“Real Leaders”

President’s Blog
November 12, 2010

“Real Leaders”

Recently an Adventist Conference President shared with me a quote from Heifetz and Laurie, authors of a current book on leadership. I am turning over the quote and its implications in my mind. Here is what it says:

“Followers want comfort, stability and solutions from their leaders. But that’s babysitting. Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones. Then they manage the resulting distress.”

Yes, we are creatures of habit. We actually usually prefer the status quo. We don’t want things upset. Often we want things better, without any change required from us.

And yet, when I read in the Bible, whenever God called a man or a woman to a significant work, a ministry, a prophetic office or to deliver His people, it always involved change. It always involved, in some way, calling or knocking people out of their comfort zones. Just think with me of the life of Abraham – called to leave everything familiar and go out, “not knowing where he was going,” the scriptures say. Noah, called to build an ocean-going ship for an event never seen before and never contemplated by anyone else except by the God of heaven who revealed the calling to Noah. Elijah—sent to Ahab to announce there would be no rain, without even knowing that this would last 3 years. David sent to face Goliath with only 5 stones, and a challenge to the entire army of Israel that one with God could be a majority. Esther called to enter the court of the King with the law pronouncing death on anyone who ventured in unbidden. Moses called to lead untrained, unorganized and often unwilling multitudes of former slaves away from the most civilized nation and the most efficient army of that world.

So, I invite you to think about this quote with me. What do you think about real leaders? Feel free to share a comment on this blog.

Oh yes,…Happy Sabbath!