I spend a lot of time processing leadership; a lot of time. As I mentor and teach leaders I often think about the one thing that makes a leader great. If we look at all the great leaders we can think of – what is the one thing that they all possess? It’s not relationships – some of the best leaders out there struggle to deal with people. It’s not education – a lot of leaders are below average students. There are a lot of attributes leaders can have but there is one thing that all great leaders have and all good leaders possess to some degree. It’s hustle. The ability to just make it happen; no matter what happens, what obstacles come up, who gets in the way the goal is achieved. They will literally sell their soul (well not literally – maybe figuratively) to get it done. Put in a tough situation great leaders possess a characteristic or a set of characteristics that just know how to figure it out. Great leaders always win.
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Yes I know Valentines Day is kind of a made up hallmark holiday to get us to buy flowers and cards and chocolates etceteras etcetera etcetera. I also get it is a completely one sided holiday - the cards are all pink (my favorite color so i'm in!) the notes all sappy and the movies all romantic.
BUT. BUT. BUT. I'll take any and all opportunities I can get to tell my wonderful bride how much I love her, how much I thank God every day that I get to be her man and how blessed I am to have such an incredible woman as the mother of my children. I am so deeply in love the woman God created perfectly for me. Happy Valentines to my favorite human! I could write a whole book on what I really think about goals; but I'll save my breath for now. Goals really are kind of like ideas; they don't matter much. Everyone has them, everyone sets and develops great thoughts but nobody does anything about them. Almost everyone who sets goals fails to achieve them; so stop. It's a really bad idea. Well, that's not actually what I want you to do; I want you to plan and act on goals that are so big there's no way you they would ever happen. Are you an IT start up? Make your goal to buy Microsoft; statistics and life tell us you're not going to achieve it anyway. So you might as well set goals you know won't happen and not set yourself up for failure. At this point this might start to sound satirical; but hang on it's not and it might start making sense with this next thought.
So why set big goals? It changes and stretches your thinking; if you goal set for moderate growth you will end up doing and thinking the same ways you always have just trying to do it a little better. But, if you have to game plan for something so big you cannot fathom it you have to change almost everything about you, the way you work, function and think. You may need more education and resources. You may not achieve your massive goal but you sure as heck will grow, change and be better because of it. The key to this along with almost anything I write, talk about or scream from my soap box is execution. Ideas, goals, thoughts and dreams are completely worthless unless you act on them. A D- idea with A+ execution is way better than an A+ idea with D- execution. Like I said most people will never do anything anyway; don't be one of them! Today is my brides birthday and here's the short list of things that make this day a day to celebrate:
1). She has an amazing passion for people in their toughest moments in life; she wants to adopt every unwanted child, every family without a home and every pregnant teen! Her compassion makes her beautiful. 2). She loves her children with every bone in her body; Erin was created to be a mommy! They come first and are always a priority; she protects them with out hovering; she teaches and guides without enabling; she hugs, kisses and cuddles them everyday - her children know they are loved and cared for! Motherhood makes her beautiful. 3). Erin is my perfect partner in life! She passionately loves me, cares deeply for our relationship. She supports me as I support our family and never gets on me when long hours and many days are required. She supports my dreams and visions as they become our dreams. Passion makes her beautiful. 4). Erin is just as crazy as I am - we call them "spur of the moment life altering decisions". We've made, oh, a half dozen of those in our life! She desires security and routine but has to have adventure! Her crazy makes her beautiful. 5). She loves God and loves to serve him and his people - you'll find her serving in the nursery or Sunday school room, volunteering to help organize a 5k for a local crisis pregnancy center, being a leader for the local MOPS group, etc. Her faith makes her beautiful. There is a profoundly simple thought that sounds something like this: the way you act, decisions you make, ideas and philosophies you emphasize and show you put on is where you lead people. You can not act one way and lead people the other; the things you make important are what the people you lead are going to follow.
They follow you not because they have to but because there is something in you they are drawn to; something about your convictions and passion as a leader people follow. Who you are is who the people you lead will become. Therefore, it is crucial we are careful and discerning in who we follow. If the desires, actions and passion of the people we are following will be our future desires, actions and passions then we must make very sure the people we are following are who we want to become. Not only for our future sake but for the future sakes of those who follow us. There is a lot of responsibility in leadership. 1 Corinthians 2:2 has been lodged in my brain for a long time "...for I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." Paul talks about being an example for those who follow him; but not because of anything he did but because of his narrow focus on the person and character of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ." Paul is saying follow me not because of how amazing I am but because how superior the one I follow is; I spend every day being the best version of Jesus Christ I can be and because you can see Him through me - follow me and immitate me. I desire nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified; and in that - imitate me. |