Humility

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

"Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." When I think about this in the context of leadership I think of this simple idea:

Leaders are in no way diminished by serving those who surround them.


Looking out for number one comes naturally.  Looking out for number two is not much of a stretch.  Looking out for number eight generally doesn't generally come into our minds.  Those of us who strive to attain the status of "servant-leader" would do well to make this scripture a daily part of our prayer and practice.  

Is This Even Possible? I Hope So.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Phil 2:3-4; NIV

When I read portions of the Bible like this it really does make me ask the question, "Is this even possible?"  This really is a pretty lofty command.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit; really, no things?  How do I measure this in my own heart?  How do I ensure that my ambition is not selfish, and motivated by self-promoting conceit?  And if I do some things out of selfish ambition, does that somehow disqualify me in some way from being used by God?  

I don't really have good answers to these questions.  What I do know is this?  If I do not guard my heart and recognize my own sinful desire to put myself first, and position myself to look better than those around me, I am headed to a dangerous place.  It is this type of sin, this subtle and acceptable type of sin, that has the potential to lead me down a path whereby I can gain the whole world, and yet still lose my soul.  

I am thankful to have men in my life (Randy, Rob, and Jeremy) who help me keep this in check.

Forgiveness

I used to approach the idea of forgiveness with a "suck it up" attitude.  After all, the past is the past, and it should not have any bearing on the present, or the future either for that matter.  I must admit, that is an incredibly naive and pretty harsh view of the subject. I have come to learn that forgiveness is difficult for the simple matter that it offends every one of our sensibilities.

The natural pull of our hearts when something has been taken from us to get even, or to make it right.  The problem is this; getting even is not a zero sum game.  Someone always feels like more was taken from them. Truthfully, getting even is an impossibility  We must each come to grips with what was lost, realizing that it is well, lost.  Forgiveness is about acknowledging that the offender cannot pay us back even if they wanted to.  It is about making a choice to cancel a debt that is owed and making room for the grace of God to come and help create a future where there might not otherwise be one.

I have come to believe that one of the quickest way to receive the grace of God for myself is to extend the mercy of God to someone else, and the quickest way to lose that grace is to withhold that same mercy.      

Jonah

Jonah 1:1-2 - The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." NIV

Jonah 3:1-2 - Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." NIV

One of the most interesting things to me about the story of Jonah is that God refused to deal with Jonah beyond his point of disobedience.  This tells me, that if I want to grow in my relationship with God, and allow Christ's character to develop in my heart, I must obey his Word.  The point at which I cease to obey, is the point at which I cease to grow.  The only way forward is to turn around and obey what in stubbornness, I have been resisting.

Reverse Engineering

In my life, joy has been one of those qualities that has always been short-lived.  It seems to always be squeezed out by an overwhelming sense of discontent.  My belief that things should be better, or different, or more like I want them has placed an overwhelming obstacle to the growth of long-lived joy and contentment.  This week I decided to reverse engineer a familiar passage of scripture, and it has helped bring me some needed perspective.  

Rom 5:3-5 - 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. NIV

As I reverse engineered this portion of scripture I have begun to understand that the road to a lasting hope, one that produces genuine joy and one that "does not disappoint," is not an easy road to travel.  This road is not a smooth path.  It is not a paved road.  It is a rocky and winding road; full of twists, turns, peaks, and valleys.  It is loaded with potholes, and pitfalls.  The road to this kind of hope and joy is found through the difficult journey of character development.  This type of character development does not come from a book or a sermon, it comes through perseverance; perseverance born of suffering.  

I am discovering that the road to genuine joy is not the nice road I have been looking for.  It is found as I travel down the difficult paths of my life.  As I face my problems, and allow God to shape my heart into whatever would be his desire. 

The Downside of Self-Evaluation

Analysis paralysis.  I came across this concept for the first time a few years back.  It refers to a danger that all managers/leaders/individuals face when evaluating information in making a decision.  The danger is to become so bogged down in looking at the data and factors behind a decision, you become paralyzed and incapable of making any decision at all.  As if often the case, the more important the decision, the more information we want.  The more information we gather, the more difficult the decision becomes.  In our quest to mitigate the uncertainty in life, we end up guaranteeing its existence in our minds.

This analysis paralysis is also true in our quest for self-discovery.  We take tests, speak with mentors, read books, and attend conferences all to discover who it is we really are.  The problem is that we can become so consumed with trying to discover who we really are, that we miss the most important aspect of that discovery.  Action.  At some point we have to stop the analysis and start doing something.  It is through action that our true selves will emerge.  It is through action that we discover our gifts, and passions.  This sort of life-changing information does not exist in a book, it exists through experience.  

The lesson I am learning is simple.  If I want to truly discover who I am, I need to get involved in life.   

The Halo Effect

The halo effect is a cognitive bias whereby we allow one trait of a person or object to affect the perception of other traits.  A normal example is to assume that because a person is more attractive than others, they must also be more intelligent.  This is, of course, completely not true.  We all know plenty of people that are either pretty and dumb, or ugly and smart.

The danger of this bias is that is can cause us to make faulty assumptions which in turn lead to bad decisions.  And bad decisions, as we all know, lead to negative consequences.  Charlie Sheen is a great example.  His assumption that he is, "Duh, winning!" is built on the fact that he is both rich and famous.  That belief seemingly blinds him to the fact that other foundational areas of his life are crumbling around him.  This "halo" blinds him to the fact that outsiders see all to well; his life is heading toward a reckless outcome. 

I'm not picking on Mr. Sheen, or singling him out as somehow uniquely blind.  This happens all of the time in our own lives as well.  It happens in the organizations in which we work, the families in which we live, and the relationships in which we pursue.  To overcome this bias, we must first be honest about its presence in our minds.  Only then can we challenge wrong assumptions, ask better questions, and arrive at better answers.

Winning or losing in one area of your life does not necessarily mean you are winning or losing in others.  Blind optimism can be just as dangerous as narrow-minded cynicism.  When things are going well, that in no way omits our need to seek improvement in other areas.  When things are bad, that in no way means all is hopeless.  Do the work to remove the halo and see things as they really are.  It may be uncomfortable, but it will not prove to be fruitless.