How a leader begins the day impacts the entire day. If a leader begins a day in chaos, the entire day will likely be chaotic. If a leader begins the day without looking to the Lord, the day will likely be lived apart from His power. Instead, a leader should begin the day with his/her affections set on the Lord and with the mind focused on what is most important. With that in mind, here are three mistakes leaders make when they wake up:
- Working before worshiping
Grabbing your cell phone to start responding to emails and messages can quickly take you out of a posture of dependence on Him. One day Jesus’ disciples searched frantically for Him. There was much to be done and people were looking for Him. But Jesus “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place; and there He was praying” (Mark 1:35). If Jesus, without sin, began His day in prayer, how much more should we?
- Doing before thinking
While many leaders are typically driven and wake up ready to execute and implement, wise leaders think before they do. Instead of attacking a plethora of items, wise leaders ensure they devote energy to the most important ones. Instead of letting the urgent set their daily agenda, they discipline themselves to set the agenda around that which matters most. If we simply work and don’t think about how we work, we will likely neglect the most important.
- Talking before listening
Wise leaders listen to others. Because leaders are passionate for the mission and the tasks in front of them, they can easily wake up giving direction and talking a lot. While leaders must give direction, they must first listen.
