If You Aren't Growing...
When we lived in Pennsylvania, I tried to be a green thumb. We had a nice backyard with some fruit trees, and a place where I planted a garden. Well, it was an uphill battle. Even though we lived in the city, we would have all kinds of critters coming to have a buffet in my garden. They loved anything I planted; tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers. I couldn’t get anything to grow. Well almost anything. I did plant some oregano. And boy did it grow, and grow and grow some more. I couldn’t harvest it fast enough. There were times our house smelt like a pizza sauce plant with all the oregano. It began to overtake my garden. The only way that I could stop it from growing was to pour weed killer on it. Why did it grow so much? Because the oregano plant’s sole purpose is to grow. What does this have to do with leadership? I think one of our main purposes as a leader is to grow. I truly believe that you are have three options when it comes to growing.
You are dying. Obviously we are all dying in one sense but the reality is that if you aren’t growing you are dying. The God-given gifts and talents are beginning to whither. Your effectiveness as a leader is suffering. You aren’t as sharp in dealing with leadership challenges. You aren’t as astute in analyzing situations. It seems like the world is passing you by, and that you are swimming upstream as a leader. Why? Because you are not growing and therefore you are dying as a leader.
You are stagnant. One of the things I hate walking by is a stagnant body of water. Not only is there usually algae and other nastiness in the water, but the smell is very unpleasant. It looks like it is alive with the algae and other organisms but because it isn’t getting any fresh water into it, it is dying. It is the same thing with your leadership. If you are not getting fresh ideas, or fresh insights, then you are just like that stagnant pool. You may look alive but in reality your leadership is dying.
You are growing. This is where I hope your leadership is. Each and every day you are growing. You are being intentional about reading, listening to leadership podcasts, surrounding yourself with other leaders. You are intentional about mentoring others and being mentored yourself. If you are growing, your leadership is more effective today than yesterday. People see your leadership and affirm it. That’s a growing leader.One of the reasons why you were chosen for Joshua’s Men was because you were a leader that was interested in growing. I hope that even after the Joshua’s Men process concludes that you are continuing to grow. I want to be any help that I can be to your continued growth. This weekly email is designed to help you to grow as a leader. I can’t wait to see how you continue to grow into the man that God has called you to be.
Conversation
Where do you see your leadership in terms of the three options?
Do you agree with the mantra “if you aren’t growing, you are dying?”
[1] Today Matters, 281.