Podcast, Season 2, Episode 5: Lessons On Leadership From the Life and Times of Ezra (part 5 – Go!)
In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me. Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application. This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week (along with the last two weeks, and in honor of the Olympic Games in Paris) we are starting the race of leadership. Today, in part 5, it’s “Go!,” when the starter’s gun goes off and the runners take off and run the race. This is when your actions of leadership begin. Here is the transcript of the podcast.
In this series we are diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.
Now we are in a 3-week subset in this series in which I am laying the groundwork for effective leadership. I am using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” (I know that the starter actually fires a starter’s pistol, and doesn’t yell “go!”, but you get the idea.) Those three commands capture the ideas I am discussing:
- “On Your Mark” – that’s all about getting to the starting line and in the right place. As a leader, that means getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. That’s what we talked about 2 weeks ago.
- “Get Set” – that’s all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. As a leader, that means performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted. That’s what we talked about last week.
- “Go” – that’s when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. As a leader, that’s when the work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. That’s we are talking about today.
In the work that is involved in leadership, there are two ends of the spectrum where you can go wrong, and when your hear this, it will make sense. On one end is the mistake of doing lots of preparation but never getting started on the work. This is the mistake of all talk and no substance. This can stem from either perfectionism – you keep trying to get your plans to perfection before starting, but that will never happen – or fear and a lack of confidence, which causes you to continue hesitating. On the other end of the spectrum is the mistake of jumping into action before you know what you need to know. This is the mistake of leaping before you look. This can step from disorganization (the opposite of perfectionism), which leaves you unprepared and ill-equipped, so when you jump into the work you’re ready, or it can stem from ignorant arrogance or over-confidence (the opposite of fear and insecurity), which causes you to make foolish and damaging mistakes.. The answer to these extremes is simply, balance.
One of the best personal illustrations of this for me was an experience I had with my brothers and my father. I was in my early 20s, and my siblings and I, with our families, were all visiting my parents for a family get-together. As my dad was cooking on the grill for everyone on the small slab outside the back door, he commented on his desire to build a deck there on the back of the house. We picked up the conversation and asked what was keeping him from doing it. The basic answer was time and help. So we offered to help get it done. My dad proceeded to draw out plans for the deck, and created a list of supplies based on those plans. We checked the weather for the next day, and he placed the order for the supplies form the lumber store. The next morning, the materials arrived, and by dinner time, the four of us (my dad, my two brothers, and me) had built a beautiful 20’ by 16’ deck that became a favorite place of relaxation for my parents.
What had really happened was that my dad had reached the place where he was ready to build a deck. Then he planned and prepared everything that would be necessary to physically build the deck. And then we did the work, resulting in a wonderful outcome. First, he prepared himself, then got everything ready, then did the work. That illustrates perfectly this whole idea we have been discussing and reflects the balance between planning and doing. The work that you do stems from the preparation you did beforehand, and the preparation you did beforehand should set you up to do the work well. That was the point of the two previous lessons of “On Your Mark, Get Set!”
You see, once you have prepared yourself, and then put yourself in position, then you can begin to work. Don’t wait until everything is perfect, otherwise you’ll never start; but also don’t run before you have your feet under you, or you will fall and fail. Where you need to be is in the middle. Intentionally ensure that you are prepared and equipped, and that you have thought through and created plan, and then get to work. Knowing that it won’t be perfect, you can give yourself the room to assess and adjust along the way, but knowing that you have prepared appropriately means you can gain momentum as move down the path.
As I said last time the bottom line is that leadership is like starting a race:
- “On Your Mark!” – means to align yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values. This is where your capability comes from.
- “Get Set!” – means to live your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, which is another way of describing a life characterized by integrity. This is where your credibility comes from.
- “Go!” – means to step out and do the work of leadership. It’s hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step has to follow the other two.
In the last two weeks, we focused on the first two steps. But today, our focus was on the importance the starting the work of leadership. In the article that corresponds with this podcast episode, I talked in more detail about ten actions that make up the work of leadership anytime you take up a task, initiative, or project, so I would encourage you to read the article. But the important thing for you to walk away with right now is that if you have prepared yourself and if you gotten everything into position, then the starter’s pistol has fired, and it’s time for you to “Go!” and do the work in front of you.
