A few weeks ago, I read Reggie McNeal’s Practicing Greatness. This book quickly shot up into my Top 10 books of all time list and has been slowly washing over me since finishing it.

In the book McNeal challenges leaders to practice 7 disciplines that give power to great spiritual leaders. What I loved about this book is that McNeal’s heart and desire for good leaders to become great leaders really shone through. Some of these disciplines you may already be practicing but by naming them and by intentionally practicing them they should truly impact your life of service. McNeal writes that great spiritual leaders are committed, consciously and intentionally, to these 7 practices:

Self-Awareness: This protects leaders from being self-absorbed and merely role driven. This leads to increase awareness of burn-out and helps leaders overcome stress. Integration of mission, talent, and personality through life-experience.

Self-Management: The failure to manage self leads to self sabotage or derailment.

Self-Development: Never stop growing. Pursue life-long learning and build on your strengths. Choose to grow through failure.

Mission: Decide to spend your life focused on your mission rather than allow your life to be hijacked by other people’s expectations and agendas. Don’t be distracted by weaknesses that debilitate your energies.

Decision-Making: Be consistent in making good decisions. good leaders know how, when, and what good decisions need to be made.

Belonging: Enjoy significant relationships that nurture your life.

Aloneness: Not just the realization of the alone-nature of leadership but intentionally building solitude with God into your life.

All in all this is one of my favorite books on leadership. I just hit the highlights here so I would encourage you to pick up a copy of this great book and integrate these practices into your life.

Which discipline are you practicing right now? Which discipline do you really need to practice today?