Top 3 Leadership Lessons from the Weekend

Top 3 Leadership Lessons from the Weekend

Wow. What a terrible week. Our country is still reeling from horrendous shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas last week. Leadership is already difficult without these atrocities griping our country. This week, it has been exceptionally hard for effective leaders. Here are a few valuable leadership lessons I’ve learned from this difficult week.

 

1. INFORMATION INTAKE. Many of us, myself included, don’t realize the bubble we live in. Consider your circle. Consider the people you talk with regularly about current issues. Consider the people you follow on Twitter. Consider the news outlets you choose. If they all look like you look, think like you do, vote like you vote, you have some work to do. We must broaden the sources where we get information and perspectives. If we only get information from people we already agree with, our perspective will never broaden, and we’ll never grow.

 
2. FEEDBACK INTAKE. An old friend told me this weekend you can’t expect amens on every post. We live in a generation where anyone with a smartphone/tablet and thumbs is free to give commentary. When you are in leadership, there are many eyes on you. Eyes of people don’t know you, your background or your values. Eyes of people who aren’t interested in being slow to speak or swift to hear. They’ll talk. They’ll label you as if they know you. If you will be an effective leader, you must decide early whose feedback and criticism is valuable to you. Don’t internalize every critique. Don’t read every Facebook comment (especially when its time to rest or focus on your own responsibilities). Don’t respond to every statement. By responding, you give that person power that they didn’t have before. Decide who is worth it and engage them.

 
3. YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE. The racial issues that we face as a country are real. This is not something from a reality television show that we can dismiss as staged. This is not some political hot button manufactured by some agenda. People are hurting. People are grieving. People are confused. People in YOUR churches and communities. People who need your leadership. Especially if you are a Christian leader and/or a pastor. It was worth changing my sermon plans to address what’s going on. You cannot turn a blind eye to this. Well, technically you could. But these issues will be here when your head emerges from the sand,. Don’t negate your responsibility to lead here.

 

How has your leadership been challenged and stretched by the recent events. How do these lessons apply to your own leadership? In what ways are you purposely growing as a leader this week?