Leadership is about character first and foremost.
Last night was interesting to watch unfold on TV. For those of you asleep under a rock, the first Tuesday of November is election day in America and yesterday produced a much-debated result. The Republican party took back the US House of Representatives while the Democratic party held on to their control in the US Senate. Whatever any of this means for today or next week or 2012 was the subject of last night's debate on television. My wife and I flipped between ABC News, MSNBC, CNN, and FoxNews and the differences were astounding.
The one thing everyone missed that I just wanted one person to say: leadership is about character.
This is Paul's theme in 1 Timothy 3. He doesn't address a single policy: how church should be set up, whether or not we should support hymns and choruses or just one or the other, whether we should take donations online or via credit card, how many committees should be in place, how often the church building should be used and its fees, or any other church leadership issue. I'm pretty sure I know why.
Leadership is primarily about character.
Yes, there are issues to be decided. Those who lead know there are. My professor and friend Bill Treadwell defined leadership as getting people from the ought to the done. Character first determines what the "ought" is. Then it determines how to get to "done" while valuing the people it's leading there.
So here's to prayers for Republicans and Democrats, moderates and extremists, incumbents and challengers who are taking their seats in January. My prayer is not for their agenda to advance. My prayer is for them to be men and women of character.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
No comments:
Post a Comment