1. Read a chapter of anybook every day (or at least 5 times a week).

2. Expand you mind, engage in other discplines of study and reading?

3. Write something down. It is called journalling. Iti s the process of recording yor thoughts.

4. Be accoutable. Find a person who you can meet with regularly.

5. Learn to relax. Take time to chill, enjoy life, watch a movie, sit on the porch, take a walk.

6. Exercise regularly. Go 15 minutes in one direction and then come back.

7. Be social. Facebook someone, Like somthing, twitter.

8. Learn! take time to learn something, anything.

9. Each day write a list of the top five things you would like to accomplish. THIS CAN BE WORK OR HOME.

10. Identify five things in five year you would like to do?

11. If money was not a problem what would you do?

12. Love your family!

13. Get a hobby.

14. Take time to dream.

15. Date your spouse or companion weekly.

16. Get a new skill.

17. Get rest

18. Vacation and travel

19.  Learn a computer program

20. Invest in people.

Before you can lead others you need to lead yourself. Rember people are always watching and learning form you. They learn who they want to be like and who they would rather not be like. Leadership is about modeling life to other, it is learning to serve those who are on our teams.

 In a time where the work place has changed so much it is now more than ever important to realize the resources and potential we have in those we work with. If we truly want to be successful, productive and effective as a business or organization then we need to see our people more then a means to an end but as a resource. For I believe we are only as good as our people, and excellence is achieved through investment, and investment in this case is people. I know I am a leader today because of the many mentors and coaches who took time and believed in me. They influenced my life and gave input and guidance to my leadership journey.

 In my book “The Amaryllis Way”, I share a parable about a failing manager who learns the hard lessons of leadership from a mentor and coach through the practice of gardening and turns his philosophy of working with others around in the process. The book has been a tool to bring sparkle, hope, encouragement and new direction for those who want to revolutionize your workplace. Using horticultural metaphors, growing people the Amaryllis Way is compared to growing plants. Growing leaders does not begin by taking a course, or taking a bunch of principles and forcing them on people. I believe true leadership begins in serving and acknowledging the talents and gifts of others. If you really want to make a difference in your workplace start by drawing a circle around yourselves and changing everything in that circle first.

The Amaryllis Way

Borrowing from various leadership theories, I have developed a philosophy and attitude of leadership, which is transferable to all aspects of our life called “The Amaryllis Way”. To truly appreciate the concept you must understand some of its rich embedded meanings. Originally from the Greek meaning to sparkle it has developed several nuances over 2,OOO years and has been used by the classical writers, poets and botanists alike.  

First, Amaryllis has a caring and managing theme as part of its core. The Latin word is the name given to a female shepherdess. A shepherd guards, nurtures, manages and tends the sheep. Second, the amaryllis can be a flowering plant that comes from a bulb–not just a little bulb, but one the size of a baseball. A bulb is a complete plant just waiting to be nurtured; it represents potential to be nurtured. The flower is beautiful and captivating just like any one who reaches their potential in an organization. Using the gardening motif, we as leaders can be likened to a gardener who takes the bulb and nurtures it to blossom. Finally, ‘amaryllis’ has its root in the French word which means love. It can be likened to the attitude we engage others. As a leader we want to approach all situations in an attitude of love and care.  To add life or sparkle to our work context we must use the essence of all aspects and meanings of Amaryllis and intentionally shepherd potential in love.

 What follows is not a method or formula for change but more of an attitude to embrace when working with people. Lets explore four stages of change and the various principle one can use in incorporating change into ones business context.

Stage 1-Visualizing

 The first stage of growing involves vision and planning: we need to see what can be realized and plan accordingly. The growing leader develops a picture of what can be and then puts a plan in place to realize it. It can be an organizational plan or a personal development plan. In staff reviews, I have often asked the employee what five things they would like to accomplish or achieve if money was not a problem. A healthy organization sees the potential of each individual and guides them on the road to success and effectiveness. In summary, Stage One is envisioning change; it is the beginning point.

