Sunday, May 13, 2007

THE STRESS OF LEADING AS A HUMAN

I've lived an oxymoron life. I'm certain there are those out there who would immediately agree with at least half of that statement. I've lived a wobbly combination of egotistically and insecurely. Together these are an odd couple of traits to possess one person. The former causes me to believe I have a handle on all understanding and the latter leaves me feeling inadequately clueless about the very things I think I have a handle on. Now, place this into one who is in a leadership role and chaos can arise without warning. Such would be me. Wishing to be a big wheel, I am more a wheel out of balance. The ride transcends from smooth to shaky.

Do any of you identify with knowing everything and knowing nothing simultaneously? Both are extremes and neither are accurate. I never know it all, but seldom do I know absolutely nothing. What a quandary. And, I'm a leader?

I've finally yielded to the fact I don't know how everyone thinks. I can't grasp such a region of diversity. It's too big. I'm guilty of retooling other's concepts to fit my particular and opinionated grid. This messes with communication substantially. Colleagues go deaf in frustration.

The solution is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who gives gifts. It is the Spirit who empowers. When one can yield to the Spirit He can be trusted to know the inner thoughts of God and the thoughts of inner man. He knows all. He surveys all. He is to be trusted. My role is to let Him do what His role is designed to do. I must learn to submit as my estimation can only be incomplete while His is absolute.

Every leader surely feels the stress of communicational conflict. Why can't we think as a whole? The answer is none of us are equipped to define, decipher, or decode the whole.....only the Spirit of Christ has such a call. Therefore, we will do well to be assertive as long as two traits partner our vision: patience and gentleness....both (not surprisingly) fruit of the Spirit.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Eph. 5:25, 26.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I can relate. Although...there are several occasions that I can truly say I know absolutely nothing. Thankfully, unlike you, I am not in a leadership role. However, there are some (my sons in partucular) that think I know or should know everything about everything. Too often, in trying not to disappoint them in their delusionment, I try to come up with answers when I should just say, "I don't know."

cwinwc said...

I've been there and bought a few of the t-shirts. Thank God the Holy Spirit intercedes when we're clueless.

Thanks for the thoughts.