So far in my series of the 8 pillars of leadership, we have gone over these pillars:

1. Inspiring and leading yourself
2. Transformational beliefs
3. Intentionality
4. Healthy relationships
5. Speaking life
6. Faith-filled decision making

Today we’ll be talking about the last two:

• The culture of gladness 
• Empowerment (building big people)

The culture of gladness

Hebrews 1:9 says, “Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above all His companions.” He was the most glad being on the planet and created a culture of gladness around Him. Great parents, great leaders, and great influencers create a culture of gladness around them. Proverbs says, “A merry heart is good like medicine.” A cheerful attitude brings health to our bodies, our souls, and to the environments we are a part of. 

S I think of this pillar of gladness, I remember when someone shared with me that joy is one-third of the Kingdom. Romans 14:17 says, “The Kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” When I heard this, I thought, “I don’t think joy is that important.” But now I’m convinced. I’m convinced that when we pursue joy, it’s a secret door into growing up in our biblical doctrine, our identity, and in how we do relationships. 

The Lord has frequently asked me: “Steve, why are you not radically joyful now?” That is a powerful question to ask ourselves! It will again reinforce why joy is one-third of the kingdom. 

I want to make it clear that we don’t laugh all the time. We weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), and there are seasons of mourning, but mourning was never meant to be a lifestyle. 

The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)! We don’t need strength at the end of the battle, we need strength in the middle of the battle. Today is probably not a “convenient” time to go after radical joy. This belief is what I call  “destination disease”. This is the mindset of believing there will be a magical time where we will not face disappointments, challenges, negative news, or uncertainties in our lives. Then we will be joyful. That is delusional thinking. There will never really be a convenient time to radically pursue joy! So let’s find ways to activate now. 

This leadership pillar of creating a culture of gladness overflows into teams and families! I’m convinced as we grow in our influence and our leadership that this pillar is a secret weapon into personal maturity, healthy relationships, and longevity.

I have a 40-day online devotional called 40 Days of Joy with a coordinating book Igniting Joy in 40 Days if you want some powerful resources to ignite your joy. . 

Empowerment: building big people

I wrote a book with my brother, Dr. Phil Backlund, called The Culture of Empowerment. (We also wrote a business version of this book here.) We wrote these based on the quote by Bill Johnson, “My goal is not to build a big church but to build big people.” 

What is my priority in leadership? Is it to accomplish goals and tasks and have cooperation from my team? Yes, but an empowering leader also cares about the individual as well and their overall wellbeing. Being an empowering person and leader creates a deep sense of loyalty in teams and results in healthy relationships. 

As we focus on developing people, we will become a place where people want to kick the door down to work for us. We will build a reputation of producing great people! We not only improve the bottom line of our business or organization, but we will also help unlock the gifts and potential in people 

Here are a couple of keys to being an empowering leader:

1. Maintain high beliefs - One of the greatest things leaders do is believe in the people they lead. We are called to believe in people higher than they believe in themselves. People tend to rise up to the beliefs of the key people in their lives. Empowering people also focus on speaking life. Who we believe we are talking to will determine the level of empowerment in our words. Whether it’s our kids, our family, our employees, or someone else, if we believe we’re talking to great people, our words will be more empowering. We see people according to their potential, not just their past. 
2. Create empowerment structures - empowering leaders are thinking of working themselves out of a job. When we have that mindset, we begin to train and pass onto people what we have learned and give them opportunities to happen in the environments we lead. 

What a joy it has been to walk through these eight pillars of leadership together.

Starting September 11th, I have a four-month online mentorship program going even deeper into these leadership principles. I guarantee that it will be worth the investment. Find out more here.