What are important leadership qualities that you value in rising leaders? What are the qualities you hope to develop in those you serve in desiring that they take on greater leadership responsibilities in the future?

The following are 3 leadership qualities taken from ‘snapshots’ of everyday life here in Albania, essential for cultivating in an aspiring leader’s life.

PATIENCE:

In order to truly thrive in Albania, one needs patience. The best snapshot of necessary patience can be seen in these days following May 8th’s local elections as the results are still being tallied as of today– 3 days later. There was no point in staying up all night on Sunday, watching the news, waiting for a victory celebration for one political party or the other, since the ballots are counted by hand. One box at a time.

As I scanned the newspaper headlines today trying to determine who won, I realized that each newspaper, depending on their political slant, declared different winners for the same position– simply because the final results have yet to be sorted.

CREATIVITY:

Another key leadership quality gleaned from living in Albania is that of creativity. With the massive amounts of cars on the roads and limited parking space throughout the city– some open spaces, not quite designed for parking, are turned into parking lots– thus showing creativity in dealing with this urban dilemma.

WISDOM:

If you were to be visiting Albania this week, you’d be sure to notice posters draping city buildings and dotting the sidewalks that advertise local elections to be held on May 8th.

Two campaign slogans have stood out to me:

• Slogan #1: “E vetmja rrugë për Tiranën, e vetmja rrugë për Shqipërinë.” Translation:
  “The only way for Tirana, the only way for Albania.”

• Slogan #2: “Ju jeni të parët. Tirana është e para.” Translation:
  “You are first. Tirana is first.”

Very bold declarations, don’t you think? Especially claiming to be “the only way” for Tirana.

And, it is a rare event in Albania to see Slogan #2 put into action. (“You are first, Tirana is first”).

In fact, if you ask most Albanians, they’d readily agree that politicians seem to have only one thing in mind—personal advancement resulting in material gain.

As Christians around the world reflect on the meaning of Easter this week, I too, remember the One who did not paint the city with gutsy campaign slogans or empty promises, but who demonstrated what it truly means to lead by serving and to love by sacrificing.

Jesus claimed in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Those are radical words. Even for Jesus. Many people today balk at that statement.

Yet Jesus bodily and painfully demonstrated that He put:

You,
Me,
Tirana,
Albania,
and the whole world

FIRST

when He died on the cross in our place,

taking our sins upon Himself,

experiencing the worst kind of death,

so that we could fellowship with the Father

and experience eternal life.

The Apostle Paul describes this radical kind of ‘putting others first’ in Philippians 2:3-8:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!”

It wasn’t just a slogan for Jesus.

He embodied true humility, servanthood, unconditional love, & sacrifice. In doing so, Jesus became the only Way, the only Hope for our broken cities and our sin-marred lives.

I recently used the 360 Lite tool to get insight about areas of strengths and those areas where I need to grow. A dear friend who has known me for ages it seems (since I came to Albania) wrote a comment stating I seem to have lost my joy.

Hmmm…. ouch. What would lead her to think that about me? Am I exhibiting frustration, sadness or worry more frequently than happiness, joy, and peace? Her comment began brewing in my heart and mind so I decided to probe deeper to see if what she said had any validity.

Where do you go when you lose something? Most restaurants, activity centers, airports, movie theaters and offices have a Lost and Found box. So that’s where I decided to go hunting to see if my joy had somehow ended up there.

I opened the Lost and Found Box of my life and took a good a look to see what’s been hiding inside.

Not completely to my surprise, I did find some of the following items:

The biggest item I found in my lost and found box was: (Can you guess….???) Yep: 1. Worry– about the future, finances, our desire for children, family health issues, etc.

A second item I found, though somewhat reluctantly was: Selfishness– it seems that these past few years I’ve been much more self-consumed and preoccupied, as opposed to other-centered and servant-hearted. Stress and fear were among a few other items that were lurking inside my “found” compartment.

lost and found box of life

In the smaller corners of the box, I did see that JOY was there– it had simply been covered up by worry and fear. JOY was deeply connected to a PERSON– the person of Jesus. One of my favorite quotes about Jesus shows this vital relation between Jesus and joy:

“The Gospels show that Jesus quickly established intimacy with the people He met… He cut instantly to the heart of the matter, and after a few brief lines of conversation these people revealed to Jesus their innermost secrets… People liked being with Jesus; where He was, joy was.” Philip Yancey

Tucked under other items like material things and worldly concerns was thankfulness. How could I bring joy out of my Lost and Found Box to the center and surface of my life? Through Thankfulness– thankfulness is key to ridding my life of worry and fear.

A great quote I recently read states:

“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” Hannah Whithall Smith

There’s been so much to be thankful about: good health, a great hubby, wonderful family, answered prayer, significance and impact through our ministry and the work God’s entrusted to us, etc.

Thus, I’ve decided to pull out of the Lost and Found Box those two most precious items to keep with me at all times: Joy and Thankfulness.

And I’ve also decided to empty my Lost and Found box by tossing in the trash those things that were bringing me down: worry, fear, selfishness, pride, and materialism.

It’s not always an easy choice– sometimes selfishness stubbornly shows up at the door and demands her way in– and mistakenly I’ve put aside precious time connecting to the Source of Joy, foolishly letting selfishness rule.

But I was extremely thankful for my friend’s profound feedback from my 360 Lite Review as it got me thinking– how do I come across to others? Are they seeing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control grace my life? Or am I characterized by worry, fear, selfishness, discouragement or other undesirable characteristics?

As I’ve changed my focus these past few months to one of giving thanks and choosing joy, I’ve noticed my disposition and outlook have markedly changed and that peace has enveloped my heart on a daily basis.

What about you? What is lurking in your Lost & Found box that needs to be dusted off and embraced or thrown out in today’s trash?

For finding out more about using a 360 Lite for personal growth and development, click here.

Today, October 19, is a national holiday in Albania, celebrating the life of one famous Albanian whose impact has been felt by every nation around the world.

• her actions
• her words
• her kindness
• her humility
• her boldness
• her courage
• her passion
• her mercy
• and her compassion for all humankind…especially the beaten, the poor, the downtrodden, the untouchables.

All these things and so much more make her one of the most memorable leaders in the past century.

Though you might not recognize her by her given birth name, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, you would certainly recognize this famous Albanian by the name she used upon taking her religious vows at the age of 21, Teresa, aka, Mother Teresa.

Hers is a life worth remembering, worth celebrating, and worth emulating. She followed in her Creator’s steps– serving sacrificially, giving up her life for others, touching the unwanted and broken, challenging political leaders to put words into actions to shower compassion on the forgotten, neglected, yet precious ones of our day.

What an amazing life, one well-lived, full of love and compassion. Mother Teresa believed we shouldn’t be paralyzed into non-action, so overwhelmed by the incredible needs throughout the world that we don’t lift a finger to respond, but rather, as stated in her words:

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

Are you doing that which only you can do and doing it with great love to make a difference in this world?

Do you see the power of teamwork in combining all of our unique, God-given talents to do something wonderful and truly lasting?