In his little book, As A Man Thinketh, James Allen said, “As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.” If that statement is true, you need to think like a leader to be a leader. So how does a leader think, they read books and listen to lessons by other leaders. They put into practice the things they learn. They don’t spend all of their free time in front of the television or playing games.
What you put into your mind is exactly what you are going to get out of your habits, actions, and words. If you practice talking bad about people behind their backs it will show in the way you treat people. If you practice being kind even to people who don’t have what you have, it will show in the way you treat people.
When your worried, how do you think? Do you focus intently on the thing you’re worrying about or do you focus on something else? You focus on the thing you’re worried about. You put every ounce of hand wringing effort into thinking about that one thing. Why not use the same effort to think about good things, positive things, things that will change your life or the life of someone else. I know bad things happen and they worry us. Cancer, disease, bills all worry us. What I am saying is use the same effort you would worrying, when you’re not worrying, to think like a leader.
So how do leaders think?
Leaders think about the future. They think about what God has planned for them and their organization 1, 5, or 10 years down the road. They envision the changes that will have to take place in them and their people before the changes happen. They dream about what’s to come and they let God change them through the process.
Leaders think about their people. They want to know who is in the right position and who isn’t, because they understand people need to be good at what they do. They want to know who is growing, and how they can help everyone grow.
Leaders think about their families. I have never known a great leader who didn’t love his or her family. If you are going to be a leader in the church especially you must lead your family first (1Timoty 3).
Leaders think about their legacy. Who are you building up to become a better leader than you are? We all want to be remembered, and the best way to do that is by investing in someone else. Find people who want to grow and invest in them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way,
Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.
If you’re looking for books to help your thinking here are some good ones

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Who’s Talking