There is a difference between a contract and a covenant. A contract basically says, “I will do this if you do that.” A covenant says “I am going to do this no matter what you do.”

Ask yourself, “Do I lead with a contractual mindset or a covenant mindset?” There are four benefits to all of us who lead if we exercise Covenant Leadership – whether we are leading a company, a team, or a family.

Covenant Leadership

Covenant Leadership

Example:  The Covenant of Marriage

for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do we part:” is a covenant statement. Notice that nowhere does it say, “as long as you do the same or equal my contributions.”

When I get myself in trouble is when I begin to treat my marriage as a contract instead of a covenant. That occurs when I start keeping score or start expecting my wife to keep up with my present contributions to our relationship.

Whether I am a husband or a wife, I am entering a covenant relationship that says, “I am going to do this no matter what you do.” I realize this is a very traditional view of marriage, but if more people held marriage as a covenant instead of a contract, maybe there would be fewer families in trouble.

Read a blog related to leading families by clicking on the following title:  Determining Your Family Values

Four Benefits of Covenant Leadership

1.  Clarity

If I am a Covenant Leader, I have clarity because I know what I stand for – my values. When I know what I stand for, the fog created by circumstances, crises, and/or other people does not obscure my vision.

If I know what I stand for, my decisions become clear even in the midst of uncertainty. While others struggle to see a path forward, the values that guide me steer me through the fog and provide the clarity others yearn for.

2.  Control

If I am a Covenant Leader, I am in control. Because I operate from a covenant mindset that says, “I am going to do this no matter what you do.”, my decisions and choices do not depend on the actions of others.

I am in control of my decisions because what I do is independent of what others do. If I am dependent on the actions of others, I give up that control and will often feel like the proverbial cork in the ocean. I am tossed around by the waves, and rarely reach my desired destination.  I am stuck reacting to others instead of leading.

3.  Consistency

If I am a Covenant Leader, my decisions are consistent no matter the circumstances or the crises I am confronted with. Because I know what I stand for, I use my values to make choices that are determined by a set criteria – my values.

When I am consistent in how I make decisions, others see me as dependable and trustworthy. If my decisions matrix is not based on a solid set of values, no one knows what I will do, and they will not trust me.

4.  Contentment

If I am a Covenant Leader, my satisfaction with my leadership is independent of others. I can lay my head on my pillow at night knowing I made my choices based on what I truly believed was the right thing to do.

My view of right and wrong does not change based on what is practical at the moment. I am content in knowing I made a decision based on a set of core values that I will always be able to defend, no matter the outcome.

Read another blog related to this topic in business by clicking on the following title:  Values – What Do You Stand For?

The Bottom Line:

Whether I am leading a company, a team, or a family, Covenant Leadership creates benefits for both me and the people I am called to lead. The clarity, control, consistency, and contentment Covenant Leadership provides will not be accomplished with a contractual mindset.

Covenant Leadership requires me to know what I stand for and then to stand up for those values. Covenant Leadership is not easy. But, I believe that the leaders who treat leadership or marriage as a covenant will reap the benefits that others are missing.

Check out The Overwhelmed Manager’s Guide for videos and downloads by clicking this link: om-guide.com

Question:

Do you live and/or lead with a covenant or contractual mindset?