John Stanko

"The fear of the Lord leads to life;
    then one rests content, untouched by trouble" - Proverbs 19:23.

The fear of the Lord causes the one who fears to avoid evil as defined by the commands in God's word. This avoidance of evil will bring peace of mind, which in turn will enhance a person's ability to rest both physically and mentally. Leaders must define for themselves how this fear of the Lord will be expressed in their leadership role. Since they are in the business of promoting, developing, and directing people, this fear should include a component that spells out how those leaders will treat the people with whom they work. When they violate their people philosophy, then they should expect their conscience to bother them and thus their rest will be affected, for that is how God created them to function.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is to reflect on and spell out your standards and values where the people you work with are concerned. How will you treat them financially? When will you promote them and make room for their gifts? What will you do when they exhibit harmful attitudes and behaviors? This exercise will actually educate and activate your conscience, which will then be triggered negatively when you violate those standards and values.