Weekly Thought – May 3, 2016
Fred studied leaders. He tirelessly talked with them, listening to their stories, and analyzing the principles of leadership they demonstrated. He respected those who “paid the price” to lead.
As we begin the month of May, we think of the preparations being made for the BWFLI work yet ahead. We look forward to touching thousands of college students this year with the message of hope. Thank you for your support.
Fundamental Leadership
Bill Glass, All-Pro football player of the 1960s said he was never on a winning team that didn’t have high morale. But the morale came from winning, not the other way around. “People who are not in leadership don’t understand that,” said Bill.
It is important for a leader to generate progress – to put some “wins” on the board. Browbeating people with failures is a poor excuse for motivation. People need to feel success and the sense of making progress. It is critical to identify what says progress in your organization and focus on that. It may not be dramatic all the time, but it needs to be consistent.
Every leader also needs to understand that early sacrifices have to be made in order to earn a place in leadership. When you are young you can’t set out to be a pro athlete and a concert pianist. You must identify a path of preparation – and it usually counts out distractions.
A friend of mine, Glenn Baldwin, upon selling his successful investment company, was asked for the secret of his success. “Well,” he said, “back when I started twenty-two years ago I worked very hard and had a good year. Twenty-one years ago, I worked hard and had my second good year. Then twenty years ago I worked hard and had my third good year… and so on and son. The secret of my success was twenty-two consecutive good years.”
The questioner replied, “Is that all? Wasn’t there some secret?” “There was no secret trick,” said Glenn. “I just put one good year on top of another.”
People read all the leadership books looking for the keys, the secrets, the formulas to establish quality organizations. It really boils down to one thing – quality institutions have quality leadership… leadership that understands the value of confidence, hard work, intelligence, integrity, and sacrifice.
I will admit the magnitude of a leader’s success is not always determined solely by their personal qualities. Often, political or economic environments allow some to emerge. For example, Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill – both were elevated by their leadership during war times. In fact, Churchill’s career was declining when the war allowed him to apply his skills in a particular situation.
Think about this: 1) What am I doing consistently to develop my leadership? 2) How does my own story show patterns of hard work, and sacrifice? 3) Who am I encouraging in their leadership?
Words of Wisdom: “Quality institutions have quality leadership.”
Wisdom from the Word: “In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23 NET Bible)