Leading Unconsciously

Integrity: {the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.} My definition has always been doing the right thing when nobody is looking. But I believe that my definition is too narrow. Because most leaders have the luxury to work independently from those they lead. So I would amend my definition in this way; to doing the right thing when even when you think no one is looking. And there is a big difference. Because as soon as you think no one is looking you have already failed as a leader. Indeed, this is a brittle ridge to walk on because there is always danger in doing something just because people are looking. Many leaders smile, wave, and dance in front of the camera but everyone knows that they are walking time bomb of rage. Ethical behavior must be motivated by the desire to do what is right all of the time. Well, even deeper, to do what is right for others, all of the time. Service is providing a moment where people are exalted from their current situation and experience the liberation of feeling empowered to live better. This desire comes from a genuine motivation to see others develop their talents and skills to the highest level possible. And our influence as leaders will be drastically hindered if people see us doing something that is inconsistent with the caliber of leadership we are modeling. In other words we should always been seen as someone who is reaching higher. As someone who is always trying to go to a higher level...living in the place were we plan to be even though we aren't there yet. Whether we aware of it or not, people are watching us. They are watching to see if we are who we really are. As a leader, ask yourself this question, is what I've done today, what I would want those I lead to do as well? Somebody will always be looking at what you do, so it might as well be the one whose investigation and scrutiny will help you the most, yourself.

Did They Hear What You Said?

As a leader it is important to say the right thing. It is important but also impossible. God is the only one who is infinite and all-knowing. He is the only one who knows all things. He is the only one who understands reality. As Dr. Bruce Bauer says, "God is the only one who see things the way they really are." If we desire to do God's will, we must be dependent on God for wisdom and understanding. What we say is not always a reflection of what we know. Sometimes we may think we know something but then speak as if we do. This is a common practice among may leaders. Putting your poker face on. "BS-ing" through conversations and situations that require time and thought. Only left to clean up the mess later and count on our authority to give us credibility. Yet there are other times when even though we have no idea what to say, God gives us the words and the perception to navigate through the unknown. These are the times when we walk away thinking, " I have no idea what I just said but it worked!" When we know we are trying to live up to what God requires of us we can trust God to manage are reputation and our influence with those we lead. As I said before, it is important for a leader to say the right thing and in many ways this is almost impossible, but if God is leading us, it is possible that those we lead, will think that we did.

The Risk of Being Honest

"The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit." {Proverbs 18:21}

Successful people use their time wisely. Leaders choose their words wisely. And at the same time, the power of a leader is summed up in the value of his or her words. What you say is just as important as what the hearer thinks about the speaker. Many times we create opportunities for success simply by what we say or do not say. Presidents are elected by what they say. Coaches win championship by what they tell their players. Preachers of the Gospel depend on what is said to their partitioners. But the practice of using-words-wisely is not only for the leader-lead role only, its for every relationship in life.

It is in the simple relationships, the day to day interactions with strangers that give a leader the ability to lead. One must understand who they are leading before they and understand themselves as a leader. This is why honesty is not just a report of the truth but the totality of all the dynamics of a relationship experience without a predetermined outcome. In other words, being honest means taking the risk of sacrificing your own image for the sake of building up someone else and not worrying about how things will turn out.

Being honest is like shooting a bow and arrow. You have to be patient and get close to your target and hold your position (which is most often the most painful part) until the right time and then you can let go...and there is silence until the impact. On the contrary, people make the mistake of believing that being honest is like a machine gun. Just shoot until hopefully you hit something. But usually you do more damage to everything around the target and make a whole lot of noise in the process letting everybody know what you are doing.

Being honest is risky. Leadership is risky. But a good shepherd is willing to give their life for the sheep.