Unleashing The Power Of Rubber Bands by Nancy Ortberg

Author:Nancy Ortberg
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: TYNDALE HOUSE
Published: 2008-07-30T15:00:00+00:00

the hardest person to Lead

IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG to realize that leadership is hard. Youshould be able to conjure up the names of at least five people who make that a true statement. All kinds of things make leadership difficult, but certain people are one of those things.

As the picture of those certain people comes to mind, take a minute to let that picture fade. Because of all the difficult people you will lead, the hardest person to lead will be yourself.

Call it whatever you want—the discipline of a leader, self-leadership, managing yourself—you’ve got your work cut out for you. Many of my former bosses will laugh aloud when they read this part. They will find it humorous that I am writing about self-leadership, and perhaps be relieved that I am finally getting it.

The journey of leadership is as much inward as it is outward. Leadership, done well, will continually be a force that drives you back into the center of yourself to find out what you are really made of. Great leadershipoccurs when you understand your own motives, your “dark side,” what you want to misrepresent in order to look better than you really are.

Leadership, done well, will continually be

a force that drives you back into the center

of yourself to find out what you are

really made of.

One of the things I believe deeply is this: Leaders ought to be the most self-aware people in the room. Sure, who doesn’t agree with that? Especially if I clarify that I am not talking about a narcissistic self-awareness. You know the kind: thepeople who only know two pronouns: I and me. No, notthat kind of self-awareness.

I’m talking about the kind of self-awareness that makesyou comfortable in your own skin. You know who you are and who you aren’t. You lean into and lead out of your strengths. You have words for your brokenness, and while you may wish you had none, you know that you do and you know what they are. And you know that other people know. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

People like that are lovely, aren’t they? Strong and lovely.

When I was in my early twenties, there was a woman in our church like that. She was probably in her midforties,and I remember thinking that if God would let me live that long (I was sure she was near death, at her age), I would love to be just like her.

Good leaders lead well for the sake of themselves. We must possess a deep level of insight into who we are and why. In order to lead out of good motives, we need to be aware of our blind spots and lead for the good of others rather than filling some void in ourselves.

And good leaders lead well for the sake of others. A significant part of leadership is helping others function out of that centered place, and the best person to lead us there is someone who has already traveled that difficult road.

This brings me to the tough part.

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