Command

Today is President's day and in honor of the great leaders of all time, I thought I would capture my thoughts about what it means to lead. More importantly, what it means to be effective. I just watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica and a comment , Admiral Adama made struck me... "Command is about people, not about the systems"

I have had numerous opportunities to lead in my 35 years, but I have never been in "command" anywhere except in my own family. It strikes me, that to lead my family, I have to completely sacrifice my self for us. From the outside, the onlooker might speculate that command becomes about self, when in reality, the opposite is true. From the inside, the discipline provided by strong leadership is comforting. The leaders' sacrifice seems to be a key factor. Perception of the leader from the outside is generally irrelevant, until it becomes a factor in the population being lead. Politics are important, but they must follow the purity of intention. I am not a scholar of political science, but my amateur view of history reveals a constantly swinging pendulum from the view of the masses to the psychosis of emperors.

Leadership must be bold, it must embrace and seek change, and not fear the volatility of human resistance. It must be build on a foundation of knowledge, strength and unassailable integrity so that when the storms rage, the structure will stand. It must also be self sacrificing, yielding, and willing to accept both success and failure.

Our society is not filled with leaders. It is filled with people. Leaders rise to the top. We all know who they are. Their charisma and personality cannot be taught or faked. Those leaders are not always right, but they remain leaders all the same. They present themselves to the world and they must earn the right to stay king of the hill. The support of the people is critical, but sometimes(not always) those people do need to simply follow and trust.

The opportunity for questioning must always be present. Dissenting views matter. But our world requires leaders. We must make decisions and move forward in unity. Leaders bridge the gap between people and the achievements that we as a society seek. Leaders sacrifice themselves. That sacrifice is real, not like the movies. It is more like that realized in the Mel Gibson's "Passion". The pain is real, but so is the reward.

Am I a leader? I think so. Am I good at it? Only time will tell.

Here are a few closing thoughts bouncing around in my head...

Talk is cheap.
People matter.
Results speak for themselves.
Love is amazing.
Old ways are worth learning.
New ways may be better than the old.(no guarantees, only risk)
Our God is an awesome God, he reigns in heaven above.

Jesus is a leader worth emulating.