Leadership & The Forge of Failure

Do you see yourself as a leader? If so, then understand this…Failure is not an option; it is inevitable! Despite the best plans, the most advanced technology and the most experienced team, every person, every program and every organization will, at some point, experience a devastating failure. Our projects will fail. Our teams will fail and yes, my friends, we, as individuals, will fail.

And our failure doesn’t just impact ourselves, but those around us. Oh sure, we can complain about life being “unfair”, but it doesn’t really help the situation. And besides, what is our basis for comparison? As people living in a chaotic and fallen world, we wouldn’t know “fair” if she walked up and introduced herself to us.

So what can we do in the face of such a threat? We can smugly say, “It won’t happen to me” “I’m too smart for that” ”I’m too prepared”, “too educated”, “too strong” but the reality of such arrogance stalks us, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Alternatively, we can let the anxieties of each day sap our energy and our hope. We can let fear control our actions and stand by, helplessly, while our adversaries triumph over us. But this is hardly in keeping with secret visions of valor we had of our future selves when we were but children.

So what is left? Is there a middle ground between the avalanche prone summit of arrogance and suffocating cave of fear? I submit to you there is such a middle ground. You see, failure is inevitable, but our response to such events need not be limited to bravado or timidity.

When we are faced with the devastating failure of our programs, our organizations or ourselves, we must focus outwardly, putting the needs of others above the needs ourselves. Sound counterintuitive? It is! Not feeling particularly brave today? It doesn’t matter! You see it’s not about us. While our baser nature tells us to serve ourselves, we have elected to lead, and if we presume to lead others, we must be the servant of all.

By focusing on the needs of those around us we begin to solve common problems. We learn from our failures and, who knows, we may even become stronger individuals. So, I thank God for failure, because in the seeds of today’s failures there is the hope for tomorrow.

By: Scott Watson

Do You Really Want To Make A Difference?

How many times have you heard someone say, “I just want to make a difference”? By itself, this phrase seems noble; the type of thing you might read in a heroic novel where the protagonist, facing impossible odds, sacrifices everything for the good of others. While such people do exist in the real world, they are clearly not the majority.

The reality is that most of us will never stop a terrorist plot, capture a criminal mastermind, save the community from an oncoming natural disaster or rescue a damsel in distress. No, most of us will face the day-to-day challenges of balancing work and home life, trying to be good citizens and making the most of the talents and temperament that God has given us.

While it is wise to prepare ourselves for the low risk, but high consequence catastrophes of this world, we should not do so at the expense of the frequent needs that surround us each day. You see, waiting around for a chance to be a hero accomplishes nothing.

This is one of the reasons, I have a problem with the phrase, “I just want to make a difference” All too often this phrase is followed by an expression of frustration at being stuck in a certain place in life or by the boastful romanticism of future exploits. The result of either extreme is the same; nothing is accomplished but self pity and self absorption.

Do you want to make a difference, really? If so, then try the following:

Talk to the person that isn’t very pleasant to you.
Help someone who can’t pay you back.
Forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Tell someone the truth when no one else will.
Listen without talking at all.
Put up with people’s quirks.
Teach something of value to a young person…or any person for that matter.
Give all the glory, from your exploits and your life, to God.

If you want to make a difference, then serve wherever you go.

By: Scott Watson

Panhandling Cheerleaders; A Sign Of The Times

My wife and I went on a brief shopping excursion today and, as has become commonplace over the last few years, we saw two young girls posted, like sentries, outside the store. The girls, were cheerleaders from a local high school and were collecting donations in support of their squad. While these young ladies were polite and respectful, it bothered me that some adults who run youth programs apparently think that panhandling is an appropriate way to raise money.

Thinking back to when I was in high school, I remember participating in multiple fundraisers, but the adults who ran these programs never asked me to panhandle. Instead, we washed cars, did yard work, sold candy bars etc. In other words, we had to earn the money. Looking back, those adult leaders were not only helping us kids raise money for our programs but they were teaching us a valuable lesson; hard work is directly proportional to worthwhile accomplishment.

We live in a time of backwards priorities. Instead of teaching the kids the value of hard work, we teach them to panhandle. Instead of teaching them how to deal with losses and setbacks, we say that "everyone is a winner" and deny them the opportunity to build strength. Instead of correcting kids who give the wrong answers or engage in wrong behaviors, we worry so much about their self esteem that we fail to prepare them for the real world.

I hope the cheerleaders we saw today, as well as all the baseball players, football players and other participants in youth programs raise the money they need, but more importantly, I hope they are not denied the chance to grow into responsible adults.

By: Scott Watson