Use Your God-given Gifts to Serve Others

Leadership is Your Gift in Action

Lead It Like a Project

One important point to remember is to use the gifts you naturally possess to serve others. For example, one of my recognized gifts is my ability to be organized and thorough. I leverage this ability to assist those around me. While it can be tempting to keep my gifts to myself, particularly in a competitive environment, true leadership involves sharing one’s gifts instead of hoarding them.

Referring back to my prior example, I could easily attend each meeting with all of my action items completed because being organized and thorough comes naturally to me. However, I choose not to be selfish with that gift, even though it might mean that I won’t stand out as much. Typically, I was the only one who accomplished 100% of what was asked of me. Instead, I decided to share my organizational skills with my peers, helping them stay focused and on task. I organize notes, simplify processes, and then move on without lingering. The goal is to use one’s God-given gifts to serve those around you. Hoarding your gift to yourself limits how often you get to do the thing that comes naturally and brings you satisfaction. Leadership is your gift in action, serving others so that you can be fulfilled. 

When I say “serve others,” remember to personalize that term. “Others” have a name. Don’t treat “others” as a general category; instead, think of specific individuals by name. I know the names of the people at the table with me. It’s more helpful to see the actual target for which you use your gift. Often, our biggest leadership mistake is trying to support people we don’t know or aren’t connected to, which leads to ineffective efforts. “Others” includes the individuals who are right next to you—your boss (north of you), customers, colleagues, coworkers, teammates (to the left and right of you), and your direct & indirect reports (those south of you).

You should first ensure that you are performing well before helping someone else. The airline industry illustrates this concept well: put your own mask on first before helping others. If you don’t have sufficient oxygen, you can’t help anyone else. In other words, put your mask on first, and then you can help as many others as possible. Stop your bleeding, patch yourself up, and get yourself right before attempting to help others. You’ve probably heard it said that the hardest person to lead is oneself. One reason this is the case is due to the principle that you must take care of yourself before you can effectively help others get well.

“How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” ^[1]

The scripture advises us to address our own issues before pointing out the faults in others. Before pointing out a “speck in someone’s eye, first address the log that’s in your eye.” ^[1] Once you address the log, then you’re ready to use your God-given gifts and talents to serve those around you.
Our ability to address our own issues is called continuous improvement. It’s important to remember that this process and one’s progress are not instantaneous; you won’t transform from imperfection to perfection overnight. Improvement takes time. However, as you get better, you can help others get better. Leaders are individuals who have made continuous improvement a key item on their personal project plan.

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[1] Matthew 7:3-4 NLT, Bible.com, accessed July 10, 2025, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.7.3-4.NLT

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.