31 Ways to Grow Your Leadership – #6

The Challenge

Have you noticed how often leadership gets confused with titles, charisma, or talent? We’re naturally drawn to people with those qualities, but when you get right down to it, the leaders who are most effective and who actually last are the ones who simply show up, stay steady, and keep grinding when others quit.

Talent can open the door, but diligence keeps it open. Laziness isn’t sleeping all day – it looks like putting things off, avoiding hard work, or hoping someone else will carry the load. And lazy leadership doesn’t just hurt you… it hurts everyone who depends on you.

The Solution

📖 Proverbs 6:6 (NLT):
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!”

Process It

Solomon uses one of the smallest creatures to give one of the biggest leadership lessons: the ant.

• Ants prepare without being told. Nobody’s cracking a whip – they just know what needs to be done.
• Ants work together. They don’t waste energy competing; they collaborate.
• Ants think ahead. They store food now so they’re ready later.

That’s diligence: steady, humble, intentional effort over time. It doesn’t look flashy, but it produces results that laziness never will.

Apply It

Here’s how to practice diligence this week in different arenas of life:

• At School:
  Don’t wait until the last minute. Start one assignment earlier than you normally would. Build the muscle of preparation.
• At Home:
  Knock out one “lingering task” (dishes, laundry, a repair) without being asked. Serve your family by taking initiative.
• At Work:
  Tackle the hardest task on your to-do list first instead of avoiding it. Procrastination drains more energy than the work itself.
• At Church:
  Show up early and be the one who stays a little late. Faithfulness in the small things builds trust for bigger things.

BONUS: For some more advice about diligence and avoiding laziness in leadership, check out this post I wrote a few years ago called “Eat the Frog First.”

BOTTOM LINE

Leaders who last aren’t the most gifted – they’re the most diligent.