LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE FORCE

Part 5 of 6

There is an eternal battle between good and evil (Jedi versus the Dark Side). Are we sure which side we are on?

While the answer to this question (should be) a resounding YES!; are we really sure?

As previously stated in Part 2 of this series, a true leader needs to know God and be on God’s side. Whilst many believe they are, the only true test to ascertain this is in the choices one takes and the corresponding actions one does as a result of those choices.

Good and evil cannot co-exist. To believe so is to be caught up in a deception. It is actually a compromise because the Ultimate Truth is:

JAMES 3:11-12 (NKJV)

Does a spring send forth freshwater and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Another way of looking at this truth is:

MATTHEW 6:24 (NLT)

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The challenge for leaders is that the Dark Side is more enchanting and a lot easier to give in to than the Jedi side. The reason for this is that the world is predisposed to the direction of death, decay and destruction. Think of it as a downhill slope, albeit gently, from the time Adam and Eve committed Original Sin in the garden. Couple this with the current world culture of wanting everything instantaneously, then this challenge becomes all the more too real.

How do leaders combat this? By AWARENESS and STEADFASTNESS

AWARENESS is knowing which is right and which is wrong. This requires a devotion of time and study. Many times, we have seen that leaders who are in place learn as they go along. While this is a reality, it shouldn’t be the standard because this opens the possibilities for many leadership failure scenarios.

Ideally, one should study first and be equipped before they assume the leadership position. However, this is not so. More often than not, people are ill-equipped, to say the least, to step in to leadership. Sadly, the ones who pay the price is not only the leader himself/herself, but everyone who is under him/her.

So what does one do if this is the predicament he/she is in right now? What if, to compound the problem, the company the leader works for does not put emphasis on learning (i.e. no budget for it)? Is all hope lost? Nay. Far from it.

Preferable will be to have a mentor (see Blog 3 in this series). If this is not feasible, a good solution is to self-study. Buy a leadership book! It is cost-efficient and even time-efficient as there are no pressured schedules to keep aside from the ones dictated upon by one’s self to learn quickly and thoroughly.

Tip: Don’t over-do it by reading books upon books. That is hardly studying but cramming. Choose a respected author and topic and diligently go through the material and apply them little by little.

Once you know which is right and wrong, you now need STEADFASTNESS. This requires a dedication to the chosen path. In fact, I would wager that it will require a lot of unlearning of old ways which is far from easy; hence the steadfastness required.

As mentioned, there are many shortcuts that will tempt you. But these shortcuts are actually wrong turns. The only way they will take you is away from the right path. That is a decision every leader is confronted with. In the words of Master Yoda, choose you must.

Be aware and be steadfast. This is the way to leadership success.