Are you leading the same way online as you do in person? Meaning it's easy to put on a leadership face in meetings, but then get careless when we walk behind a keyboard. In a world where everyone is watching and recording, how are you showing up digitally? This is Leading 10. I'm Chris Moore, and today we're talking about leading in a digital world. Colossians chapter four, verses five through six says, walk in wisdoms toward them that are without redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt that ye may know how you ought to answer Every man. Paul wasn't talking about social media here, but you know these words, they feel tailor made for a digital world. Walk in wisdom. Let your speech be with grace. Know how to respond to everyone. That's not just a nice idea. It's a leadership mandate because like it or not, if you are leading today in some way, you are leading online. Let's be honest, digital platforms have changed. A lot about life. We're no longer just leading in rooms and board meetings we're leading when we make posts, uh, direct messages, comment sections and email threads. And the truth is, you can build or break your influence with just a few careless words, a snarky email, an angry reply, or a post made out of frustration. Our words carry weight, not just when we speak them, but when we type them too. You know, I worked with an executive once who actually put a 12 hour delay on his outgoing emails unless his administrative assistant read it and approved it first because he was so prone to typing things and writing things out that did not represent the way that he wanted to be seen or the way that represented his values. This says a lot about us. It says, we're prone to disconnect our digital presence from our spiritual responsibilities. We act like our online words don't count the same, but they do. You are the same leader behind the scene as you are in the room, and people are gonna view you that way, and your witness, your character is always on display. What does this say about God? Well, one Paul reminds us here, it tells us that he cares deeply about how we communicate, what we speak into each other's lives. God is not just interested in what we say, but also how we say it. We're to speak truth, but we should not speak truth in such a way that it draws people. Away from God instead of towards God. He wants our words to carry some grace to build up, to not tear down. To shine light. Yes, but not to throw shade on people. Let me ask you, if people scroll through your post or read your emails, do they see Jesus in your tone? Do they hear encouragement or or are they just gonna find frustration, sarcasm, reaction complaints. Because leading in a digital world means owning your influence. And when you're behind the screen, and you know the truth is, we are not just representing ourselves online. When you call yourself a Christian, you are representing Christ in all of your communication. So what does this mean for leadership? It means definitely being intentional with our digital communication. With the words we write, we type the messages we give regardless of the way that we feel in the moment. We need to be intentional about what we say. We would say things digitally that we would never say in person to someone. Don't post out of emotion. Take that pause. Maybe it's not as radical as a 12 hour pause, but take that moment to pause and don't respond to critics with, with this fire response. Respond with grace. Don't rant at people. I. Try to figure out how to redeem the moment. Paul says, redeem the time. Why? Because your online presence is leadership real estate. You can use it to stir up division that we see all over the world today, or we can use it to inspire others towards hope, towards truth, towards peace, towards God. And just to be clear, it doesn't mean that you're silent on important issues, but what it does mean is that you speak with wisdom. You lead with grace. You stand with love, not just with anger. You know, sometimes we do things personally. You know, you can, you can post something or email some something to someone that feels sharp, but you think you're justified. It's nothing profane, nothing outright offensive, but you reacted, you know, and I've done that. I've done that and been sorry for it, and someone messaged me privately once and said, Hey, um, you know, I, I really look up to you, but this didn't feel like you, this didn't feel like the person that I know you are. Man, that cuts and they were right. And I've never forgotten that. Every post is a platform for what you're gonna speak and how you're gonna say it. Every message is a mirror, every word is a witness to you, to our savior. And that goes for your comments, for your replies, for your emails, for your shares, and it also goes for even how we handle that criticism. So here's your application for today. Lead with grace and intentionality online. Ask yourself, will I say this in person? Is this the tone of someone who walks with Christ? Does this build people up, or is it just kind of pushing my ego? Because if your digital leadership doesn't reflect your spiritual leadership, it's time to get those two things in alignment. You know, you don't need a massive following to make a massive difference. Even impacting one person's life in the right direction or the wrong direction means everything. You just need to be faithful with the influence that you've been given. It might be friends, it might be relatives, it might be your spouse, and it most definitely is your children. And in today's digital world, filled with all this noise, this anger, this self-promotion. Your grace. Your grace, grace-filled voice. It can stand out in the storm and lead someone in the right direction. So here's your challenge. Go back, look at your last five posts, your last five texts, your last five emails. Are they filled with wisdom? Are they seasoned with grace towards the person that you're speaking to? Do they reflect the kind of leader and Christ follower that you want to be? If not, take a moment. Take a moment and pause. Pray. And adjust. You know, we live in a world that's always watching and that's not something to fear as much as it is something to make sure you're a good steward of. You know, you can use your digital outreach to reflect the heart of God, to demonstrate integrity, to communicate with clarity, but you can use it even more to build others up one word at a time. This is Leading 10. I'm Chris Moore. It's time to go lead with grace and shine even when you are just behind the screen typing. If this episode helps you rethink how you lead online, uh, please like, subscribe, share this with another leader who needs reminder that their influence doesn't just turn off when their laptop closes. I'll see you next time.