporate world. If we are leaders, we must perform our duties well and produce noticeable results. God expects performance, undergirded by the foundations of personal character and kingdom values.

Pitfalls – that’s dangers! Many leaders have risen rapidly but fallen dramatically. How can we be sure that will never happen to us? It is important to develop self-awareness and vigilance regarding our weaknesses, faults and vulnerabilities face to face with the works of the evil one.

The last section of excellent leadership talks about the Posture of the leader. We must set ourselves to start and persevere to finish well in order to leave a legacy. What do we need to pay attention to, as we fight the good fight of faith to finish the race well (2 Timothy 4: 7)?

Pastor Daniel Foo challenges us to rise up and respond to the religious, social and moral crises around us in his book. When we are ready for battles, with the sword in one hand and the spade in another (Nehemiah 4: 17-18), we will be that man or woman who will do mighty exploits for such a time as this. We will pay the price to follow the Lord wholeheartedly.

There are definitely no shortcuts to godliness. From the time we receive Christ, godly living and godly leadership are a matter of obeying Paul’s counsel to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2: 12-13).

To get started and before we go in details, Pastor Foo encourages us to hear what the Holy Spirit speaks to you personally. And ask Him to draw your attention He wants you to know through Proverbs 4: 20-23 with emphasis added by Pastor Foo:

My son, give attention to my words; incline your EAR to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your EYES; Keep them in the midst of your HEART; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

Beginning next week and the following three consecutive weeks, we shall discuss in detail the first key – the Person of the Leader. We are sure you will be enriched by beneficial advices and skills. So, do join us next Thursday.  Stay tuned.