Perseverance-4 Keys to Becoming A Leader

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Perseverance has been coming to mind a lot lately and I guess I have had to persevere quite a bit in my life. There is one time in particular that I want to tell you about.

In 2000 I started a job working for a company that processed checks for banks. Some of you will remember the days when you got your cancelled checks back with your bank statement. The amount of the check was encoded in the bottom right-hand corner, that’s what they did.  When I started, I told the Lord I just wanted to be there more than a year and a half, which is about the amount of time I was at my previous two jobs. I ended up being there eight years. We were trained in all aspects of the job. From data entry, to balancing to sending out the bank statements, we did it all.

I was working full time hours plus overtime most weeks, but I was considered part time, so I wasn’t getting the benefits of full- time employees. After I was there a couple years, I asked the manager about becoming full time. She said, “Sure, as the workload increases.” The next thing I know people are coming in for interviews to do the exact same thing I was doing. One lady who had no experience was hired and my hours were cut. When I asked the manager, she claimed she already had plans to hire her when I asked. That lady finally quit after a year or so and I was hired full time after four years of employment.

 During those four years I could have looked for another job, or said a few choice words to my manager, but once again I chose to persevere. I went to work every day and did my job. There were a few times I had to bite my tongue. Two years after I got hired full- time and two years after that I became a team lead. My Pastor at the time told me the Lord was using it to prepare me for what He wanted me to do.

Two years after that the company downsized and the manager decided to quit before they closed our doors. I was moved into the manager position and got a pay raise. I never had a desire to be in any kind of leadership position and did nothing to try to make it happen. The Lord has a way of putting us where He wants us and I discovered I really liked being in a leadership position. Seeing what others are good at comes naturally and easily to me.

Although it was never my desire to be a leader there are four things that I feel played a key role in my becoming one.

4 Keys to Becoming a Leader

1. Do the job you’ve been given to do. Stay focused and go to work every day.

2. Respect Authority. This can be hard especially when they are saying or doing things that are wrong or you just don’t agree with.

3. Be a Team Player. If someone needs help do what you can to help them even if they don’t reciprocate it.

4. Be willing to learn and take on new responsibilities.

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail…Deuteronomy 28:13