There is an interesting thing about exercising leadership; the leader is always being watched whether he or she chooses that or not.  The people who are following you, believe it or not, can be intensely interested in you.  Because of this inherent trait of human nature, you the leader are always exposed.  You see this happen every day for all types of reasons.  There is a saying, “The higher up the flag pole you go, the more your rear-end shines.”  So, if exercising leadership is about influencing people, then a leader of character who strives to do the right thing, both personally and professionally, better consider the impact of all his or her actions when way up the flagpole.  Personally, I call this part of leadership, LEADING TOWARD ETERNITY.

We don’t have to talk about the personal failures of leaders, we see them all the time. We all have failures, that is part of the human state and I’ve mentioned the hope we can have in the ONE who paid the price for those sins.  But, we will also have professional failures. If on occasion we don’t, then we’re probably not doing anything of consequence.  Those failures are not sins, they usually result from bad judgment or just bad luck.  We learn the most from those failures and they are part of what strengthens our character.  “Good judgment comes from experience, which comes from bad judgment.”

What is more important is the impact of character that you the leader can have on the lives of those you lead.  It becomes part of ENRICHING the lives of other which we discussed last week. A leader’s life lived ethically and honestly, sends a message and it becomes a message that is the signature stamped upon the leader’s life.  When a leader does the right things, for the right reasons, the right way, those examples encourage and enrich the lives of those for which you the leader are responsible.

The question then becomes, “Where does the leader find the source for living an ethically and honest life?”  Of course, there are many, many books written on those subjects.  Many people have spoken on those subjects. In government, there have been pages and pages of laws and regulations to “guide” people and their leaders on those subjects. But in the end, it boils down to a condition of the heart.  You can read and study all you want, but you’ll never find the consistency of character that great leaders need unless you have the right “Heart.”

So where is your heart; a heart that will impact others because you are “the leader.” There is a place, a source, and it is THE ONE, Jesus.  Not only can He justify you before the Father forever and clear the books of sin, but He provides the source for ethical and honest living and leadership WITHOUT always having to look in a book or interpreting a law.  Oh, and yes, there is the BOOK, the book that matters where you can find Jesus every day.  He will empower you to, “Do the right things, the right ways even when you are alone in the dark.” (Lieutenant General Sam Wilson, one of the original Merrill’s Marauders who operated behind Japanese lines in Burma during WW II.)  But we are never alone in the dark.

So, what is the big payoff?  For the leader that follows Jesus, someday, someone will come to you and ask, “why are you different?”  Therein lies your opportunity to tell your story and LEAD TOWARD ETERNITY.

P.S.  It was with great sadness to have recently found that “General Sam” passed away at the age of 93 on June 10, 2017.  I remember him with great fondness and always appreciated his interest as a mentor in my life and the lives of many others.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_V._Wilson