Leadership

The following is one of numerous short blogs I wrote for my kids as they graduated from high school. Each received 12 blogs, tailored to each one, in a book.

Leadership

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.

Lao Tzu

Scripture

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, Matthew 20:26

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1Timothy 4:12

Story

One of my favorite leadership stories was from Officer Candidate School (OCS). I was elected to be the MWR (morale welfare and recreation) officer for our battalion. The MWR officer was the lowest of about 4 officers each group had.  During my 16 weeks, I worked hard to plan activities, large and small that would improve the morale of the candidates. I did not think I was doing much. I just did what was the responsible thing to do, and used my limited influence to help others. I was shocked at the end of OCS that my Senior Battalion Commander had nominated me for the school’s leadership award which generally went to one of the more senior candidates. I was shocked and appreciative. I did not realize I had been leading anyone, but I had. I had been a servant leader all along.

Lesson

Another powerful way to Show Jesus is to lead well. In a world desperate for direction, great leaders build healthy people to build healthy organizations to build healthy communities to build healthy countries. When you lead well, the good you do cascades along like the seed that produced 100 times what was sown. We know that you can be a great leader of people in the military, in your church, in your family, and in your work. Press into that role. Work hard to learn the skills of good leadership by reading and listening to those skilled in the art. Lead well.

Leadership can be best summarized as the path from X to Y. The leader must first understand “X” or where you are right now. That sounds simple, but understanding where you are is anything but simple. It takes a lot of analysis and introspection into your organization, group, or… yourself to understand that. First step, ask questions! You need to ask questions in many directions, your peers, your superiors, your subordinates, your friends, your partners, and yourself.

Next you need to figure out “Y”, where it is you need to go. Sometimes this is called your vision. You should see your future state as clear as you see the trees in your background on a sunny day. See the future state and then describe it clearly for all to see. They need to see in their mind exactly what you see.

Once you know where you are and where you are going, all that's left is to figure out how to get from “X” to “Y.” Figuring out a path is a big challenge. There are often many paths, and usually the one you imagine at first is not the exact path that gets you to “Y.” Leading your organization or team is not for the faint of heart. It will take all you have to herd everyone down the path. Keep repainting the vision in their eyes and nudge them back on the path when they veer off. That’s it and before you know it, the vision will be reality.

Works Cited/Recommended Resources

1. Blackaby, Henry. Spiritual Leadership.Broadman & Holman, 2011.

2. Sinek, Simon. Leaders Eat Last. Portfolio Penguin, 2017.

3. Blanchard, Ken. Leading at a Higher Level. FT Press, 2010.

4. The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast

Questions

1. Thinking back, what has been the most fulfilling thing you lead?

2. Determine a current situation “X” and a vision for the future “Y” for yourself or a team. What might the path from X to Y look like?