Leading with conviction.
In Acts 17 you see the Apostle Paul preaching in Athens. His preaching comes to the attention of two groups of philosophers, the Epicureans, and the Stoics. These people were thought of as great minds, and deep thinkers. After hearing Paul they brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus Court on Mars Hill. Mars Hill was an important meeting place where philosophy, religion, and law were discussed. In this interaction, many of these philosophers scoffed at the idea that Christ was crucified and rose from the dead. Despite all of that Paul inspired some to believe.
From my perspective in setting this scene, I asked myself, what did Paul have in the face of what was probably an extremely intimidating endeavor? He was confronted with individuals who were probably thought of as some of the greatest thinkers of their region. How did he convert people in that scenario? I think the answer in part was conviction. This came from a man who previously was one of the biggest persecutors of the disciples of Jesus. When he was Saul of Tarsus they probably had nicknames for him like the executioner or murderer for all we know. This completely changed but not by happenstance. Paul had a CONVICTION that could only come from a man who saw and interacted with the risen Christ.
I am a firm believer that knowledge is power. But knowledge without conviction holds no power whatsoever. Conviction is a valuable yet rare trait. Without conviction, we seem weak, anxious, and timid. Like Paul, leaders with conviction create an environment of certainty for everyone. When a leader is absolutely convinced that he or she has chosen the best course of action, everyone who follows unconsciously absorbs this belief and the accompanying emotional state.
We know conviction is important but rare. So the question becomes how do we cultivate a deep conviction in our lives?
Embrace uncertainty.
We crave control. This desire for control can backfire when you see everything that you can’t control or don’t know as a personal failure. People who feel like they’re at the mercy of their surroundings never get anywhere in life. A big part of being convicted is acknowledging what’s out of our control. This conviction comes from the belief in our ability to control the things that we can, and let go of the things that we can’t control.
Be relentlessly positive.
The belief that people and situations are inherently good is contagious. It’s easy to be positive when things are good but someone with conviction can exude positivity when the going gets tough. Positive thoughts quiet fear and irrational thinking by focusing the brain’s attention on something that is completely stress-free.
Lead from the front.
Many leaders say that something is important to them, but leaders with conviction walk their talk every day. Leaders with conviction inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words.
Be confident (not cocky).
We gravitate to confident leaders because confidence is contagious. Confidence is about passion and belief in your ability to make things happen, but when your confidence loses touch with reality, you begin to think that you can do things you can’t and have done things you haven’t. Suddenly it’s all about you. This arrogance makes you lose credibility.
Conviction comes first from a deep understanding of who you are as a person. It’s one thing to say you value something and it’s another for your values to be seen by your actions. To connect values with actions you need to ask the hard questions. What do you really believe? What do you really stand for? What do you really sacrifice for?
