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Imitating our Leaders

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Just like an oak tree will grow from another oak tree, so will we imitate the behaviors of our leaders.  That will include the bad points as well as the good points.  As a leader, I have to be intentional about how I lead others.  I need to make sure that I concentrate on doing things the right way, so that the people I lead will follow suit.

There are a lot of different kinds of leadership styles.  Some leaders are quiet, others are very vocal.  Some leaders listen to the people they are leading, while others do not think they need input.  All of the different methods come down to two paths:  Effective Leadership and Non-Effective Leadership.  I want to strive to be the effective leader.

There is another side to the coin as well.  Leaders, no matter how effective they are, are human.  They make mistakes.  They do things that they wish they had not done.  As a person being led, I too need to be intentional in the way I do things.  When a leader of mine makes mistakes, it is my responsibility to learn from their mistakes.  I do not want to use the excuse that I was just acting like my leader does.  I have to be separate the good habits and bad habits of my leaders.  I need to take the bad habits of those that lead me and change them into good habits for the people who I lead.  It is definitely not the easiest thing to do, but it is essential in the growth of my leadership abilities.

 

What are some bad habits of a leader you follow that you have been able to change into good habits for the people who follow you?

Thermostat or Thermometer?

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In my kitchen, I have an old thermometer. It looks like it is a hundred years old (the picture below is it). It is definitely useful. I like to know what the temperature is.

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Also, in my house I have a thermostat. It is more useful to me. It not only tells me the temperature, it regulates it.

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So which are you, a thermostat or a thermometer?

A thermometer is always ready to tell you what is wrong. It shrieks out with its vivid red to tell you just how hot or cold it is. The issue is that it stops there. It does not give you suggestions on how to change things. It does not care if you try to make things better or not. It just gives the facts.

I have been a thermometer too many times in my life. I do not have any issues with telling people how they are wrong. I am happy to point out all of the problems there are with their ideas. It is definitely much easier to be a critic than it is to be a creator. What the world needs more of is NOT critics. The world needs more thermostats.

A thermostat, which is about the same size as a thermometer, is wired to give direction. It leads other devices in regulating the temperature in an area. It tells the furnace to pump out heat because it is too cold. It delegates authority to the air conditioner to cool the house down.

The next time you see a problem or an issue, remember these pictures. Are you going to just complain about the problem? Are you going to yell at the top of your lungs to alert everyone who can see you what the issue is? I think it will be much more profitable to come up with a solution. Sometimes you may be able to solve the problem yourself. Sometimes you may need to seek counsel for help. Other times you may be able to delegate the solution to a competent person around you.

The key is that you are willing to implement the change necessary.

What are some ways you can be a thermostat?

 

 

When Leadership Fails…

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One of the many facts of life is that at some point a leader in your life will fail. It may be your pastor, father, mother, boss, government official (big shocker there), or anyone else in your life that you look up to. The failures of some leaders will hurt more than others. I have come up with five points to keep in mind, while processing the failure of your leader.

On the surface it may look like they have it all together. Society has always made any show of weakness from a leader as a bad thing. This truth generally leads to leaders being too proud to admit weaknesses. In turn, they do not seek counsel or help to fight the issues that they have. Pride is all too often the cause of a great fall.

I have had several leaders very close to me make very bad decisions. Through these experiences I have tried to keep these points in mind:

  1. Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. Anyone can make a bad decision. There has been one perfect man on this earth, and that was a couple thousand years ago.
  2. Each individual has their own battles. A big one for me is admitting my faults. I don’t like to be wrong, but when I am . . . I HATE ADMITTING IT. I am trying to grow in this area. If you never admit that you make mistakes, then you can never get better. For others their struggle might be overeating, drugs, alcohol, gambling, the list can go on and on. The fact of the matter is, that everyone has something that Satan dwells on, and constantly attacks. If we are too proud to ask for help and seek guidance, it doesn’t take long for it to take a hold of some or all parts of your life.
  3. A bad decision doesn’t make a bad person. Sometimes good people do bad things. When that does happen, it doesn’t mean that everything that person did was evil. I found myself thinking that even good things that I had experienced with the leader were in question. I rationalized that now I had a reason to question every motive they ever had. Do not give any of your attention to these kind of thought, they only serve to destroy.
  4. This too will pass. It seems impossible to believe, but it is true. Some wounds may take a long time to heal totally, but over time situations that seemed to be earth shattering become manageable.
  5. Learn from your leader’s mistakes. A smart man learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from other people’s mistakes. If you can save yourself a lot of heartache, pain, and misery by NOT making poor decisions; you should!

What have you learned from the mistakes made by leaders in your life?