Leadership

This blog is a little different than any other I have written; it is simply a personal observation and not really based on my reading. Please let me know what you think.

Leadership

What a unique day. I woke up early again this morning and tried to read in C.S Lewis’ book “The Weight of Glory”. I just haven’t been able to get into it. He has so many inspirational books… but for me, this is not one of them! I gave up on it and put it back on the shelf. I looked for something else and was drawn to “Leadership and Self Deception” by the Arbinger Institute. I have read this book before and really learned from it. I just felt this morning the need to re-read it.

For those not familiar with it let me give a synopsis. The book is like a short novel or narration, about a new employee, Tom, and his interactions with his boss and others, talking about the company’s foundation for success, the recognition and elimination of self-betrayal and self-deception.

The premise of the book is that we mess these things up, not from a lack of skill or “technique” but because we are deceiving ourselves about what’s going on, always in the same way. That may sound overly simplistic: could all these different problems really be due to a common cause?

After my reading time I got ready to go for my morning run. It has become my habit to listen to the radio while I run in the morning. I normally listen to a talk radio program called the Bob Lonsberry Show. He is a rather quirky individual that is humorous but insightful. He often talks about moral lessons that he has learned from his own life experience. Today he had an interesting one that deals with… as you guessed it… Leadership!

Bob told a story about when he was 24 years old; he entered the army and went to basic training. Of course he was several years older than the other recruits. He was a returned missionary and he was married. He decided that to make basic training easier he was going to hang “just in the middle of the pack”. He wasn’t going to do anything to get noticed… either good or bad. He did just that.

Upon graduation, as everyone was shaking hands, and congratulating one another, he was approached by his drill Sergeant. What the Sergeant said stung him. The Sergeant said “You did a good job, but it is too bad that you decided to hang back and not step up as a leader.” This comment has changed the rest of his life.

This comment caused me to reflect on another person in my life that in a small lesson on leadership has had a big impact on my life. I hope that mentioning his name will not embarrass him in any way for he is someone that many of you may know. He is a high priest in my ward by the name of Bill Quist.

Bill is a guy that you will find in any ward. He sits in the back corner of Sunday School or Priesthood meeting and always seems to make off-the-wall comments. They often make you laugh, and sometimes make you wonder what it has to do with the lesson, but he is a faithful and dependable brother in the gospel. Several years ago Bill was called to lead the music in Priesthood Meeting opening exercises. I am certain that no other person has ever taken this responsibility more seriously. He insisted that people watched him as he led. He would often speed up or slow down… or sometimes even stop in the middle of a song simply to test if people were watching. If not… you were reprimanded. This caused all kinds of moaning and groaning in the audience.

On one particular Sunday as this process was going on… and people were not watching or following him… he stopped and said “years ago I decided that when I was called to be the leader of something, that by-golly I was going to lead.” This lesson has stuck with me for all these years and I have looked up to Bill Quist as someone to follow ever since. This is the type of leader I want to be.

Leadership of course needs to be done in humility. In Matthew 18 we read
“1 AT the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Of course Jesus Christ is our ultimate leader. He is our perfect example. He is all powerful… yet humble and willing to submit to the Father. We would be wise to follow Him.