Lessons for Leaders

The news on Monday carried the story of the head of the Segway Corporation who drove his Segway and off a cliff and died. How in the world could this occur? The owner of ..., drove the Segway off... surely not. But it is true. hen it dawned on me - what a tragic picture of a great lesson for those in leadership.

The man had the title. He was the boss. The man had authority and influence. He was the boss. But the man was not the developer of the machine he was driving and his experience with the machine was from a limited perspective.

Serving in leadership is not easy. Those who have never done so do not understand the complexities of such a role and calling. Decisions are made moment by moment. Once in the position you are expected to make the right decisions for the team, corporation, ministry etc. You are pulled by differing ideologies and rare are the days when you can find a few if any who agree with you. But this is the role. This is the duty of the position.

Problems will always be in front of you. But not all problems have to be deadly. The key in being an effective leader is to learn. Leaders must learn their product and get to know it better than anyone else. Leaders must know where they are going and how to steer the whole of the organization in that direction. When one fails at any or even just a few of the above, the leader drives off the cliff. Ideas and dreams are great. But it is in the fundamentals of life that those things are brought to fruition and survive.

Our world sees the lack of these fundamentals in every facet of our lives. Churches, Denominations, Conventions, Organizations, and world leadership as a whole suffer from the same issues today that the owner of the Segway Corporation obviously held. Tragic yes. But it does not have to be so!

If you are leader ask the following questions:
1. Do I know what I am leading?
2. Do I know the inside out of what I am leading?
3. Am I compromising basics to reach consensus?
4. Am I using "pressure tactics" instead of vision to lead?
5. Do I really know where I am going?
6. Is where I am going the place I really know I need to be?
7. Am I listening to sound wisdom from those who may know more than I?

There are so many more questions that could be asked. But I can assure you that the answers to the above will give you a more broad perspective in your mission. There are many cliffs. You do not have to drive off any of them. The choice is up to you.