Cure or Disease

Are you living your life to be part of the cure or are you part of the disease?

Many people in this world are struggling with various problems. Problems can be physical, financial, social, emotional, problems on the job, or problems at home. Problems can be likened to a disease that impacts life in general. A disease is not only harmful, but if untreated will continue to grow until it kills. This could be literally or in the sense that it kills the spirit of a people. More than anyone else, a leader's job is to help solve problems and try to cure the disease around them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American poet once said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."

When we see others in need, we can respond in one of three ways:

1. With helpfulness.
2. With antagonism.
3. With indifference.

The last two of these responses actually make us part of the disease, because either of these responses just makes the situation worse. Either we accelerate or exacerbate the problem by antagonizing it or by ignoring the problem and not helping we allow it to continue to grow to its conclusion. If we judge others or condemn them, that is also contributing to the problem. If we are indifferent to the needs of others or try not to be knowledgeable about the problems others may have, we are no good to them. This also perpetuates the problems.

We need to act on our good intentions, when we see others in need. We need to help with whatever help we can offer. We don't all have everything, be we all have something. We need to look for even the small things we can do for others to help them or bring some level of relief. We can affect the climate around us and make a difference in the world. Live with purpose and intention. Be a leader.

One other quote that came from Ralph Waldo Emerson is, "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived -- this is to have succeeded."

Are you living your life to be part of the cure or are you part of the disease?

 

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What Are You Worried About?

The Bible tells us that without God we can do nothing and that with God, we can do all things. In the Old Testament, the account of Jacob and Esau reveals some marvelous truths about this aspect of leadership. Early in life, Jacob exploited his older brother by negotiating his first born birthright for a bowl of soup and on another occasion he tricked his dying father into giving him the patriarchal family blessing, which was planned for Esau. Needless to say, Esau was bitter over these events and had promised himself that he would kill his brother, once his father passed away.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s mother sent him far away to their homeland to seek a wife from their own people. Jacob encountered God on his journey and God promised to bless Jacob. Jacob arrived at his family’s homeland and he married two wives; Leah and Rachel. As was acceptable in that day, he fathered children not only from his two wives, but also their personal handmaids. God blessed him with 11 sons and a daughter and their family became wealthy.

After 20 years, Jacob decided to return home to Canaan. As Jacob and his family traveled towards Canaan, he was very aware that he would probably have a confrontation with his brother and he assumed that his brother would still be holding a grudge. Jacob sent messengers ahead to Esau to tell him that he was coming; hoping that he would be friendly to him. The messengers returned with the ominous news that Esau was coming to meet him with an army of 400 men. This terrified Jacob and he started strategizing about what he could do.

First, he divided his whole clan with livestock into two groups, thinking that if Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape. Then, Jacob prayed and reminded God of his promise to take care of him and treat him kindly and to multiply his descendants to more than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

When he woke up the next morning, he had a new idea. He selected 550 different animals from his flocks and herds to send to Esau as a gift. He divided these animals in groups and assigned them to servants. He sent each group on ahead and left distance between them. He told the servants that when they meet Esau, they are to tell him that these are a gift to him and that Jacob is right behind him. Jacob thought that all these gifts might perhaps appease Esau.

This drama played out that day and Jacob went to sleep again in his camp. Jacob was clearly troubled, because he got up in the middle of the night and decided to take another step to protect against the potential attack of Esau. Jacob moved his wives, their children, and all of his possessions to the opposite side of a river they had crossed. Jacob returned to his camp all alone.

Into the night, Jacob wrestled with God for a blessing and God renewed his promise to him and blessed him. God changed Jacob's name to Israel. Israel named that place Peniel, which means 'face of God', because he felt he had come that close to God.

As the day broke, Jacob rose up and joined his family. He looked up and saw Esau approaching with his 400 men. Jacob had one more strategic idea. He grouped his 4 wives with their sons in this order; each of the maidservant wives, then Leah, then Rachel the wife he loved the most. Jacob went out in front to meet his brother. When he met him, he bowed to the ground seven times in respect. Esau ran to meet him and threw himself at Jacob, embraced and kissed him. Then, they both wept. God had blessed Esau over the years, too, and he no longer held any grudge against Jacob.

The main thing we can learn from this story is that we need to do everything we can in the physical and then trust God for the rest. Jacob exhausted every idea he could think of to protect his family in the face of the potential deadly confrontation with Esau. He also spent time in prayer to make sure he was in God’s will and to seek His help. In a recent sermon I heard recently, Pastor Dave DeHaan made the comment, “Don't expect God to do the things you need to do and don't try to handle the things that only He can handle”. This is so true.

