Rules for Life

Rules for Life

I read these "rules for life" written by Archbishop Edward White Benson a while back and they have stuck with me. Although written around 1882, they are timeless. I keep them in a frame on my desk and consult them daily as I sort out the important from the urgent. Parentheses are mine.

• Eagerly start the day's main work. (does your alarm have a snooze button like mine?)
• Do not murmur at your busyness or the shortness of time, but buy up the time all around.
• Never murmur when correspondence is brought in. (even though it contains bills)
• Never exaggerate duties by seeming to suffer under the load, but treat all responsibilities as liberty and gladness. (even mowing the yard)
• Never call attention to crowded work or trivial experiences.
• Before confrontation or censure, obtain from God a real love for the one at fault. Know the facts; be generous in your judgment. Otherwise, how ineffective, how unintelligible or perhaps provocative your well-intentioned censure may be.
• Do not believe everything you hear; do not spread gossip.
• Do not seek praise, gratitude, respect, or regard for past service.
• Avoid complaining when your advice or opinion is not consulted, or having been consulted, set aside.
• Never allow yourself to be placed in favorable contrast with anyone.
• Do not press conversation to your own needs and concerns.
• Seek no favors, nor sympathies; do not ask for tenderness, but receive what comes.
• Bear the blame; do not share or transfer it.
• Give thanks when credit for your own work or ideas is given to another. (ouch)

Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders (Moody Press, 1994)

Nothing New

Nothing New Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

With an unexpected hour of down time resulting from my delayed flight out of Chicago O'Hare, I wandered into the bookstore in the airport terminal. My eyes scanned the latest best-sellers targeting the business traveler. As I considered the common themes on the bookshelf (motivating others, vision casting, ethics, productivity, creating learning cultures, strategy development, etc) I reflected on how relatively unchanged those themes have been over the past dozen years or so. I wondered if there could truly be that many original thoughts on the age old issues facing business leaders today. I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 1:9..... it has all been done before and there can't possibly be anything new under the sun. My thoughts turned quickly to the Old Testament Proverbs and I soon concluded that the conventional wisdom of today's business schools and leadership gurus are in many ways just variations on the timeless truths in scripture. Allow me to paraphrase a few:
Proverbs 29:18 - The survival of any organization, in part or in whole, is dependent upon the leader's ability to cast a vision.
Proverbs 21:5 - successful execution of business strategy begins with a well crafted business plan.
Proverbs 14:23 - increased efficiency is paramount to the bottom line.
Proverbs 16:11 - honesty and integrity toward employees, customers, partners, and suppliers is non-negotiable.
Proverbs 15:22 - executive accountability is good business practice.

I'm a firm believer in life-long learning and always enjoy reading other's thoughts on leadership. But I think it is important for the Christian leader to remember that "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Can there be anything new under the sun?

Look Behind You

Look Behind You
Ever feel like someone is following you? Chances are, if you look over your shoulder, you'll see several people back there. Maybe it's half a dozen people from work, or maybe your wife, or possibly your son or daughter if they haven't wandered down another trail. Or perhaps you see some folks from church who enjoy your company and have decided to follow you for awhile. You might even spot a perfect stranger who is just intrigued by your journey and, for reasons they can't explain, are following you down an unfamiliar path.

Like it or not, we all have a "followership." People in our lives who are watching, listening, and taking their cues from our actions and attitudes. Whether you enjoy being out front or not, it doesn't matter. You're there. I'm there. Thrust to a prominent, vulnerable position on the "edge" of our lives by the soveriegnty of God for a purpose and plan unimaginable. The haunting footsteps of those behind us can be intimidating and overwhelming at times. But we can find comfort in the fact that God has not left us to work this position out alone. In fact, we are promised in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that His Word is sufficient to "equip us for every good work." God is ready, willing, and able to "lead the leader."

This blog is born out a restlessness to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others; to encourage others to have the confidence and courage it takes to fill the call to leadership. My postings will be written from a Christian perspective because that's who I am. My faith in Jesus Christ and the study of His Word strongly influence how I think about leadership. Typically my thoughts exceed my words so you can expect brief postings. I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with you.