Where do you see yourself and your team in 3 to 5 years? (108-5)

An effective leader has a wide range of skills. Yesterday we looked at a leader’s ability to adjust to a situation at an instant’s notice. Today, we look again at King David as a leader, but today we look at his skill as a long-range planner. Read 1 Chronicles 22:1-19.

David had asked God for the privilege of building the temple in Jerusalem that would house the Ark of the Covenant and serve as a place to represent God’s presence on earth. God said it would not be David’s assignment to build the temple, but his son Solomon would build the temple. David could have been hurt or felt rejected by God’s decision but he accepted this information and considered it part of his leadership assignment to prepare a way for his inexperienced son to be successful.

David’s careful preparation and arrangement for the temple’s raw materials illustrate long-range planning that assisted his successor to carry out their responsibilities. When David used his skills as a long-range planner, his personal vision and passion was extended beyond his own lifetime.

Leadership suggests movement. Every responsible follower has the question, “Where are we heading?” Every responsible, effective leader must have some answers. It takes courage to ask your team to follow you into an unknown future. Even though no leader can possess a crystal ball to foretell what the future will bring, leaders with a close relationship with God, wisdom and common sense can make reasonable projections as to future direction and needs. Looking ahead and planning into the future is an integral characteristic of effective leadership.

Assignment # 1 – re-read 1 Chronicles 22:1-19 and find five elements of long-range planning used by David that equipped Solomon to successfully build the temple.

Assignments # 2 – take some time to consider (discover) the direction in which you and those you lead are headed. Where do you see yourself and your team in three years? What about in five years?

Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”