Good Leaders Will Make Somebody Angry
by WCBSo, I’m hanging out at a friend’s house while I am in Vegas. I’d tell you who but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Anyway, this friend is moving out and told me I could pick and choose from the pile of books that was on the floor. Thinking, I’ll need something to read on the plane on my way home, I pick up The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell.
As many of the PACC folk know about me, most of my thoughts, (Okay all of them) are things I think, conclusions I have come to after much thinking and not something I picked up in a book, unless it were the Good Book. So, I am often hesitant to say “I read in a book…” But, I’ll give it a try here. In the first chapter I came across some thoughts by Colin Powell that I thought might be worth mulling over given that PACC is in the process of choosing who will be her leaders.
After 9/11 our nation’s leaders found themselves in a situation that “no matter what course of action they chose, they were
most certain to anger an important constituency…
“Good leaders know that this dilemma comes with the territory. Any significant leadership decision will get some people mad.
“Further, the more stressful the conditions faced by the enterprise, the bolder the leadership decision needed.
“And yet, when the enterprise faces turbulent and stressful times, a nondecision from the leader might very well generate the most universal anger.”
In short…a leader must be a decision maker. And, for the Christian, these decisions are best made using God’s wisdom.
A couple of passages in James comes to mind:
1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But, let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the man who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Interesting – purity comes before peace.
So, I wonder out loud here. Who will be the leaders of PACC? And will they be able to make decisions even if it makes some of us angry?
Tags: colin powell, elders, James, leader, PACC
October 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
If they can’t “make decisions even if it makes some of us angry,” then they aren’t leaders.
But what I expect is for them to be inquiring of God and listening to him as they make any decisions. Then I hope that the rest of us will channel our energies into getting to work to carry out those decisions and open our eyes to see the results of doing his bidding.
So, to me, a Christian leader does far more than just make decisions. In fact, I see their role more as prayers, encouragers, visionaries, mentors, listeners, counselors, teachers. Decision-making is the tip of the iceberg, the culmination of information-gathering, much of which comes through long-term observation and prayer.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Susan,
I hope for all the things you do as well. However, I also hope for decisions.
Too often being indecisive, failing to take action is disguised as being patient.
IMHO, a leader is still a decision maker.