Pray for God’s direction. Use all of your God-given talents and abilities to do the things you know to do or are able to do. Once you have done all that, pray and put the situation in God’s hands. Step out in faith, knowing that God promised never to leave us, nor forsake us.

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Invictus - How do you become the best you can be?

How do you get people to be better than they think they can be? How do we inspire ourselves to greatness and everyone else around us, when nothing else will do? In the movie, Invictus, President Nelson Mandela, the great leader of South Africa from the 1990s, asks these questions of a rugby team captain, Francois, when discussing his philosophy of leadership and clearly thinking about the many problems he was facing as president.

The country of South Africa had been embroiled in severe conflict for nearly 50 years while apartheid, the official government policy of racial segregation, worked its evils on the people. The white supremacy national party controlled the government and legally curtailed the rights of blacks. One can only imagine the cruelty of having your rights stepped on daily and having it all be done legally, because it was simply a policy of the national government.

Nelson Mandela was a voice crying in the wilderness against this corrupt government practice. He was born to a royal family and had the privilege of attending prestigious universities to study law. He led a movement to fight for the rights of the black South African citizens. This ultimately landed him in prison.

Nelson Mandela served time, doing hard labor, at Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prisons. His cell was a damp, concrete 8 foot by 7 foot room, with a straw mat to sleep on and a bucket in the corner. He was permitted one letter and one visitor every 6 months. His days were spent breaking rocks into gravel. Nelson endured these harsh conditions while 27 of the supposed best years of his life were being drained away. How would you have dealt with this unfair imprisonment? The average person in these circumstances would have spiraled into depression and a negative attitude, leaving them embittered for life. Nelson Mandela did not do this. He did not spend 27 years thinking about his circumstances or problems with being imprisoned, he spent 27 years thinking about what he would do with his life when he got out of his imprisonment.

The national community lobbied for Nelson’s release and in time new government officials recognized the need for change. Upon his release, Nelson Mandela worked with the government that had caused him so much grief to negotiate more peaceful relations between the white and black citizens of South Africa. The nation moved towards holding its first multi-racial government elections.

Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994 and was left with the challenge of trying to bring about a peaceful government that would be all-inclusive of whites and blacks working side by side. After nearly 50 years of apartheid, there was a great deal of hatred and animosity to overcome. 

The movie, Invictus, highlights one of Nelson’s key leadership decisions to try and bring the nation together. He predicted that if their national rugby team could rise to win the Rugby World Cup, it would give the nation a common goal to rally behind. One of the scenes from the movie, shows President Mandela entertaining a visit from the Team Captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby team.

After exploring the topic of leadership with the team captain, he asks, “how do you inspire your team to do their best? How to get them to be better than they think they can be? How do we inspire ourselves to greatness and everyone else around us, when nothing else will do?” He follows up these questions with a great statement, “we must all exceed our own expectations.” This is profound.

Nelson explains that he found inspiration in the words of others. The words he mentions are from a Victorian poem titled Invictus. He states that when he was facing all those days in prison and when he had times that all he wanted to do was lay down, he would read this poem for inspiration to keep going. Invictus is Latin for "unconquered". The poem is four short stanzas that describe facing black nights, hard circumstances, bludgeoning that bloody the head, wrath and tears, menace of years, and punishments, but in all these situations, the writer has maintained an unconquerable soul. He has remained unbowed, unafraid, and he is still the captain of his soul.

Whether you look to a poem, a song, biographies of great people, or the Bible, you need to find those words that give inspiration in hard times and help you become more than you think you can be. We must all exceed our own expectations. Our eyes are small and we need help to see big things. What are you reading right now to help you look beyond your own mirror and see the possibilities of greatness that are within you?

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Great leaders connect with others. As John Maxwell , noted leadership guru, says,“He who thinketh he leadeth and has no one following is only taking a walk.” If we desire to be a leader, we need to be conscious of our efforts to build relationships with other people. It is possible to be successful and achieve at a certain level by our own efforts, but there are levels of greatness that can only be achieved with the help of others. Even when we recognize differences in others, such as political or religious beliefs, we need to see the value they bring, because there will likely be a time when we need their strength or talent to aid us in our own endeavors.