 Stage 2-Intiating

 The second stage of growth involves more than a changed perspective, it involves preparation. Here the plans and dreams are initiated. It is not enough to have a vision and plan of a preferred future; you need to initiate it to make it come alive. To prepare is to begin the process of initiating your plan. For instance, if you are going to get a degree or a certification, you need to investigate where you will study for it. If you need licensing, you might need an apprenticeship. Preparation can be likened to plowing and planting a field. Plowing refers to those things you do that set the stage for accomplishing the plan. It stimulates, coaches and trains others. Planting is the follow-up to plowing. If plowing prepares, then planting involves and initiates. It moves past investigating opportunities and initiates action in a certain direction; it starts a new endeavor. In summary, the second stage of growth initiates change through preparation and involvement of  others.

 Stage 3-Management

 The third stage of growth moves from preparation and initiation to sustaining change. Once the idea has germinated, it is important to keep it going. For example, I remember working on a plan to develop an education center. It took four years of planning and sharing the vision before it became reality. The stages started with sharing the big picture and developing a long-term plan for this new initiative. The building was never the goal. It was a way of fulfilling the mandate to educate. There was a lot preparation. The preparatory work ranged from getting financial quotes, talking to stakeholders and fundraising, obtaining board approval, and commencement of the project. The third stage of growth involves protecting and pruning, making midcourse

corrections and sustaining change. In the example of building the education center, it was important that we serviced our students and continued to pay the bills. The third stage sustains change and continues to protect, assess, and evaluate progress.

 Stage 4- Actualizing

 The fourth stage is the climax of growth. It is the fruit, or results. Remember that growth is not a linear but a cyclical process. True growth is transferred and multiplied. It maintains a healthy system. Here is the need for bringing together others to produce something new. A plant that just flowers and is not pollinated dies with no fruit. Some people in organizations have based the success of their department only on their own efforts. Succession planning has never been developed, so when they leave, the company experiences extreme loss because that person was a lone ranger who blossomed but never multiplied their talents. Anyone who has done financial planning knows that you cannot multiply your money underneath your bed. It needs to be invested and the investment diversified. An employee who is not connected to the whole, not interacting and sharing skills and talents beyond themselves,

may bloom for a while but the success is short-lived. The key is to have people investing in people so that health is maintained and fruit produced. The coming together of many increases the chance of fruit and insures continued success and growth. With growth, the journey begins all over, with new life coming forth and the growth cycle continuing.

 Within these fours stage of changes visualizing, initiating, management and actualizing are all part of The Amaryllis Way- Growing leaders who Grow Leaders.

The servant leader as coach is active in demonstrating behavior through modeling. Modeling is the process that highlights the leader. Sometimes a coach is called upon to demonstrate or model what is desired. Modeling gives others the opportunity to observe an example. It is through modeling that a person can identify with what is being required. For example if a pastor exhorts others to be involved in outreach or hospitality but refuses to do so themselves their example produces doubt or resentment. The key in modeling is to allow others to observe the desire behaviour, identify with it, then imitate and internalize what is being modeled.

I remember a farmer coming up to me after a sermon on evangelism and rebuking me. He said, “You young pastors preach a lot about evangelism and reaching out to people but know one ever shows us how to do it.” I learned how to pray because an elder in our church took me as a 17 year old to a prayer seminar where we both learned how to pray effectively.

Modeling is something that is often caught by others whether or not we intended to do so deliberately. Who we are flows from character and our values and then is reflected to others. The servant leader as coach is serious and intentional about modelling and seeks to offer themselves as a validation of experience to others. To model as a coach is to be oneself for others, transparent and real it is to shepherd potential in love.

Coaching as a servant leader is confrontation. Conflict is a by product of any leadership situation because as unique individuals we differ in how we approach situations and people and because of this diversity there will always be the potential for conflict and the need for confrontation.

Confrontation is use to resolve, investigate and inquire into specific problems or issues. It essentially holds people accountable of their actions and interactions with others. The leader as coach confronts with an attitude that is concerned for the individual and community of followers. It is the process of addressing a perceived problem. Confrontation may vary in intensity but it is used for clarification and identification of performance. When confrontation is used in the coaching process the key is to gather information, address problems honestly, rebuke, and resolution of problem.

 A good coach knows if problems are not addressed in the early stages they become harder to address in the later stages.  The coach as servant confronts problems in love offering possible solutions and guidance to the situation. The confrontation role in coaching is used to benefit the community and encourage unity. The key in confrontation is first for the staff member  to take personal ownership of the problem and second, for them to have a sustained high level of ministry performance and spiritual growth.

