We all have leaders that we work with, for and around. And every leader I know values being honored and respected. Honor is a really big thing. And incredibly important as it relates to being part of a team.

Here are some ways to honor your leaders:

1. Pray – a huge one. Pray for wisdom, for clarity, for compassion and for a clear vision for your leaders.

2. Encourage- lift your leaders up in public, and critique them in private. Tell them how you appreciate them. Consistently. Write them a note. Pour into them.

3. Confront- if you see something out of whack, tell them. Most leaders crave input and feedback, so give it to them. Push back on their ideas and convictions when appropriate. Confrontation works best though when encouragement and service and trust have been given freely for a long time. Confront in moderation.

4. Serve- be willing to carry the load. Get things done. Deliver more than you were asked to do. Be action oriented.

5. Trust- incredibly important. Follow them. Put stock in the fact that they have your best interests in mind. Fight against sarcasm and cynicism.

6. Understand- know what drives them, what motivates them, and also what frustrates them. Lean into the things that motivate them, and avoid the things that frustrate them.

7. Protect- always have their back. Stand up for them. If you hear something negative, fight it.

8. Release- give your leader permission to lead you. Lean in. Have a posture of humility, respect, and openness to follow them. Open hearts and open minds, vs closed thoughts, arms crossed, and a made up mind.

Then he became a building contractor, called in to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Through the story of the Old Testament book, we can discover a few of the leadership qualities that he possessed.

1. Compassion- when learning of the condition of the wall and of his people, Nehemiah wept.

2. Conviction- he understood that loyalty to his country and to his people in Jerusalem was paramount.

3. Courage- he stood alongside the builders of the wall to fight off enemies who wanted to bring them down. A shovel in one hand and a spear in the other.

4. Confrontation- Nehemiah called out those who were stealing from their brothers, and doling out debt without reason. He held them accountable, and directed them towards living right. Those whom he loved and admired he pushed towards righteous living.

5. Calling- he understood his role as the one who had been called to lead in rebuilding the wall, and correctly responded to that assignment when God prompted.

- The Global Church is vibrant, colorful and alive. As a leader, you need to see it up close outside of the US to gain a proper perspective.

- Collaboration is on the rise. Especially in Churches and non-profit ministries. More and more leaders working together, sharing buildings, merging their services, sharing creative ideas, video sharing, pastors teaching in other churches, etc.

- Don’t spend a $1 worth of time on a 10 cent decision. Leaders have to invest their time, energy and resources where it’s most needed and valued in the organization.

- Without vision, people perish. So true in our country and around the world. Leaders need to step up and provide hope and a vision that is inspiring.

- When it comes to leaders I admire, the most common trait among them is courage. And a close runner-up is humility.

- Seasons of calling are just as important as life-long callings. And maybe more. Not everyone will necessarily have a true and specific life calling. You might have seasons of calling. That is okay.

- As a leader, you have to scale your vision appropriately. And especially those of us who are idea creators. We think every idea we have has a global reach. Not true. Your vision may be only for a city, or for a neighborhood. Scale it appropriately.

- Choose one or two ideas and execute on them fearlessly. If you try to execute on all of your ideas, you’ll probably not accomplish much. We each have to be focused on the execution of ideas, not just the creation of ideas.

- Finish meetings on time. Especially when you are meeting with someone one on one. Actually finish early.

- Every great organization has a few areas where they are incredibly picky and their standards are so high it becomes annoying. This is a good thing. Know the areas you are so passionate about that you are willing to be obnoxious and annoying on.

- Being remarkable and doing things with excellence is about being intentional. Being remarkable isn’t about being big. Or about things that are expensive. It’s about a mindset and a standard. It’s not about lots of money and a huge staff. In fact, many times as you grow, you lose the intensity required to be remarkable.

- Growth requires trimming. To go up we may have to give up. The things that were important 2-3 years ago may need to be changed or dropped within your organization. Leaders have to be able to make these kinds of decisions and push forward while cutting the fat.

- Ask twice as many questions as you give answers. Always. Listen way more than you talk. Being “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (from James ch 1) is a good rule to live by.

- With influence and leadership comes power. And power can easily corrupt. Beware of it. Watch out for it. Have people in your life who will tell you what you don’t want to hear, but need to as a leader. Stay humble and hungry.

Year End Review Questions:

1. What are the 2-3 themes that personally defined 2011 for me?

2. What people, books, accomplishments, or special moments created highlights in 2011?

3. Give yourself a grade from 1-10 in the following areas of focus for 2011: vocationally, spiritually, family, relationally, emotionally, financially, physically, recreationally.

4. What am i working on that is BIG for 2012 and beyond?

5. As I move into 2012, is a majority of my energy being spent on things that drain me or things that energize me?

6. How am I preparing for 10 years from now? 20 years from now?

7. What 2-3 things have I been putting off that I need to execute on before the end of the year?

8. Is my family closer at the end of this year? Am I a better friend at the end of this year? If not, what needs to change immediately?

Tons of books have been written on this issue, and lots of speakers and consultants would consider their theories to be the answer. The reality is, most companies don’t have great corporate culture, based on their employees responses and feedback. Creating the correct culture is a difficult task for any leader.

Here at Catalyst, we’ve worked hard over the years to establish a culture that fits us and creates a great place to work and collaborate with our team.

In my opinion, there are a couple of key ingredients to creating a great culture that we’ve learned.

1. Be distinct. Your look/feel/ethos should be yours and yours alone. Make sure your brand, design, and team all are cohesive.

2. Be authentic. Create and live out your values because they are who you ARE, not because they are what or who you want to be, or who or what someone else wants you to be.

3. Believe in your product or offering. 100% belief that what you do is incredibly relevant and helpful and needed. It will drive your atmosphere and the way you make decisions, and create a strong bond with “one purpose” in mind.

4. Be attractive. Is your culture so vibrant and positive that your customers or audience is attracted by it? Do people outside of your walls talk about your culture? Do people want to join your team just to be part of what is happening?

5. Be your own customer. If you won’t buy your product or service or offering, then why would you expect anyone else to? Does a focus group of your core customer require bringing in outsiders, or simply gathering the troops?

6. Establish your style and embrace it. Similar to #1, but more specifically toward how you get things done. At Catalyst, we “work hard and play hard.” That is our style. We embrace it constantly. Figuring out HOW you accomplish things as a team will help give your team a style to embrace and build.

The latest edition of the Catalyst Podcast features an interview with William Paul Young, best-selling author of The Shack, as well as a next gen profile interview with Kevin Palau, EVP of the Luis Palau Association, profiling the incredible story of the Portland CityFest and amazing collaboration between churches, government, businesses, and the city. 

Listen/Subscribe on itunes or stream from the Catalyst website.

1. The 90 Degree Leader: Lead at a Right Angle

2. That’s What She Said

3. I Am All That

4. Leadership Lessons from the Lions: Losing 16 Straight is a Breeze

5. You Suck: Reality is a Drag

6. Bad, Worse, Worst: How to Take Down a Company in 100 Days

7. Poop or Get off The Pot: Make a Decision You Moron

8. How Lazy are You?

9. Lose Your Job in One Week Beginner’s Guide

Please feel free to add your favorite titles as well……