In the book of Genesis, there is a story about a wealthy and successful man, named Abram, who found out that some raiding kings had conquered a nearby city and hauled his nephew and his nephew’s family off, as part of the spoils of war.  Abram was a foreigner to this land and was trying to establish a homestead.  Even though he hadn’t been there very long, he had apparently made some friends with local families. It appears that making friends or allies of the local families was strategic on Abram’s part. 

The scripture says, in Genesis 14:13, “Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram”.(NIV)  The term allied implies that it was not just a casual friendship, but there was something formal about this relationship.  At a minimum, it was established with forethought and intention.  Abram had his own household army of 318 fighting men, but he still felt it was important to establish relationships with those around him.  And even though Abram had specific religious direction from God and knew God’s power, he still saw the importance of befriending those around him who did not share the same religious beliefs as himself.  In fact, those around him were following religious beliefs diametrically opposed to his. When Abram’s nephew was in trouble, his friends came to his aid and risked their own lives to help Abram recover his family members and their property. They were successful at rescuing Abram’s family and getting all their possessions back, along with others that were taken.

This life is full of struggles and trouble that hits us from time to time. Some situations we can see our own way through, with God’s help, but there are situations that require the help of friends.  I recently helped a friend move his household goods from one house to another and it struck me that even in something as simple as this, there were pieces of furniture that could not be moved by one person on their own.  It takes at least two to move a couch or a freezer!  Don’t ever forget that you can’t do everything by yourself. Always be looking for new people to befriend. They need you and you need them.

Eccl 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (NIV)

Time and Season

I attended a leadership training session last year and there was quite a bit of material about being in touch with reality and trying to know yourself; self-awareness. They also talked about how leaders can easily get out of touch with themselves and others. Another aspect of awareness that I have thought about recently is the fact that a good leader must be in touch with seasons and learn to navigate for his or her team. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”. Even the Byrds made this scripture popular back in the year 1965 when they released their folk-rock song, “Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There is a Season”.

There are many seasons an organization will go through and unless the organization responds correctly, it could lose its effectiveness, stagnate, or even die. There are seasons of growth, where everything is going fantastic. It’s as if nobody could do wrong and everything touched is golden. The leader’s job in this environment is to fuel the growth and play it out for as long as they can. Just like real seasons, though, this won’t last forever. Another season that follows seasons of growth might be called a season of fortification. In this season, the leader would want to fully assimilate the new players on the team, provide necessary training, work on process, and perfect quality in everything that is done. You will want to fortify what the organization has built and insure that the foundations are strong and that the people on the team have what they need to weather future seasons. Another season that is common is a season of transition. This season might happen when there are major changes in the environment or in the make-up of the organization. If the organization is a business, it might come in times of significant changes with products or service offerings due to major shifts in the marketplace. The economy and other external factors can trigger seasons of transition, too. The leader’s job here is to give voice and explanation about this reality. They need to discuss why the season is occurring, what it means, and how to travel through this time effectively. A season that most leaders have a lot of apprehension about is the season of doldrums. This season is like being on a sailing ship drifting in the ocean with no wind for your sails. Things are unusually flat, excitement has waned, vision about the future is dim, and the organization just feels stuck. In this season, it is imperative for the leader to shake things up and get some momentum for the organization. The good leader knows that if he or she doesn’t do something, the drift could become permanent. Lastly, there is another season called reinvention. This is time where the leader analyzes the whole organization and decides what needs to have a make-over, an overhaul, or just plain needs to be pitched over the side. Sometimes, you have to get rid of the old to make room for the new. It is similar to holding something in both your hands and having someone try to offer you something else that you would like to have. You have to put something down in order to hold something new.

A lot of leaders fail to grasp the importance of communicating to followers what sort of season they are in and helping them process their way through it. Most followers won’t even know what season they are in unless the leader tells them. The best leaders must learn to recognize the signs of the times and identify the seasons of change. When you see great growth, or a time of change, or feel the momentum slowing, draw attention to what is happening. Speak to the realities of that season and give language of expression to it. Define helpful parameters to succeed within it and offer confident direction for moving through it. You are always in a season and it is up to you to know which it is and what to do about it!

What kind of leader are you?

What is your leadership style? Are you autocratic? Are you a supportive type leader? It depends. Great leaders don't have just one leadership style. They learn to effectively use all styles and are able to apply them as needed. This is referred to as Situational Leadership and a lot of material on this matter has been proposed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey.

There are basically four main leadership styles that are combinations of supportive and directive behavior.