The servant leader as coach is concerned with growth and development of the individuals in their  leadership context. It is the "Amaryllis Way" of growing people who grow people. It idoes not shy away from conflict but it instead sheperds potential in love.

As a servant leader, another function or role of coaching is tutoring or teaching. The aim is to increase competency and skill in a particular area as well as increase breath of understanding.  The leader as coach intentionally and formally is involved in the process of teaching. The purpose of teaching can be varied and includes: Increase of knowledge base, skill development, personal development and to task proficiency. The object is to have one in learning as well as in commitment to learning.

Teaching can be done in a group or individual context. The format of how this teaching takes place is varied and can involve participation in clinic, seminar, class, or demonstration of a skill. The process can be long or short term. Sometimes it involves a simple on hour demonstration of how to use a piece of equipment. I often found that with new staff I was involved in teaching a lot of basic skills needed for that position.

 The coach as servant assumes the role of teacher and the other person as student. This tutoring or teaching can be formal or informal in it’s approach but is often more academically inclined. The goal in teaching is personal development and betterment in ones task. The servant coach is concerned with performance of those in their care and the success of those in their ministry context. Teaching is used as a way to increase performance and help individual grow.

Teaching and tutoring as a Servant leader, is part of the Amaryllis Way- Sheperding Potential in love.

 One function of a servant leader/coach is mentoring. The coach uses mentoring as the informal part of teaching. Essentially mentoring is a voluntary relational experience in which the coach shares themselves with others. In this scenario the coach shares themselves as a in an interactive way as resource for growth. The coach as mentor seeks to give wisdom and instil values. The goal is to increase maturity in leadership. They are actively involved in forming and building character.

The mentor is one who is trusted and respected for their advice and counsel. They are seen as a confidant and friend in good and bad times. The coach uses mentoring as a way of developing a relationship between themselves and those under their leadership. The process is transformational for both the leader and for the follower. This aspect of coaching is concerned with the connection of leader and follower for the purpose of learning and connection two lives together. It is the process of shepherding Potential in love-The Amaryllis Way.

Coaching as servant leader is that process that allows you to be involved relationally with others it is essentially incarnational ministry. Like coaching any sort of sport teams there are a variety functions or roles the coach can have. Depending on what role or of different function the leader takes will determine the ultimate outcome.

            There are six functions or roles of a coaching Leader. The “teaming” role is group focussed with the goal for unity and task sharing. The “counselling” role focuses on the individual or team member. The coach becomes a shepherd involved in personal care giving. The “modeling” function focus is on the leader and seeks to demonstrate and emulate personal values and practices of ministry. The “confrontation” role seeks to resolve conflict and promote positive community. As “teacher and tutor” the focus is on learning and skill development. Finally the coach as “mentor” is one that is involved in mutual transformation through involvement of leader and follower in a mutual exchange and investment into each other’s life.

Coaching people as a servant leader is the process of manging people with care or sheperfing potential in love-It is what i call the Amaryllis Way. 

1. Nehemiah 7:2- A good coach must show faithfulness and reverence to God.


2. Matthew 20:26- A good coaches must have a servant’s heart.


3. 2 Chronicles 32:20- A good coach has a heart for prayer.


4. 1 Chronicles 21:8-  A good coach accept responsibility for their actions


5. John 3:30- A good coach emphasizes Christ not themselves.


6. Micah 3:1-11- A good coach is consumed with doing what is right.


7. 1 Chronicles 12:1-2- A good coach is not threatened by the skills of others.


8. Proverbs 12:15- A good coach listens and is accountable to others.


9. Romans 14:10- A good coach is slow to criticize and quick to encourage


10. Ephesians 4:32- A good coach is tender hearted and forgiving.


11. Proverbs 14:30- A good coach is not jealous of others.


12. Matthew 18:4- A good coach is humble.


13. Proverbs 16:11- A good coach is honest and fair.


14. Proverbs 11:13- A good coach is trustworthy and keeps confidence.


15. 1 Corinthians 11:1- A good coach models Christ.


16. Ecclesiastes 7:5- A good coach accepts critique.


17. Psalm 133:1-2- A good coach works in harmony with others.


18. Matthew 18:15-17- A good coach resolves conflict.


19. Romans 8:9- A good coach is controlled by the Spirit.