But God, who makes things grow

Scripture

“It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7 MSG)

Thought

A truly transformational leader lives a higher standard than the rest of their industry. They not only want to win games if they are a coach. They’re not just wanting to grow profits if they are in business. They won’t just settle for high test scores from their students.

They want to see lives changed. They want to create an environment and an experience where their people transform, grow, and advance in their craft. They want to broker in a hopeful future.

Have you ever talked with a transformational leader who has been doing this for years? Decades even? It’s clear there is a major difference in conversation with a seasoned leader versus a young leader.

A young leader gets really caught up in the external results. They have to see progress or they will get really discouraged. A seasoned leader seems to understand the results are somewhat out of their control. A young leader believes you can white-knuckle the steering wheel and muscle the change needed to fit the results you want in leadership.

Seasoned leaders have learned to trust their role in the process.

When it comes to transformational leadership, it takes decades of planting and watering faithfully, even when the results are unseen. Especially when the results are unseen.

• Planting relational seeds with your athletes.

• Planting relational seeds with your students.

• Watering the seeds of connection with difficult employees.

• Watering the seeds of connection with inexperienced staff.

Constant planting and watering. Playing the long game of building trust and earning a voice in the lives of those you lead.

The true joy for the transformative leader is in the seeds and the water. The outcomes belong to God when it comes to true transformation. To suggest a leader has the capacity to truly CHANGE someone is ludicrous. We can’t really change people, if we could we probably would have already done it by now. A seasoned leader would never take credit for changing someone’s life. They know they are just a planter and waterer.

What we can do is create a transformative environment through planting seeds and watering for ALAT (As long as it takes).

We may never see the outcomes of our planting and watering. Athletes and students will graduate and the benefits of your labor, your planting and watering may not take affect until they are forty years old. Long after you are involved in their life.

Truly transformational leaders plant and water and release the outcomes to God. They know they are not at the center of this process, but God who makes things grow is center-stage.

Plant, water, release..