Encouraging Words: How to Be A Leader Worth Dying For (4)

Encouraging Words

And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” – 1 Kings 12:7

Another fundamental that makes a great leader, one worth dying for, is positive communication. A leader who speaks kind and encouraging words to his lieutenants will command their loyalty and have them eating at his palms. Whereas a leader whose communication with his followers is mostly laced with negative and threatening words will not enjoy their allegiance.

The Bible says, ‘A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.’ (Proverbs 15:1 NLT). In another passage it says, ‘Pleasing words are like honey. They are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones’ (Proverbs 16:24 NLV). These are just two scriptural examples that underscore the importance of pleasant communication in interpersonal relationships, more so in a leader-followers context.

A leader who has imbibed the wisdom of positive communication in her interaction with those who work with her, report to her or those who she is responsible for in any format will usually have an easy task mobilizing them to do anything. On the other hand, a leader whose communication style is skewed along a rigid vertical line and whose words are unfriendly or forbidding will have a pack of angry people at his behest and will not always have an easy run getting them to do anything.

Communication is a vital aspect of leadership, and it must be done rightly for a leader to be considered a success. If not rightly done, the regime is doomed to failure. Part of what needs to be done by a leader to get this right is the communication content, that is the kind of words he uses. While a leader should refrain from using demeaning words in her exchange with her charges, she should also not shy away from having a hard communication with them when occasion calls for it either.

Bringing it home, to fulfill your leadership potential and emerge a success in your run as a leader, you need to be committed to communication with your people. You need to have a free and open channel of engagement with them where you listen to them, interact with them, hear their concerns as well as keep them informed and updated about what you are up to in your role as their leader and what you are doing to improve their wellbeing. If you commit to doing this, your charges will be your diehard advocates, and they will always be your first line of defense against unrepentant critics and enemies.

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also Read:

• Responsiveness: How to Be a Leader Worth Dying For (3)
• 8 Gifts that Do Not Cost a Cent
• God Blessed Us with A Baby