• Telling
• Selling/Coaching
• Participating
• Delegating

Each of these leadership styles coincides with a particular follower, based on the situation they are in. For instance, someone just starting to learn a new job assignment would be what is called an "Enthusiastic Beginner". They wouldn't be very competent, but they would be very willing to perform. This type of follower would need more "Telling" than anything else. They would need to be shown the actual steps to accomplish the work. Contrast this with the highest follower type of "Peak Performer or Independent Learner". This type of follower is a person who has proven themselves in a particular area and can be trusted to figure out how to accomplish the work given to them and they will find their own resources or answers to questions and problems they may face. They have high competence and confidence or willingness to achieve. The four follower types are:

• Enthusiastic Beginner
• Disillusioned Learner
• Reluctant Performer
• Peak Performer/Independent Learner

The goal for leaders is to identify the type of follower situation that is occurring and provide the appropriate leadership style to continually move the follower up the cycle, until they become a "Peak Performer or Independent Learner".

Referring to the model above, you can see that when you start in quadrant 1, which is the Enthusiastic Beginner, the leader is going to be providing more directive or "Telling" type leadership and not so much supportive or relationship type leadership. By relationship type leadership, I am referring to two-way communication, soliciting ideas or opinions, and inviting the follower to participate in or make decisions. Once the follower begins to attempt the job he/she was directed to do, they may become frustrated or lose some of their initial enthusiasm. Hence, that would put them in quadrant 2 or in the "Disillusioned Learner" category. Now, the leaders needs to provide a more supportive style. They will probably open up more of a two-way conversation and encourage the follower. They will engage in explaining how the task they are doing is important. That is why this leadership style is referred to as "Selling/Coaching". Once the follower is back engaged, they will gain competence, but like all of us, the excitement may wane and they may need some encouragement, but they know how to do their job, so they don't need much directive leadership. This stage is in quadrant 3 and is called the "Reluctant Performer. The associated leadership style for this situation is "Participating". The leader may come along side and relate more to the follower, while encouraging and discussing their issues. The final stage for the follower is when they are not only competent, but they recognize how they are contributing. They are a "Peak Performer or Independent Learner". They need very little interaction with the leader and they function well on their own, solving their own problems, and coming up with their own ideas. At this final stage the leader can go to a "Delegating" style and be less supportive and directive. These stages are on a continuum and followers tend to flow back and forth through the stages, depending on different situations. It is up to the leader to recognize where he or she is at with the follower and provide the appropriate leadership style to maximize results.

Be Curious

Be Curious

“Wonder or radical amazement, the state of maladjustment to words and notions, is, therefore a prerequisite for an authentic awareness of that which is. Standing eye to eye with being as being, we realize that we are able to look at the world with two faculties – with reason and with wonder. Through the first we try to explain or to adapt the world to our concepts, through the second we seek to adapt our minds to the world. Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge.”

- Abraham J. Heschel
Jewish Philosopher and Judaic Scholar

The root of knowledge is being curious and seeing situations and things through the eyes of wonder, as a child sees them…not through the lens filtered with the prejudices and experiences of our past. As adults, we tend to have our eyes glazed over with all the problems we have faced in the past, all the crushed dreams, disappointments, all the pain, and loss. We call this experience and it means we are mature and can figure out most situations with a ready answer. This is not the way to stay fresh, growing, and learning. We can also have a tendency to look for the negative in the world around us, instead of hoping and looking for the good that inevitably exists, if we will only look for it.

We must approach all situations as if they are new situations and look for what we have never seen before. What could be considered amazing? What is unique about this time? What is good about this?

A young child is amazed with every new encounter…a butterfly, a flower, a new math concept, letters, words, reading, cats and puppy dogs. Their education happens more from their curiosity about things than from the book downloads in school. Why? Because they are curious, they explore. They try new things. They don’t know that they can’t do something. They experience life without hesitation. Their minds are eager to know why. They look for the good and want to have fun!

We need to cultivate this same attitude in our minds to look for the amazing and the unique aspect of every situation, in other people, and even in problems, so that perhaps we can see what the average person will never see. If we can do this, we will gain infinitely more knowledge. We will grow mentally and emotionally beyond those great men and women in history who have come and gone before. We will see solutions to problems that we would have stepped over, just like everyone else in the crowd. We will have healthier relationships with others, which all successful people know is key to the future.

I challenge you to look for the amazing, the good, and the unique in everything you encounter!