My grandfather dedicated his life to working the family farm from the time he was 10-years old until his 70s. He regularly had the best crop yields in his area because he paid a lot of attention to preparing the soil for the next crop.
In the early summer, hoe in hand, he walked the fields, diligently removing weeds. Next, he fertilized the soil. Finally, he cultivated the soil. Cultivating the soil does two things; it gets rid of any leftover weeds, and it loosens the soil to prepare it to accept the seed he was about to plant.
As every smart farmer knows, most work goes into preparing the soil for a good crop this year—rather than all the work that follows until harvest time the following year!
Throughout my career, I’ve found the same thing is true of smart leaders. Every smart leader devotes time and energy to cultivating their leadership soil.
Smart leaders know preparing their leadership soil will accomplish two things: they will grow as leaders and produce strong organizations.
Smart Leaders Cultivate Their Leadership Soil
Just like the steps my grandfather used to take to prepare the soil for the seed, smart leaders know there are certain things they must do to be effective as leaders.
1. Spend Time in God’s Word
You cannot be effective as a Christian leader without spending time studying and applying God’s Word.
Writing to Timothy, his young protégé, Paul said
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Paul is saying that knowing God’s word will help you be more effective in every aspect of your role as a leader.
Do you want to be an effective leader? Then the first step is to prepare your leadership soil by spending quality time in God’s Word.
2. Pray in Every Situation
Prayer is vitally important in the life of a leader and is, sadly, often overlooked. Worse still, many leaders offer excuses for their lackluster prayer life, like, “I’m just too busy handling this crisis,” or “I don’t have time right now; I have to get this report out.”
The constant pressure on leaders is precisely why we need to have a robust prayer life!
Writing to the Philippians, Paul said we should rejoice in the Lord always and
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
So, you see leaders in everything? It is the moment we are most stressed with the pressures of the day that we should step away from work and step to God in prayer.
3. Worship with Intensity
Worship is far more critical to developing your leadership soil than you may think. Worship is not just singing in church: it includes a broad range of activities designed to express reverence and honor to God. Here are a few ways you can increase your worship time:
- Speak Psalms or Proverbs out loud to God.
- Listen to your favorite worship music driving to and from work or on your lunch hour.
- Take a walk during breaks thinking about the goodness of God.
- Keep a journal where you record praises to God, expressing your thankfulness for His provision in your life.
Writing to the Colossians, Paul suggested they,
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
And yes, you worship God when you sing to Him at church!
The point is that worship helps clear our mind, helps us focus on God, and experience His presence in our lives to replenish our soul. What smart leader doesn’t need their soul replenished amid a crisis?
4. Build Relationships Intentionally
God did not design us to be Lone Ranger leaders. Instead, he created us to live and work in the community with others who will support us and build us up. So, smart leaders cultivate their leadership soil by surrounding themselves with Godly men and women.
This relational network comprises people chosen intentionally, with care. These are people we trust implicitly with whom we can share our struggles, hopes, and dreams.
Three times the Bible says, “in a multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; and 24:6). So, if Solomon, the wisest man on earth, felt the need for and sought the advice of trusted counselors, shouldn’t we?
Cultivate Your Leadership Soil
Grandpa was a successful farmer because he paid attention to the needs of the soil. To be a successful Godly leader, we need to do the same. We need to cultivate our leadership soil by spending time in God’s word, praying in every situation, worshipping God with intensity, and building relationships intentionally.
More Articles
I have written several articles on self-discipline. You can find them by typing “self-discipline” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are five of my favorites.
- #452: How to Deal Responsibly with Two Kinds of Limits in Your Life!
- #380: What One Thing Do You Need to Do to Start Winning?
- #361: What Can You Do If the Battle is Unavoidable?
- #290: Are There Consequences for Living Any Way You Want?
- #281: How to Avoid the Dark Side of Happiness
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. If you were to rate your leadership soil, how are you doing? Are there areas where you need to improve?
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Category: Personal Development | Self-Discipline
Cultivating the soil is a good analogy for investing in the training and mentoring of new and promising employees. I think back on the leaders who took the time to help me, offer advice and guidance.
John, Thanks. Like you there are several leaders who I have very fond memories of because of their gracious investment of time mentoring me!
Words of wisdom directly from scripture. The truth will help us.
You had an amazing grandfather who was focused on the right things.
Thanks, Jim! Yes, I had an amazing grandfather–a very wise, har-working, Godly man who was my male role model growing up.