Honor, A Cornerstone of Leadership

Written in the sixth century, verse seventeen of the Tao Teh Ching from Lao Tzu reads:

A leader is best

When people barely know he exists,

Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,

Worst when they despise him.

'Fail to honor people,

They fail to honor you.'

But of a good leader, who talks tilde,

When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,

They will all say, 'We did this ourselves.'

I don't know about you, but as a leader and follower I find this passage intriguing and challenging.

As I watch other leaders (and in most cases, managers) I notice how common it is for so many leaders to want to be in the lime light. I'm sure you've seen it too. Perhaps you have worked alongside someone who will only allow their own ideas to be implemented, will take someone else's idea and claim it as their own, or simply wait until you are gone and then implement it. Behaviors like this make me wonder; if the idea was good enough to selfishly steal and implement later, why not just go ahead and humbly use it now? Why wait? I sense a similar caution to Lao Tzu—it is the dishonorable leader that selfishly claims another’s idea as his own.

On the flip side, I have also had the opportunity to observe honorable leaders who chose not to be concerned with their visibility while still being a true point person. The leader that honors his team is the one who is trusted most completely. The honorable leader may not have a formal title. However, the honorable leader is the one which has been tested over time, through giving his team the honor they deserve, who can rally the team to greater success.

If you watch a team, you will recognize the real leader by taking a moment or two to be still and simply observe. Don't be surprised. Here are some things to look for:

- Who takes time to listen to all the input?

- Who makes a calculated response?

- Which person actually commands the attention of the team when they speak?

* Who does everyone follow?

These questions will drive your attention to the real leader. Just because someone has a title does not mean they are the leader. In the same way, just because people follow instructions does not mean they are following a leader--they may simply be following a manager's instructions.

How do you honor your team? How do you enable them to rally together? Are you riding the limelight or stabilizing yourself on the cornerstone of honor?

What's Your Global Position?

A man walks into a gas station and asks for directions...

Okay, okay... that must be the beginning of a bad joke but I after this past week's experience I couldn't help but open with it.

You see, my best friend asked me to both officiate and be the best man in his wedding which was on St Patrick's Day. Chuck (who has guest posted for me) and I have been friends for well over 30 years. We have built and destroyed our fair share of small projects and have a great appreciation for cool technology.

When Chuck moved here from Arizona he journeyed with his very own brand new GPS. I can't lie, I wanted one. But, because I normally have a pretty good sense of direction and have learned to use Google Maps I had yet to justify the cost. Well, this past Christmas my wife bought me my very own GPS. Now, Chuck and I were both able to navigate to Florida for the wedding with ease!

Like Chuck, I have been most amazed with how quickly I have gotten used to relying on this simple little device. For me, the past few months have created a new dependency on my GPS.

What creates our dependency on these little devices?

- Short notice, convenient directions

- Reliability

- Ease of use

- Ability to find local Points of Interest even when we aren't sure what we're looking for

- Ability to find the closest gas station on the fly (of course that won't help if I don't fill up soon enough)

- Voice navigation

- Blue tooth capability

- Availability of International maps

Ultimately, all of these features, and their benefit to us, build a sense of trust in a little electronic device that can tell us where in the world we are.

This past weekend Chuck and I were reminded of how dangerous it is to trust in our GPS units. Being the kind of guy that will give the shirt off his back for you Chuck loaned his GPS to a friend while in FL for the wedding. It wasn't until Chuck and his new Bride departed Florida to start their new life together that he realized that he had not gotten the unit back from our friend. DOH! Shortly after this realization I was reading a text message from him... I'm sure you can imagine his sense of frustration.

Psalm 20:7 reminds us that while some may trust in earthly things, we should be trusting in the Name of our Lord.

If you own a GPS unit you probably have experienced getting lost even with its high percentage of reliability. Yet, why is it so much harder for us to rely on God for direction in life? Why is it so hard for us to trust the One who is ever faithful even though we think we know the best route?

What things have you grown to trust that have drawn you away from putting your full trust in God's faithfulness? What steps are you taking to rely on God for your global position?

How Hot is Your Coffee?

The morning began in the kitchen at work making a carafe of coffee for my team members. As I was standing there Luke walked in with a pre-coffee look on his face. Jokingly I let him know what his face was saying about how his morning appeared to be starting. His response was great!

As he proceeded to fill his mug up with boiling hot water from that little red tap on the coffee machine he said, “You know… if you fill up your mug with hot water and let the mug warm up before you fill it with your coffee, the coffee will stay hot for hours!” He then added that the credit for that tip actually goes to Debbie.

Wow! That really got me thinking about how vital that tip really is—not just for keeping coffee hot though. I couldn't help but think of the implications for leadership, character, and our spiritual lives.

Whether we are leaders or followers our days can be exhausting. From the time you arrive at work to the moment you leave there are things to be accomplished and goals to be achieved. I believe that in order to maintain a sense of calm haste we need to be filled before we can pour out something refreshing and energizing into our work and the lives we come in contact with.

Here are a few suggestions for charging yourself up before pouring yourself out:

- Have a daily devotional time

- Put down the electronic devices for an hour

- Take an hour to simply think

- Workout

- Begin your week with by setting a strategy for the upcoming tasks

- Take a walk outside

- Take a nap

- Brainstorm with a close friend

So, what are you filling your mug up with? How do you stay hot for hours?

I invite you to leave a comment below.

Business as Usual...or Not!

I recently came across the following video that has challenged me to think twice about the idea of "business as usual". It's made me wonder, what could I do with my team at work to make our job more fun? How could I add a little more fun for my daughters as they clean their room? What about my own goals... add in a little fun?

What are the possibilities for increasing fun? I'd love to hear your comments...

What's Your Potential?

What is your potential? Perhaps, like me, you probably have been told that you have a ton of potential or have had a reference say they same of you. My guess is that you took it as a compliment. I would've too. But is it a compliment? I think not!

Potential is one item that really stirs me up. Whether in myself or in someone else I find myself getting angry at the mention of it. Think about it. What is potential really? I would pose to you that potential is what you are capable of becoming but are not currently.

Wow, what a thought! I'm sure, if you are taking the time to read this, you too see things within yourself that you could become. For whatever reason, you have not yet spent the energy on changing or investing in yourself. But are you ready to make a change? Let's look a few steps that can turn potential to reality.

I believe the first step is to realize that you have a unique potential that no one else has. Sure, you may have things in common with other people. So what are your skills? What excites you? What are you most passionate about in life? These are just a few questions that can get the juices flowing.

Second, take some time to think about who it is that you want to become. What does the end product of "you" look like? I would recommend that you take an inventory listing the skills, experiences and characteristics that are part of your potential. Essentially, this list is a description of what you believe you could look like within the next few weeks, months or even over the next several years.

The third step is to strategize. Like step two, take some more time to think. However, now the direction of your thoughts should be in regard to how you are going to execute. Goals and action steps will help you create a realistic plan that can help you move potential to reality.

Finally, execute. Depending on why the potential you have even exists you may find that this is the most difficult part. I may suggest that this step is one that you can't do on your own. In order to execute many of us find the need for accountability. Why not build accountability into your plan by telling a friend, coworker, or spouse your plan to execute your potential?

How would your life look different if you are able to Realize, Think about, Strategize & Execute your potential into action? Add your comments below.